US President George W. Bush, in his first appearance before the UN General Assembly today, asked for action in the US-led war on terrorism instead of sympathy for the September 11 attacks.
"The time for sympathy has now passed. The time for action has now arrived," Mr Bush told 48 presidents and prime ministers and 114 foreign ministers at the opening of the annual gathering in New York.
He said the threat of terrorism was global, and warned that those behind the September 11 attacks on the United States would use chemical, biological or nuclear weapons as soon as they were able.
Meanwhile, in a major setback for the ruling Taliban, Afghanistan's Northern Alliance has captured the strategic city of Mazar-i-Sharif, setting the stage for a push toward Kabul.
Taliban defense minister Obaidullah Akhund comfirmed the militia had lost the strategic northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif to the opposition Northern Alliance.
The ancient city straddles major supply routes between Uzbekistan and Kabul. Its loss marks the first major blow to the Taliban in 35 days of US attacks.
The fall of Mazar-i-Sharif IS considered the biggest breakthrough by Northern Alliance fighters battling the fundamentalist Taliban militia since US air strikes on Afghanistan began on October 7th.
On another front, just north of the Afghan capital Kabul, hundreds of Northern Alliance troops, backed by tanks, massed last night and commanders said they would advance soon.
A Reuters cameraman saw about 800 Northern Alliance fighters marching toward the front line along with artillery and four tanks, while US jets roared overhead, bombing Taliban positions overlooking the opposition-held Bagram airport north of Kabul.
Commanders at the front said on Friday they expected to launch an overnight offensive to take the Taliban positions that have made the airport unusable .
The Northern Alliance has said it would not march into Kabul if it gets that far, but would halt outside the city limits.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Washington was not encouraging the Northern Alliance to try to take the capital. "To be frank there would probably be a high level of tension in the city if the Northern Alliance were to come in force with a population in Kabul that may not at the moment be friendly to the Northern Alliance," Mr Powell said on Fox News.