The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Sunday, October 7, 2001, Chandigarh, India

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USA, Britain attack Afghan military, guerrilla bases

Washington, October 7
US and British forces on Sunday launched heavy night strikes, beginning with cruise missiles against a broad range of Taliban military targets and guerrilla training camps in Afghanistan, US defence officials said.

The officials, who asked not to be identified, said the carefully selected targets included Taliban air defence and command-and-control sites in the capital of Kabul and an airbase near the Taliban stronghold city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan.

They said the initial military response to a devastating September 11 attack on America included up to a half-dozen areas targeted by $1 million Tomahawk cruise missiles launched by US and British surface ships and submarines.

Such weapons are also carried by heavy US B-52 bombers, but there was no immediate indication that bombers were being used in the strikes, which began shortly after noon Washington time (1600 GMT) and shortly before 9 pm in Afghanistan.

"This is broad. Those explosions are not thunder," said one US defence official, who added that the nighttime assault began with cruise missiles. Those initial strikes were expected to pave the way for additional raids using laser-guided bombs delivered by smaller attack jets.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, Chairman of the US military Joint Chiefs of Staff, were scheduled to brief reporters.

Both US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair stressed in nationwide addresses on Sunday that their forces were being extremely careful to avoid hurting innocent Afghan people in the wake of last month's attack.

"It involved a number of targets," one defence official told Reuters, stressing that the raids were still going on more than two hours after they began.

Senior Bush administration officials have stressed as the US and British militaries have built a major force around Afghanistan that any attack would be designed to cripple the Taliban military and hit training bases for guerrillas loyal to Saudi-born fugitive Osama bin Laden.

Bin Laden is accused by Washington and London of masterminding the September attacks using hijacked airliners which were smashed into the Pentagon and New York's World Trade Center, killing about 5,600 people. — Reuters

Britain confirms involvement in strikes

London, October 7
British forces are involved in strikes against Afghanistan alongside the USA, a spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair's office said on Sunday.

"We can confirm that British forces are engaged in the military action that has begun against targets in Afghanistan," the spokesman said.

US President George W. Bush earlier announced the start of hostilities against Kabul. Reuters

Schroeder backs attacks, German role unclear

Berlin, October 7
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said in a statement on Sunday the German government gave its "unreserved backing" to US action against what he called "terrorist targets" in Afghanistan.

The statement said Bush had informed Schroeder by telephone about the strikes shortly before they happened. Schroeder again underlined "Germany's unlimited solidarity with the United States," it said.

The statement made no mention of what Germany's contribution to the action was likely to be, but said Bush and Schroeder had agreed to keep in close contact.