WASHINGTON: Islamweb & Agencies- The US President, George Bush has confirmed that the United States launched an attack on Afghanistan and its ruling Taliban on Sunday in retaliation for the September 11 terrorist strikes on New York and Washington.The U.S. action follows several weeks of demands that the Taliban hand over suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden, whom U.S. officials hold responsible for the attacks. The Taliban have refused those demands.
Bin Laden has been living in Afghanistan as a guest of the Taliban, the fundamentalist Islamic militia that rules most of Afghanistan, since they seized power in 1996.
On Saturday (October 5), President Bush warned "there will be a heavy price" for nations that support terrorism.
"The Taliban has been given the opportunity to surrender all the terrorists in Afghanistan and to close down their camps and operations. Full warning has been given, and time is running out," Bush had said.
More than 5,000 people are presumed dead after hijackers plunged fuel-laden commercial jetliners into the Pentagon and each of the World Trade Center's twin towers on September 11. A fourth jet crashed into a Pennsylvania field after passengers tried to overpower the hijackers.
The United States began moving warships, aircraft and troops to southwest Asia in the weeks after the attacks. At the same time, U.S. diplomats worked to assemble a broad coalition of nations to support an international campaign against terrorism, including its NATO allies, Russia, Japan and moderate Arab states such as Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.