British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday unveiled crucial evidence linking Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network to the September 11 terror attacks in the United States, as the grip on power of the Islamic radical's Taliban protectors appeared increasingly tenuous.
Proof of Bin Laden's responsibility for the attacks is beyond any doubt, Blair told an emergency session of parliament.
Bin Laden warned his associates of a "major operation" against the United States shortly before the suicide plane attacks, which killed as many as 5,500 people, Blair said.
At least three of the hijackers involved in the assault were directly linked to the exiled Saudi millionaire, he said.
Recent statements that the Taliban's days in power are numbered appeared to gain credence with escalating reports of defections and rebellion and signs that long-awaited allied military action is drawing nearer.
"I don't think there is any doubt" that military action is looming, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in Riyadh, the first leg of a four-country tour to bolster support for the global anti-terror campaign.
Blair said: "Shortly before September 11, Bin Laden told associates that he had a major operation against America under preparation. A range of people were warned to return to Afghanistan because of action on or around September 11.
"And most importantly," he added, "one of Bin Laden's closest lieutenants has said clearly that he helped with the planning of the September 11 attacks and has admitted the involvement of the al-Qaeda organization."
One of the hijackers was identified as a key figure in the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, as well as the attack last year in Aden against the USS Cole, he said.
Blair also said there was evidence "of a more direct nature" from intelligence agencies and other sensitive sources he could not disclose.
"For myself, and all the other government ministers who have studied the full information, we have absolutely no doubt that Bin Laden and his network are responsible for the attacks on September 11," Blair said.
As Blair made his revelations, a Taliban spokesman flatly refused to surrender Bin Laden to the United States under any circumstances.
"The (Taliban) movement will not hand over Bin Laden to the United States even if it received proof of his involvement in the September 11 attacks," the Islamic militia's ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Salam Zaeef, told the Emirati daily Al-Khaleej.
"If we receive such proof, Bin Laden will be tried under Islamic law and if he is found guilty we will examine what to do," Zaeef said.
But Blair bluntly warned that a change of regime would be needed in Afghanistan if the Taliban failed to stop backing "international terrorism."
As pressure on the Taliban mounted from all sides, opposition commander Ismail Khan said Afghans in western Ghor and Bagdhis provinces were rebelling against the hard-line militia.
Khan said people were ready to rise in Herat as well, with "Death to the Taliban" graffiti appearing on walls around the city.
His statements came a day after deposed president Burhanuddin Rabbani reported mass defections in Taliban ranks, and a spokesman for the opposition Northern Alliance said up to 10,000 Taliban fighters stood ready to switch sides in case of conflict.
After addressing the emergency parliament session, Blair was to embark on a round of shuttle diplomacy to Moscow and Pakistan to help cement the global coalition against terrorism.
Blair's office kept most of the itinerary under wraps, but it was known that he would fly later Thursday to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin, and foreign ministry officials in Islamabad said they expected him Friday for a meeting with President Pervez Musharraf.
He could also visit British forces on military exercises in Oman.
Britain has said it would make those troops available for any military action against Bin Laden and the Taliban.
Blair said he had "initial discussions" with Washington on a range of military capabilities Britain could provide, promising, however, that "we will do whatever we can to minimize suffering of the Afghan people."
"The coalition is strong. Military plans are robust. The humanitarian plans are falling into place," he said.
Rumsfeld, after convincing the Saudis that no Arab country will be targeted in the riposte to the September 11 attacks, arrived in Oman for talks with Sultan Qaboos.
He was scheduled to visit Egypt later Thursday and swing through Uzbekistan, which borders Pakistan, before returning to Washington.
Rumsfeld said he told Saudi officials that the US intends "to proceed on all fronts, using the full force of the United States government ... and the resources of friends around the world."
In Moscow, the Interfax news agency reported that Blair would spend two days talking to Putin, who has emerged as a strong supporter of the anti-terror campaign.
Moscow has pledged only "humanitarian" backing, but is rich in intelligence on Afghanistan, which it occupied, with disastrous results, from 1979 to 1989.
A Russian military official said preparations were underway to launch a series of spy satellites to provide information for any US military action.
The evidence Blair revealed was part of a package the United States provided this week to key allies, including NATO, which as a result activated an article of its charter under which the September 11 assault on the United States is now considered an attack on all 19 members of the alliance.
The United States has already assembled 30,000 troops, 350 aircraft and at least two aircraft carrier battle groups in the region, with two more on the way.
A British carrier left Oman Wednesday for the planned exercises; Britain has already said the vessel and other forces are available for any US-led military action.
France, after agreeing to provide the US with naval support in the Indian Ocean, announced Thursday that it would open its ports to US warships.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he had ordered a detachment of Special Air Service troops and air-to-air refueling aircraft made available for deployment in the area.
The Taliban, ever defiant, said Thursday that British journalist Yvonne Ridley, arrested in Afghanistan, would soon face trial "for violating the laws of our country."
A senior Taliban official told the Afghan Islamic Press agency in Islamabad that they had not yet determined whether the Sunday Express reporter "is a journalist or if had other objectives".
The British ambassador to the UN, Jeremy Greenstock, was to be named Thursday to head a special Security Council committee to monitor the global fight against terrorism.
The committee, set up under a September 28 resolution, aims to ensure that UN members comply with a wide range of legally binding demands to exchange information on, and deny funds, support and safe haven for, terrorist groups -- LONDON (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
