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CNN Live Today

U.S. Troops Prepare for Deployment to Yemen

Aired April 09, 2002 - 14:11   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: At the Pentagon today, an update from the war on terrorism. We turn to CNN Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. She's tracking all the developments. Barbara, what's the latest on the U.S. forces going back into Yemen?

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, within the next several days, we do know, Kyra, expect to see the first of perhaps as many as 150 special forces going into Yemen to help that military train better for counterterrorism, for dealing with the al Qaeda within their own country.

But Yemen has now come up in another context. The Pentagon today tried to dampen speculation that U.S. Navy warships may soon again begin refueling stops in the port in Aden, in Yemen. Now, of course, everyone will remember that it was just about a year and a half ago or so that the Navy ship Cole was bombed by terrorists in Aden harbor. Seventeen 17 U.S. sailors were killed, and the U.S. Navy has not made a port stop in Aden since then, of course.

There have been reports in recent days that the United States and Yemen are working on an agreement to begin refueling once again in Aden. The Pentagon today said there are no plans to have any more refueling stops in Aden any time soon.

PHILLIPS: And, Barbara, the fate of the case against the second American Taliban, Yasser Hamdi, has been up in the air. Any word on where things stand on that?

STARR: Well, where that one stands now, Kyra, is the Justice Department has indicated it has no interest in filing any federal charges against Hamdi. He remains in U.S. Navy detention at the Navy break in Norfolk, Virginia.

But if he is a U.S. citizen, this places the Pentagon in a very awkward situation. What do they do with him? A Pentagon spokesman said earlier today it is possible, just possible, she said, that Hamdi could be brought before the U.S. military justice system, possibly facing charges under the uniform code of military justice, even though he is a U.S. citizen. A final decision on that is still pending.

PHILLIPS: Barbara, final question. Operation Mountain Lion, has that helped locate any additional pockets of al Qaeda? And also, all the documents and information and intelligence that the soldiers came across, has that panned out to be a benefit? STARR: Well, we are told, yes, sort of, on all counts to that. But we don't have a lot of information. Operation Mountain Lion, of course, is this ongoing effort to search caves, gather intelligence, conduct reconnaissance and surveillance across southern and eastern Afghanistan, looking for pockets of al Qaeda.

We were told today that there is some evidence that they do see some small groups of al Qaeda. But certainly there have been no direct combat encounters with the al Qaeda since Operation Anaconda, of course, several weeks ago. They have located many, many boxes, we are told, of documents in these searches throughout the region, and have also destroyed a large amount of ammunition.

The reconnaissance continues. Always a possibility of more military action down the road.

PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr live from the Pentagon, thank you very much.

STARR: You're welcome.

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