MR. LEHRER: Sure. But if somebody is thinking that there is going to be Desert Storm II, 500,00 US troops and it's going to be over in a few days, forget it?

SECRETARY POWELL: Forget it. This will take time and we'll have to use all of the weapons and tools I've described. And the other thing we have to remember is that Usama bin Laden and his organization is not the only terrorist organization out there, and we have to see this not just in terms of Usama bin Laden if that is the one we determine we have to go after, because he is responsible for this, and we should go after him anyway and have been trying to get to him because it is a terrorist organization. But there are many others out there who are responsible for crimes against American citizens and crimes against citizens of other nations.

So it's going to be a long campaign against many terrorist organizations, and the whole world has to be united in that campaign.



Amid the fanfare of America's "war on terror," it is easy to miss one disturbing note: it would seem that the decision to attack Afghanistan was taken months ago -- long before 11 September.

On 26 June 2001, India Reacts reported: "India and Iran will 'facilitate' US and Russian plans for 'limited military action' against the Taliban if the contemplated tough new economic sanctions don't bend Afghanistan's fundamentalist regime."

As early as mid-March, there were reports that India, Russia and Iran were heading an anti-Taliban campaign on the ground, while Washington provided the Northern Alliance with information and logistical support. Military sources, according to Jane's Intelligence Review, indicated that Russia and India were using Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as bases to launch anti-Taliban operations.

In the wake of the 11 September attack, former Pakistani Foreign Minister Niaz Naik revealed that, in mid- July, "senior American officials" had told him military action against Afghanistan would take place before the snows -- "by the middle of October at the latest."

Speaking to the BBC, Naik quoted these officials as having said "that unless Bin Laden was handed over swiftly America would take military action to kill or capture both Bin Laden and the Taleban leader, Mullah Omar." And in a puzzling aside, Naik observed it was "doubtful that Washington would drop its plan even if Bin Laden were to be surrendered immediately by the Taleban."