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CNN Live Saturday

White Mountains Under Assault From U.S. Forces and Anti-Taliban Factions

Aired December 08, 2001 - 16:06   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: It has been another turbulent day in the White Mountains of Afghanistan. The rugged area just southwest of Jalalabad still the focus of a determined assault by anti-Taliban forces and their U.S. allies. And it's still being fiercely defended by the Taliban and al Qaeda foot soldiers.

And citing an intercepted radio message, a senior Afghan tribal leader says that Osama bin Laden may be leading his forces directly. It's widely believed these mountains are riddled with caves that are filled with al Qaeda personnel, their weapons and perhaps bin Laden himself.

And that brings us to CNN's Jonathan Aiken, who has much more on the hunt for bin Laden from the Pentagon's perspective. What's the latest from there?

JONATHAN AIKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest, Catherine, the Pentagon not saying for sure whether bin Laden is in Tora Bora or anywhere else in particular in Afghanistan. Reports have put bin Laden in several places in the country. We have a map we want to show you to put Tora Bora in perspective for you. Tora Bora, up in the right corner of your screen, not far from Kabul.

Reports have put him in Tora Bora at this cave and tunnel complex. They've also put him somewhere around Jalalabad. He's also been reported in the mountains in Kandahar and back up around Tora Bora, elsewhere in the White Mountain range, in fact, in ranges that go deeper that are parallel to Tora Bora itself.

Now regardless of whether bin Laden is there or not, Tora Bora is the home of that massive sub mountainous complex. And that has been the focus of heavy and consistent bombardment by B-52s through the day. These airstrikes have been hitting al Qaeda mortar positions and also trying to soften things up for opposition forces on the ground to make advances.

Now they were stymied in an al Qaeda counterattack that some say may have been led by bin Laden himself. You made reference to some tantalizing radio intercepts by opposition forces, in which references were made to a tall man on a horse and also a sheik. People were curious about that, since bin Laden is said to be over six feet tall.

Still though for the record, U.S. commanders are saying they really do know where Osama bin Laden is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY FRANKS, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND : There are certain areas where we have opposition groups very much in control in Afghanistan. And of course, there are other areas where we do not yet have opposition groups in control of territory. And so, I will tell you honestly, no, I'm not sure that I know where bin Laden is right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AIKEN: And Catherine, we can tell you that even though the focus is on Tora Bora and parts of northeastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military is open to suggestion that Osama bin Laden could be pretty much anywhere. In fact, south to Kandahar, Camp Rhino, where those Marines are stationed in that forward position, any Marine above the rank of sergeant carrying what amounts to a little flash card in his pocket that contains pictures of the al Qaeda leadership. Undoubtedly Osama bin Laden is on that card, just in case -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, CNN's Jonathan Aiken with the very latest from the Pentagon. Thanks, Jonathan.

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