PRESIDENT Bush last night ordered more than 100 warplanes to the Gulf in the first indication of imminent action against Afghanistan.

F15 and F16 fighters - among the most advanced in the world - and B52 bombers, which can carry cruise missiles, are being sent to the region as part of what is now being called Operation Infinite Justice.

The force will also include B1 stealth bombers, first deployed in the Gulf conflict of 1991, and U2 spy planes.

The planes will be supported by back-up aircraft, including AWACS reconnaissance planes.

The first of the aircraft will move today, to arrive at the bases in Saudi Arabia which have been operated by the US since the Gulf War.

The move puts them within striking distance of Afghanistan, where the Taliban regime offers shelter to Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind behind the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.

And they will join an already formidable force in the Indian Ocean, where two aircraft carriers with a total of 150 navy aircraft are deployed.

The carriers may be joined by the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier which is one of the biggest in the world, and which yesterday left Virginia for the Mediterranean.

Once in the Mediterranean, it will only need to steam through the Suez Canal to put its squadron within striking distance of Afghan territory.

The deployment came as the White House hinted it would ask Britain for military support.

Last night, Tony Blair began an exhausting 72-hour mission to create a global alliance against terrorism when he flew to Berlin for talks with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

He then took off for Paris for a breakfast meeting today with French President Jacques Chirac.

Later this morning, he will fly to New York for a memorial service for British victims of last week's atrocities, before moving on to Washington for dinner with President Bush. Tonight, he will fly back to Brussels for a special summit today of EU leaders.

Yesterday, a delayed meeting of hundreds of Islamic clerics - summoned to the Afghan capital, Kabul, to decide whether to give in to US demands to surrender bin Laden or face military attack - broke up without reaching an agreement. The clerics are expected to resume their deliberations today.

The session opened with a defiant speech from the Taliban spiritual leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, rejecting US claims that bin Laden was behind the attacks on New York and Washington.

He accused the Americans of making him the prime suspect as a pretext to attack Afghanistan and destroy its Islamic system of government which, he said, was "like a thorn in their eyes".

Mullah Omar called on the US to produce its evidence that bin Laden was responsible for the atrocities and offered to hold fresh talks to discuss the situation.

The proposals cut little ice with Washington, where White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said: "It's time for actions, not negotiations with the Taliban."

He also ruled out presenting the United Nations with evidence of bin Laden's involvement in the attack.

"The people we are after would very much love to remain in hiding, and know what we know and how we know it. We're not about to do that."

Last night, Mr Blair won the backing of Germany for military action if needed to bring to account those responsible for the US terror attacks. Mr Blair and Chancellor Schroeder both stressed the need for "solidarity" in the wake of last Tuesday's outrages.

After speculation that the German government may be cautious in its approach, Mr Schroeder said: "We very much agree we want to provide unswerving and strong solidarity with the US."

He said that would be "in political, economic and also if needed in military terms too".

Mr Blair said the two leaders stood together and gave their "total support" to the people of America. There had been "an extraordinary outpouring of solidarity among the German people, as there has been in Britain".

He said: "What is remarkable is that there is a growing and strengthening coalition, not just of support for the US and support for the measures that we need to take, but also a recognition that the time has indeed come for us to take the action that's necessary against this evil of mass terrorism."