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CNN Live Today

Search for Bin Laden Continues

Aired April 02, 2002 - 10:23   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We are now going to the White House to check in with our Major Garrett for word coming from the White House about confirmation of the identity of that one particular al Qaeda member who has been captured -- Major, good morning.

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon, and welcome to a somewhat blustery North Lawn here at White House. The White House today confirming what had been reported yesterday widely on our network and in other news outlets that Abu Zubaydah, a key figure in the al Qaeda inner circle of Osama bin Laden, had in fact been captured by Pakistani authorities in a raid that was a product of Pakistani intelligence and Pakistani police work and intelligence work. Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary, telling us just moments ago the White House was aware of the raid and participated in some of its organization, but it was the Pakistanis who carried it out.

Ari Fleischer described Abu Zubaydah's arrest as a very serious blow to al Qaeda. He also said al Qaeda has many tentacles; one of them has just been cut off. The translation there, Leon, is that al Qaeda still poses a threat to the United States and its interest, but the United States clearly regards Abu Zubaydah's arrest as something significant in diminishing its ability to reconstitute and reorganize itself. That, they believe, is a very significant development.

The White House says it is absolutely sure about the identity of Abu Zubaydah, but he is he in custody, and now efforts are being undertaken to obtain whatever -- rather whatever intelligence and information he is willing to provide, but there is very little sense here at the White House that he is going to be very forthcoming in revealing al Qaeda's ongoing plans -- Leon.

HARRIS: Well, I believe that a lot of the experts share that opinion on that, but let me ask you this. Is there any word from the White House on about whether or not the whereabouts of the place where he was actually found, if knowing that is going to lead anyone any closer to finding out exactly where the key man, Osama bin Laden, is?

GARRETT: As a matter of fact, Leon, I asked that very question of Ari Fleischer, and all he would say is that this is an important development, because Abu Zubaydah was attempting, as were others, to reconstitute and reorganize al Qaeda. And this arrest, the White House believes, will, at least for the time being, short circuit those plans. As to whether or not this will bring them any closer to either Mullah Omar or Osama bin Laden, the White House is not prepared to say.

But it also underscored something that the White House has often said, but has been able not to point to particularly strong evidence of, that is the Pakistani government's ability to actually carry out intelligence operations first, and then raids within their own country to obtain the arrests and detention of key al Qaeda figures. The White House believes this is a significant development proving the Pakistani government under Pervez Musharraf can actually carry out those kinds of missions -- Leon.

HARRIS: Exactly. The kind of thing that Mr. Musharraf has been trying to prove. Major Garrett at the White House, thanks very much -- appreciate that.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden -- that came up in kind of a surprise visit. Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf is paying his first official visit to Kabul and the new Afghan interim leader, Hamid Karzai. And our senior international correspondent, Walter Rodgers, is joining us from there with details -- Walter, hello and good evening to you.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. The war against terror is far from finished in Afghanistan, but there has been some significant progress, and ironically that progress is coming from across the border in Pakistan, as you just heard.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RODGERS (voice-over): Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, paid a surprise call on Afghanistan's interim leader, Hamid Karzai, and Musharraf officially confirmed several dozen of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda fighters, arrested in two Pakistani cities, have been turned over to the United States.

PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN: Because Pakistani law enforcement agencies and Pakistani intelligence organizations, which moved against them and arrested about 40, 50 of them, and undertook this operation very successful.

RODGERS: On the matter of U.S. Special Forces operating in Afghanistan, Musharraf said there is no need for them to engage in hot pursuit of any al Qaeda fighters into Pakistan. The Pakistani leader saying it is not in his country's interest for U.S. forces to conduct a military operation in Pakistani territory.

As for Osama bin Laden, the Pakistani leader again tried to discourage speculation that bin Laden may be hiding in Pakistan's northwest Frontier Province. Musharraf said he thinks bin Laden's security entourage would be too large to go unnoticed. And he still thinks bin Laden may have fallen victim to earlier American bombing.

MUSHARRAF: He may be dead or alive, I don't know. But if you ask my view, maybe he is dead.

RODGERS: The U.S.-led coalition apparently still believes bin Laden may be in Afghanistan, but Afghanistan's interim leader says he, like Musharraf, does not know where bin Laden is.

HAMID KARZAI, AFGHANISTAN'S INTERIM LEADER: If we find out that is he alive and somewhere, we will definitely go look for him.

RODGERS: The Pakistani leader gave Karzai a check for $10 million to help rebuild Afghanistan, but both men said it would take a huge effort by the international community to make this a secure country again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Still, there remains the question of how much security there can be for Afghanistan as long as the possibility is there that Osama bin Laden may still be alive. And the U.S.-led military coalition in Afghanistan is operating on the assumption that bin Laden is still out there -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, in fact, don't these words from the Pakistani president, this is kind of a change in shift for him of things that we have heard in recent months about what he believes the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden. Do you think he has new information? Or do you think...

RODGERS: Actually...

KAGAN: Go ahead.

RODGERS: Actually, Daryn, President Musharraf has been pretty consistent on this. During the heavy bombing of Tora Bora, which was Osama bin Laden's last known official whereabouts in Afghanistan, if you will, Musharraf was then speculating that he thought bin Laden may have been killed in that bombing. So he has been pretty consistent throughout all of this, but again, it is all conjecture at this point. Nonetheless, as everyone is doing at this point, they are congratulating Musharraf and his intelligence agencies for pulling in these 40 to 50 al Qaeda -- suspected al Qaeda fighters, who were in Pakistan, and who are now in U.S. custody -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Walter Rodgers, joining us from Kabul -- Walter, thank you.

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