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Day 24 developments: US talks tough to maintain morale

Simultaneously, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld cautioned against expecting quick results in the war against terrorism saying the crusade will take years as Washington was committed to the comprehensive defeat of the Taleban, the Al Qaeda and the terrorist networks operating throughout the world.

On Tuesday, Franks asserted that his forces will do whatever it takes to destroy Saudi extremist Osama bin Laden's terrorist network.

Speaking at a news conference in Uzbekistan, he denied that 'Operation Enduring Freedom' has reached a stalemate and said the campaign against terrorism will continue till it achieves its target.

After a brief lull, US warplanes had resumed their pounding of targets around Afghanistan on Monday night, continuing through Tuesday morning, with bombs hitting Kabul and the Taleban stronghold of Kandahar.

Unlike the previous days, the Taleban did not respond with anti-aircraft fire.

Quoting sources in Afghanistan, the Afghan Islamic Press said Taleban tanks at Sharena in Paktika province came under heavy bombardment in the raids.

Meanwhile in Washington, United States President George Bush announced that he would meet his Pakistani counterpart Gen Pervez Musharraf in New York on November 10 to discuss the ongoing anti-terrorism campaign in Afghanistan and matters relating to regional security.

The announcement came a day after Bush held talks with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The US is expected to provide much more help to Pakistan targeting its huge debts, offer economic aid and support from international financial institutions for its 'unstinted' support to the American war against terrorism.

Coincidentally, the Bush-Musharraf meeting is on the same day when Vajpayee addresses the General assembly. The prime minister has ruled out the possibility of a meeting with the Pakistani leader.

Meanwhile, anthrax jitters gripped the Indian consulate in New York when its mailroom received an envelope containing white powder prompting the authorities to seal the room.

The powder covered the face and hands of the mailroom assistant when she opened the envelope. She was rushed for a medical check-up.

The September 11 terror attacks were expected to have an impact on the US immigration policy and on Tuesday, the first signs were beginning to show.

The latest warning about more terror attacks in the coming weeks will only serve to heighten the tension among Americans.

In Pakistan, Major General Rashid Qureshi, spokesman for President Pervez Musharraf, rubbished reports about three nuclear scientists being handed over to the US to probe their links with Osama and the Taleban.

However, Pakistan seems headed for some unrest as Islamic clerics met in the North-West Frontier Province to decide whether to call off the blockade of the Karakoram highway by armed pro-Taleban men.

If the gathering decides not to open the road, security forces may launch a big operation to open the highway, media reports indicated.

Meanwhile, tribesmen in the Pakistani border town of Chilas continue to hold an airstrip to protest the government's support to US-led strikes in Afghanistan.

And following Pakistan's footsteps, Britain has also warned its citizens not to join the Taleban or help it in any manner.

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