The White House has ruled out a pause in the US bombing of Afghanistan for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, saying the United States was waging war against an enemy that must be taken on aggressively.
"We can't afford to have a pause," said US National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice.
Working to rally American and international support for the war on terrorism, President Bush plans next week a series of speeches to US and foreign audiences, and meetings with key allies including British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac as well as Bertie Ahern and the leaders of India, Brazil, and Algeria.
"And in an effort to respond more rapidly to claims made by Afghanistan's ruling Taliban and to sway Muslim opinion, the United States and Britain will team up to help provide accurate and timely information on the war against terrorism to the international community," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
Leaders of some Muslim nations, including US ally Pakistan which shares a long border with Afghanistan, have called on the United States to halt its bombing of Afghanistan for Ramadan, the fasting month due to begin in mid-November.
Ms Rice told reporters that Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network have never demonstrated that they were observant of any kind of rules of civilization before.
"This is an enemy that has to be taken on and taken on aggressively and pressed to the end. And we're going to continue to do that. We have to continue the military action," she said.