Those who commandeered the airliners to attack the WTC and the Pentagon are obviously *dead*, so the Anglo-American bombs can't touch them. Al Qaeda may or may not have master-minded them -- we don't know, since the U.S. government *refuses* to disclose publicly whatever evidence it has. Nevertheless, let's suppose Al Qaeda is responsible for the attacks, for the sake of an argument. According to the U.S. government, Jane's Intelligence Review (at <http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/jir/jir010726_1_n.shtml>), and other sources, Al Qaeda is a *transnational* network, so the Anglo-American bombs & commandos in Afghanistan can only touch those members of Al Qaeda who are dumb enough to remain in the country even after weeks of American threats. The U.S. government, however, is making alliances with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and other nations which have "harbored" parts of the Al Qaeda network. If the Anglo-American war on Afghanistan kills any member of Al Qaeda, it will do so only accidentally; if anything, the war will help Al Qaeda & other networks of fundamentalists recruit new and committed members. That suits the U.S. government fine, though, for the "war on terrorism," like the "war on drugs," is just a rhetoric. The U.S. government have & will commit terrors, train terrorists, & support terrorist networks when they are useful to it. The present war -- whose main casualties will be civilians in Afghanistan, U.N. workers clearing land-mines, Red-Cross workers, etc. -- is being waged to manage the fallouts of neoliberal capitalism (e.g., failed or failing states on the periphery) through the expansion of Empire, restore confidence in U.S. military might (shaken by the successful bombing of the Pentagon), etc.
-- Yoshie
* Calendar of Anti-War Events in Columbus: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html> * Anti-War Activist Resources: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/activist.html> * Anti-War Organizing in Columbus Covered by the Media: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/media.html>