US 'may strike outside Afghanistan'

The president’s warnings came amid reports from Afghanistan that Osama bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, may have been injured and his family killed in an American air strike.

Reports said the family of al-Zawahiri, leader of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and the man credited with providing bin Laden with much of his ideology, was caught in an air strike on al-Qaida positions close to Jalalabad.

His wife and children were killed, Pentagon sources said, while other reports from Afghanistan claimed the Egyptian-born terror leader may have been seriously injured in the attack.

Today Mr Bush, speaking on televison, warned there would be no clear victories in the ‘‘unconventional’’ war.

‘‘My point to you is that this war on terror is so unconventional that there will be strikes that people may not see until we tell them that there’s been a strike,’’ he said.

‘‘So financial strikes are going to be incredibly important. It will matter.

‘‘And there may be need to use military troops elsewhere. And I just want the American people to know that we’re keeping all options on the table.’’

The president also said there would be no military action outside of Afghanistan until there was military and strategic success.

‘‘The mission is not just to achieve military success. There’s a humanitarian mission.

‘‘We’ve got to make sure that is fulfilled, as well as make sure that there is a government that doesn’t export terror, export heroin and is a peaceful neighbour to Pakistanis, or the Iranians for that matter.

‘‘And then we can find other areas of opportunity to root out terrorism.’’

Mr Bush dropped his heaviest hint yet that Iraq would be the next target of his war on terror.

He then branded Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ‘‘evil’’, saying: ‘‘I just call him evil because he is the one person on the face of the earth who has recently used chemical warfare, weapons of mass destruction to poison his own people and his neighbours.

‘‘This is not a good man and he signed an agreement, or agreed to allow inspectors in his country to show the world that he is not going to develop weapons that could be used against them.

‘‘And I strongly urge him to allow inspectors back in.’’

The warning to Iraq comes after British Prime Minister Tony Blair said what happened to Iraq should be ‘‘debated’’ after military action in Afghanistan was over.

Speaking last Friday after meeting French president Jacques Chirac, Mr Blair said: ‘‘There are other issues that can be discussed and debated upon in a different phase. But we are focused on making sure that the work in Afghanistan is completed.’’

Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has said an ‘‘invasive military response’’ may be needed in countries where the state was too weak to take action against terrorists.

This was taken by some as a veiled reference to failed states such as Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, already mentioned as potential targets.

While Mr Bush warned American servicemen could be pressed into action elsewhere, his Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has all but ruled out sending US marines into Kandahar, the last Taliban stronghold.

Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar has instructed his soldiers to fight to the last for the militia’s spiritual home.

US warplanes have been bombing the city for weeks in support of Afghan anti-Taliban attackers.

But Mr Rumsfeld yesterday suggested it was unlikely that marines stationed nearby would be sent in for a decisive push.

‘‘We don’t have any plans at the present time to be using US forces in that way,’’ he said.