Never Forget!
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Minutes after the United States-led strikes began in Afghanistan, President Bush spoke from the White House about the action.
The following is a transcript of his address.
"On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against Al Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
"These carefully targeted actions are designed to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations and to attack the military capability of the Taliban regime.
"We are joined in this operation by our staunch friend, Great Britain. Other close friends, including Canada, Australia, Germany and France, have pledged forces as the operation unfolds.
"More than 40 countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and across Asia have granted air transit or landing rights. Many more have shared intelligence. We are supported by the collective will of the world.
"More than two weeks ago, I gave Taliban leaders a series of clear and specific demands: Close terrorist training camps. Hand over leaders of the Al Qaeda network. And return all foreign nationals, including American citizens, unjustly detained in their country.
"None of these demands was met. And now, the Taliban will pay a price.
"By destroying camps and disrupting communications, we will make it more difficult for the terror network to train new recruits and coordinate their evil plans.
"Initially the terrorists may burrow deeper into caves and other entrenched hiding places. Our military action is also designed to clear the way for sustained, comprehensive and relentless operations to drive them out and bring them to justice.
"At the same time, the oppressed people of Afghanistan will know the generosity of America and our allies. As we strike military targets, we will also drop food, medicine and supplies to the starving and suffering men and women and children of Afghanistan.
"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.
"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.
"This military action is a part of our campaign against terrorism, another front in a war that has already been joined through diplomacy, intelligence, the freezing of financial assets and the arrests of known terrorists by law-enforcement agents in 38 countries.
"Given the nature and reach of our enemies, we will win this conflict by the patient accumulation of successes, by meeting a series of challenges with determination and will and purpose.
"Today we focus on Afghanistan, but the battle is broader. Every nation has a choice to make. In this conflict, there is no neutral ground. If any government sponsors the outlaws and killers of innocence, they have become outlaws and murderers themselves. And they will take that lonely path at their own peril.
"I'm speaking to you today from the Treaty Room of the White House, a place where American presidents have worked for peace.
"We're a peaceful nation. Yet, as we have learned, so suddenly and so tragically, there can be no peace in a world of sudden terror. In the face of today's new threat, the only way to pursue peace is to pursue those who threaten it.
"We did not ask for this mission, but we will fulfill it.
"The name of today's military operation is Enduring Freedom. We defend not only our precious freedoms, but also the freedom of people everywhere to live and raise their children free from fear.
"I know many Americans feel fear today. And our government is taking strong precautions. All law enforcement and intelligence agencies are working aggressively around America, around the world and around the clock.
"At my request, many governors have activated the National Guard to strengthen airport security. We have called up reserves to reinforce our military capability and strengthen the protection of our homeland.
"In the months ahead, our patience will be one of our strengths -- patience with the long waits that will result from tighter security, patience and understanding that it will take time to achieve our goals, patience in all the sacrifices that may come.
"Today, those sacrifices are being made by members of our armed forces who now defend us so far from home, and by their proud and worried families.
"A commander-in-chief sends America's sons and daughters into battle in a foreign land only after the greatest care and a lot of prayer.
"We ask a lot of those who wear our uniform. We ask them to leave their loved ones, to travel great distances, to risk injury, even to be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice of their lives.
"They are dedicated. They are honorable. They represent the best of our country, and we are grateful.
"To all the men and women in our military -- every sailor, every soldier, every airman, every Coast Guardsman, every Marine -- I say this: Your mission is defined. The objectives are clear. Your goal is just. You have my full confidence, and you will have every tool you need to carry out your duty.
"I recently received a touching letter that says a lot about the state of America in these difficult times, a letter from a fourth-grade girl with a father in the military.
"'As much as I don't want my dad to fight,' she wrote, 'I'm willing to give him to you.'
"This is a precious gift. The greatest she could give. This young girl knows what America is all about.
"Since September 11, an entire generation of young Americans has gained new understanding of the value of freedom and its cost and duty and its sacrifice.
"The battle is now joined on many fronts. We will not waiver, we will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail. Peace and freedom will prevail.
"Thank you. May God continue to bless America."
LONDON, England -- This is the full text of UK Prime Minister Tony Blair's speech at Downing Street, London, following the launch of the attacks on Afghanistan on October 7.
"As you all know from the announcement by President (George W.) Bush, military action against targets inside Afghanistan have begun. I can confirm that UK forces are engaged in this action.
"I want to pay tribute at the outset to Britain's armed forces. There is no greater strength for a British Prime Minister and the British nation at a time like this to know that the forces we are calling upon are amongst the best in the world.
