New round of attacks hits Afghanistan
By Alexander Nicoll
Published: October 7 2001 17:55 | Last Updated: October 8 2001 20:47
[f-16 fighters]
Military targets in Afghanistan on Monday came under attack from US cruise missiles and bombs for a second night, as Washington said it reserved the right to launch strikes on other countries in its fight against terrorism.
Explosions were reported in Kabul, the Afghan capital, and Kandahar, a stronghold of the Taliban regime. Officials indicated the air campaign could continue for some days, and the White House said it expected the overall campaign against terrorism to last for years.
In a letter to the United Nations Security Council, John Negroponte, US ambassador to the UN, said: "We may find that our self-defence requires further actions with respect to other organisations and states."
However, Jack Straw, UK foreign secretary, said there was agreement only on Afghanistan because "that is where the problem is. This military coalition is about action in respect of military and terrorist targets in Afghanistan."
General Richard Myers, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, said 10 land-based bomber aircraft and 10 carrier-based aircraft were involved in Monday night's attacks, as well as Tomahawk land attack missiles fired from US destroyers in the Arabian Sea. On Sunday night, 40 aircraft had taken part.
The extent of the bombing on the first night was broader than had been detected initially. Gen Myers said 31 targets had been hit by US and British weapons in the first 12 hours of the attacks.
They included air defence sites, early warning radars, command and control facilities, infrastructure of the al-Qaeda terrorist network, airfields and aircraft. Ground forces within Afghanistan had also been targeted.
Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, UK chief of defence staff, said 23 of the targets had been in remote locations well away from cities, and that terrorist training camps had been attacked.
The Associated Press reported from the US aircraft carrier Enterprise that video footage of Sunday night's attacks showed one aircraft strike penetrating an unspecified underground target. Another hit was on an anti-aircraft missile storage site.
Donald Rumsfeld, US defence secretary, said progress had been made in eliminating air defence sites and he believed an impact had been made on military airfields. But airfields had not been fully disabled and "there is still work to be done".
Tony Blair, British prime minister, told an emergency session of parliament "initial indications are that the coalition operations were successful in achieving their objectives of degrading elements of the al-Qaeda terrorist facilities and the Taliban military apparatus".
He denounced the "lie machine" of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, which yesterday said the attacks were an insult to Islam.
The televised statement on Sunday by Osama bin Laden, chief suspect for the terrorist attacks on the US, should leave nobody in doubt of his murderous intent, Mr Blair said.
Geoff Hoon, UK defence secretary, said the insertion of ground troops into Afghanistan remained an option.
With the US on a high state of alert in case of retaliation following the air strikes, President George W. Bush swore in Tom Ridge, former governor of Pennsylvania, as director of the office of homeland security, to co-ordinate a national strategy against terrorism.
"We face a united, determined enemy. We must have a united and determined response," Mr Bush said.
Underlining the new coalitions being formed, Jiang Zemin, Chinese president, told Mr Bush of his strong support.
Canada said it would contribute 2,000 military personnel, three transport aircraft, two maritime patrol aircraft, an elite commando group, two frigates, a destroyer and a supply ship. Spain said it would also provide military support in addition to France, Germany and Australia. The White House said on Monday the FBI and disease control officials were "aggressively investigating" a second case of the deadly disease anthrax involving workers in the same office in Florida within a few days.
"It is a source of concern and that is why the FBI is investigating along with the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]," said Ari Fleischer, White House spokesman.
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