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CNN Live Saturday

Both U.S. and the Taliban Refute Reports American Reconnaissance Mission Was Captured in Afghanistan

Aired September 30, 2001 - 14:06   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Both the U.S. and the Taliban are refuting an Al-Jazeera television report that three Americans on a reconnaissance mission were captured in Afghanistan.

CNN's Nic Robertson joins us from Quetta, Pakistan with more on that, and the latest on the growing refugee crisis -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, both the defense ministry in Kabul and the foreign ministry in Kandahar have denied that. They've said flat out, categorically, that no one was arrested. And they go beyond that impact. They say that there are no British or United States troops in Afghanistan. They're very categorical and very clear about that.

Here in Pakistan, the United Nations has really been stepping its activities on all fronts, to try and get some food to the suffering people in Afghanistan. What they -- United National Children's agency did today, UNICEF, was send 20 trucks with some 200 metric tons of food. And that's going to go north through Pakistan and then transfer to mule trains, some hundreds of mules they say that were used to get this food over the high mountain passes of the Himalayan foothills, and get that into northern Afghanistan.

Now each of the stacks of flour, each 50 kilogram stack of flour is enough for about one family for one month, U.N. agencies say. So within that shipment, there are perhaps enough for 400 families for the month. That's going to the Northern Alliance area, the area not controlled by the Taliban and Afghanistan.

In Quetta today, a transport aircraft for the U.N. high commission for refugees flew in. It was carrying some 44 metric tons of plastic sheeting. This, they say, will provide about 9,800 plastic tents for refugees. That's some 50,000 families.

Now the U.N.H.C.R. has appealed to some $268 million. So far, they say, they've only received pledges for $12 million. The world's food program also stepping up its activities here. They say they're flying in some 265 metric tons of high energy biscuits. These biscuits, they say, will be vital for those people coming up that they expect to come across the border, whose health is deteriorating.

Now the World Food Program says that it does have food stamps inside Afghanistan. They say they have some 10,500,000 metric tons. But their problem inside Afghanistan, and this is crucial they say to what to could be the developing humanitarian crisis is that they cannot deliver it to one-quarter of the population inside Afghanistan, who normally get this food.

Instead, of reaching 5.5 million people at the moment, they're only able to reach 1 million. And that is, because they say, their stock there are not safe and that their communications, their telephone equipment, their logistics equipment has been seized by the Taliban authorities.

And that is the crux of why U.N. officials here in Pakistan are afraid that there could be an influx of a million refugees coming in the next few weeks.

SAVIDGE: During the Kosovo crisis, trying to get food to refugees there. There was consideration and actually carrying out of air supply and air drops. Could that be a possibility that anyone has spoken of?

ROBERTSON: So far in Pakistan, the U.N. agencies are not talking about an airlift. Certainly there are plenty of airfields inside Afghanistan, plenty of them are serviceable. Probably the concern for the U.N. officials at this time would be guaranteeing the safety of aircraft flying into Afghanistan.

Certainly, before there have been humanitarian situations where agencies have tried low altitude drops again. They -- the facilities, the planes that the United Nations could call for that are not here, in place, inside Pakistan for that type of time, for that type of operation.

And again, all that would have to be the determined whether or not the Taliban would give permission to the United Nations to mount that kind of mission at this time -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: CNN's Nic Robertson in Quetta. Thank you very much for joining us.

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