U.S. Hunts Bin Laden; Taliban to Surrender City
By Roger Atwood and Rosalind Russell
WASHINGTON/KABUL (Reuters) - The U.S. war in Afghanistan (news - web sites) looked more and more like a manhunt for Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) on Wednesday as the Pentagon (news - web sites)'s chief said he would rather take the Islamic militant dead than alive, while the Taliban agreed to surrender its northern stronghold.
As the Taliban's power crumbled further, President Bush (news - web sites) told Americans the ``war on terrorism'' would eventually reach beyond the Central Asian nation to hit targets in other, unnamed countries.
``There are other terrorists who threaten America and our friends, and there are other nations willing to sponsor them. We will not be secure as a nation until all these threats are defeated,'' Bush said in a rousing speech at a Kentucky army base.
``America is not waiting for terrorists to strike us again. Wherever they hide, wherever they plot, we will strike the terrorists,'' he said.
[...]
``The most difficult steps in this mission still lie ahead,'' Bush told soldiers on the eve of the American Thanksgiving holiday. ``We have made a good start in Afghanistan, yet there is still much more to be done.''