The Sowetan (Johannesburg)
Khangale Makhado
10 October 2001
South Africa gave its tacit support yesterday to American's attacks on Afghanistan.
Speaking in Pretoria Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad said the Government "recognised the right of the Bush administration to seek out the perpetrators of last month's terror attacks so that justice could be meted out to them".
Pahad said the assurance had been given that this was very targeted action and he hoped that would remain the objective. He said that the plight of the ordinary people in Afghanistan was foremost in their minds.
"The Government is concerned at the disastrous humanitarian tragedy that is unfolding. The fight against terrorism is a long-term one and includes military, legal, economic, political and diplomatic means."
Pahad's comment comes after US forces launched another attack on the Afghanistan capital of Kabul on Monday night.
So far 26 fatalities have been reported after attacks on what the United States has described as military installations and training camps of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida operatives.
Pahad said that President Thabo Mbeki had been briefed on Sunday by US secretary of state Colin Powell. He said that they had been given some of the evidence the US claims to have of bin Laden's connection with the terror acts. .
The deputy minister said he was aware of local threats of retaliation against the attacks on Afghanistan and warned that law enforcement agencies would not hesitate to take action against those people.
"We have been interacting with other countries in the fight against global terrorism and this has been intensified since the September 11 incidents.
"The government will cooperate fully with the UN resolutions dealing with terrorism and we have been sharing information of potential terrorists and checked if our banks are used for money laundering.
"That has been our role and we have not been asked anything beyond that," said Pahad.
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