President George Bush said today terror attacks on the United States which may have killed thousands were an "act of war."
"The deliberate and deadly attacks which were carried out yesterday against our country were more than acts of terror, they were acts of war," said Mr Bush at the White House after meeting members of his national security team.
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Mr Colin Powell
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US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell said today the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were an act of war and promised the United States would respond as if it is a war.
Interviewed on ABC's Good Morning America, Mr Powell said: The American people have a clear understanding that this is a war. That's the way they see it. You can't see it any other way, whether legally that is correct or not".
Asked if he personally regarded it that way, Mr Powell responded, "I do".
He added: "We've got to respond as if it is a war. We've got to respond with the sense that it isn't going to be resolved with a single counterattack against one individual. It's going to be a long-term conflict".
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But he said the United States was not about to launch any military operation and did not yet know who was behind the attacks.
"We are far from selecting any particular military targets or how to go after those targets at this time. We have go to build a case", Mr Powell said.