Sunday afternoon, the United States and Great Britain began their initial retaliatory efforts against Afghanistan for refusing to turn over accused terrorist Osama bin Laden. The attacks were aimed at bin Laden, the al Qaeda terrorist network, and other terrorists.
Bin Laden has been linked to the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. The attacks on Afghanistan continued Monday.
While it was nighttime in Afghanistan on Sunday, it was the middle of the afternoon at the University, and students had mixed reactions to the attacks.
"I am more nervous about the outcome of this now" than before the retaliation, second-year College student Provi Spina said.
Andrew Hunter, a fourth-year College student, echoed Spina's concerns, saying, "I'm more worried now because of bin Laden's response to the retaliation."
Hunter referred to the video that was played on news stations around the country just minutes after the first bombs were dropped on targets throughout Afghanistan. In the video, bin Laden describes America as "full of fear, from its north to its south, from its west to its east."
"It scares me to see the ambivalance of bin Laden and how he is not scared of the United States," Hunter said.
Third-year College student Christopher Smith said he sees the attacks on targets in Afghanistan as a "form of release for Americans, because we know those doing this are being punished."
"I feel that we should continue to take action so long as we target the training camps," second-year College student Susan Raffel said.
Many students do not foresee the initial attacks as having a long-term effect on terrorist attacks on the United States.
"I think the strikes may set back the terrorists some, but it won't really stop them," Raffel said.
"It is going to be a prolonged effort," Smith said in regards to the attacks.
Hunter said he believes bin Laden eventually will be killed, but he worries that killing him may lead to more acts of terrorism against the United States. However, he agreed that America had to act. "I personally wish it didn't have to come to [bombing], but we can't keep making idle threats to the Taliban."
All the students interviewed agreed that there is still a high level of fear even after the retaliation.
"I don't think even people in the mountains of West Virginia can feel safe from the fear," Smith said.
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