    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [October 7, 2001]
    [Pages 1201-1202]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Address to the Nation Announcing Strikes Against Al Qaida Training Camps
    and Taliban Military Installations in Afghanistan
    October 7, 2001

        Good afternoon. On my orders, the United States military has begun
    strikes against Al Qaida terrorist training camps and military
    installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. These carefully
    targeted actions are designed to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a
    terrorist base of operations and to attack the military capability of
    the Taliban regime.
        We are joined in this operation by our staunch friend Great Britain.
    Other close friends, including Canada, Australia, Germany, and France,
    have pledged forces as the operation unfolds. More than 40 countries in
    the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and across Asia have granted air
    transit or landing rights. Many more have shared intelligence. We are
    supported by the collective will of the world.
        More than 2 weeks ago, I gave Taliban leaders a series of clear and
    specific demands: Close terrorist training camps; hand over leaders of
    the Al Qaida network; and return all foreign nationals, including
    American citizens, unjustly detained in your country. None of these
    demands were met. And now the Taliban will pay a price. By destroying
    camps and disrupting communications, we will make it more difficult for
    the terror network to train new recruits and coordinate their evil
    plans.
        Initially, the terrorists may burrow deeper into caves and other
    entrenched hiding places. Our military action is also designed to clear
    the way for sustained, comprehensive, and relentless operations to drive
    them out and bring them to justice.
        At the same time, the oppressed people of Afghanistan will know the
    generosity of America and our allies. As we strike military targets,
    we'll also drop food, medicine, and supplies to the starving and
    suffering men and women and children of Afghanistan.
        The United States of America is a friend to the Afghan people, and
    we are the friends of almost a billion worldwide who practice the
    Islamic faith. The United States of America is an enemy of those who aid
    terrorists and of the barbaric criminals who profane a great religion by
    committing murder in its name.
        This military action is a part of our campaign against terrorism,
    another front in a war that has already been joined through diplomacy,
    intelligence, the freezing of financial assets, and the arrests of known
    terrorists by law enforcement agents in 38 countries. Given the nature
    and reach of our enemies, we will win this conflict by the patient
    accumulation of successes, by meeting a series of challenges with
    determination and will and purpose.
        Today we focus on Afghanistan, but the battle is broader. Every
    nation has a choice to make. In this conflict, there is no neutral

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    ground. If any government sponsors the outlaws and killers of innocents,
    they have become outlaws and murderers, themselves. And they will take
    that lonely path at their own peril.
        I'm speaking to you today from the Treaty Room of the White House, a
    place where American Presidents have worked for peace. We're a peaceful
    nation. Yet, as we have learned so suddenly and so tragically, there can
    be no peace in a world of sudden terror. In the face of today's new
    threat, the only way to pursue peace is to pursue those who threaten it.
        We did not ask for this mission, but we will fulfill it. The name of
    today's military operation is Enduring Freedom. We defend not only our
    precious freedoms but also the freedom of people everywhere to live and
    raise their children free from fear.
        I know many Americans feel fear today, and our Government is taking
    strong precautions. All law enforcement and intelligence agencies are
    working aggressively around America, around the world, and around the
    clock. At my request, many Governors have activated the National Guard
    to strengthen airport security. We have called up Reserves to reinforce
    our military capability and strengthen the protection of our homeland.
        In the months ahead, our patience will be one of our strengths:
    patience with the long waits that will result from tighter security;
    patience and understanding that it will take time to achieve our goals;
    patience in all the sacrifices that may come.
        Today those sacrifices are being made by members of our Armed Forces
    who now defend us so far from home, and by their proud and worried
    families. A Commander in Chief sends America's sons and daughters into a
    battle in a foreign land only after the greatest care and a lot of
    prayer. We ask a lot of those who wear our uniform. We ask them to leave
    their loved ones, to travel great distances, to risk injury, even to be
    prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice of their lives. They are
    dedicated; they are honorable; they represent the best of our country.
    And we are grateful.
        To all the men and women in our military--every sailor, every
    soldier, every airman, every coastguardsman, every marine--I say this:
    Your mission is defined; your objectives are clear; your goal is just;
    you have my full confidence; and you will have every tool you need to
    carry out your duty.
        I recently received a touching letter that says a lot about the
    state of America in these difficult times, a letter from a fourth-grade
    girl with a father in the military: ``As much as I don't want my dad to
    fight,'' she wrote, ``I'm willing to give him to you.''
        This is a precious gift, the greatest she could give. This young
    girl knows what America is all about. Since September 11, an entire
    generation of young Americans has gained new understanding of the value
    of freedom and its cost in duty and in sacrifice.
        The battle is now joined on many fronts. We will not waver; we will
    not tire; we will not falter; and we will not fail. Peace and freedom
    will prevail.
        Thank you. May God continue to bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 1 p.m. from the Treaty Room at the White
    House. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of this address.