What Nostradamus saw it Four centuries ago came true on 11th September, 2001. The myth lay shattered, attacks on the financial and military focal points of the United States of America.
The nerve centre of the super power was struck. Four commercial airplanes were hijacked. The flight No. 11 of the American Airlines crashed into the 80th floor of the North tower of the World Trade Centre at 8.45 am, flight No. 175 of the United Airlines crashing into the 60th floor of WTC.
Flight No. 77 of the American Airlines crashing into the west side of the US Department of Defence. The fourth plane, the United Airlines Flight No. 93, crashed into a lesser strategic location in Pennsylvania.
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The plane was actually heading towards White House to deliver it, the similar fate, but missed the target as a result of stiff resistance from the passengers. The US President George W Bush described it saying, “We have just seen the first War of the 21st century”.
US took its own time to muster the support of the world for its attack on the terrorist organizations, Al-Qaida and the Talibans the rulers in Afghanistan, Bin Laden and Mullah Mohd.
Umer which were thought to be the brain behind these attacks and who has masterminded these attacks. US and Britain launched a combined attack on Afghanistan.
The US strategy, launched at the night of October 7, 2001, appeared aimed at simultaneously encouraging defections among the supporters of the Taliban, while methodically destroying their ability to fight.
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In the first week of November 2001, the added dimension to Americans air campaign across Afghanistan was the carpet bombing. Americans used the latest war weapons against Talibans.
The Talibans were only having the stringer missiles which were given to them by the US to fight against Russia in the past and the tanks left by Russian army there. The Taliban air force was destroyed in the first week itself.
However, barely two months after the US first joined in the battle against terrorism in Afghanistan, it has practically routed the Taliban, pinned down Bin Laden and virtually rendered Al Qaida ineffective.
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There were several factors behind the remarkable success of the US military campaign, but undoubtedly, the key factor was its revolution in the military affairs.
First, to achieve military goals in shortest possible time and space; second, to ensure that your own casualties are kept to bare minimum.
Pakistan was forced by the US administration to act against their friends Talibans. Pakistan under pressure from US President was forced to take action according to the will of USA.
Pakistan was also forced by USA to gave them the possession of the four airports to be used by the American Air force.
Using state-of-the-art weapons, such as predator Global Hawk UAVS, the US military was able to reduce its personnel losses to a bare minimum while enhancing its ability to search, track and attack, even fast moving and small targets.
Precision guided munitions have formed the majority of the arms used in Afghanistan. Senior Pentagon officials have admitted that despite the apparent military success of operation Enduring Freedom the political outcome seams doubtful.
In Afghanistan where the various components of Anti-Taliban Northern Alliance are conducting to act bulk of ground operation on behalf of Washington.
The only restraint on Washington might well be its ability to successfully accomplish even while conducting its global war on terrorism.
This, as President Bush noted in his speech at the Citadel Military College, would be “like overhauling an engine while you’re going 80 miles an hour. That may be a difficult feat even for the world’s technological superpower to pull off.