5.15 p.m. First report from news agencies of explosions in Afghanistan. Three large flashes are seen on the front line between Taliban and Afghan opposition forces, north of Kabul.
5.20 p.m. Aircraft are heard flying over the Afghan capital.
5.30 p.m. Several loud explosions are heard in Kabul. Residents of the city report that electricity supplies had been cut.
6.00 p.m. In an address to the nation, President George Bush says the United States, with Britain's help, had begun military strikes against Taliban military installations and training camps. More than 40 nations had given the US permission to use their air space or land in their territory, he added.
6.07 p.m. CNN reports that the US attack had destroyed a command base at the airport of Kandahar, the southern Afghan stronghold of Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. In Kabul, an eyewitness said the U.S. bombs or rockets had struck near the Defence Ministry.
6.15 p.m. The eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad was reported to be under attack. Initial reports said at least three training camps and the airport may have been hit.
6.18 p.m. Britain confirms its forces are involved in the strikes. Prime Minister Tony Blair is said to be preparing a statement.
6.40 p.m. The US advises its citizens to "limit their movement" and warns that the military strikes could lead to terrorist strikes against Americans and American interests abroad.
6.45 p.m. In a televised address, Mr Blair says the allied forces are doing "all we humanly can to avoid civilian casualties." He confirms British submarines had launched cruise missiles on Afghanistan.
6.54 p.m. The European Union is said to have been given advance notice of the attacks though a contact to the EU foreign policy high representative Javier Solana.
7.15 p.m. Residents near Kabul airport are reported to be fleeing their homes despite an all-night curfew.
7.21 p.m. Explosions and fires are reported at the airport of the strategic Taliban-held city of Mazar-i-Sharif. "Dozens" of US helicopters and jets flew overhead, Northern Alliance forces said.
7.24 p.m. The southern Afghan city of Kandahar is under second wave of attacks, with the home of Mullah Mohammad Omar believed to be a target. Taliban officials report that the city's airport building was struck.
7.29 p.m. Al-Jazira TV broadcasts a pre-recorded interview with Osama bin Laden in which the Saudi dissident says his al-Qaeda group was ready for "confrontation". He also promises the US "will never more know security as long as Palestine does not know security."
7.41 p.m. The Taliban ambassador to Pakistan claims both bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Omar survived the attacks.
7.47 p.m. Afghan opposition forces begin a heavy barrage of shelling on Taliban positions north of Kabul, according to reports.
7.50 p.m. US begins air drops of humanitarian aid over Afghanistan.
8.00 p.m. US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the first objective of the US strikes is to control the airspace and eliminate any threat posed by the anti-aircraft installations.
8.38 p.m. The Taliban's deputy defence minister, Mullah Nur Ali, claims its forces had shot down an aircraft in the south.
8.45 p.m. Massive explosions are reported at Herat airport in western Afghanistan.
1.00 a.m. News agencies reported further waves of attacks on suspected terror bases in Afghanistan.
(All times displayed are Irish - Afghanistan is 3 1/2 hours ahead of BST)