WTC: Focus now on retribution

Hope today evaporated for a miracle survival amid the rubble of the World Trade Centre, two weeks after the terrorist attacks on America.

But preparations for military action against chief suspect Osama bin Laden and the Taliban regime of Afghanistan where he lives as a ‘‘guest’’ were mounting.

A massive air armada was assembling within striking distance of the landlocked and impoverished country where bin Laden has training camps and his hideout in the inaccessible mountains.

Bin Laden issued a statement last night in which he promised a jihad, or holy war, if America attacked the country.

In a letter faxed to an Arabic television station, bin Laden said: ‘‘We tell our Muslim brothers in Pakistan to use all their means to resist the invasion of the American crusader forces in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

‘‘I convey to you good news my beloved brothers that we are steadfast in the way of jihad following in the footsteps of the prophet - peace be upon him - with the believing heroes, the people of Afghanistan and under the leadership of our prince the warrior Mullah Mohammed Omar.’’

Mullah Omar is the leader of the Taliban, who has been warned it will ‘‘share in the fate of the terrorists’’ if it does not hand over the Saudi exile to American authorities.

But he is coming under increasing pressure from Pakistan, the Afghan population’s key source of food and fuel, which last night pulled out her diplomats from the country after agreeing to help America.

In return, bin Laden has attempted to destabilise Pakistan, with his call for people to rebel against its leadership and oppose American use of its airspace.

The alleged terrorist kingpin was becoming increasingly surrounded, with the central Asian republics to the north of Afghanistan increasingly siding with the United States, including the largest, Khazakstan, which has offered the United States its bases and airspace.

And in America the screw was being tightened on his finances as President George Bush told foreign banks to freeze bin Laden’s assets or have their own cash in America frozen.

‘‘We are putting banks and financial institutions around the world on notice,’’ said Mr Bush.

‘‘If they fail to help us by sharing information or freezing assets the Department of Treasury now has the authority to freeze their bank’s assets or transactions in the United States.

‘‘It puts the financial world on notice if you do business with terrorists, if you support or succour them, you will not do business with the United States.’’

But in New York attention was focused on the recovery effort, with Mayor Rudolph Giuliani admitting it would be ‘‘a miracle’’ if any survivors were found.

The total number of people missing stands at 6,453, with 276 confirmed dead, while 189 died at the Pentagon and 44 in the plane which crashed in Pennsylvania.

‘‘I believe it is certainly time to say that the chances of finding anyone would now involve a miracle,’’ said Mr Giuliani.

‘‘Miracles have happened but it would be unfair to offer any kind of broad hope to people.’’

More than 100,000 tonnes of rubble have been removed from the site but fires continue to burn underneath the huge pile of debris which is all that is left of the twin towers.

More than 2,000 rescue workers are still labouring each day on the site but there is little belief they will find anything but the dead.

And they may never find the bodies of many because of the intense fire which raged through the towers and their remains.

Mayor Giuliani has put in place a procedure to allow families to obtain death certificates for their loved ones whom they believe are dead, without their bodies having to be found.

The cost of the attacks in New York alone have already soared to £28bn, making it the costliest terrorist incident ever in terms of money as well as loss of life.

The mayor has called on people to come to the city to boost its economy and said he was confident it could recover.

‘‘I have tremendous confidence that the New York economy will recover, but it is not going to happen by magic or all at once,’’ he said.