War will begin within days (LET'S ROLL)

The Daily Telegraph ^ | September 26, 2001 | By George Jones and Anton La Guardia

[MadIvan]

TONY BLAIR cleared the way yesterday for military strikes against Afghanistan within days by declaring that the Taliban would become an enemy in the battle against terrorism unless they handed over Osama bin Laden.

Standing in the Downing Street garden, he said that America and its allies had the power to do "very considerable damage" to the Taliban. "Military conflict there will be unless the Taliban change and respond to the ultimatum given to them," said Mr Blair.

As diplomats said that military action was likely to begin "within a week", Downing Street announced that Parliament would be recalled for one day on Thursday of next week. Political leaders had already indicated that MPs should be brought back only after action had started.

Mr Blair's ultimatum, delivered 24 hours after he briefed Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative leader, and senior parliamentarians, was seen as preparing British and international opinion for hostilities.

The Taliban were further isolated yesterday when Saudi Arabia severed all relations with the regime. Last night, a Saudi official said that Afghan diplomats had been given 48 hours to leave the country.

This leaves only Pakistan maintaining diplomatic links with Kabul since the United Arab Emirates cut ties at the weekend. President Bush, whom Mr Blair visited last week and vowed to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with in the fight against terrorism, praised the Saudis' "wise step".

Only President Musharraf of Pakistan, the traditional backer of the Taliban, said that his country would maintain contact because "at least there should be one country who ought to be able to have an access to them".

In a message to the American people, the Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, stepped up his defiance. He said the attacks on New York and Washington were to avenge US "cruelty" towards Muslim countries.

"The American people must know that the sad events that took place recently were the result of their government's wrong policies. Your government is perpetrating all sorts of atrocities in Muslim countries. Instead of supporting your government's policies you should urge your government to reconsider their wrong and cruel policies."

He added, without claiming to know who was responsible: "The recent sad event in America was the result of these cruel policies and was meant to avenge this cruelty."

Mr Blair said the Taliban knew what it had to do. If it stood in the way of bringing bin Laden to account, it would be "every bit our enemy" as bin Laden himself. "Our enemy's friend becomes our enemy too," he said in his strongest warning yet that the Taliban would be toppled unless it agreed to hand over bin Laden.

He described the Taliban as a regime "founded on fear and funded largely by drugs and crime" where poverty and illness were endemic and women's rights "non-existent".

Mr Blair emphasised the unity of the coalition lined up against Afghanistan. He said military action would be directed at the Taliban and not at the ordinary people of Afghanistan and promised that Britain would help efforts to deliver food to Afghan refugees to avert a winter crisis.

The Prime Minister called his unscheduled press conference after a day of non-stop diplomacy aimed at securing international and domestic political backing for military action. The most significant breakthrough came late on Monday with President Putin's announcement that Russia would share intelligence with the West and help the opposition Northern Alliance in northern Afghanistan.

In a historic address to the Bundestag in Berlin, Mr Putin yesterday sought to capitalise on his gesture by calling on the West to welcome Russia back to the diplomatic top table.

Mr Blair did not state when the ultimatum to the Taliban would run out nor does the Government expect a positive response. But it was meant to increase the pressure on the regime and provide justification for America and Britain to take military action.

"We have the power to do very considerable damage to the Taliban regime, and any action we take will be directed towards the regime, and not the ordinary people of Afghanistan," he said.

As the world lined up behind the coalition, Abdul Sattar, Pakistan's foreign minister, warned against governments giving military aid to the Taliban's Northern Alliance opponents. He said: "We must not make the blunder of trying to foist a government on the people of Afghanistan."

His comments were seen as reflecting concern in Pakistan that Iran, an old enemy of the Taliban, might, after yesterday's visit by Jack Straw, have a greater say in the future of Islamabad's old client state.

Recognising the delicacy of Gen Musharraf's position, Mr Bush did not call on Pakistan to follow Saudi Arabia's lead and instructed his officials to moderate previous talk about overthrowing the Taliban.

The president said he wanted to "make sure that Pakistan is a stable country and that whatever consequences may occur as a result of actions we may or may not take, is one that we do the best we can to manage".

He called on Afghan citizens disenchanted with Taliban rule to help the US pursue bin Laden but added that he was not interested in "nation-building" or supplanting regimes. "We're focused on justice and we're going to get justice. It's going to take a while probably but I'm a patient man. Nothing will diminish my will and my determination."

The Prime Minister attempted to calm concerns that terrorists might be planning biological or chemical weapons attacks on Britain after the head of the World Health Organisation warned governments to prepare for possible attacks. He said there was no specific threat and it was important not to be "alarmist" about such possibilities.

Labour confirmed that its annual conference in Brighton next week would be cut short, finishing on Wednesday to enable MPs to return to Westminster. Mr Duncan Smith reaffirmed his "full backing" for the Government's support for America's efforts to bring the perpetrators of the World Trade Centre and Pentagon atrocities to justice. "They were attacks we simply cannot allow to go unpunished," he said.

[Intimidator]

Where are you getting your info? Your talking like you are on the Joint Chiefs of Staff or something

[Mortimer Snavely]

PITY DA FOOLS!

[quimby]

Immediacy was imperative, you know, "stimulus-response."

Thats exactly what they wanted/thought we would do.

We will strike them on our timetable at a location of our choosing.

[tet68]

"Come Dogs,that I may give you flesh!"

Note to Taliban;We are NOT the russians.

[Twodees]

The Ghurkas will be unaffected by mountain altitudes and are probably the world's bravest soldiers. Those men will prove to be astonishingly good allies, once again.

