Bush: War on Terror 'Gaining Momentum'

Sept. 29 -- President Bush told Americans today that international cooperation is "gaining momentum" and that "the cause of freedom will prevail."

"The United States respects the people of Afganistan and we are their largest provider of humanitarian aid. But we condemn the Taliban, and welcome the support of other nations in isolating that regime," the president said in his weekly radio address.

Bush met with national security advisers at Camp David Saturday morning. In a photo released by the White House, Bush and his aides were seated around a table on which a map of Afghanistan had been laid out. CIA Director George Tenet could be seen gesturing towards an area in the west of Afghanistan, near its border with Iran.

The White House outlined the U.S. policy towards Afghanistan's ruling Taliban in a written document. The document is a comprehensive explanation of U.S. policy of the Taliban. In part, it reads, "The Taliban do not represent the Afghan people, who never elected or chose the Taliban faction...We do not want to choose who rules Afghanistan, but we will assist those who seek a peaceful, economically developing Afghanistan, free of terrorism...We will support the Afghan people in the future. They deserve peace and stability, freedom from foreign terrorists and a government that represents all Afghans. We call on others to join us so we can help Afghans recover and rebuild."

Meanwhile, the ruling Taliban in Afghanistan is denying a report today by Arabic language Al-Jazeera television that three American commandos and two Afghans assisting them were captured in Afghanistan. A U.S. official also suggested the report was untrue.

President Bush has named Afghanistan-based Saudi exile Osama bin Laden the "prime suspect" in September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, which left more than 6,400 people dead or presumed dead.

British Journalist Detained

In another development, the fate of a British reporter captured Friday by the Taliban inside Afganistan remains unknown. Yvonne Ridley, a 43-year-old reporter for Britain's Sunday Express was nabbed shortly after she snuck over the border from Pakistan to write about the plight of the refugees who are flooding toward that border.

Britain's foreign office reports it is in contact with Taliban officials, urging them to resolve the situation as soon as possible.