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| Afghanistan |
| Bush: Harbor terrorists and we'll defeat you |
| 2001-09-21 |
The specter of war loomed closer Friday as more countries joined the United States in pledging to take action after Afghanistan's Taliban rulers defied a US ultimatum to surrender terror suspect Osama bin Laden. "We have resolved to hold to account all of those who are responsible for aiding, financing and otherwise supporting and harbouring terrorists," US Secretary of State Colin Powell said at a meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington. "We act in concert with the rest of the civilized world," he said, underlining what he said was a determination to take "concerted actions in defense of freedom." Earlier, Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia rejected US President George W. Bush's demand for the immediate handover of bin Laden, the chief suspect in the September 11 airborne attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that left more than 6,800 people dead or missing. "Without evidence, no," Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Salam Zaeef told reporters in Islamabad. The US administration responded swiftly, saying its warning to the Taliban was plain. "If they harbor terrorists, the president's message is clear: We will defeat you," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer. In a tough speech to the US Congress, Bush on Thursday demanded that the Taliban deliver bin Laden and destroy bases of his al-Qaeda terrorist network. Otherwise, he said, they would face the wrath of US forces. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |