October 21, 2001 Diary: America Strikes Back

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Bush invites Asian leaders into coalition
Sunday, October 21, 2001
President Bush challenged Asian leaders Saturday to help "save the civilized world" by joining his war against terrorism. But in a sign of unease, Russia sided with China and other nations seeking a quick end to U.S. attacks on Afghanistan.

America responds Secret raids under way
Sunday, October 21, 2001
U.S. secret warriors launched dark-of-night covert missions into Afghanistan in addition to assaults by airborne Army Rangers on a Taliban-controlled airfield and a residence of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, U.S. officials said Saturday.

Latest anthrax discovery is in House office building
Sunday, October 21, 2001
The discovery of anthrax in a House postal facility Saturday, capped a week that threw Congress into the middle of the anthrax-by-letter scare and more than doubled the number of Americans infected with the potentially deadly bacteria.

Taliban labels commando raid a failure
Sunday, October 21, 2001
The ruling Taliban branded America's first commando strikes of the war against terrorism a failure Saturday. The United Nations, meanwhile, said thousands of civilians are trapped in southern Afghanistan after Pakistan reimposed border controls on refugees.

Events accelerate changes in Europe
Sunday, October 21, 2001
By Jim Hoagland
Washington Post Writers Group

Left on its own, history ambles. But some events spur it to a furious gallop. The force of Sept. 11 as a great accelerator shows now in Europe, where the nature and shape of alliance is changing at warp speed.

Washington postal worker confirmed with inhalation anthrax
Sunday, October 21, 2001
(Updated Sunday at 10:30 p.m.) A District of Columbia postal worker is "gravely ill" from inhalation anthrax, a rare and lethal form of the disease, officials said Sunday, and five others are sick with suspicious symptoms. The Postal Service closed two facilities and began testing more than 2,200 workers for exposure.

Air war continues, along with covert ground operations
Sunday, October 21, 2001
(Web Posted Sunday at 11:18 a.m.) While covert ground operations continued, Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers said the fight against the ruling Taliban regime and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network is "a war we must win if we want to maintain our freedom."

Air war continues, along with covert ground operations
Sunday, October 21, 2001
The U.S. military campaign has crippled terrorists' bases and their ability to train in Afghanistan, a senior military official said Sunday.

Pakistan arms control takes aim at arsenal U.S. helped build
Sunday, October 21, 2001
When Pakistan offered amnesty earlier this year to anyone willing to turn in weapons, it netted a cache of heavy arms more familiar to artillery commanders than street thugs.

Israel broadens West Bank foray
Sunday, October 21, 2001
Israel's multiple thrust into Palestinian territory was shaping up as the broadest military operation in more than a year of fighting, with Israeli troops entering two more West Bank towns Saturday. Eight Palestinians, among them three bystanders, were killed by Israeli fire.

Talks on to replace Taliban
Sunday, October 21, 2001
As U.S. forces began a new phase in the war in Afghanistan, the Pakistani government Saturday reported parallel political maneuvering to replace the hard-line Taliban regime.

Anthrax investigation focuses on N.J. town
Sunday, October 21, 2001
FBI agents took their investigation to the streets of this Trenton suburb, knocking on doors and swabbing for residue along the route of a mail carrier who now has the skin form of anthrax.

Outside U.S., germ bank regulations are sporadic
Sunday, October 21, 2001
Two germ banks tucked away in the smog and sprawl of the hemisphere's largest city stock dozens of petri dishes filled with anthrax, the bacteria that have sparked a worldwide panic.

'Prince of Darkness' is busy these days
Sunday, October 21, 2001
By George Gurley

Many explanations have been offered for Sept. 11, but it remains incomprehensible at the core. Play the ghastly scene over and over and at the fatal moment you still recoil: This can't be.

America can't be hijacked by fear
Sunday, October 21, 2001
By Leonard Pitts Jr.
Miami Herald

So I go into the newsroom the other day and find the folks who handle the mail wearing latex gloves as protection against anthrax. One of them greets me with a bone-grinding hug.

World Briefs
Sunday, October 21, 2001
• Pakistan: Security workers thwart bomb attempt at airport
• MEXICO CITY: Human rights lawyer found dead in office
• Macedonia: Officials seek approval to beef up police patrols

Briefly
Sunday, October 21, 2001
• MISSISSIPPI: Crop-duster spraying of boat prompts investigation
• SALT LAKE CITY: IOC member suggests cancellation of winter games
• LOS ANGELES: Airport reopens parking area
• ST. LOUIS: Researchers to study search-and-rescue dogs

D.C. concert takes center stage
Sunday, October 21, 2001
Michael Jackson needs his own bathroom. Aerosmith refuses to go on after Bette Midler. P. Diddy won't perform unless he can bring his 42-member choir. It would be best to keep a safe distance between archrival boy bands 'N Sync and Backstreet Boys.

Praise for U.N.
Sunday, October 21, 2001