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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Target Terrorism: Deadliest Form of Anthrax Traced to D.C. Postal Facility; Will Pakistan Hold Firm as U.S. Attacks Afghanistan?

Aired October 21, 2001 - 20:00   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.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS: "Target Terrorism": the latest case of anthrax, the most deadly form, traced to a Washington D.C. postal facility which handles mail for Capitol Hill. We'll get a live update. Could Iraq be involved?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We know they have been working on this kind of terror weapon, and we keep a very close eye on them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: I'll speak with Secretary of State Colin Powell, who also says anti-Taliban fighters are on the move.

We'll go to northern Afghanistan, where U.S. warplanes are hitting Taliban front lines. Can neighboring Pakistan hold firm? We'll go live to Islamabad.

And we'll go live to the Pentagon for an update on U.S. commando raids, as America targets terrorism.

Good evening. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer, reporting tonight from Washington, where the jitters get worse on Capitol Hill right behind me. We'll get to the latest on the anthrax case here in Washington, as well as my interview with Secretary of State Colin Powell shortly.

But first let's take a quick look at the latest developments. In Shanghai, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit closed today, but not before tackling a different issue. And that's just what the Bush administration wanted. APEC members issued a strong political statement against terrorism, and guidelines for cooperation in fighting it.

In Hamilton Township, New Jersey, environmental tests in a mail processing facility have turned up more than a dozen positive results for anthrax exposure. The results are preliminary. Now, state health officials are examining some workers. At least three anthrax-tainted letters were postmarked in Hamilton Township.

Here in the U.S. capital, a postal worker was diagnosed today with inhalation anthrax, the most dangerous form of the disease. CNN's Kathleen Koch is at the hospital where the man is being treated, in nearby Fairfax, Virginia -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, though some 28 Capitol Hill workers were exposed to anthrax this past week, the news up until now has been encouraging. There have been no infections in Washington D.C.

Well, that all changed today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): New concerns and precautions, as doctors confirm the first anthrax infection in Washington. D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams called a press conference to announce a postal worker tested positive for inhalation anthrax, the most serious type of infection.

MAYOR ANTHONY WILLIAMS, WASHINGTON, D.C.: I want to start out by sending the prayers and condolences of everyone in our city to the gentleman who is now gravely ill from contracting anthrax.

KOCH: Doctors in Fairfax, Virginia say he is in serious, but stable condition, and is being treated aggressively with antibiotics. He went to the hospital Friday afternoon with flu-like symptoms.

The man handles express mail at the main Washington, D.C. post office at Brentwood, and at an air mail center near Baltimore- Washington International Airport.

DR. RIMA KHABBAZ, CDC: We don't have any obvious history of his opening -- you know, his handling any open package or leaking package. But in terms of details, we are still investigating it.

KOCH: Though officials say they don't know where the man was exposed, the two facilities are being shut down for environmental sweeps. The more than 2,000 postal employees who work at both locations are being tested and treated with Cipro.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm concerned about implementation of safeguards to protect not only myself, but my coworkers.

KOCH: As a result of this case, health officials in the Washington, D.C. area say they are now more closely monitoring anyone in hospitals with suspicious symptoms.

Meanwhile, after environmental workers combed the Capitol for anthrax Saturday night, congressional leaders decided to open the Capitol Building Monday, but to keep the House and Senate office buildings closed for at least one more day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: Wolf, and the question now for law enforcement officials is: Did this man come in contact with the anthrax-laden letter that was mailed to Senator Daschle, or was there another source? -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Kathleen Koch, nearby northern Virginia, thank you very much.

And earlier today I asked the U.S. Surgeon General Doctor David Satcher to assess the anthrax risk.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. DAVID SATCHER, SURGEON GENERAL: Inhalation anthrax is a serious disease. We haven't seen a lot of it. The last case before Mr. Stevens in Florida was 1978. Our experience is that it has a very high mortality rate.

We believe, however, that we can do better than that today. And so, we are very optimistic that if we really are aggressive and identify symptoms very early, that we in fact can get on top of it.

I haven't seen the latest hospital results on this patient, but it is not yet hopeless.

BLITZER: Is it time to start giving vaccinations for anthrax to postal workers, to others? Right now, only the U.S. military have been receiving those anthrax vaccinations to prevent anthrax. But is it time to move aggressively to start providing those vaccinations across the board?

SATCHER: Well, I think what we're going to do is look very critically at the postal service now and to see what extent we're going to have a continuation of this. We just don't know whether this is continuing. We know that several things have happened in the past two weeks.

