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New York Times, September 17, 2001, by Michael R. Gordon Condensed: WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 — When President Bush and his top aides talk about military action to end Afghanistan's support for terrorism, they are focusing on attacks to punish the Taliban and undermine their control over the country, not a full-scale American occupation. No war plan appears to have been agreed on, and officially the Bush administration insists that no options have been excluded. The administration, however, is preparing a powerful military strike if the Taliban, as expected, refuse to hand over the terrorist Osama bin Laden and shut down his terrorist network. The blow would be intended not only to destroy terrorist bases in Afghanistan but also to demonstrate to other nations that there is a heavy cost to be paid for those who shelter enemies of the United States... The administration's goal is clear: it wants to rip apart the terrorists' networks. But since the terrorists are hard to find, Washington is focusing not just on them but on the governments that back them. Certainly capturing a terrorist or enemy leader is one of the most difficult of military tasks. The American military tried in vain to capture the Somali warlord Muhammad Farah Aidid. And it failed to break Saddam Hussein's hold on power despite numerous raids including some devised to kill the Iraqi leader. The first Bush administration was successful in apprehending Manuel Noriega, the Panama strongman. But Washington had many advantages, including American military bases and airfields in Panama... In other cases, political, economic and limited military pressure may be applied. The Bush administration has certainly not committed itself to invading all the nations on the State Department's list of those found to help terrorists — Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Cuba and North Korea... Certainly the main focus is on targets in Afghanistan... Mr. Cheney said there was no indication that Iraq was linked to last week's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. "Saddam Hussein's bottled up at this point," he said... the Bush administration has also been avoiding expectations that one or two raids will put an end to the worldwide terrorist threat. It is talking about a military campaign that would last years, not months. "What we have to do is take down those networks of terrorist organizations," Mr. Cheney said today. "I think this is going to be a struggle that the United States is going to be involved in for the foreseeable future." |