Global Support for U.S. Builds

Sept. 25, 2001 -- The United States' war on terrorism gained more international support today while the administration tried to reassure concerned lawmakers it would not sacrifice essential civil liberties at home for the mission.

Attorney General John Ashcroft appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee and argued that the administration must have greater power to investigate the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on that left at an estimated 6,804 total people missing or dead.

At the White House, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met with President Bush and said Japanese warships would be sent to the Indian Ocean. The vessels would provide support for U.S. ships in the newly named "Operation Enduring Freedom."

The operation is intended to feret out Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the attacks who is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan.

Afhanistan's global isolation continues as Saudi Arabia announced it had cut ties with the ruling Taliban regime. The decision leaves Pakistan as the only nation maintaining diplomatic relations with the anti-U.S. government.

Bush said the goal of the operation is not to overturn governments, but to bring terrorists to justice.

"They [terrorists] have no justification for their actions," he said. "There is no religious justification. There is no political justification. The only motivation is evil."

Special Powers for a Special War

During a visit to FBI headquarters in Washington, Bush said the war on terrorism would not trample the Constitution. But the president stressed that law enforcement needed the power to do its job effectively, especially under current circumstances.

"Ours is a land that values the constitutional rights of every citizen, and we will honor those rights, of course," Bush said. "But we're at war, a war we're going to win. And in order to win the war, we must make sure that the law enforcement men and women have got the tools necessary within the Constitution to defeat the enemy."

Ashcroft took the argument to Capitol Hill. Before the Senate Judiciary Committee, he said that the government should be able to detain or deport immigrants it believes may engage in terrorist activity, without a court hearing. Ashcroft also pushed for the right of investigators to wire tap multiple telephone numbers of an individual, rather than being restricted to a single telephone number.

The Bush administration, Ashcroft said, was confident these proposals are "merited not only by the circumstances but that they pass constitutional muster, and that they will serve America well." He added that the fight against terrorists will be hampered unless Congress passes laws giving more power to law enforcement to investigate suspects.

Concerns about the effect Ashcroft's requests might have on civil liberties have slowed action on the proposals. Though a vote had been scheduled for today, the committee said it would not act until next week.

Isolated Taliban

Besides the offer of support from the Japanese, Italian Foreign Minister Renato Ruggiero met with Secretary of State Colin Powell today to pledge his country's willingness to supply ground troops, if needed. And Kazakhstan, the largest of the former Soviet republics in Central Asia, joined those offering the use of their airspace and airports to U.S. military aircraft.

Though not unexpected, the additional international support continued a string of successes for the Bush administration as it attempts to build a global coalition to root out bin Laden.

Saudi Arabia severed its ties with Afghanistan's Taliban regime, saying the group's support of terrorism was anathema to the Islamic faith. The Saudi news agency, SPA, reported that Saudi Arabia also asked the Taliban's diplomatic envoy in Riyadh to leave the country within 48 hours. See Story.

Pakistan, which has already demanded bin Laden be turned over to the United States, still believes the best policy with regard to the Taliban is to pursue full engagement. Pakistani officials met today with representatives of the European Union.

Despite the Saudi action, the Taliban remained defiant. Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar made his own demands on the United States. Omar called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Persian Gulf, and asked the United States to end involvement in the "Palestinian crisis" and leave Islam "alone."

"You should know whatever incidents and sorrow you suffer … are a result of the erroneous policies of your government," Omar said in a faxed statement to Reuters news agency. "You should think from where it occurred and who is behind it." Learn more about the Taliban.

On Monday, in a fax to Qatar's Al-Jazeera satellite television network, bin Laden reportedly released a call to action to Muslims to join a holy war against "the American crusade." His hosts mobilized their forces and shut down virtually all humanitarian actions in their war-ravaged Afghanistan.

U.S. Forces Taking Position

On the ground, in the air or on the way, U.S. forces are moving into position near Afghanistan.

Sources tell ABCNEWS special American ground troops will likely try to slip into the country and hunt for bin Laden.

According to government sources, the CIA is establishing contacts and gathering intelligence in Afghanistan, and flying small unmanned spy planes over the region.

Small teams of specially trained U.S. ground troops are reportedly in Tajikistan, a northern neighbor of Afghanistan.

Though airstrikes are also anticipated, U.S. officials believe a ground operation, however limited, will be vital in the assault on terrorists. To support the effort, 2,000 more reservists, including communications, intelligence and mortuary specialists, were called up to active duty by the Pentagon today.

Guns in the Cockpit?

Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta met with Bush today and briefed him on a range of long- and short-term options, such as stronger cockpit doors, more armed guards on airliners, and a panic button that would enable pilots to disable airline controls and activate autopilot, to increase pilot safety on airplanes.

One safety measure pilots want is the ability to carry guns if they choose in airplane cockpits.

"It is probably safe to say that the entire aviation industry … enjoyed a false sense of security before Sept. 11," Duane Woerth, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, told a House aviation subcommittee. "We must replace that false sense of security with a genuine sense of security."

He said the guns would use bullets that would disintegrate on contact with solid objects, thus causing minimal damage to cabin walls, but still able to halt a potential hijacker.

However, some are opposed to arming pilots, citing the potential for increased danger to airline passengers.

In other developments today:

Ashcroft disclosed that the investigation uncovered several individuals, some of whom may have links to the hijackers, who fraudulently obtained or tried to obtain hazardous material transportation licenses. The news fueled speculation that the terrorists were planning or may still plan a biochemical attack. See Story.

The last remnant of the South Tower of the World Trade Center — a seven-story frame of the building, was torn down. See Story.

Responding to the U.S. order to freeze the assets of terrorists and organizations suspected of financing terrorism, German financial officers said they froze 13 bank accounts, worth about $2.7 million deutsche marks. And Swiss officials said they froze an account that may be linked to the hijackers. See Story.