[tet68]

Immediacy was imperative, you know, "stimulus-response." The window is long gone.

When you have over 6,000 windows,you can afford to pick the one you want.

[sneakypete]

I thought he said the Jews did it.

It wuz dem dam Jewish Muslims! Try to keep up!

[TonyInOhio]

Hello again, Ivan.

I posted this last evening, but without the flair and panache that always accompany your posts. I'm leaving the British papers to you henceforth!

The thread on my post is pretty good. Visit:

War Will Begin Within Days

if you'd like to see it.

Regards,

Tony

"Those who make war against the United States have chosen their own destruction."
President George W. Bush, 9/15/01

[Colt .45]

"The American people must know that the sad events that took place recently were the result of their government's wrong policies. Your government is perpetrating all sorts of atrocities in Muslim countries. Instead of supporting your government's policies you should urge your government to reconsider their wrong and cruel policies."

And I say to the leader of the Taliban ... "You know what the difference between you and Christmas is? Christmas will be here on the 25th of December ... you might not."

[Twodees]

[WO Gentlemen]

Ahaha, priceless. "Worthy Oriental Gentlemen" indeed. That's the father phrase for the little derogatory acronym nearly abolished by a decade of PC. I like the way you wedged that one in there, Travis. ;-)

[sidegunner]

[...unleash HELL] "Cry Havoc"....then listen to the bastards scream...Who let the dogs out!!!

[Twodees]

A declaration of war doesn't "hamstring the president". Congress wants to micro-manage another long, Vietnam style conflict by committee. That would hamstring the President.

A declaration of war would also make any traitors in Congress and on national level party committees answerable at the end of a rope. That's what they want to avoid, mainly. We shouldn't buy that nonsense they're currently trying to sell us.

Conducting a war without a declaration of war is unconstitutional. The Constitution works against career politicians the way holy water is said to work against vampires. It eats them alive.

[sneakypete]

A terrorist with his brains all over his turbin, and a pigs foot hung around his neck, isn't a very appealing example to a young "rock thrower".

What all these people keep failing to understand is that Americans are the most aggressive people on the planet,and that there are genetic reasons for this. Our ancestors were the ones who weren't content with their "station in life" in Europe or Asia,so they risked their lives and threw away the safety of the known for the potential of the unknown. This is why America has always led in innovacations and accomplishments. America is filled with the children of people who had the ability to set their sights on a goal,and not allow themselves to be stopped until they obtain that goal.

The thing about all this is,the soldiers of this country are of the same stock,especially the professional soldiers. If the pussy leftist politicians who are only happy when they see America fail are held back,bin Laden and his fellow terrorists are in a heap of trouble.

There is nobody on earth more violent or fearsome than a American teenager with a medium machine gun in his hands. Some people will learn this truth the hard way.

[Squantos]

Now yer talkin......your opinion of the Army's current crop of "Super Instructor's" is starting to show though......Stay Safe.

[ohioman]

Excellent analysis of what must be done. Iraq is next, then Arafat's Terrorists, then Iran.... Most of America is united, we must be vigilant in shouting down the evil and immoral pacifists in our midst (a small minority now). They do have their freedom of speech, but this is war time, and citizens can make them shut the hell up. This is no time for ignorance, cowardice, and giving traitorous comfort to the enemy. Total war is called for, for victory is the only thing that matters. Our freedom as a country is the most important issue.

[Travis McGee]

Keeo your zero, this kind of war can be very informal.

[CatoRenasci]

Remember, Wogs start at Calais!

[Francohio]

Travis, this GD Blair has jumped on this War Against Terrorism faster than a drowning rat on a floating log!,br>

His deal? Easy, Britain is awash in Muslims, including many terrorists. This gives Tony the chance to jump on two bandwagons at once, (1)The War, so nobody can criticize him. (2) He can co-opt the nationalist right in England, simply by cracking down on the Muslims. Who, BTW, really, really need it right now.

This may be a 10-year war that gives Britain 10 more years of this Clinton-clone-clown. Talk about unintended consequences!

[Walkin Man]

I have to agree with your post 17, we played by the rules and it got us 6000+ dead Americans and other nationals. Where would we be today if the White House and Congress would have been hit also? Not to mention that the diaperheads are now playing with chemicals\bio agents that if used in a terror attack could result in the deaths of hundreds of thousands possibly a million or more. It's way past time to throw out the rule book and go down and dirty with these scum killers. As you say within a year most could be dead and the rest driven to the ground, scared shi*less.

[RoarNLion]

A year ago I would have thought Freepers were smart enough to read between the lines and see what's really going on.

Apparently, this administration is just as good as the last when it comes to spewing propaganda, and the ability to read between the lines gets blurry at the political party line.

I am convinced the devastation of WTC was coordinated within our own government to achieve two specific objectives:

1. To gin up support among the American people for an invasion of Afganistan, the plans of which had already been finalized and shared with allied nations as early as June of this year. The war objective is to achieve sufficient influence in the region to control the flow of untapped oil reserves in the Caspian Region. The concept of a pipeline through Afganistan is nothing new, its concept was also the source of bribes paid to the Clinton administration during the campaign fundraising mess. How soon we forget.

2. As though the crime bill of 1996 wasn't enough, WTC furthers the NWO globalist agenda to strip the American people of their civil liberties. The propaganda to push new legistlation through the Congress is so strong, that the American people are shouting "bring it on!".

We truly are the proverbial frogs sitting in a pot of hot water, and WTC is analogous to turning up the heat.