"They and their families are of course carrying an immense burden at this moment and will be feeling deep anxiety, as will the British people, but we can take great pride in their courage, their sense of duty, and the esteem with which they are held throughout the world.
"No country lightly commits forces to military action and the inevitable risks involved. We made clear following the attacks upon the U.S. on September 11 that we would take action once it was clear who was responsible. There is no doubt in my mind, nor in the mind of anyone who has been through all the available evidence, including intelligence material, that these attacks were carried out by the al Qaeda network headed by Osama bin Laden.
"Equally it is clear that they are harboured and supported by the Taliban regime inside Afghanistan.
"It is now almost a month since the atrocity occurred. It is more than two weeks since an ultimatum was delivered to the Taliban to yield up the terrorists or face the consequences. It is clear beyond doubt that the Taliban will not do this. They were given the choice of siding with justice, or siding with terror. They chose terror.
"There are three parts, all equally important, to the operation in which we are engaged -- military, diplomatic and humanitarian.
"The military action we are taking will be targeted against places we know to be involved in the al Qaeda network of terror or against the military apparatus of the Taliban. The military plan has been put together mindful of our determination to do all we humanly can to avoid civilian casualties.
"I cannot disclose how long this wave of action will last. But we will act with reason and resolve. We have set the objective to pursue those responsible for the attacks, to eradicate bin Laden's network of terrorism and to take action against the Taliban regime that is sponsoring him. After the precise British involvement, I can confirm that last Wednesday the U.S. government made a specific request that a number of UK military assets be used in the operation which has now begun, and that I gave the authority for these assets to be deployed.
"They include the base at Diego Garcia, reconnaissance and other aircraft and missile-firing submarines. The missile-firing submarines are in use tonight. The air assets will be available for use in the coming days. The U.S. are obviously providing the bulk of the force required and leading the operation. But this is an international effort. As well as the UK, France, Germany, Australia and Canada have also committed themselves to take part in it.
"On the diplomatic and political fronts, in the time I have been prime minister, I cannot recall a situation that has commanded so quickly such a powerful coalition of support -- not just from those countries directly involved in military action but from many others in all parts of the world.
"That coalition has strengthened not weakened in the 26 days since the atrocity occurred. This is no small measure due to the statesmanship of President Bush. The world understands that whilst of course there are dangers in acting as we are, the dangers of inaction are far, far greater -- the threat of further such outrages, the threats to our economies, the threat to the stability of the world.
"On the humanitarian front, we are assembling a coalition of support for refugees in and outside Afghanistan, which is as vital as the military coalition. Even before September 11, four million Afghans were on the move. There are two million refugees in Pakistan and one-and-a-half million in Iran.
"We have to ask for humanitarian reasons to alleviate the appalling suffering of the Afghan people and to deliver stability so that people from that region stay in that region. We have already contributed £36 million ($48 million) to the humanitarian effort and stand ready to do more. So we are taking action therefore on three fronts -- military, diplomatic and humanitarian.
"I also want to say very directly to the British people why this matters so much to Britain.
"First, let us not forget that the attacks of September 11 represented the worst terrorist outrage against British citizens in our history. The murder of British citizens, whether it happened overseas or not, is an attack upon Britain. But even if no British citizen had died, we would be right to act. This atrocity was an attack on us all, on people of all faiths and people of none. We know the al Qaeda network threatens Europe, including Britain, and indeed any nation throughout the world that does not share their fanatical views. So we have a direct interest in acting in our self-defence to protect British lives.
"It was an attack on lives and livelihoods. The airlines, tourism and other industries have been affected, and economic confidence has suffered with all that means to British jobs and business. Our prosperity and standard of living require us to deal with the terrorist threat. We act also because the al Qaida network and the Taliban regime are funded in large parts on the drugs trade -- 90 percent of all heroin sold in Britain originates from Afghanistan. Stopping that trade is again directly in our interests.
"I wish to say finally as I have said many times before that this is not a war with Islam.
"It angers me, as it angers the vast majority of Muslims, to hear bin Laden and his associates described as Islamic terrorists. They are terrorists pure and simple. Islam is a peaceful and tolerant religion, and the acts of these people are contrary to the teachings of the Koran.
"These are difficult and testing times for us all. People are bound to be concerned about what the terrorists may seek to do in response. I should say there is at present no specific credible threat to the United Kingdom that we know of and that we have in place tried and tested contingency plans which are the best possible response to any further attempts at terror.
"This is a moment of utmost gravity for the world. None of the leaders involved in this action want war. None of our nations want it. We are peaceful people. But we know that sometimes to safeguard peace, we have to fight. Britain has learnt that lesson many times in our history. We only do it if the cause is just. This cause is just.
