The Taoiseach has described the military strikes in Afghanistan as "legitimate". Mr Ahern said the military action conformed with resolutions under the UN charter.
With reports of civilian casualties emerging, however, Mr Ahern said nobody wanted to see any civilian killed or injured adding that it was his hope that the targets would remain "focussed and restricted in so far as possible".
Mr Ahern added that tonight’s meeting of the UN Security Council - which Ireland chairs for the month of October - would provide the US with the opportunity to give a full report on last night’s action.
He said the US had been "extremely responsible for the last four weeks" and commended their diplomatic efforts to bring together a coalition across the world.
But Mr Ahern said both the US and Europe was "very conscious" of the humanitarian issue in this "war situation".
He said the Government would use tonight’s UN Security Council meeting to "make sure both issues are dealt with side by side and not one to the exclusion of the other".