Is attacking terrorists terrorism? Terrorism is politically motivated violence intended to intimidate and terrify. When American embassies were bombed in Kenya and Tanzania, Washington decided to retaliate. On August 20, 1998, the United States launched military strikes against what it believed to be bases linked to terrorism in Afghanistan and Sudan. They believed these groups played a key role in the embassy bombings. Some believe that retaliation and show of force are acts of self-defense that will ultimately lead to the destruction of terrorism. Others believe the attack was just a show of power and brute force against the Afghan people. The United States has made numerous arguments to justify retaliatory attacks in Afghanistan and Sudan. They say terrorist acts, such as the bombings of U.S. embassies, must not go unpunished. The growing threat of terrorist attacks against U.S. targets must be contained. These murderous factions have untenable goals and unlimited bombs, and they must be stopped before terrorism spirals out of control. U.S. allies supported the bombings and described them as part of a global effort to combat terrorism. This act shows terrorists that democratic governments will act decisively to prevent their evil crimes. These bombings were necessary to send the message that terrorist attacks would not be tolerated and to try to prevent further violence. Conversely, some argue that the United States itself commits international terrorism. The United States regularly uses violence for political reasons, to intimidate and terrify, which is the exact definition of terrorism. The bombings in Afghanistan and Sudan were billed as counterterrorism raids, but in reality they were acts of terrorism committed by the United States itself. These bombings do not constitute an act of self-defense as the United States claims, because the attacks on the embassies did not pose an immediate danger to the country itself. Some even claim that these hostile US policies constitute an act of war against a sovereign country. If American principles of retaliation were to be applied to other situations, then all over the world there are countries that have every right to bomb Washington. For example, there are reports that a Miami-based organization was involved in bombings in Cuba that cost civilian lives. According to the American justification, Cuba would have the right to drop bombs on Washington. But these principles of retaliation only apply to the strong, and it states that the strong are allowed to attack the weak and defenseless at any time. In response to terrorism, the continuation of terrorism is not permitted. According to the Charter of the United Nations, it is clear that this use of violence is manifestly illegal..