AP Photo In this handout picture from the U.S. Navy, aviation ordnancemen move a 1,000 pound bomb onto the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, deployed in the Arabian Sea Sunday, Oct. 7, 2001. U.S. Weapons of War ï Special forces     Weapons     Positions     How-to enter an area of operations ï Fighter aircraft ï Bombers ï Cruise missiles ï Carriers ï Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ï U.S. military leaders Graphics: ï Potential U.S. partners • Military bases in the Middle East ï American troops mobilize ï Levels of mobilization

Military action begins

Strikes only first step, Rumsfeld says
WASHINGTON – The airstrikes in Afghanistan are "just one small part" of the effort to undermine the ruling Taliban and destroy the al-Qaeda terrorist network, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Monday.

U.S. tells UN it may widen attack
UNITED NATIONS — The United States told the U.N. Security Council on Monday that it exercised its right to self-defense under the U.N. Charter in attacking targets in Afghanistan and said it may have to attack other countries to root out terrorism.

U.S. commander is a tough talker and no stranger to dangers of terrorism
HINGTON – Tommy Franks, the general guiding the attack on terrorists and the Taliban, is a successor to Norman Schwarzkopf of Gulf War fame and something of a kindred spirit.

Monday, Oct. 8
• U.S. using high-tech weaponry

Sunday, Oct. 7
• Forty allied warplanes hit Afghanistan
• U.S. targets airfields, military sites in Afghanistan

Saturday, Oct. 6
• U.S. planes arrive in Uzbekistan
• NATO assembly to focus on attacks

Friday, Oct. 5
• 1,000 U.S. infantry troops en route to former Soviet republic
• Army helicopters used for commando raids have been shot down before
• Opposition forces parade in northern Afghanistan
• Eastern European, Baltic leaders support the West in war on terror
• Afghan travelers say armed Taliban units digging into high ground to await attack
• Officials caution not to expect big military strike soon

Thursday, Oct. 4
• Delivering food to Afghans a `dangerous undertaking'
• NATO approves U.S. request for military aid
• Rumsfeld stresses intelligence battle

Wednesday, Oct. 3
• Buildup aims to put 'fear in our enemies'
• Taliban works to rally troops against potential military strike
• Rumsfeld to visit four countries

Tuesday, Oct. 2
• Isolated military bases in Uzbekistan provide ideal secrecy for possible U.S. use

Monday, Oct. 1
• Former top general: U.S. military ready to battle "evil and barbaric" terrorists

Sunday, Sept. 30
• Afghanistan opposition claims hundreds of Taliban defecting in fierce fighting
• U.S. military may have to deal with fleeing, starving Afghan refugees
• U.S. faces uphill battle with terrain

Previous coverage