US warplanes move toward Middle East

11.00 am

WASHINGTON - US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has ordered more than 100 US bombers, fighters and other warplanes to move toward the Middle East in the wake of last week's devastating attack on America.

Defence officials, who asked not to be identified, would not say exactly where the aircraft would go. But they told Reuters the planes were expected to begin moving toward bases in or near the Gulf region as early as tomorrow.

US President George W Bush declared a "war on terrorism" in the wake of September 11 strikes on the Pentagon near Washington and New York City's World Trade Center by hijacked airliners. He has vowed to punish the culprits and to battle support by other countries for such acts.

The force was expected to join more than 200 US warplanes already stationed in the Gulf and Indian Ocean, possibly for a strike against Afghanistan. Washington has accused that country's ruling Taleban of harbouring fugitive guerrilla leader Osama bin Laden.

Defence officials confirmed reports by CNN that the air strike force, much of it to be deployed from the continental United States, would include F-15E attack jets, F-16 fighters, probably swing-wing B-1 bombers and support planes such as refueling aircraft and radar-control planes.

"The United States is repositioning some of its military forces where required to prepare for and support the president's campaign against terrorism and to support efforts to identify, locate and hold accountable terrorists and those who support and harbor them," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.

Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, asked by reporters at the Pentagon about the deployment, would say only: "There are movements and there will be more movements. And I hope that everyone understands -- I'm sure the American people understand -- why we do not want to reveal the details of those movements to people who may be trying to figure out what we are about to do next."

He said the new "war on terrorism" needed to be an integrated strategy using diplomacy, financial pressure and military force.

"If we do act militarily, we will act militarily as part of that strategy and to support those goals -- not simply for the sake of satisfying what is understandably an enormous urge by the American people ... for revenge," Wolfowitz said.

"We are after something more than revenge. We are after dealing with ane eliminating this threat to civilisation."

- REUTERS

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