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CNN Live Today

Several Hundred British Forces Engaged in First Military Action in Afghanistan

Aired April 16, 2002 - 12:13   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: Several hundred British forces are engaged in their first military action in Afghanistan. British commandos are leading an operation in eastern Afghanistan, assigned to clear our al Qaeda and Taliban hideouts.

CNN's Bill Delaney joins us now from Kabul with more on this mission -- hi, Bill.

BILL DELANEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

Well, Operation Ptarmigan is now a combat mission in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, led primarily by four or five commando of the Royal British Marines, focused now, we are told, primarily on a former Taliban and al Qaeda base area in the eastern mountains of Afghanistan. No further specifics about just where all this is happening.

But this is the first combat mission, Kyra, in this battle here in Afghanistan since the big Operation Anaconda in early March. There are several hundred troops involved in all of this, American and Afghan troops as well. This is a coalition operation.

The American and Afghan troops described as in support roles, but of course this is for all the soldiers involved difficult and dangerous work to ferret out and try to wipe out the hundreds of al Qaeda and Taliban fighters still to be in these mountains.

Now these confrontations that are likely to take place in the next several weeks -- several hundred soldiers already involved, Kyra. There will be several hundred more as time goes on -- are not likely to be the kind of full on confrontations we saw in Operation Anaconda. Al Qaeda and Taliban are scattered now. We expect more sporadic encounters with them in these mountains.

British Brigadier Roger Lane, though, stressing that there is much work here in Afghanistan still to be done.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. ROGER LANE, ROYAL MARINES COMMANDER: When we arrived, it was clear that the war against Afghanistan was not yet over. The hunt for al Qaeda and Taliban goes on. We said that we would be here for the long haul, and we stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States and our other coalition allies in the global war of terrorism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DELANEY: Among weapons being brought to bear on all of this, big 105 millimeter howitzer have been brought up to the confrontation lines in eastern Afghanistan. All this, very significant for the British Royal Marines. This is their first combat mission since the Falkland War in 1981 -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, Bill, as Royal British Marines move in, I think families back here at home are wondering, does that mean U.S. soldiers get to come home?

DELANEY: No indication of that at all, Kyra. General Tommy Franks has said in recent weeks that he did not anticipate major operations by American forces here on the scale of a new kind of an Anaconda operation. But, certainly, this is a coalition operation, as I said, and Americans involved in all of it, and all of it very difficult and dangerous work. And all of it very much ongoing for months if not years to come -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Our Bill Delaney, live from Kabul -- thanks so much.

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