Protests continue against attacks in Afghanistan

Protests continue against attacks in Afghanistan

Thomas Wagner, Associated Press, Tokyo

U.S.-led airstrikes on Afghanistan touched off more protests and sharp criticism of the United States, especially in Muslim countries. But allied support for the attacks remained strong, despite reports of more civilian casualties.

In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, hundreds of Islamic activists protesting the military campaign clashed with police on Tuesday outside the American Embassy in Jakarta, the capital.

U.S. and European officials have warned Westerners to stay indoors in Indonesia to avoid possible attacks by Muslims who sympathize with Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, or with the Taliban, the Islamic government in Afghanistan that is being targeted for protecting bin Laden.

The air strikes continued in Afghanistan on Tuesday, including overnight U.S. and British attacks on Taliban strongholds such as Kandahar and Kabul, the capital.

The United Nations said Tuesday that four workers for a UN- affiliated mine-clearing agency died in raids the previous night. It was the first independent confirmation of civilian casualties, although the Taliban have said dozens of people have been killed, including women, children and the elderly.

UN officials in Islamabad appealed for the protection of civilians, and the deaths prompted some newspapers to question the military action.

On Tuesday, a top military official in Vietnam predicted the military campaign will not subdue bin Laden or the Taliban. "I support the fight against terror, but not by ... resorting to war, because it is the civilians who will suffer the most," said Van Tien Dung, one of his nation's top generals in the Vietnam War.

North Korea, another communist country, said the retaliation against Afghanistan's government could "plunge the world into the holocaust of war."

However, as UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged all nations to join the U.S.-led global war against terrorism, support for the British and U.S. forces remained strong in many countries, especially in Europe and Asia.

Prime Minister John Howard of Australia said Tuesday on that 150 elite Australian commandos could be called into action within 24 hours to help fight the war on terrorism.

He said the deployment of crack Special Air Service troops and aircraft to bolster the attacks would depend on the success of first-wave air strikes.

In South Korea, President Kim Dae-jung and the country's chief opposition leader met for the first time in nine months and said they support the U.S.-led coalition because "the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington are a serious challenge to all peace-loving people."

Qatar's UN ambassador, Nassir Al-Nasser, denied on Monday that opposition to the U.S.-led war on terrorism in Islamic countries has anything to do with religion.

Speaking to reporters at the United Nations, the ambassador, who also is president of the Organization of Islamic Conference, said: "We condemn the terrorism and (on Wednesday) an OIC ministerial meeting will take place in Qatar to discuss the terrorism and see how we can eliminate this, because it has nothing to do with Islam."