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The Secretary of State for Defence, Geoff Hoon MP, and Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, the Chief of the Defence Staff, held a press conference in London on 8 October 2001 at 1130.
Hoon: Last night British forces, acting alongside the Armed Forces of the United States, took part in the first phase of the military response to the attacks on the United States on 11 September.
American and British forces struck at thirty targets across Afghanistan. The strikes were designed to damage, disrupt, and destroy Al Qaida’s terrorist network and elements of the military infrastructure of the Taliban, whose support has allowed Afghanistan to be used as a base for terrorism across the world. The targets included terrorist training camps, military airfields and air defence sites.
All thirty sites that we struck were military installations. Three were in Kabul and four close to other large settlements but twenty three were in remote areas of the country.
I know there have been media reports that bombs and missiles have fallen near civilian areas. Detonations at nearby targets and anti-aircraft fire can easily give the impression, particularly at night, that civilian areas are under attack. I can assure you that this was not the case. Neither the Afghan civilian population nor their homes and property have been targeted.
I want to pay tribute to our Armed Forces. In recent months and right across the world, they have shown time and again that they are amongst the very best in the world. We place immense trust in their courage, their sense of duty, and their professionalism. We take immense pride in the fact that they never let us down. They are rightly held in high esteem throughout the world. Our thoughts are with them and with their families at what is an anxious time for us all.
Military action is never taken lightly. The United States sought a peaceful solution. We gave them our full support in their tireless diplomatic efforts. The Taliban regime had every chance to avoid what happened last night. We gave the Taliban the chance to surrender Bin Laden and his associates for trial and to offer proof that they no longer supported terrorism. They have had more than two weeks to comply. We warned them they were running out of time. We warned them that they faced powerful military action. They did not believe us. They prevaricated. Enough was enough. Last night the United States acted in legitimate self-defence, to protect their citizens. So did we.
In that, we were supported by many other nations. Many have offered military support. Last night I spoke to my counterparts in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Belgium. They were united in their support for the action that we have taken. Preparations have been made within NATO to follow up on the commitment that they made last week to support the United States.
I want to emphasise that this military action is only one part of our wider response, which also includes equally important diplomatic, legal, economic, and humanitarian measures.
Military action against terrorism has only just begun. We and all our allies and partners are determined to root out terrorism wherever we find it. As the Prime Minister made clear yesterday, we are committed to a relentless, deliberate, and sustained campaign aimed at securing our objectives. Our Armed Forces will play their full part in this, alongside their allies from the United States, France, Germany, Australia, Canada, and the other countries who have indicated their willingness to participate.
We have no quarrel with the people of Afghanistan. They are equally the victims of the terrorists and their supporters. The United Kingdom is playing its full part in the relief efforts to prevent famine in Afghanistan this winter and among the refugees. We were the first country to pledge aid for the refugees - some £36 million - on top of the £35 million we have given to Afghanistan since 1997. We understand that last night the US dropped humanitarian supplies on an area near the border with Pakistan where there is a known concentration of refugees.
We have no quarrel with Islam. We share many common beliefs, including a respect for the life of innocent people. Usama bin Laden, Al Qaida, and their Taliban supporters do not share these values.
Far, far too many Moslems have suffered and died because of Bin Laden, as so many people and Governments across the Islamic world recognise. Their help and support in defeating terrorism is vital.
I will now hand you over to the Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Michael Boyce.
Boyce: Good morning. As the Secretary of State has just told you, last night American and British forces struck at thirty targets across Afghanistan in the first military response to the terrorist outrages of 11 September. And what I would like to do now is to give you a bit more detail on some of the military aspects of the strike and the involvement of our forces in it.
The strikes aimed to damage, disrupt and destroy Al Qaida’s terrorist network camps; and also at the same time those elements of the military infrastructure of their Taliban supporters that have allowed Afghanistan to be used as a base for terrorism across the world.
And these targets included terrorist training camps and also a range of Taliban military facilities including airfields, a garrison, and air defence sites capable of threatening our operations in the future.
Action against such varied targets requires a wide range of forces. Most came from the United States. But as you will be aware, the United Kingdom has got three nuclear submarines in the area – HMS Superb, HMS Trafalgar and HMS Triumph - and Royal Navy Tomahawk missiles were fired at one of the targets during the course of this action, a Taliban terrorist site.
I want to reinforce the Secretary of State’s point that neither the Afghan civilian population nor their homes or property were targeted in this operation. All thirty sites that were struck were military installations. Three were close to Kabul and four close to other large settlements, but twenty six were in very remote areas well in the countryside. Our target selection processes are absolutely meticulous and we have taken enormous care to minimise risks to the people of Afghanistan – a people whom, as the Secretary of State has said are also the victims of terrorism by the Al Qaida and the Taliban.
