Monday October 8 11:22 AM ET

Washington Warns U.N. It May Strike Other Countries

By Irwin Arieff

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States told the U.N. Security Council Monday it may have to launch military strikes on other countries and groups beyond Afghanistan and the al Qaeda network of Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden.

``We may find that our self-defense requires further actions with respect to other organizations and other states,'' U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said in a letter to the 15-nation Security Council.

Negroponte said a U.S. investigation into Sept. 11 attacks on his country ``has obtained clear and compelling information that the al-Qaeda organization, which is supported by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, had a central role in the attacks.''

However, the letter added, ``there is still much we do not know. Our inquiry is in its early stages.''

Negroponte told the council that U.S. military raids on Afghanistan, joined by Britain, were launched Sunday under the authority of Article 51 of the U.N. charter, which allows nations under attack to defend themselves.

``On September 11, 2001, the United States was the victim of massive and brutal attacks in the states of New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia,'' his letter said.

``These attacks were specifically designed to maximize the loss of life; they resulted in the deaths of more than 5,000 persons, including nationals of 81 countries, as well as the destruction of four civilian aircraft, the World Trade Center and a section of the Pentagon,'' he said.

``In response to these attacks and in accordance with the inherent right of individual and collective self-defense, United States armed forces have initiated actions designed to prevent and deter further attacks on the United States,'' he said.

In carrying out its attacks, Washington was ``committed to minimizing civilian casualties and damage to civilian property'' and also would carry on with efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the Afghan people, Negroponte said.

The Security Council, at Washington's request, called a meeting for 5 p.m. (2100 GMT) to be briefed by U.S. and British diplomats on their bombing raids on Afghanistan, U.N. officials said.

Britain joined the United States in operation ``Enduring Freedom,'' a military campaign that President Bush said was initially designed to ``disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations and to attack the military capability of the Taliban regime and its ruler, Mullah Mohammad Omar.''

Bush said Afghanistan's Taliban rulers and its military were paying the price for supporting terrorism and sheltering Osama bin Laden, who is accused of masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

The raids were launched 26 days after last month's suicide hijack attacks and targeted one of the world's least developed countries with Tomahawk cruise missiles, high altitude bombers and submarine-launched missiles.

The Taliban ambassador to Pakistan said bin Laden and Mullah Omar both survived the three waves of attacks, which went on for nearly seven hours.

In his first verified statement since last month's attacks, a videotaped message apparently prepared ahead of the raids, bin Laden urged all Muslims to defend their religion.

-- Anonymous, October 08, 2001