From NICK PARKER
Chief Foreign Correspondent
in Washington

AMERICA will unleash its awesome revenge on the warlords of world terrorism within days - starting with a devastating blitz on the lair of Osama bin Laden.

Pentagon sources in Washington said President Bush is ready to order immediate strikes at the heart of Saudi-born bin Laden's network.

The reason for the massive retaliation - to be codenamed Operation Noble Eagle - was plain for the world to see yesterday as America began to bury her thousands of war dead.

The nation's leaders pointed the finger at Afghanistan's fundamentalist Taliban regime for sheltering monster bin Laden.

President Bush has already indentified the terrorist godfather as the prime suspect for last week's horror in which four jets were hijacked and used as flying bombs to attack the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

The firestorm engulfing bin Laden's camps in Afghanistan will be followed by a long and bloody all-out war on terrorists and their supporters across the globe.

Noble Eagle is poised to begin later this week with a hail of bombs, cruise missiles and terrifying fuel-air "sunshine bombs" capable of incinerating vast areas of land.

Crack US and British special forces soldiers will follow up the air attacks, causing carnage with well-planned precision raids.

A Pentagon source said yesterday: "We're standing by to go in sooner rather than later - and we're going in hard. Bin Laden hurt us but he's given us the stomach for a fight and by God he's going to get one."

And Vice-President Dick Cheney broke off from talks at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland to say: "What we are going to do is aggressively go after Mr bin Laden, obviously, and all his associates.

"If you've got a nation out there now that has provided a base, training facilities, a sanctuary, Afghanistan fits that description.

"They have to understand, and others like them around the world have to understand, that if you provided sanctuary to terrorists, you face the full wrath of the United States."

As Mr Cheney spoke worldwide outrage at the atrocity continued, with millions of people taking to the streets of cities in protest.

In Jordan, Arab women with veils hiding their faces lined up to sign a book of condolence at the US embassy in capital Amman.

Support ... women sign
condolences in Jordan
Picture: REUTERS/Ali Jarekji

In India, Sikhs rallied to pledge their support for the US and wave placards reading: "Hang bin Laden."

Meanwhile unrest grew in Afghanistan itself, where armoured vehicles were rolled out while unruly mobs demonstrated.

The opening salvo of Operation Noble Eagle will be bombing raids focusing on bin Laden's six known terrorist training camps clustered mainly in the north of Afghanistan.

Scores of Tomahawk missiles will be launched from America's two battle groups in the Gulf including the giant aircraft carrier USS Enterprise backed up by cruisers, destroyers and frigates.

The super-accurate, low-flying missiles will target the command centres of bin Laden's camps. And they will be backed by waves of dozens of jets including US Stealth fighters and bombers and RAF Tornados and Jaguars.

America's new B2 Stealth Bomber will be one of the first jets in action because of its virtual invisibility on enemy radar.

The sinister-looking bat-shaped craft is vital to the attack on bin Laden's cave bunker complex at Nangarhar, north of the Khyber Pass. The B2 carries state-of-the art GBU28 "bunker buster" bombs.

US Air Force pilots can launch the GBU28 bombs from as far away as 18 miles from their target, then glide them home with pinpoint accuracy.

When a bomb hits it uses a penetrating warhead to blast its way through rock, concrete and earth into the enemy bunker before detonating 5,000lb of high explosives.

Terrorists caught above ground face an even more terrifying weapon in fuel-air bombs. The so-called sunshine bombs - dropped from 2,000ft by parachute - are packed with a highly volatile petro-chemical jelly inside a steel casing which sprays vapour across the ground on impact. A timed detonator then ignites the fuel creating a huge, blazing sun-like ball of death resembling a small atom bomb.

The dreaded weapons were last used in the Gulf War to clear paths through minefields, causing Iraqi troops to surrender in terror at the awesome sight.

An US intelligence source said: "We know fuel-air bombs are now in place in range of Afghanistan. This is a reflection of the President's determination.

"After a strike by cruise missiles, many terrorists would be able to walk away shaken but alive. But if a sunshine bomb hits one of bin Laden's camps, no one will walk away."

US sources in Washington suggested yesterday that British special forces "were already engaged" in the new war on terrorism.

Fury ... Sikhs wave placards in India
Picture: REUTERS/Rajesh Bhambi

But there was understandably no official confirmation that spearhead units of the Special Air Service were in Afghanistan now paving the way for air strikes.

The SAS and commandos from America's crack Delta Force would undoubtedly be in the front line of any ground assault on the Taliban camps protecting bin Laden.

They would be parachuted or helicoptered in, then lie low for days before using laser-guidance devices to help pinpoint the first of the air attacks.

US military commanders are believed to favour the option of small groups of highly-trained specialist units like the SAS. Much bigger forces were also standing ready for action yesterday if a full-frontal assault becomes an option.

The US has put thousands of men on a war footing - and told anyone in uniform to be ready to roll within days.

The first into any ground assault would be likely to include elements of the US Airborne Corps, whose 85,000 elite paratroops and helicopter forces are ready to fight anywhere in the world at short notice.

Predicting a long and possibly bloody struggle against global terrorism, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld asked the nation to steel itself for battle.

Asked about the forthcoming campaign he stressed: "This is NOT going to be a few cruise missiles flying around on television."

As Operation Noble Eagle builds up thousands of mobilised reservists wait to learn when they should report for duty.

They will be used as part of what is termed "homeland defence", backing up aircrews at bases around America.

Fighter jets are waiting on 15-minute alerts - meaning they can be airborne almost immediately a threat is detected.

A total of 13,000 Air Force reservists will aid the effort while the Army will receive an extra 10,000 troops.

On top of that 7,500 Marine reservists are under orders as well as 3,000 for the Navy and 2,000 for the US Coast Guard.

In its later stages, America's revenge may also fall upon old enemy Saddam Hussein in Iraq. In the absence of hard evidence linking him to the attacks, investigators could still target him and his regime.

White House sources say the President is even considering scrapping special orders which prohibit assassination attempts on heads of state so Saddam could be hit.

Meanwhile it emerged last night that US military pilots were given orders to intercept and shoot down incoming commercial airliners over Washington immediately after last week's attacks.

Vice-President Mr Cheney told NBC: "The President made the decision that if the planes would not divert or pay attention to instructions, as a last resort our pilots were authorised to take them out. People say that's a horrendous decision to make - and it is."

Pakistan has crucial
role in bid to
snare bin Laden