World Reaction

U.S. Builds Up a Global Coalition to Fight Terrorism

During his keynote address at the Labor Party Conference, British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned the Taliban they must surrender Osama bin Laden or surrender power. Oct. 2. Photo:Reuters/Russell Boyce

In the days following the September terrorist attacks, one of the main goals in America's war on terrorism has been to cut off the Taliban regime and other states that harbor terrorist groups from the rest of the world.

Last month, President Bush's effort to build a global coalition against terrorism got a boost from its allies across the Atlantic. Invoking a mutual defense clause that regards an attack on one member as an attack on all, the 19-nation NATO military alliance gave the United States a green light for military action against Afghanistan's Taliban rulers. The decision came after the Bush administration showed the European allies what it considers to be "conclusive evidence" that Osama bin Laden orchestrated last month's terrorist attacks.


Other Resources

• Read about the plight of Afghan refugees and about a portrait of a young refugee girl made famous in National Geographic.

• Read about Afghanistan's poor who are threatened by food shortages, Sept. 24, 2001.

• See pictures from Afghanistan, Sept. 24, 2001.

• Read the transcript of President Bush's speech before a joint session of Congress, Sept. 20, 2001.

• Read about the world reaction to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Sept. 13, 2001.

• The Pakistani government issues official statements and news online.