50, 000 Multinational Force from 9 Nations Ready for Deployment

Germany, France, Italy and other Western nations declared the deployment of troops for the war against Afghanistan, forming a multinational force for U.S. led attacks against the Taliban government.

Initially, over 40 countries expressed intent to dispatch troops for the war, but almost no country except Great Britain has made concrete plans to do so. It is expected that the number of dispatched troops will stop with the 50,000 from nine nations including the 30,000 U.S. troops.

President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair stated at a joint press conference at the White House on November 7, ``We will win the war against terrorism no matter how long it will take.``

Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair met twice after the outbreak of the war and held extensive discussions on issues such as military strategy against Afghan forces, humanitarian aid, and nation building in Afghanistan, saying ``Although the Taliban defense is slow to fall, it will fall.``

Mr. Blair also said that the aim of military operations is to eliminate Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network, Al Qaeda, throw out the Taliban government, and establish a new one with comprehensive support.

At a joint press conference after a meeting with the Prime Minister of Kuwait, Secretary of State Colin Powell warned, ``After uprooting bin Laden and the Al Qaeda, the war against terrorism will spread to terrorist organizations worldwide. Iraq can become a target of the war against terrorism.``

Meanwhile, on November 7, U.S. carried out attacks on the strategic crossroads town of Mazar-i-Sharif. The BBC reported that a key Taliban commander, Gulgarai was killed along with 48 Pakistani militants.

lailai@donga.com