US intelligence agencies have identified 23 militant bases in Afghanistan, as well as some Taliban military forces, as targets in President George W. Bush's campaign against terrorism, the Washington Times reported yesterday.
Citing US officials, the newspaper said the 23 training camps were located throughout the central Asian nation, including sites near the cities of Kabul and Jalalabad.
Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told a group of former US government officials last week that numerous "high-value" targets inside Afghanistan had been targeted, according to a participant in the meeting. Rumsfeld told the group military action is likely to cause collateral damage.
The newspaper said officials provided no further details about the location of the camps that have been targeted by US military forces mobilizing in the region.
While the United States kept Afghanistan's Taliban guessing as to when or where it might strike over their refusal to hand over Osama bin Laden, the Taliban again made an appeal for evidence against him.
"We prefer the negotiations than the war," the Taliban ambassador to Pakistan told CNN in an interview, after Britain said that time had run out and warned that the Taliban could be swept from power for refusing to hand over bin Laden.
Bin Laden, who has lived in Afghanistan for five years, is suspected of masterminding the September 11 attacks, in which hijackers slammed airliners into New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington.
Taliban ambassador Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef condemned the attacks, which killed more than 5,700 people.
"This action is terrorist action," he said. "We know this was not Islamic and a very dangerous action, and we condemn that.
"Handover is the other option, is the other action. We want that, if Osama bin Laden is involved in this action." He stressed that the Taliban did not seek war but he called for proof.
"If Osama bin Laden is involved in this action, we need evidence, which is the proof against Osama bin Laden" he said.
Bush has ruled out negotiations and declined to talk of deadlines. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Tuesday time had run out for the Taliban and they should expect the worst.
As the United States and Britain deployed their military near Afghanistan, Rumsfeld headed to Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt and Uzbekistan.
NATO's secretary-general spoke of a "clear and compelling" case against bin Laden, and the alliance invoked a mutual defence clause for the first time in its 52-year history, giving a green light for US military action against bin Laden and the Taliban.
The United States and Britain have put aircraft carriers, more than 300 warplanes, ships armed with cruise missiles and special operation troops within striking range of Afghanistan.
"There's no negotiations," Bush said on Tuesday. "There's no calendar. We'll act on our time." "We'll do it in a manner that not only secures the United States as best as possible but makes freedom in the world more likely to exist in the future."
Muslims around the world have urged caution as bin Laden and the Taliban, among others, bitterly denounce Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, and accuse Washington of favouring Israel in efforts to secure peace in the Middle East.
Rumsfeld, whose first stop is Saudi Arabia, gave few details about what he planned to discuss.
His spokeswoman, Victoria Clarke, told reporters that he would "talk about the campaign against terrorism and... have consultations at the highest levels."
Along with the moves in Bush's war on terrorism, the US government took steps to jumps tart a stalled economy.
The Fed said uncertainty about the future had dampened business and household spending, weakening an economy teetering on the brink of recession before September 11.
Bush met Congressional leaders to work on an economic stimulus package that could include more tax cuts and moves to stimulate corporate investment.
The White House and Congress reached agreement on a budget bill that would increase spending on the military and education.
Bush said Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport, the last US airport to remain closed since the attacks, would reopen on a limited basis.
The airport is just a few miles from the Pentagon and other potential Washington targets, including the White House. US Attorney General John Ashcroft, once again, warned Americans that the threat of fresh attacks remained.
"I believe the kind of attack which we endured shows that the risks of such possibilities are substantial," he said.
He urged Congress to approve expanded law enforcement powers, such as wiretapping phones and tracking Internet communications.
Around 500 people have been detained in the United States as part of the post-attack investigation. Other countries have also made arrests as part of the Bush campaign against terrorism.
The US arrests and Ashcroft's legislative proposals have started to raise concerns among America's civil rights groups about abuse of government powers.
( China Daily 10/04/2001)
