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Bush: Coalition Against Terror Must Not Weaken
Monday, March 11, 2002
(11:39 PM ET)
By Richard Benedetto
USA TODAY

President Bush passes an honor guard at a White House ceremony Monday.
Image Credit: Doug Mills -- AP.

In Shanksville, Pa., church bells rang to recall the moment when United Airlines Flight 93 plunged into a field as passengers and crew battled hijackers.

WASHINGTON -- USA TODAY
President Bush marked the six-month anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks Monday by urging other nations to remain united as the war on terrorism enters its "second stage." Bush outlined a two-pronged strategy for extending the war beyond Afghanistan. He said the United States will aid countries combating terrorism within their borders and warned that nations seeking to develop weapons of mass destruction must be stopped. "In preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction, there is no margin for error, and no chance to learn from mistakes," Bush said. "Our coalition must act deliberately, but inaction is not an option."

The president noted that the United States is providing military training and equipment for governments fighting terrorism in the Philippines, Yemen and Georgia. But he said the work will not end there.

"We will not send American troops to every battle, but America will actively prepare other nations for the battles ahead," he said. "The terrorists will remember Sept. 11 as the day their reckoning began."

So far, 13 American soldiers have been killed in combat in Afghanistan. The U.S. has about 5,300 troops in the country and about 60,000 military members in the region supporting the effort.
(More: USA TODAY News Source)
2002 © USA TODAY.

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