Few can seriously doubt that the video of Osama bin Laden admitting masterminding the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington is genuine. Assuming the tape has not been tampered with, bin Laden's comments conclusively prove to the world that Washington's air strikes in Afghanistan on his al-Qaeda group and their protectors, the Taleban, have been justified. But the video alone should not be a green light for a widening of America's campaign against global terrorism beyond the hunt for members of al-Qaeda. With the war in Afghanistan nearing a conclusion and hopes high that bin Laden will be located, Washington is looking towards its next targets. Tens of thousands of allied troops are in position in the Gulf and it would seem likely that the next target is within their range. Pentagon sources have mentioned Somalia as a potential target and Yemen and Sudan have also been cited. But, alarmingly, there has also been talk that Iraq could be next on the US list. This would be wrong and dangerous. US President George W. Bush has an historic score to settle with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Mr Bush's father declared war on Saddam after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Although Iraq's troops were repulsed and Kuwait liberated, the senior Mr Bush and the allied forces were unable to topple Saddam and the Iraqi leader has remained America's nemesis. The younger Bush must surely be chaffing to finish the work his father started but was unable to accomplish. But Iraq has yet to be implicated in the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. Al-Qaeda is not known to operate under Saddam's patronage and although Baghdad is suspected of violating chemical weapons bans imposed on it after the Gulf War, these alone cannot be justification for allied military action. Despite their successes so far, the US and Britain and their partners in the war against terrorism must remain focused. Their resolve to stamp out international terrorism is faultless, but they must also be honest and fair in their reasoning when taking aim.
