U.S. leads bombing attacks on Afghanistan, County on highest level of alert

Ventura County emergency personnel do not believe that terrorism is likely to strike the area, but not being prepared and on alert would be unthinkable; like other local law agencies following the advice of the FBI, Ventura County is on its highest level of alert.The United States and British air strikes on Afghanistan were expected after that country?s leaders refused to hand over Osana Bin Ladin, who - in what is believed to be a pre-taped statement released Sunday - virtually took credit for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, killing thousands of civilians. The terrorist plot involved hijacking four jets, crashing two into the World Trade Center?s twin towers and one into the Pentagon: a fourth jet was forced down in Pennsylvania when passengers battled the hijackers. The jets all took off from the East Coast and were headed for Los Angeles and San Francisco, ensuring full fuel tanks that guaranteed massive destruction when they were aimed at the terrorist targets.U.S. and British forces started on Sunday to hit a series of Afghan targets, including al-Qaida terrorist training camps and military bases of the Taliban government, using Tomahawk cruise missiles, gravity bombs, among other weapons launched from aircraft carriers and distant bases.A difficult task for allied forces will be tracking down bin Laden - whose base of operations keeps moving from remote caves and outposts - and helping the anti-Taliban foes, known as the Northern Alliance, within Afghanistan to install a new regime. The forces commanded by Afghanistan?s radical Islamic Taliban number an estimated 45,000 fighting men. It is unknown how many terrorists led by bin Laden and others under his ideological umbrella are scattered throughout world.