Author: UNI
Publication: The Hindu
Date: September 23, 2001
New Delhi, Sept. 22. (UNI): The
United States-led campaign against global terrorism also means war against
terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere, US Secretary of State Colin
Powell has said.
General (Retd) Powell told BBC in
an interview that the United States viewed terrorism as a curse in the
face of society and its campaign would be against Kashmiri terrorism, Irish
terrorism and Basque terrorism.
Asked whether the war against terrorism
would include terrorism in these regions, he said: "I think that is correct.
Any organisation that is interested in terrorist operations to overthrow
legitimate governments, or governments that represent the will of their
people, is a threat. We should go after them."
The Secretary of State hoped that
incidents like those of September 11 would be reduced by going after terrorist
organisations, but expressed doubt if the US would be successful in stopping
terrorist activities from taking place anywhere.
Referring to the September 11 terrorist
attacks as an assault on democracy, civilisation and the right of innocent
people to live their lives, he said the US was embarking on the campaign
with a great deal of information and Intelligence. It was not just a war
in the sense of a military conflict, he added.
