Tomahawk cruise missiles and warplanes rocked at least three cities in Afghanistan in a U.S.- British strike Sunday in retaliation against terrorist attacks on New York and Washington last month.
The strike started after nightfall Sunday in Kabul with five blasts followed by sounds of anti-aircraft fire. Electricity was shut off throughout the city for more than two hours afterward.
Three big flashes lit up the night sky over the front line between the Taliban and anti-Taliban Afghan forces some 40 kilometers north of the capital city of Kabul.
The attack also targeted the heart of the Taliban movement, hitting the military headquarters and home of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar in the southern city of Kandahar.
Sources said the first wave struck the Kandahar airport, destroying radar facilities and the control tower. The second wave struck the Taliban national headquarters in downtown Kandahar.
The eastern Afghan city of Jabalabad was also under attack on Sunday, and the target appeared to be the airport near the city. The CNN quoted Defense Minister Abdullah Abdullah of the anti- Taliban Northern Alliance as saying that at least three training camps near Jalalabad may have been hit.
The attack on Jalalabad came around 15 minutes after the capital city of Kabul and the Southern city of Kandahar were also hit by air raids.
In Pakistan, Taliban ambassador Abdul Salam Zaeef said that bin Laden, accused by the United States of having masterminded the September 11 attacks, and Mullah Omar survived.
"By the grace of God, Mullah Omar and bin Laden are alive," Zaeef said.
In Washington, Pentagon officials said the United States and Britain launched 50 cruise missiles against targets inside Afghanistan in an attack that also involved the most sophisticated U.S. warplanes.
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Sunday that the U.S.-British joint strike on the Taliban was designed to neutralize the regime's air defense ability to pave the way for future military and humanitarian relief operations.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers said 15 bombers and 25 strike aircraft, both sea and land-based, launched the missiles at 12:30 p.m. EDT, or 9 p.m. Kabul time. The attacks included B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers as well as ships and submarines.
U.S. President Bush gave a live televised address after the air raids began, saying they were carefully targeted at military installations to disrupt "the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operation and to attack the military capability of the Taliban regime."
He called on Americans and their allies to be patient, saying this war would not be over quickly. "Today we focus on Afghanistan, but the battle is broader," he said.
In the city of Kabul, electricity was restored after initial U. S. air strikes, but later went out again. However, the city was quiet, with no sign of panic, according to reports from Afghanistan.
Kabul's one million people are inured to war after more than two decades of relentless fighting that has destroyed most of the city.
In their first official reaction, the Taliban called the assault on Afghanistan as a terrorist attack and vowed that America "will never achieve its goal." The statement was issued by the Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Salam Zaeef.
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has always chosen the path of talks and reason to solve problems," Zaeef said. "But America has always chosen a military approach. However, such a brutal attitude by America will unify the whole Afghan nation against aggression. The Afghan nation will rise against this new colonialism."
In Karachi, Pakistan, the Taliban's consul-general said the Islamic militia is ready for holy war. "We welcome this attack, and we are ready for jihad," said Rehmatullah Kakazada, the consul- general.
Earlier Sunday, the Taliban had made an 11th-hour appeal to prevent U.S. attacks by offering to detain bin Laden, accused by the U.S. of responsible for the terrorist attacks on September 11, and try him under Islamic law if the U.S. made a formal request. The Bush administration quickly rejected the Taliban proposal, with White House spokesman Scott McCllan saying Bush's demands " are clear and non-negotiable."
Washington also rejected Afghanistan's attempt to use eight jailed foreign aid workers as bargaining chips to pressure the Unite States to halt its planned anti-terrorist offensive. The eight aid workers in Kabul, four Germans, two Americans and two Australians, were arrested in August on charges of trying to convert Muslims to Christianity.
On Sunday, British Prime Minister Blair said British missile firing submarines were in action against Afghanistan.
European governments gave swift backing to the U.S.-British attacks on bin Laden and his backers, with French President Jacques Chirac saying Sunday evening that French forces will participate in the military action against the Taliban.
Romano Prodi, president of the 15-nation European Commission, said "all Europe stands steadfast with the United States and its coalition allies to pursue the fight against terrorism."
Small anti-war demonstrations were held in some European cities, and some governments expressed regret that military action could not be avoided.
Iran and Iraq protested the action in Afghanistan. Iran said on Sunday that the U.S. strikes on neighboring Afghanistan were " unacceptable" and that any response should be led by the United Nations, not Washington. Baghdad called the joint military strike "treacherous aggression."
(Xinhua News Agency 10/08/2001)
nhua News Agency 10/08/2001)
