WASHINGTON – President Bush says the attacks against terrorist targets in Afghanistan are a collective effort by many nations around the world.
U.S. and British forces are carrying out the airstrikes in Afghanistan, and Mr. Bush says “other close friends,” including Canada, Australia, Germany and France, have pledged their forces to the unfolding operation.
More than 40 countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and across Aasia have granted air-transit or landing rights to allied warplanes, Mr. Bush says, and many other nations have shared their intelligence.
Mr. Bush says the United States and its partners represent “the collective will of the world” in their military operation (which carries the name Enduring Freedom).
In a statement from the White House announcing the start of airstrikes on Sunday, Mr. Bush promised “sustained, comprehensive and relentless operations” aimed at driving terrorists out of their camps in Afghanistan.
Mr. Bush said Afghanistan’s ruling Taleban “will pay a price” for refusing to surrender Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in last month’s suicide-plane attacks on the United States, and his associates in the al-Qaida terrorist network.
The president says the airstrikes in Afghanistan are intended to destroy terrorist camps and communications — in his words, to “make it more difficult for the terror network to train new recruits and coordinate their evil plans.”
The White House said Russian President Vladimir Putin was one of the first leaders Mr. Bush called to discuss the operation in Afghanistan.
Officials at the U.S. State Department say Secretary of State Colin Powell will travel to India and Pakistan this week to bolster support for the campaign against terrorism. Mr. Powell spoke to several world leaders Sunday, including Emir Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain. (voa)
