Summary of developments as the United States prepares to strike back after the attacks which killed nearly 7,000 people in New York and Washington:
- The Taliban's grip on Afghanistan appears increasingly shaky as an opposition offensive in the north gains momentum and reports suggest the Islamic militia was being forced to send reinforcements to the front lines.
- The number of people displaced inside Afghanistan could double from 1.1 million to 2.2 million amid signs of a deepening humanitarian disaster, the UN warns.
- Thousands of pro-Taliban demonstrators set fire to buildings in the vacant US embassy compound amid chaotic scenes of protest over possible US military action against Afghanistan.
- Iran's leaders rule out helping the United States launch a military attack on Afghanistan and brand US President George W. Bush "arrogant," while arguing with European envoys over the nature of terrorism.
- US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz briefs NATO allies on the broad thrust of Washington's war against terrorism, but stops short of making specific demands of them, US and NATO officials said.
- Workers are busy tearing down the last standing vestiges of the blitzed World Trade Center, as New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani warns that thousands of bodies will never be recovered.
- Pakistan's central bank orders a freeze on the bank accounts of two organisations included on a terrorism blacklist made public by the United States.
- The US economy's recovery has been set back "by a quarter or so," following the September 11 terror attacks, US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said.
- Investigators seeking the culprits behind the US terror blitz have charged 20 people with illegally obtaining licenses allowing them to drive trucks carrying dangerous loads
- Lloyd's of London said it faces a bill of 1.3 billion pounds (1.9 billion dollars, 2.1 billion euros) following the attacks on the United States
- Spanish police arrest six Algerians linked to the network of Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect behind the attacks on the United States -- WASHINGTON (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
