US President George W. Bush on Saturday mourned two US soldiers who died while supporting the first commando raid into Afghanistan and urged Asian leaders to stand up to terrorism.

``There is no isolation from evil,'' he said.

As the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit opened, Bush courted Asian leaders to his war coalition with several face-to-face meetings and, separately, addressed a gathering of businessmen.

``Our enemies are murderers with a global reach,'' Bush said in the centerpiece address of his four-day trip. ``They seek weapons to kill on a global scale. Every nation must oppose this enemy or turn into its target.''

Bush spoke shortly after US defense officials said special operations forces had completed the first ground raid into southern Afghanistan, and two US soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash in neighboring Pakistan.

``The soldiers died in a cause that is just and right and we will prevail,'' Bush said after meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

In his speech, Bush called the fight against terrorism ``the urgent task of our time'' and warned that terrorists want to undermine Asia's hard-fought economic gains.

(China Daily 10/20/2001)