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American Morning

U.S. Now Holding More Than 350 Detainees at Kandahar Airport

Aired January 10, 2002 - 08:09   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S., as you probably know, is now holding more than 350 detainees, or prisoners, at the Kandahar Airport. As we told you, about 45 more were brought in overnight. Now, they are expected to head for the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, and that is where we find CNN national correspondent, Bob Franken. He is standing by now to join us by videophone -- Bob, what is expected to happen there and when?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula. Well, when is a good question. We have been told for days that the detainees could be expected. They are able to handle right now, at this particular point, 100 of the detainees. They have set up a facility at Camp X-ray. You might remember that. That was the huge facility that handled thousands of Haitian and Cuban refugees in the 90s. Now, it has been quickly, in the last couple of weeks, turned into -- pardon the redundancy -- a most maximum security prison camp.

Now, imagine being in a cage. That is what they're going to be, each individual in his own. They prefer to call them outdoor cells here. There will be a wooden roof over a cubicle that is surrounded only by a wire mesh fence. That is it. As one person here said, if it rains, they get wet. There will be massive security. Outside the prison perimeter, machine guns, patrols, dogs, you name it; inside, no armaments. Of course, there will be dogs and very strict security.

One of the people who is running the facility here said there will be no freedom of movement. Of course, they are very, very concerned about just how fanatic -- to use the word that is used here -- some of these al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners will be. They don't call them prisoners by the way. They call them detainees. They are going to abide by the rules of the Geneva Convention, they say, even though they would not technically be required to in the United States. They say it's going to be humane here, but as one of the top security officials said, you wouldn't want to be here.

ZAHN: They say it's going to be humane, and yet on the front page of "USA Today," there is a report under consideration is the idea of drugging these detainees. There is talk of them wearing hoods and being manacled to their seat as they make the flight over here, and then, the prisoners not being allowed to use the bathroom. According to "USA Today," the specially designed urinal spittoons will be provided, as well as peanut butter sandwiches.

What are you hearing about the conditions that will greet them once they get there?

FRANKEN: This is not going to be known as the Guantanamo Hilton. They make it very clear that this is not going to be a Caribbean vacation for the detainees. They are, in fact, going to be here for a long time. I should point out, by the way, that this outdoor facility will be replaced once they can build the building that's going to become their new maximum security position. But they are very worried here about just how dedicated some of these people are, even suicidal in the name of their cause. So they are going to, in fact, have very severe restrictions. As one put it, whatever it takes, we'll do.

ZAHN: Bob Franken, thanks so much for that update. We look forward to checking in with you throughout the day and the weeks to come, as you keep us posted on what's going to happen down in Cuba -- thanks so much.

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