The decision to immunize is, as you point out, based on the risk of the individual. And certainly, if we were to find that postal workers are at very high risk, then we certainly would use the vaccine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: The FBI says an anthrax-tainted letter that may have infected an editorial assistant at the "New York Post" has strong similarities to letters sent to Senator Tom Daschle and NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw. The "Post" letter contains similar handwriting and language, and also bears a Trenton, New Jersey postmark.

The U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan has shifted into a new phase, with the weekend deployment of special operations ground forces for raids on key Taliban targets.

CNN national correspondent Frank Buckley is standing by at the Pentagon with more -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Pentagon officials say those ground forces were successful in their objectives in Afghanistan during this first ground operation. One, securing an airfield in southern Afghanistan, though it's not known if they're continuing to hold that airfield. Secondly, securing and searching a residence of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. But there were U.S. casualties in the operation. Today the Pentagon identifying the two men killed who were killed in the crash of the Blackhawk helicopter in Pakistan. They are identified as specialist Jonn J. Edmunds of Cheyenne, Wyoming, 20 years old; and PFC Kristofor T. Stonesifer of Missoula, Montana, 28 years old.

U.S. military officials say they were not part of the group of more than 100 special operations soldiers who jumped into Afghanistan on Friday, but rather part of a search and rescue unit that were on standby during this operation in Pakistan. They say that Taliban claims that the helicopter was shot down are false; it simply crashed as it was landing in the middle of the night.

This occurred during the first ground operation in Afghanistan disclosed by the Pentagon. But today the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Richard Myers, suggested it will not be the last. And he was specifically asked if targets are being prepared in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: This is a global war on terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. So it's -- Afghanistan is only one small piece. So of course we're thinking very broadly. I would say since World War II we haven't thought this broadly about a campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: And Wolf, the general also said that two weeks of bombing in Afghanistan now give the U.S. military free reign over Afghanistan -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Frank, what is the general saying about the holy month of Ramadan -- the Muslim holy month which begins in mid-November. Is that going to have an impact on the U.S. military campaign?

BUCKLEY: Well, he says he is not feeling any pressure on that subject; that the president has clearly advertised that this is going to be a very long campaign. And if it's possible to look at what the military actions have been over the past two Fridays, the Muslim holy days of the week -- two Fridays ago the U.S. said that it would, out of deference to the Muslim holy day, not hit preplanned targets. But they did, in fact, hit targets of opportunity. You might recall on that particular Friday a helicopter was targeted and, in fact, one of the bombs went astray and hit a civilian residence. And then of course this Ranger operation was, in fact, launched on a Friday, a Muslim holy day -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Frank Buckley at the Pentagon, thank you very much.

Meanwhile in Afghanistan, the situation on the ground appears to be changing by the hour. On Sunday, Taliban positions near Kabul came under attack from U.S. warplanes, just across the front lines from their Northern Alliance rivals.

CNN's Matthew Chance joins us with this report from north of Kabul, in positions occupied by Northern Alliance forces.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you Wolf.

That's right, significant development here in northern Afghanistan, with U.S.-led coalition warplanes striking front-line Taliban positions at north of the Afghan capital, Kabul. It's something we've not seen a great deal of throughout the course of this air campaign. It is ratcheting up pressure on the Taliban. It's also giving the opposition Northern Alliance something they've been asking for -- close air support -- since the beginning of the campaign so they can achieve their military objectives.

(voice-over): Opposition forces waiting at the front lines north of Kabul. There has been mounting frustration here. U.S.-led airstrikes have left Taliban positions defending the capital intact. A long-expected offensive has been held up, hopes dashed with a quick advance.

But the mood and the situation is changes fast.

Pointing at the warplanes as they screech overhead, position fighters watch an unprecedented assault from the skies. Taliban anti- aircraft gunners open fire as two coalition jets make a total of four passes south of the old Soviet Bagram Air Base, unleashing powerful bombs each time.

There have been isolated U.S. attacks on Taliban troops around here in the past, but this is a series of pinpoint strikes on their front lines. The opposition ranks were delighted.

"The airstrikes are targeting our enemy at last," this Mujahideen fighter says. "Now the morale of the Taliban must be low."

From the ruined control tower overlooking the front lines, senior northern alliance commanders have gathered in time to watch the strikes. All along Afghan opposition leaders say they've been coordinating military action with the U.S., more close air support now could degrade Taliban positions enough for the Northern Alliance to advance.

Still, the prospects for an early advance may now have increased. Much may depend on what U.S.-led military action the coming the days will bring.