I would like to say something about our future operations – for of course there is going to be more to come. In addition to our submarines, we are currently, as we speak at the moment, deploying Royal Air Force tanker and reconnaissance aircraft to the region and they are going to be able to support further operations within the next couple of days.
And also other nations apart from the UK and the US will be involved. NATO this morning has announced the deployment of five airborne early warning aircraft to the continental United States in support of the USA. And the NATO Standing Naval Force Mediterranean which is at sea at the moment is awaiting the final political decision to authorise their engagement on force protection. And, as you will already be aware, Germany, France and Australia have offered forces as well.
All these deployments show we are committed to the long haul. Last night was not a single strike. We know that defeating international terrorism and its supporters can be neither easy nor quick. The Armed Forces are ready, ready for a long haul and they are resolved to make their full contribution to the victory which I am sure, I am confident in fact, we will have at the end of the day. Thank you.
QUESTION (Paul Adams, BBC): You said that no civilian areas were targeted. Is it too early to talk of any kind of damage assessments? Have you received any information to suggest that your weaponry went where it was supposed to go and that there was no damage to civilian lives or property?
Hoon: The battle damage assessment is beginning to be available but no thorough analysis has yet been possible because of time. But obviously in the course of the day we will be looking carefully at the information we receive and making judgements accordingly.
QUESTION: Could you tell us please, you mentioned that (inaudible) going to the Al Qaida terrorist camp. Could you tell us which camp and what was actually left of the training camp?
Boyce: Well I don’t think I wish to particularly comment on which training camp it was. The camp is a very large one and certain aspects of the camp were targeted. As the Secretary of State has said, the battle damage assessment is still coming in. I don’t have a precise answer as to the success of the strike yet.
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Boyce: That is correct.
QUESTION (Kevin Dunn of ITN): The Prime Minister spoke last night of using our air assets in the coming days. Will they include Tornados and/or Harriers, which are in the region?
Boyce: I am not going to go into precise detail for the moment but can I say that in the early stages of this operation it is much more likely to be reconnaissance and other support aircraft than the ones you mention.
QUESTION (BBC World Service): The Americans, in their briefings, have spoken very much of these operations being the initial effort to ensure the safety of air operations over Afghanistan. Do you think in looking ahead, in the days and weeks to come, that it is inevitable that Western ground troops in some form will have to take action on the ground inside Afghanistan?
Hoon: That is clearly an option but can I emphasise that it is too soon to make that judgement. And certainly it is perfectly possible that the impact of these initial strikes and the ones that are likely to follow will have such a seriously destabilising impact on the Taliban regime that the use of ground troops may not be possible, certainly not in a hostile environment. But obviously we are preparing a range of military options and the use of ground troops is clearly one of them.
QUESTION (Louisa Balbini, Channel 5 News): You have 23,000 men and women on exercise in Oman, have you got any plans for them now?
Hoon: We have lots of plans for them including the completion of the exercise but obviously in response to the earlier question it is important that we keep our options open as far as their use is concerned. But our initial expectation is that the exercise will be completed successfully.
QUESTION (Paul Brennan, Sky News): The training camps were reported to have been abandoned by many of the Al Qaida network fighters who are said to have fled for the mountains at the prospect of air strikes. Can you tell us what intelligence led you to target the one that was attacked last night and whether or not it was actually currently being used by the Al Qaida network?
Hoon: I think that it is certainly true that some of the camps may have been reported empty, that people had moved away but they do flow backwards and forwards. And also by creating these camps in these very inhospitable climates in difficult places it will be difficult for them to recreate once they have been destroyed. So there is certainly merits in denying those camps for further use and that is what we have done.
QUESTION: Could you tell us whether it is Trafalgar or Triumph that fired cruise missiles yesterday?
Hoon: I think that it would be better not to comment on which submarines were actually involved last night specifically.
QUESTION (Guardian): Could you say how much of the similar kind of targets, which you attacked last night are around and how many more days will you attack do you think, the similar kind of priority targets which were attacked last night?
Hoon: I think that we can imagine, because as I have already said, some of these camps for example are quite diffused and certainly we won’t have taken out all the air defence assets in one night. But I imagine that further attacks will be looking at these similar sorts of targets to those we actually had last night. As to the length of time it will take, we will spend doing it as long as it takes to eliminate the air defence threat particularly and the ability of the Al Qaida and the Taliban to mount any sort of military operations from their camps or their airfields.
