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| British Response to Military Attack on Afghanistan |
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MON, OCT 08, 2001
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After the second round of attacks on Kabul everyone has questions.
Question 1: Now several hours have passed since US and British forces started their air attacks on the Taliban military installations and air defence system. How is this action being reported in Britain?
Since the military action broke out, the two major news channels in Great Britain, BBC News 24 and Sky news have had non-stop coverage over this event. It's been almost a month since the US was attacked. Everybody, especially the media, have been very anxiously waiting to see the reaction. The word "war" had been constantly used by the British media. Now the war has broken out. Let me quote a friend of mine working for the British media who said that this "war" is the most important since the Second World War.
Question 2: Prime Minister Blair confirmed that British submarines launched cruise missiles to assist the US-led air attacks on the Taliban targets. It clearly shows that Britain is involved militarily in this mission against terrorism. What's the reaction from the British people to this military action?
According to a poll done by the British media, a majority of British people support a military campaign against bin Laden. However there are some people who think that it's not right to retaliate with military action, which will inevitably cause civilian casualities. Right at the moment, there is a small group of people demonstrating outside 10 Downing Steet against this war. A member of the British Islamic committee also accused the government of forcing them to take sides while being interviewed by the BBC.
Question 3:
As everyone knows, Prime Minister Blair has taken a leading role in building this coalition against terrorism. How is he justifying his country's involvement in this US-led military campaign?
Mr. Blair defined this war to be a fight for peace. He said no one wants to inflict war upon ourselves, but sometimes we have to fight for peace. He said that the atrocity on September 11th was an attack on civilized values and freedom. He blamed Osama bin Laden for masterminding the attack and the Taiban in Afghanistan for providing a safe haven for bin Laden.
He paid tribute to the British troops taking part in the action, saying that they are among the best in the world.
He reiterated that this is not a war against Islam. He said that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. Terrorists are terrorists -- they are not true members of the Islamic faith.
( Li Qingqing , CCTV's correspondent ,London.)
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