(on camera): What we'll also be watching is the situation in the far north of Afghanistan. The latest reports trickling down from there around the strategic northern city at Mazar-e Sharif is that fighting is continuing around there. Northern Alliance officials say their forces are now just seven kilometers from the outskirts of the city.

There are reports, though, of a Taliban counteroffensive, and Northern Alliance officials have conceded their forces have been pushed back some distance. We'll bring you the latest on that as soon as it comes down to us -- Wolf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Matthew Chance in northern Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the campaign in Afghanistan is putting pressure on neighboring Pakistan, which is going -- which is coping with growing anti-U.S. sentiment and a wave of Afghan refugees.

CNN's John Vause joins us live from Islamabad with the latest.

John, what's happening with the refugees?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf, the refugees growing pressure on Pakistan -- continued influx of refugees to Pakistan. In fact, the United Nations has again asked all countries around Afghanistan to open its borders, including Pakistan.

The U.N. estimates something like 15,000 people now in some kind of no-man's land not far from the border city of Chaman. That's the Pakistan border city of Chaman.

On Sunday Pakistan closed its borders to refugees. We know that on Friday and Saturday it did, in fact, open its borders, allowed something like 10,000 refugees to cross. That was not the case on Sunday. In fact, we had quite unruly Afghans -- hundreds of Afghans trying to push their way across the border. Pakistan border guards fired into the air to try and clear the crowds.

Now, we know that some people are getting across: those with documentation, hardship cases and those who can bribe their way across. Also we know that families are becoming separated as they do make their way across the border.

We also know that the people coming across from cities like Jalalabad, like this video you were just seeing there, seems to be mainly women, children and the elderly. Not a great deal of men of fighting age -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And what's latest, John, with the anti-U.S. protests in Pakistan?

VAUSE: Well, over the weekend there was certainly a number of protests around Pakistan in a city called Rawalpindi, not far from Islamabad, here. Thousands gathered for another demonstration. They're burning effigies, they're holding pictures of Osama bin Laden, who's seen as pretty much a hero to these people.

But the important thing to note here is that these demonstrations were fairly peaceful. They were not violent like they have been in previous days, like they were in the early days of the air strikes. While they were burning those effigies and the rhetoric was fairly high, fairly intense, there wasn't the violent clashes that we've seen with the police.

That's very important for President Musharraf as he tries to keep a lid on any anti-U.S. sentiment as he tries to contain his country's place -- tries to solidify Pakistan's place in the U.S.-led coalition -- Wolf.

BLITZER: John Vause in Islamabad, thank you very much.

And life after the Taliban: Who will play a role in governing Afghanistan if the Taliban are removed? That's just one of the issues I'll discuss with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Now that U.S. ground troops have been in action in Afghanistan, the American public is asking how much longer will the campaign continue.

Earlier today I put that question to Secretary of State Colin Powell, just before he left the Asia-Pacific Summit in Shanghai.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POWELL: Until the mission is accomplished. I think the president has made it clear from the start, and Secretary Rumsfeld has made it clear from the start, that we shouldn't be expecting this to be over immediately, that it is a difficult campaign going after entrenched individuals. And we'll stick it with until the mission has been accomplished.

There are some constraints that are coming in front of us in the form of winter arriving in about a month, which might change the tempo of our operations. But we also are noticing that the Northern Alliance, which we are supporting, has become more aggressive in their actions up north and moving toward Kabul in the very near future.

And so, let's hope the campaign comes to an end soon. But the most important thing to remember is we will pursue it until our mission has been accomplished.

BLITZER: Are you encouraging the Northern Alliance forces, the anti-Taliban forces in the north, to go in and take Kabul?

POWELL: It's a subject of discussion. We're very interested in seeing them take the town in the north, Mazar-e Sharif. And I'm quite confident that they want to at least invest Kabul. Whether they go into Kabul or not, or whether that's the best thing to do or not, remains to be seen. It's a issue that is under continuing discussion.

BLITZER: That's because the Pakistanis are nervous about the Northern Alliance, with which they don't have a good relationship, taking the lead in overthrowing the Taliban regime?

POWELL: No, there are others who wonder whether or not it would be the best thing for a group, however effective it might be, that really only represents 15 percent or thereabouts of the overall population, actually going in to the capital -- would that crystallize opposition elsewhere? Even the Northern Alliance recognizes this problem, and they have been rather candid in discussing it with us, as to whether it makes the best sense or not for them to go into the city.

BLITZER: There were suggestions -- some say that you were saying that earlier in the week that perhaps so-called moderate elements of the Taliban could be part of some new regime that could replace the current Taliban regime. Are there moderate elements of the Taliban?

