The United States and Great Britain launched military strikes against Afghanistan late yesterday in retaliation to the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

According to a CNN report today, the attacks started with a volley of cruise missiles from US and British ships.

The report added the attacks, "aimed at strategic locations", destroyed the Taliban command centre in Kandahar.

While Reuters reported that the house of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar was also hit but the leader is said to be safe.

CNN also quoted Pentagon officials as saying the assaults would continue for several hours and would include strikes from the US-based B-2 bombers and B-52 and B-1 bombers flying from the British base at Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean.

US President George W Bush was reported to have said that the attacks on al-Qaeda terrorist camps and Taliban military installations near the key cities of Kabul and Kandahar "opened a new front in the war against international terrorism".

Bush added that the "carefully targetted" air assaults were were joined by Great Britain, with assorted intelligence efforts and logistical support from several other nations, including France, Germany, Australia and Canada.

"We are supported by the collective will of the world," said Bush.

In another report, CNN said the Taliban have condemned the strikes as a "terrorist attack" and vowed that "America will never reach its goal".

The Taliban leadership were also reported to have said that they will not surrender Osama bin Laden - the prime suspect behind the Sept 11 terrorist attacks.

Osama safe

Meanwhile, CNN said that according to Taliban reports Osama is safe following the strikes.

The Saudi-born millionaire was also reported to have said in a videotaped statement that the strikes were part of a campaign against Islam, "a battle of believers and non-believers".

"They came out to fight Islam with the name of fighting terrorism," he said.

Following the Sept 11 terrorist attacks, the US had asked the Taliban to surrender Osama or face a military retaliation.

However, the Taliban refused to hand over the alleged terrorist and warned the US that it will launch a jihad (holy war) if Afghanistan was attacked.