US and Britain launch strikes against Taliban

Britain and America have launched strikes against Afghanistan.

The allied attacks began at 5.27pm UK time with 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from submarines based in the Arabian Sea.

Operation Enduring Freedom began with explosions reported in Kabul, Kandahar and Jalalabad.

Tony Blair in Downing Street and President George Bush in Washington have given confirmation of the strikes. A Pentagon official says targets for the strikes included air defences, military communications sites and terrorist training camps inside Afghanistan.

At this stage there are no details about the success of the early strikes.

"We are supported by the collective will of the world," said President Bush in an address from the White House.

Downing Street later announced that Parliament will be recalled.

The Taliban has announced bin Laden and their leader Mohammed Omar have survived the first wave of attacks.

Bin Laden has appeared in a video in which he spoke for the first time about the September 11 attacks on the US. It is thought the film was taken before the allied raids on Afghanistan.

Although he praised the attacks, he did not claim responsibility.