Not an act of revenge, says U.S.

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, SEPT. 26. The United States is trying to put across the view that what its response in Afghanistan is not an act of revenge or retaliation, but one of self defence.

The Bush administration is also trying to further turn the heat on the Taliban by telling the people of Afghanistan that it is time to get rid of the extremist outfit in Kabul.

The toughening rhetoric and the seemingly tightening of measures against the Taliban comes amid the military build-up in and around the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. Diplomatically, Washington is reaching out far and wide and roping in nations in this grand coalition against terrorism.

``The truth is, this is not about revenge; it's not about retaliation. This is about self defence. America knows that the only way it can defend against terrorism is by taking the fight to the terrorists,'' the Defence Secretary, Mr. Donald Rumsfeld, said.

Operationally what is also being suggested is that this war against terrorism may not entail massive bombings against Afghanistan or scores of cruise missiles pinning down targets. Senior administration officials are trying to impress that a number of things will be happening simultaneously - military, diplomatic and on the financial front, to mention a few.

What has created some unease, especially in the media, is the President, Mr. George W. Bush's comment that the best way to bring the terrorists responsible for the September 11 attack would be to ``ask for the cooperation of citizens within Afghanistan who may be tired of having the Taliban in place''.

The White House later clarified that the President did not mean that the objective of an impending strike against the Taliban was intended to bring that regime down. That stems from an unease even within the administration that the U.S. may be drawn into a ``nation-building'' process in Afghanistan should the regime there fold.

``...the President's message is that we will take actions designed to protect the people of the U.S. and protect people (around the world) from terrorism and that we will take action, including military, against those who harbour terrorists. It is not designed to replace one regime with another,'' the White House Spokesman, Mr. Ari Fleischer, said.

The White House is also trying to make the point that the issue at hand is that the U.S. going after terrorists; and not telling the people of Afghanistan that they would be better off without the Taliban which in the view of the President is an ``incredibly repressive'' regime.

``... the fundamental mission that the President is focussed on is going after, through a variety of means, those people who sponsor or harbour terrorists. Stability of the region is also an important issue which is going to ... be a part of all the planning that goes into what is done,'' the White House maintains.

On Tuesday, Mr. Bush held discussions with the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Junichiro Koizumi. Mr. Koizumi is believed to have put forth his country's political and economic response to the events of September 11 which included emergency economic assistance to Pakistan. Further, Tokyo is trying to determine the operational role it could play in the event of a military action by the U.S. That role, Japanese officials insist, would have to be within the parameters of their Constitution.

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Section  : International
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