In his speech to the Labour Party conference today, the prime minister will pledge to destroy the hardware, supplies and troops of the Taliban as punishment for failing to hand over Osama bin Laden and dismantle his al-Qaeda terror network.

Blair will tell the conference: "[The Taliban] had the chance to surrender the terrorists. They chose not to. We will eliminate their hardware, disrupt their supplies, target their troops."

The comments indicate the government believes time has run out for the Taliban and that military strikes are becoming ever more likely.

Speaking in the hall in which Blair first learnt of the attacks which left 6000 people dead, he will stress that the West must move to eradicate the terrorist extremists who conducted the attacks.

The prime minister will accept that many people are "anxious" about the use of force, but will warn that "The dangers of inaction are greater than the dangers of action."

While around half the speech will be dedicated to the international situation, Blair will also address domestic concerns, indicating he has not "taken his eye off the ball" in the UK. As well as addressing the government's controversial plans to reform public services, the speech will also take in membership of the European single currency.

Senior ministers think the crisis could provide a new opportunity to join the euro as Blair's enhanced status may help him lead a successful referendum campaign. Party chairman Charles Clarke said the case for joining the euro had become stronger since September 11.