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CNN Live Saturday

Donald Shepperd Discusses U.S. Operations Around Tora Bora and in Kandahar

Aired December 08, 2001 - 15:10   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: And joining us now to provide some more insight into the U.S. military campaign around Tora Bora and just outside of Kandahar is CNN military analyst, retired Air Force Major General Don Shepperd. He's in Washington, of course, this afternoon -- nice to have you with us again.

Certainly a lot going on in Afghanistan around that Tora Bora region -- some of the most intense fighting that we've seen so far between the Northern Alliance and the al Qaeda forces. They are very hunkered down there in the caves in that region.

Tell us a little bit more about the U.S. involvement in that. Certainly, they're not going to get on the ground, until that situation is a little bit more in control.

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): Yes, Catherine, this is a different type of war than what we've seen in the other areas of Afghanistan, which has basically been surrendering the cities and changing sides by the Taliban.

What we've got here is an emerging Eastern Alliance. Now, the Northern Alliance has been fighting for a long time. They were well equipped. They were dug in. The Eastern Alliance has been, if you will, rushed together. They are not heavily equipped like the Northern Alliance was. They don't have hordes of tanks, and so they are moving in basically with infantry troops, and they're moving into the last real stronghold of the al Qaeda in the country.

And it is going to be, I predict, ferociously defended and going to be a very, very tough fight. This is going to develop into a fight, the fight that we haven't seen before, and it's going to take a lot of support from other forces and from air power before they can go into this area.

CALLAWAY: And we have seen, and we are looking at now, some of those U.S. airstrikes. Are they going to intensify?

SHEPPERD: Likely they will intensify. Now, obviously what we have to do, just like we did with the Northern Alliance, is get Special Forces in there to establish liaison, gather intelligence...

CALLAWAY: Yes.

SHEPPERD: ... and eventually mark targets. So...

CALLAWAY: And, in fact, Brent Sadler, yesterday morning, gave us some video that they shot from just outside the Tora Bora region, and we're going to roll that now, so maybe you can tell us about who you think this may be. We'll try to describe it -- see if it will come up. Here we go. What appears to be members of Special Forces, Americans possibly, CIA -- who knows -- with what could be some guides moving into this region.

Could you tell us what this could be, and how this -- if this would play in the military plan of what we would see before we see ground forces on the ground?

SHEPPERD: Yes, what you're seeing is star wars on the backs of donkeys. These could be CIA, it could be Special Forces, could be anything. It's hard to tell. But again, what they're going to do is they're going in there to establish trust and confidence and liaison with the forces that we're going to support. They're gathering intelligence, finding out where the people really are, what's going on in the area. And then, some of them eventually will mark targets for air power, if that becomes appropriate.

CALLAWAY: All right. And once again, this is just outside the Tora Bora area.

SHEPPERD: Right.

CALLAWAY: Let's move back to Kandahar now. You know, a lot has been said about the Taliban has been removed from Kandahar, but certainly it is far from being settled there, with now lots of conflicts going on between the different tribal leaders on who wants to take control of that stronghold -- that former stronghold of the Taliban.

SHEPPERD: Yes. And no way is it settled there. Lots of things can happen bad in that area. Hamid Karzai basically negotiated the city away, so that it does not have to be destroyed by fighting, but he is in, reportedly, the eastern part of the city. Gul Aga (ph) came up from the south. He took the governor's house reportedly, and then also we have Mullah Naqib in the western part, and the city was surrendered to him. He was a supporter of the Taliban.

So what you really have is a really unsettled situation. It's going to take several days to sort out. And again, General Frank said he is not -- would not rule out the Marines going in there, but you don't want to throw 1,200 men into an unsettled city, so there is lots to be done here -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Speaking of the Marines in that region, all at Camp Rhino now, just outside of Kandahar. And we've heard now that John Walker has been moved to be held at Camp Rhino -- John Walker being the American Taliban that was being held in Mazar-e-Sharif. Are you surprised that he's being moved to Camp Rhino, and what's going on there with him being there instead of in Mazar-e-Sharif?

SHEPPERD: No, it's a good place for him, and his family should be -- should feel secure that he's with American troops. His fate in other places would have been much less certain. He basically will be held there as a prisoner, if you will. He will be evacuated when our justice system and the Pentagon decide what to do with him, and how it's going to proceed. He has an uncertain future in the legal system as well.

What to do with him, as we've been reporting, is very difficult. In the meantime, he's safe and being held by American troops.

CALLAWAY: All right. Major General Don Shepperd joining us from Washington -- thank you for your insights once again.

SHEPPERD: Thank you.

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