UK News 08-10-2001 Royal Navy Subs Lead Missile Attacks who: Tony Blair what: Says military action on Afghanistan will be taken with "reason and resolve" where: LONDON when: Yesterday snippet: "A sombre Tony Blair last night confirmed that British submarines joined US forces in launching cruise missile attacks against targets linked to Osama bin Laden and his Taliban allies in Afghanistan," reports The Guardian. "US Air Force bombers and two Royal Navy submarines, HMS Trafalgar and HMS Triumph, which are in the Indian Ocean, opened the attack after nightfall in Afghanistan with a salvo of 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles," says The Times. "The first landed at 5.27pm British time." Almost a month after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington DC, Mr Blair said that the Taliban regime had missed its chance to hand over the suspected terrorist and as a result the allies would bring those responsible to justice via three routes: "military, diplomatic and humanitarian". He promised that military action would be taken with "reason and resolve", aiming "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." "US and British defence sources stressed that British special forces, including the SAS, had played a vital role in pinpointing the targets," reports The Independent. "Downing Street said later that Parliament would be recalled at 6pm today. The Conservative Party conference in Blackpool, which begins today, may have to be reorganised as a result." [... more]

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