QUESTION (George Pascoe-Watson, Sun): Can I ask how many tomahawks for example were fired by British submarines last night? Second to that pulling up on Richard’s question, you are talking about going to a second phase of this operation maybe by the beginning of next week or the weekend. Can you be a little bit more specific? And lastly, during the Kosovo crisis we remember the first briefing after the first night’s operation was described by the MOD as running on rails. How would you describe last night’s operation?
Boyce: I think so far as the number of tomahawk is concerned we are really not prepared to give that sort of level of detail about our submarine operations. As to when the next phase might start, a lot will depend on how this first phase has gone. As the Secretary of State has already said, if this particular phase leads to, for example, a destabilisation of the Taliban government we will certainly want to take very careful note of what that means and what the outcome of that is before we decide to do any other military phases.
QUESTION (Kim Sengupta, Independent): The reports yesterday that commanders of the Northern Alliance were foretold, were warned in advance about the attack last night, is that the case? If that is the case, is there further co-operation in the future between the allies and the Northern Alliance?
Hoon: I am not going to comment precisely on what the Northern Alliance may or may not have known. What I can say is that our ambition is rather - in answer to the earlier question - is to create the conditions in Afghanistan where there is a government that does not tolerate the terrorism within its borders and does not encourage terrorism outside its borders. And therefore our action is designed to achieve that end.
QUESTION (Alan Cowell, New York Times): For the record, could you tell us what the exact legal basis for the attacks was last night?
Hoon: Yes I can. Under the United Nations Charter, any state is entitled in self-defence to protect its citizens and, as I indicated in my opening statement, these attacks are designed to protect citizens in the United States, in the United Kingdom and indeed in the wider world. We are threatened by the activities of Usama Bin Laden and his associates and are threatened by those who would support them, that is the Taliban regime.
QUESTION (Julian Rush, Channel 4 News): Two things: first of all could you be a bit more specific with the location of the humanitarian air drop last night, the refugees in Afghanistan? And secondly, could you tell us why, in a little more detail, the decision was taken to act now when there have been very strong signs that Taliban has been crumbling? There is an Islamic conference coming up in Doha on Wednesday at which there was the strong possibility that the Taliban might have been prepared to have done a deal about handing over bin Laden? Why did you decide to act now and not wait another two days?
Hoon: Well I indicated in my statement that the supplies were dropped along the border with Afghanistan where we know there are a considerable number of refugees. Clearly more humanitarian aid will follow and I emphasise the importance of the humanitarian effort alongside the military efforts that we are making. As far as your indications are concerned, I am afraid I simply don’t accept that that is the case and moreover, as I indicated, we have become increasingly concerned at the efforts to prevaricate on behalf of the Taliban regime. We do not judge that any of their comments in recent days have been sincerely motivated and, indeed, we did not judge that it was appropriate to await further efforts on their behalf. They have been given every opportunity to do what they were asked to do as far as suppressing terrorism in their own country was concerned and they refused to act upon that.
QUESTION (John McIntyre, Independent): Secretary of State, can I just go back to your answer to Kim Sengupta’s question? I am slightly unclear about what you say about the regime that you wish to see installed. Given what you said in answer to military questions earlier, is it a possibility that the Northern Alliance will “take over” in Kabul? And is that a desirable outcome within the criteria that you have set?
Hoon: Well I think that is one of the possible outcomes that may follow from military action and the removal of the Taliban regime. It is clearly not the only outcome and it is something that I believe that the international community and particularly the countries in the region will have to look at later in this process. But at the first stage of the military response I am not going to predict what the outcome will be. What I am saying is that the outcome as far as we are concerned must be a government in Afghanistan that does not tolerate terrorism within its own borders.
QUESTION (Matthew Hickley, Daily Mail): Are there any plans for UK aircraft to be involved in dropping humanitarian supplies? Secondly, you described the first phase of the operation as being designed to degrade air defences and to strike at camps. Can you tell us anything about the goals of the second phase later on?
Boyce: As far as the dropping of humanitarian aid is concerned, we were not involved last in what happened last night and we are looking to see whether we can be of help in the future. As far as the second phase is concerned, I think it would be inappropriate to start discussing in public what the next operational phase might consist of.
QUESTION (Robert Fox, Evening Standard): Can you make any comment, either of you, about involvement of British ground forces either present or future?
Hoon: Well I believe I have set out the position as far as British ground forces are concerned. We are preparing plans based on that, as being an option but obviously it is something that we will have to make a judgement about when the time comes and when the military conditions on the ground justify it.
