Military

Ten Years Ago Today, President Bush Announced Strikes On Afghanistan

Published October 7, 2011 at 6:20 AM PDT

This story was published more than 13 years ago.

Lance Corp Gerry Murphy, front, prays for a fellow Marine killed in action during a memorial service February 6, 2009 at Camp Pendleton, California.

At 1 p.m. ET on Oct. 7, 2001, President George W. Bush announced to the nation that "on my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against al-Qaida terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan."

Read the Transcript

President George Bush Addresses The Nation, Oct. 7, 2001.

And in what could be seen in retrospect as a hint of what was to come later with the war in Iraq, the president said that "today we focus on Afghanistan, but the battle is broader. Every nation has a choice to make. In this conflict, there is no neutral ground. If any government sponsors the outlaws and killers of innocents, they have become outlaws and murderers, themselves. And they will take that lonely path at their own peril."

He finished by saying "the battle is now joined on many fronts. We will not waver; we will not tire; we will not falter; and we will not fail. Peace and freedom will prevail."