Attack on Afghanistan / Worldwide Reverberations : U.S. Asia Allies Back Raids and Bolster Security
International Herald Tribune
October 9, 2001
Don Kirk

The United States won strong support Monday from its major Asian allies for the bombing of targets in Afghanistan even as American officials, business people and tourists braced for retaliatory attacks throughout the region.

The leaders of Japan and South Korea, the two countries where the United States bases most of its 100,000 troops in Asia, led the chorus of top-level approbation, calling for support for the U.S. action while urging calm among their people.

South Korea's president, Kim Dae Jung, appearing on all four of his country's television networks Monday morning, said, "The actions by international society led by the United States are justified" while condemning terror as "the enemy of all mankind."

Japan's prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, before taking off for a one-day trip to Beijing, spoke to President George W. Bush by telephone and told journalists, "Our country strongly supports these actions to combat terrorism."

The Chinese government, often suspicious of the U.S. military role in Asia and always offended by traditional U.S. support of Taiwan, offered what appeared to be guarded support of the attacks.

Without specifically endorsing them, a Foreign Ministry official said China hoped that "military strikes on terrorism should be targeted at specific objectives, so as to avoid hurting innocent civilians," according to the Xinhua news agency.

India reaffirmed its support. "Our stand has been clear," said a spokesman for Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Against the background of such declarations, troops and police officers were deployed to protect U.S. facilities around the world. South Korea's armed forces were put on alert, and Japan and Taiwan took the precaution of beefing up security for their nuclear power plants.

Malaysia's prime minister, Mahathir bin Mohamad, flatly opposed military action against Afghanistan. He warned that war would "only bring disaster to the country without overcoming terrorism."

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