QUESTION (Gavin Cordon, Press Association): You said that your ultimate outcome is to ensure that there is a government in Afghanistan that will not tolerate terrorism. But how are you going to ensure that happens if the Taliban are toppled, that there is no definite government to take over in their place, that maybe it is just descends into further civil war? How do you achieve that objective?
Hoon: Well that is why it is so important that the wider international community and the countries of the region immediately surrounding Afghanistan are part of that process but it would not be sensible at this stage to predict how that will turn out on what is after all the very early stage of a military and wider campaign.
QUESTION (Alan Freeman): Mr Hoon, you mentioned military targets, has any of the targeting included such facilities as power installations or broadcast locations, radio transmitters etc., and if they didn’t last night will they perhaps tonight or in future?
Hoon: No. Certainly none of the targets to date have included those facilities.
QUESTION (Jason Groves, Western Morning News): You mentioned the standing force fleet in the Med, what UK involvement is there in that? When is a decision going to be taken and will it then be repositioned to the Gulf?
Boyce: The NATO Standing Force Mediterranean is one of two standing Naval forces consisting of frigates and destroyers, one is known as Standing Naval Force Atlantic and one as Standing Force Mediterranean. We have one British ship in that force and it so happens at the moment we are in command of that force. It is a rotational command and it the UK’s turn for this coming year. There is also a Standing Naval Force for the mine counter measures which would also be brought into play if necessary. The actual role of the force at the moment is likely to be that of force protection but, of course, that is up to NATO to decide and that is still being developed at the moment.
QUESTION (Mike Evans, Times): We have been told a lot over the last few weeks that this was not going to be a conventional war, that it would be nothing like the attacks, the air strikes against Kosovo. In what sense were last night’s attacks not like the Kosovo air campaign and not conventional?
Boyce: I think the most obvious one is first of all the size of the attack last night. As I think was mentioned, as I mentioned earlier on and the Secretary of State did, only 30 targets were actually looked at last night and they were very specifically military ones, as I said, air defence sites, airfields, training camps. That is somewhat different to the size and the volume of attacks that went into Kosovo a couple of years or so ago and certainly the range of targets, which were much more extensive in Kosovo as well.
QUESTION: Can you give us an idea of how much the cost of military action has been so far?
Hoon: The cost? No.
QUESTION: You say that you will continue this for as long as it takes but the weather was going to deteriorate very badly and it is going to severely affect air operations in the area in about five to six weeks time. Are you confident that you will have achieved your military aim before the bad weather sets in?
Hoon: I think we are fairly confident of having achieved the air campaign objectives although I don’t necessarily agree that the onset of winter will necessarily deny us the opportunity to carry out further air attacks if required. But you are perfectly correct that the winter there is very fierce and it will certainly constrain our feet on the ground options when we get round to that.
QUESTION: There is obviously going to be a variety of regional actors, neighbouring countries very interested in very different ways in the final outcome of a post-Taliban regime in Afghanistan. There is also going to be something of a debt of honour owed to Uzbekistan and Pakistan in particular with directly conflicting interests in the nature of that government. Does this not suggest 1) a very delicate political balancing act on the part of Britain but also a fairly long-term military role in order to stabilise things and indeed shape that future government?
Hoon: Well I have been asked already to try and predict the outcome of the initial military action. You are asking me to predict the situation in the region for a very long time to come and frankly it simply would not be sensible to do that at this stage. But I would emphasise that stability in Afghanistan will depend crucially on the attitude of its immediate neighbours in the region and that’s why they must be involved as well as the wider international community in the arrangements for the future of Afghanistan. But first of all, let me make it clear we have to create conditions inside Afghanistan where there is a government that does not support and condone terrorism and that must be our military priority.
QUESTION: Mr Hoon, I have done (inaudible) in Kuwait and the North and in Oman newspapers. In the light of the difficulty in pinpointing where Bin Laden is and the difficult terrain there, the campaign could be a long drawn one in order to find the stability in Afghanistan but countries in the region that are involved in the support of the Alliance like Pakistan are facing the instability right now due to the administration and also the rules that exclusion in (inaudible) in Saudi Arabia. Have you accounted for the possibility in the light of a long drawn campaign that instability could spread around the region?
Hoon: It is obviously important that we maintain the stability of Afghanistan’s neighbours, that was precisely why the Prime Minister chose to make such a long and difficult flight to Pakistan to the region in order to emphasise the importance that we attach to their participation in this process. So I am in no doubt of the risks but equally that is why we are putting such a great effort into that region at this stage.
Thank you all very much indeed.
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