World News 24-09-2001 US Aims To Topple Taliban who: National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice what: Says US intends to topple Afghanistan`s Taliban regime where: Washington DC when: Yesterday snippet: "The Bush Administration stated for the first time yesterday that it was exploring ways to topple the Taleban regime in Afghanistan," reports The Times today. "Condoleezza Rice, the President`s National Security Adviser, said that the Afghan people would be better off without the `very repressive and terrible` Taleban," writes Roland Watson, "and that Washington was examining `what means are at our disposal to do that`." Meanwhile, The Telegraph says that America "is to use former Soviet bases in central Asia as the main springboard for its military campaign". After an hour-long telephone conversation between president Bush and Russian president Vladimir Putin, US military hardware and personnel were deployed in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The Sun says that the "largest air armada seen since World War Two" is now "zeroing in on evil mastermind Osama bin Laden". 630 US warplanes are poised to strike says the report by Paul Thompson in Washington and Martin Wallace in London. But the Taliban`s defences include "deadly Stinger anti-aircraft missiles - which America itself supplied." However, unlike the Gulf in 1991, this is not expected to be an air war, says The Guardian. "Washington and London are bracing themselves for a high death toll among soldiers sent into Afghanistan," says the report. Brigadier General Reinhard Günzel of German special services has "warned that any attempt to capture Bin Laden would lead to a bloodbath." [... more]

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