POWELL: I'm not sure that's quite what I said, but I would have to check my transcript. I was with President Musharraf of Pakistan, who did talk about moderate elements of the Taliban.

My position and the United States position is rather clear. There is no place for any element of current Taliban leadership in a new Afghanistan.

But at the same time, there are many people within the Taliban movement who have not been in the leadership position, have not been active, and who may well want to become part of a new Afghanistan. And unless you're planning to ethnically cleanse them all or ship them off to other countries, they are going to be there, and they will have to be accommodated in what we hope will be a new arrangement that represents all of the people of Afghanistan.

But there can be no place in a new regime for the current leaders of the Taliban regime.

BLITZER: Will the beginning of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month in mid-November -- you were talking earlier about constraints on the U.S. military like winter beginning. Will Ramadan be a factor, as well?

POWELL: We'll have to see as we get closer to Ramadan. It is a very important religious period, and we would take that into account. We'll have to see where the mission is at that point and what needs to be done, and I would yield to my colleagues in the Pentagon as to what we will do as we approach the season of Ramadan.

BLITZER: Clarify for us, if you will, what the U.S. military mission is as far as Osama bin Laden is concerned. Is the U.S. military authorized to go ahead and kill him if they spot him?

POWELL: Our mission is to bring him to justice or bring justice to him, as the president said.

BLITZER: Does that mean the president would go ahead and authorize the kind of, I guess what some would call, assassination or targeted killing of Osama bin Laden?

POWELL: Well, I'm not going to speculate on what the president might or might not authorize. But I think it's quite clear that we are anxious to see Osama bin Laden brought to justice or justice brought to him.

BLITZER: Some have criticized your administration on the Hill, some pro-Israeli senators, many in Israel, for having a so-called double standard, criticizing the Israelis for their policy of so- called targeted killings of suspected terrorists, but the U.S. in effect now going about doing the same thing.

POWELL: What we're trying to do is to bring people to justice. We understand that the difficult situation in the Middle East and Israel and the Gaza and the West Bank have created a great deal of turmoil, especially in recent weeks.

And the United States position over a long period of time has been to point out that targeted assassinations of the kind that we have seen there is not in the best interest of trying to find a way to move forward with the peace process.

And so, it has been a continuing discussion with the Israelis, and we will continue to discuss it with them.

BLITZER: The former CIA director Jim Woolsey, some members of the Congress, are pointing a finger at Iraq in looking at the anthrax- laced letter attacks here in the United States. Do you suspect Iraq, because of its supply of its known quantity of anthrax that it does have, may be involved in this?

POWELL: I just don't know. I think we've had a lot of stories over the past four or five days. First, it was weaponized anthrax. Then it was highly refined. And then when it was analyzed, it was discovered it was none of the above. But it was fairly high-quality.

So rather than speculate as to what kind of anthrax it was and what the possible sources of such anthrax could be, I think I will just leave that in the hands of the very qualified people, the FBI, Center For Disease Control and the Army's laboratories at Fort Detrick, Maryland, and let them figure it out.

Once we know exactly what we're dealing with, then you're in a position to make an informed judgment with respect to where it might have come from.

I don't put it past Iraq. We know they have been working on this kind of terror weapon, and we keep a very close eye on them.

And, as the president has said, it's in the first instance we're going after al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden and that's the principle focus of our attention. But we recognize there are other regimes that give haven, harbor to terrorist activity, and we will turn our attention to them in due course.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: My conversation early today with Secretary of State Colin Powell.

And what do The Backstreet Boys, the Godfather of Soul and the King of Pop have in common? Music, of course. And today they all took the stage here in Washington to thrill thousands and raise million for a special cause. Details in just a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

President Bush is the subject of "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS"; that's coming up next.

First, let's take a check of the latest developments as America targets terrorism.

Low-flying U.S. fighter jets attacked Taliban front lines near the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Sunday. And now the chairman of joint chiefs of staff says two weeks of bombing have given U.S.-led forces, quote, "free reign" over Afghanistan.

Back here in Washington, the U.S. Capitol will be open for business tomorrow, but House and Senate office buildings were remain closed. Authorities are waiting for definitive anthrax test results.

And Washington's RFK Stadium was anything but quiet today. James Brown and The Backstreet Boys were just two of the acts that rocked the audience at a benefit concert. The sold-out show raised about $2 million through ticket sales for victims of the terrorist attacks.

That's all the time we have tonight. Please join me again tomorrow twice, at both 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. Eastern as America targets terrorism. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Up next, "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" profiles George W. Bush.

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