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Britain's Blair warns of long struggle

SUMMARY:

U.S.-led airstrikes targeted the southern stronghold of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban on Sunday after a brief respite from bombing, while U.S. and British leaders warned again that the conflict with the Taliban and Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda organization -- which U.S. officials blame for the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington -- could be a long struggle.

UPDATE:

Allied bombers resumed military strikes in the southern Taliban stronghold of Kandahar on Sunday after a lull of nearly two days. CNN Correspondent Kamal Hyder reported hearing several loud explosions to the west of the city, shaking the walls and rattling the windows. Farther north, in a village controlled by the opposition Northern Alliance, a stray U.S. bomb left one woman dead and one of her children injured, the woman's cousin told CNN on Sunday. (Full story)

British Prime Minister Tony Blair called on his people Sunday to show their "moral fiber" by holding firm in the fight against terrorism. The war in Afghanistan would not be quick, easy or painless, government officials in London stressed as they prepared the nation for British ground forces in the U.S.-led campaign. (Full story)

As the bombing campaign in Afghanistan approaches the three-week mark, the Bush administration is facing more questions about how soon it will show results. "The American people are going to have to be patient, just like we are. They're going to have to be determined, just like our military is," President Bush told business leaders Friday. (Full story)

Former mujahedeen leader Abdul Haq was buried Sunday in the Afghan town of Surkhrud, about 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) west of Jalalabad, according to CNN sources who spoke to the Taliban in Afghanistan. (Full story)

Some 5,000 armed Pakistani tribesmen attempted to cross the northwest border into Afghanistan on Saturday to fight for the Taliban, CNN sources reported. They were carrying weapons and supplies, including blankets and camping gear, the sources said. (Full story)

 VIDEO
CNN's John Vause reports on protests organized by the Pakistan-Afghan Defense Council, composed of 12 political parties and religious groups (October 26)

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CNN's Frank Buckley examines how NORAD, built to monitor missile activity during the Cold War, is now focused on new threats since September 11 (October 26)

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(QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)
 

  •  Summary

  •  Update

  •  Key questions

  •  Who's who

  •  Impact


Attack on America
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 CNN NewsPass Video 
Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998
 MORE STORIES
Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects
Report cites warnings before 9/11
 EXTRA INFORMATION
Timeline: Who Knew What and When?
Interactive: Terror Investigation
Terror Warnings System
Most wanted terrorists
What looks suspicious?
In-Depth: America Remembers
In-Depth: Terror on Tape
In-Depth: How prepared is your city?
 RESOURCES
On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands?
On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

KEY QUESTIONS:

What kind of government will replace the Taliban if the religious group is removed as the country's government? (Click here for more)

Where are the Taliban positioning troops and equipment in civilian areas? Does this factor into where the U.S. decides to strike? (Click here for more)

What effect will the support and opposition within Pakistan of the U.S.-led military strikes have on the war against terrorism?

When will the Northern Alliance, the anti-Taliban group that controls up to 10 percent of Afghanistan, begin a ground offensive to take the capital of Kabul? Are they making any progress? (Click here for more.)

What is life like in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, with increasingly intense U.S. airstrikes overhead? (Click here for more.)

How long will the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan last? (Click here for more.)

What is the goal of the U.S. airstrikes over Afghanistan? What is the key to the mission's success? (Click here for more.)

What is the White House doing to prevent al Qaeda from airing what it calls "propaganda" on U.S. media outlets? (Click here for more.)

Who are the key players in the political landscape of Afghanistan, and how could U.S. military intervention affect the balance of power there? (Click here for more.)

WHO'S WHO:

George W. Bush: U.S. president (Click here for more.)

Osama bin Laden: A wealthy Saudi expatriate living in Afghanistan who U.S. authorities cite as one of the primary suspects in masterminding the attacks. (Click here for more.)

Condoleezza Rice: U.S. national security adviser. (Click here for more.)

Colin Powell: U.S. secretary of state. A former Army general, Powell also served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Click here for more. (Click here for more.)

Gen. Richard B. Myers: Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Click here for more.)

Gen. Tommy Franks: Head of U.S. Central Command. (Click here for more.)

Donald Rumsfeld: U.S. secretary of defense. (Click here for more.)

George Tenet: CIA director. (Click here for more.)

Northern Alliance: A group of former mujahedeen fighters, mainly from minority ethnic groups that oppose the Taliban. The group controls about five percent of northern Afghanistan.

George Robertson: Secretary-General of NATO (and former British defense minister) (Click here for more.)

IMPACT:

The military attacks that began October 7 mark the start of what the Bush administration says will be a lengthy struggle against terrorist organizations worldwide -- one that could take years.



 
 
 
 



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