Arab leader backs the 'war of liberation'
War on terrorism: The Gulf
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Your support makes all the difference.The Emir of Bahrain became the first Arab leader to give his unequivocal backing to the Allied bombing of Afghanistan.
Calling the campaign a "war of liberation", Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa made it clear he would approve any request by the US to use Bahrain as a base from which to fly bombing raids.
In an unusually outspoken interview with Western journalists at his palace near Manama, Sheikh Hamad lavished praise on George Bush and Tony Blair. They were, he said, waging both a campaign against terrorism and a campaign to free a population oppressed by "lunatics who call themselves Muslims".
"I am so happy that America, Britain and the world are going into Afghanistan liberating it from evil," he said. "This can only be good for the families, the children and the women, for health and for education. Whoever is against such a thing is someone who has lost his mind. It is a gift of God that the developed world is going into Afghanistan to help. For this reason, we have supported it from day one.
"When the campaign is over people will applaud and thank the Allies for saving these poor people from evil. We all know the practice there is un-Islamic. The way they treat women is not Islamic."
Despite signs of growing opposition to the Allies' campaign on the island state which already hosts the US Navy's fifth fleet, Sheikh Hamad said: "We are allies and in 50 years of cooperation with the US we have never rejected a request."
The Emir's remarks are in sharp contrast to the condemnation of the campaign voiced by Arab leaders such as President Bashar al Assad of Syria.
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