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US Marks One Month Since Attack with Bush Vowing to Continue War
A month after the deadly attack on America, a reassuring US President George W. Bush told the country that the United States has accomplished "a great deal in one month."
Speaking at a prime time press conference at the White House on Thursday, Bush vowed to continue the war even though it may last a long time because it is not a "conventional" war.
Bush said all missions are being executed "according to plan on the military front," praising the U.S. military for ruining terrorist training camps, disrupting their communications, and weakening the Taliban military and destroying most of their air defenses.
Five days into their military strikes against targets in Afghanistan, the U.S. and its allies have kept a no-casulty record as the Taliban has so far not been able to put up much resistance in this one-sided battle.
However, according to information released by Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) on Thursday, more than 140 people were killed in U.S.-led air attacks on Afghanistan during the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to several hundred.
Four U.N.relief workers were also killed at their office during U.S. air raid on Afghanistan, prompting U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to urge governments concerned to take precaution and better protect U.N. staff members in troubled areas.
In a statement Monday, the U.N. chief also stressed that the people of Afghanistan cannot be held responsible for the acts of the Taliban regime.
Noting that there is no military solution in Afghanistan, Annan said efforts should be focused on bringing all Afghans to work together and create a broad-based government.
Despite its military triumph, Washington fell short of its goal of capturing Osama bin Laden, the accused mastermind of the September 11 terror attacks, "dead or alive."
President Bush admitted that he did not know whether Osama bin Laden is dead or alive, but he vowed to drive his terrorist network the al Qaeda "out of their caves and bring them to justice. "
As a reminder of the complex and protracted nature of this war against terror, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a warning of possible terror attacks on the U.S. soil and its interests overseas in the next few days.
The U.S. senate approved Legislation to boost aviation security. It also grant police broad new wiretapping authority and other tools to pursue suspected terrorists.
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