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Military action may not stop during Ramzan: Powell

The United States on Wednesday gave a broad hint that it might not stop the air strikes in Afghanistan during the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramzan.

"We're sensitive to Ramzan, but we can't let that be the sole determinant of whether we continue our military action," Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters at a news conference with visiting British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.

The secretary of state noted that the holy month coincided with the start of the harsh Afghan winter and that would make military operations against the Taleban more difficult.

"But the important point to remember is that we have military objectives to accomplish and I would like to see all of those objectives accomplished in the next few days," he said.

"As we approach this period of Ramzan and winter, we'll have to make an assessment of where we are," Powell said.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said that it was premature to consider halting military action during Ramzan and maintained that the Taleban could end the campaign by turning over terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden.

"We think it's well past time for the Taleban to end this and to turn over Laden," he said, adding, "they can do that at any time that they want."

Agencies

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