US forces have "achieved the goals of the first phase" of the military campaign in Afghanistan and have "weakened" the military capability of the Taliban regime, US President George W. Bush said today.
"Our men and women in uniform are performing as they always do, with skill and courage," Mr Bush said in his weekly radio message.
"And they have achieved the goals of the first phase of our campaign. We have disrupted the terrorist network inside Afghanistan. We have weakened the Taliban's military. And we have crippled the Taliban's air defenses."
But Mr Bush also asked Americans to be prepared for a long battle against the global terrorist network that Washington claims is sheltered by the Afghan regime.
"This campaign will not be completed in one attack," he said. "Our enemy prefers to attack the helpless. He hides from our soldiers. But we're making a determined effort to take away his hiding places. The best defense against terrorism is a strong offensive against terrorists. That work continues."
He reiterated that US forces "dominate the skies over Afghanistan" and added, "we will use that dominance to make sure terrorists can no longer freely use Afghanistan as a base of operations."
The US president also noted that the administration was "taking further action to strengthen our protections against terrorism here at home," citing the creation of a new Office of Homeland Security in the past week.
But he offered no new specifics following FBI warnings of possible threats and did not discuss the fears about anthrax.
"I understand that many Americans are feeling uneasy," he said.
"But all Americans should be assured: we are taking strong precautions, we are vigilant, we are determined, the country is alert, and the great power of the American nation will be felt."
AFP