YORK MP Hugh Bayley is convinced military action must take place against terror warlord Osama bin Laden - but warned it could put the lives of servicemen at risk.
The MP, speaking at the emergency recall of Parliament yesterday, said that soldiers from York area barracks were likely to be called into action in Afghanistan.
He said: "There has been meticulous military planning going in relation to the actions against terrorism.
"It must be meticulous because for those involved - including a number of my constituents with my constituency being a garrison town - it is a matter of life and death. We are putting the lives of members of our armed forces are at risk because of the action we are taking."
Mr Bayley said he had studied a dossier of evidence against bin Laden placed in the House of Commons Library by Tony Blair yesterday morning.
The dossier said there were close similarities with the evidence against bin Laden for the 1998 attacks against the US embassies in East Africa and its warship USS Cole, in the Gulf, in 1999.
It also showed three of the dead hijackers had close links with bin Laden, he had told associates that a major operation was imminent and had advised some people to return to Afghanistan. Mr Bayley told the Commons: "I have read the evidence which the PM placed in the library and I believe military action is a necessary part of our response to make it less likely or impossible for further atrocities such as those of September 11 to take place."
But, in an eight-minute speech, he said it was also important to focus on the refugee crisis n Afghanistan.
And he called for equally thorough preparation for the humanitarian tasks British troops may be asked to perform, stating: "That will be a matter of life and death for Afghans."
Mr Bayley questioned whether the £36 million pledged in aid to refugees in Afghanistan would be enough. He continued: "I was pleased to hear the PM say that he believed the humanitarian coalition is as vital as military action because the risks faced - even before September 11 - are very real after 23 years of war, seven years of Taliban misrule and three years of drought."
Updated: 10:41 Friday, October 05, 2001
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