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CNN Live At Daybreak

Operation Anaconda Resistance Causes Calls For More Hardware

Aired March 07, 2002 - 05:02   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: In eastern Afghanistan today, B-52 bombers, F-16 jets and attack helicopters struck Taliban and al Qaeda positions. The renewed air strikes followed ground attacks by U.S.- led forces in the remote mountainous region. A few hours ago, U.S. military officials briefed reporters on Operation Anaconda.

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MAJ. BRYAN HILFERTY, U.S. ARMY SPECIAL OPERATIONS: The coalition forces continue to press the attack against the al Qaeda and Taliban extremists. Last night we conducted resupply operations and yesterday we continued to conduct maneuver and fires.

We believe we've destroyed over 1,000 -- excuse me -- destroyed over 100 of the Taliban and al Qaeda extremists yesterday, including some heavy weaponry. The only casualties we suffered were a sprained ankle and a couple of cases of high altitude sickness.

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COSTELLO: Hilferty also says the United States has taken in more detainees and has seized documents near the fighting. Specialists are studying the material for clues about al Qaeda.

Also, U.S. officials say 70 U.S. coalition and Afghan troops have been wounded since the operation began on Friday. Eleven wounded U.S. military personnel were flown to Ramstein Air Base in Germany late yesterday. Those servicemen, along with a Canadian journalist also wounded in Afghanistan, will receive treatment at a U.S. military hospital.

And the U.S. military is facing stronger resistance than it expected in the Operation Anaconda offensive.

CNN's Jamie McIntyre reports that has prompted a call for more military hardware.

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JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The fierce resistance encountered by U.S. troops in the opening phase of Operation Anaconda was no surprise, the Pentagon has repeatedly said. But soldiers on the front lines have a slightly different perspective. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They didn't really expect them to sit there and try to duke it out with us, and a lot of small arms fire, followed by RPGs being shot, and to include, I saw at least one SA-7 shot and it just, I was just surprised at the intensity of how much stuff was on the valley floor.

MCINTYRE: U.S. troops had been told, sources say, that faced with overwhelming force, the al Qaeda fighters would likely flee, not fight, as they did in Tora Bora. And then U.S. forces would have them trapped.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The idea we were in blocking positions and that General Zia would come in and actually work through the village trying to find the al Qaeda that were in here.

MCINTYRE: It didn't happen that way. The al Qaeda dug in and after five U.S. Apache helicopters were disabled by heavy fire, U.S. commanders called for more to be sent. Sources say close to a dozen more Apache gunships are being shipped to Afghanistan from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, while Marine Cobra attack helicopters have been moved from ships to Kandahar as a precaution. But sources say neither the Apaches nor the Cobras are likely to be rushed into battle.

GEN. TOMMY FRANKS, U.S. CENTRAL COMMANDER: What we find is this is a very, very dangerous environment for attack helicopters to operate in.

MCINTYRE: With assault helicopters out of the mix, the job of close air support has fallen to heavily armored A-10 attack planes, as well as AC-130 gunships armed with .105 millimeter canons. Over the last day or so, the U.S. has sent in some 200 to 300 additional troops, which the Pentagon insists are not reinforcements.

FRANKS: Once again, that has not been in response to surprise. It has been in accordance with our plan to reposition our forces inside the objective area as necessary over time in order to completely clear it.

MCINTYRE: The Pentagon says no matter how good the al Qaeda fighters are, they are outgunned and out manned by superior U.S. forces and victory is a matter of days, not weeks, away.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I believe that the outcome is reasonably assured, that the people who have been in the battle will either be -- surrender or be killed in the days ahead.

MCINTYRE (on camera): And the Pentagon says it still doesn't know for sure how a Navy SEAL was killed on Sunday. A videotape from a spy plane indicates he may have been executed by al Qaeda forces after he fell from his helicopter. But it's also possible he died of wounds received before the fall.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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