President Bush Warns 'Time is Running Out'

Oct. 6, 2001 -- President Bush again warned Afghanistan's ruling Taliban that time is running out for turning over suspects in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, and that if the Taliban doesn't comply soon it will pay "a heavy price."

In his weekly radio address, Bush reiterated the position the U.S. has held since the attacks — that if the Taliban did not hand over Osama bin Laden and members of his al Queda network, they could expect U.S. retaliation.

"The Taliban has been given the opportunity to surrender all the terrorists in Afghanistan and to close down their camps and operations," Bush said.

"Forewarning has been given and time is running out," he said. "Either hand over Osama bin Laden, or pay a heavy price."

Taliban Moves on Detainee

Prior to Bush's radio address, Taliban spiritual leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar ordered the release of Yvonne Ridley. The British reporter was arrested last month for illegally entering Afghanistan. British authorities expect her release to be as soon as this weekend. Yvonne's mother, Joyce Ridley, spoke to reporters in Britain after receiving the good news.

"There seems to be a new political will in Afghanistan," she said. "The leaders are now listening to their people and to world opinion."

Taliban officials added that they would release eight foreign relief workers if the U.S. stopped issuing threats against Afghanistan. The eight aid workers — four Germans, two Americans and two Australians — were arrested in August and charged with trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. The White House flatly rejected the offer, stating that it was a time for Afghanistan's leaders to act and not negotiate.

Nevertheless, the father of Heather Mercer, one of the two Americans, said he's encouraged by the Taliban offer.

"This is the first time that I've heard the words 'release' and 'detainees' in the same sentence from the Taliban government," John Mercer said.

Humanitarian Aid

In his address, Bush said the U.S. would be sending over humanitarian aid and support for the Afghan people, suffering from low food supplies and desperate poverty.

"In the struggle ahead we will act in accordance with American ideals," Bush said. "We are offering help and friendship to the Afghan people. It is their Taliban rulers and the terrorists they harbor who have much to fear."

Bush also restated the administration's position that every nation of the world has a clear choice: "Stand with the civilized world, or stand with the terrorists."

The White House continued to get help from the international community in its war on terrorism. Today, representatives for the world's richest nations — the group of seven, meeting in Washington — agreed to choke off the money supply to known terrorist groups.

"There should be no safe place to terrorists," said Gordon Brown, Britain's finance minister. "We are taking all action we can to cut off funds, which are the lifeblood of the terrorist world."

Anti-Aircraft Guns Aim At Plane Over Kabul

Tensions escalted this morning when Taliban forces in the Afghan capital of Kabul fired anti-aircraft guns on at least one plane high in the sky. A Taliban official said the army was trying to shoot down an unidentified aircraft.

The Afghan-Islamic press and other smaller local news outlets quote a defense spokesman as saying they believe the plane to be a spy plane. A Pentagon spokesman said there was no way to confirm reports of anti-aircraft fire.

"If we were doing something, we wouldn't be able to say so as a matter of operational security," the spokesman said.

Building Support

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today wrapped up a whirlwind mission to five key nations to build support for possible U.S. strikes against Afghanistan.

Already, at least 1,000 U.S. troops from the Army's 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum, N.Y., have arrived in Uzbekistan on Afghanistan's northern border.

Uzbek President Islam Karimov, after meeting with Rumsfeld, has only approved use of his country's bases for humanitarian and search-and-rescue missions, although U.S. officials maintain the matter is still under discussion.

The United States has already secured use of a recently modernized airfield on an island in Oman to position troops, equipment and aircraft, sources tell ABCNEWS. Oman, on Saudi Arabia's eastern border, is just across the Arabian Sea from Pakistan, and within close striking distance of Afghanistan.

The United States recently contributed millions of dollars toward upgrading the runway and other facilities at the site. Elsewhere in the Arab nation, American troops have joined British units in a series of military exercises.

Preparing Americans at Home

In advance of the military action, the White House issued a warning last week that the conflict could be extremely difficult.

The president has also said that this will not be as antiseptic as previous wars, said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.

"The American people have to prepare for casualties in this war," he said.

Concerned about terrorist reprisals to a strike against Afghanistan, Fleischer added a reminder that U.S. residents should continue to be vigilant during the country's campaign against terrorism.

"I don't think the president can be any more forthright than he's been," said Fleischer. "He has said to the American people from the beginning that this is going to be a different type of war, and that the American people have to be prepared that the threat remains."