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CNN Sunday Morning

Heavy Fighting in Eastern Afghanistan

Aired March 03, 2002 - 10:05   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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Afghanistan where the heaviest fighting this year is underway in the Eastern mountains near Gardez. Bombers are pounding the area, and U.S. and Afghan ground forces have joined the combat. Some reports say thousands of Taliban and al Qaeda fighters are involved in the battle.

We get more from CNN's Brian Palmer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're outside the Bagram Air Base, which is being used by the military in support of operations against al Qaeda and the Taliban. We've been watching U.S. helicopters taking off and landing for about, well for several hours now.

About 100 miles south of us, U.S. forces joined by the Afghan allies, are fighting against al Qaeda and Taliban forces that have apparently regrouped in this mountainous region of Afghanistan.

MAJ. A.C. ROPER, U.S. ARMY: Operations continue south of Gardez in Afghanistan. Firefights have been intense, at times in heavy combat actions. The exact size of the enemy forces occupying a series of cave complexes is not known. To date more than 80 pieces of ordinance have been dropped from aircraft in support of Afghan, U.S., and coalition forces. Afghan, U.S., and coalition forces are involved in eliminating al Qaeda and non Afghan-Taliban forces in the area.

PALMER: The operation began Friday night with U.S. B-52s striking positions in the mountainous Paktia region around the Shahi- Kot district. B-52s have struck repeatedly around the area Saturday and Sunday. We were told that this operation has been in the planning for about two months. We were told by Afghan sources in the region, actually in neighboring (UNINTELLIGIBLE) province that U.S. forces had been there for about two months recruiting among local commanders and local soldiers.

Brian Palmer, CNN, outside the Bagram Air Force Base, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And with more on the war against terrorism in Afghanistan and that heavy fighting near Gardez, we go to CNN's Kathleen Koch who's at the Pentagon. She's been covering all this for us this morning.

Hi Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Kyra. Well as Brian reported, the Pentagon has been keeping a close eye on this region for months. They say there are these pockets of al Qaeda and Taliban forces have been building up, so they have been preparing for something.

Now because of this, Pakistan had to assign additional forces to guard its border with Afghanistan. But still it's a very porous border, literally hundreds of tiny goat paths going from one side to the other, and residents to report that people have been managing to slip through. Now what is unclear at this point is what triggered this latest round of fighting that did begin Friday night.

That, of course, with the bombing by U.S. B-52 bombers in the region followed early Saturday by the -- by some 500 to 600 Afghan soldiers on the ground and an initial deployment of coalition forces including U.S. troops from the 101st Airborne Division based at Kandahar Airport.

We hope today at some point to learn the name of the U.S. soldier who was killed in the fighting there on Saturday and also the precise number of U.S. wounded. An Army spokesman describes the bitter conditions that continue on the battlefield.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

ROPER: The weather has been cold and terrain is snow-covered mountainous and is ranging from 2,500 meters high at the valley floors to 3,500 meters at the mountain peaks. Once the combat phase of this operation ends, coalition civil (ph) and humanitarian affairs teams will continue to operate in the Paktia province.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

KOCH: A new bunker buster bomb has had its debut during this offensive. It is a laser-guided 2,000-pound thermobaric bomb. It's packed with fuel-rich explosives that creates intense heat and pressure. It penetrates deep into the confined regions of caves and tunnels with a huge fireball that literally sucks the air out of the tunnel, that while leaving the structure of the cave intact so that U.S. forces can then go back inside later to search it and see if it has -- they've been able to destroy their target. The weapon was first tested in the Nevada Desert back in December when military officials rushed it into production so that it could be used on the battlefield in Afghanistan -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Kathleen Koch live from the Pentagon. Thanks so much.

KOCH: You're welcome.

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