US mobilises around the globe as Taleban urges fight to death

As the United States prepares its forces to strike back, Afghanistan's hard-line Taleban rulers have called on Muslims to launch a "holy war" if attacked.

Yesterday, President George W. Bush told the American military to get ready for a long war against terrorism and said the nation would smoke its enemies "out of their holes".

"We're at war. There's been an act of war declared upon America by terrorists and we will respond accordingly."

Mr Bush has received congressional approval to use "all necessary and appropriate force" - just short of a declaration of war but one that allows him to strike.

"The message is for everybody who wears the uniform - get ready. The United States will do what it takes to win this war," he said.

The President approved the mobilisation of up to 50,000 reserve troops, 35,000 of whom will provide fighter protection and perform other duties at domestic military bases.

Officials have not given any hint of what the response to the attacks might be, but White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said nothing had been ruled out, including the use of ground troops.

While the preparations went ahead, the whereabouts of the man named as the prime suspect, exiled Saudi-born extremist Osama bin Laden, remained a mystery.

But President Bush warned that the mysterious millionaire, who is believed to have launched his campaign against the United States in retribution for the "desecration" of the land of Islam by the US deployment of troops in Saudi Arabia during the 1990-91 Gulf Crisis, was Washington's prime suspect and would be hunted down.

"If he thinks he can hide from the United States, and our allies, he will be sorely mistaken."

Washington has asked Pakistan to grant military overfly rights and "military access", to seal the Afghan border and to halt fuel supplies to the Taleban regime, who have been sheltering bin Laden despite US efforts to extradite him on earlier terror charges.

Pakistani military ruler General Pervez Musharraf has pledged full cooperation, despite Taleban threats to wage war on neighbouring countries that grant the United States use of airspace or military bases and the degree of support the fundamentalist regime enjoys in Pakistan.

The Taleban have urged Muslims to fight to the death, but fearful Afghans have begun fleeing the country.

"All the Muslims in the world should support their Islam and their own belief, should defend Afghanistan ... and should be ready for anything to make a sacrifice for Islam," Taleban leader Mullah Omar told the Voice of Shariyat Radio.

More than 3000 US Marines and sailors rehearsed helicopter and ship-to-shore landings off East Timor yesterday amid expectations of a revenge strike.

The taskforce from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Amphibious Squadron One had been due to disembark troops for humanitarian work in Dili, the southwest town of Suai and the Oecussi enclave in Indonesian West Timor.

Instead, three amphibious ships led by the 40,000-tonne USS Peleliu stayed off the north coast of the capital, practising naval and air manoeuvres with Harrier jets, helicopters and landing craft.

US Army spokesman Major Paul van Breemen said in Dili that the taskforce was due to sail for the Oecussi enclave today to deliver humanitarian supplies before heading to Singapore to join a much bigger group.

Meanwhile, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman in Wellington said about six New Zealanders were believed to be in Afghanistan.

She said they were mainly aid workers and had been advised to leave the country if possible.

But they had been warned to keep a low profile if they chose to remain and stay away from the major cities.

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