WASHINGTON - U.S. and British forces pounded targets in Afghanistan with bombs and cruise missiles yesterday as the military phase of a U.S.-led drive against terrorism began, nearly a month after America suffered the deadliest attack in its history.
President Bush said that he had ordered the strikes to curtail the use of Afghanistan as a base of operation for Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida terrorist network - the prime suspects in the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States that killed more than 5,000 people.
The U.S.-led firepower, which lasted through the Afghan night, was also intended to diminish the Taliban's military capability, the president said. He declared that the regime must "pay a price" for defying American demands to hand over bin Laden and shut down terrorist training bases.
Yesterday's military action, Bush said, was the opening salvo in a "sustained, comprehensive and relentless" drive to root out terrorists and bring them to justice. U.S. officials did not specify how long the current offensive would last other than to say it would continue.
"We will not waver, we will not tire," the president said. "We will not falter, and we will not fail."
Bush pointedly stressed that the military strikes were steering clear of Afghan civilians. U.S. military cargo planes were scheduled last night to drop supplies of food and medicine over the country as part of a humanitarian aid effort the president announced last week.
Foreign policy specialists have cautioned that support among such critical U.S. allies as Pakistan could quickly erode if the United States is seen as waging war on innocent Muslims.
"The United States of America is a friend to the Afghan people, and we are the friends of almost a billion worldwide who practice the Islamic faith," Bush said.
"The United States of America is an enemy of those who aid terrorists and of the barbaric criminals who profane a great religion by committing murder in its name."
The president addressed the nation from the White House at 1 p.m., shortly after a barrage of Tomahawk cruise missiles and bombs were unleashed halfway around the world, lighting up the nighttime Afghan skies. Pentagon officials said that it was too early to know how many targets were hit, and that no American casualties had been reported as of last night.
No word on bin Laden
There was no indication that bin Laden had been killed or injured in the attacks.
