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CNN Live Today

Pakistan to Allow U.S. Hunt for Al Qaeda

Aired April 26, 2002 - 13:39   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: For the past 24 hours or so, our reporters at the Pentagon, Barbara Starr, Jami9e McIntyre and others, have been reporting about the strong possibility that the war in Afghanistan may expand to Pakistan. U.S. Commander General Tommy Franks today denied news reports that coalition forces have already gone into Pakistan in pursuit of Al Qaeda fighters, but they do not deny that CIA officers are working there already.

With more on this, our military analyst, retired General Wesley Clark, is live from Las Vegas on a Friday afternoon.

You move around so much, general. Good to see you again.

GEN. WESLEY CLARK, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Nice to see you.

HEMMER: How long do you believe it'll be before U.S. troops on the ground are working in concert with Pakistani soldiers, carrying out missions inside of Pakistan borders?

CLARK: Well, my sources indicate that there are some U.S. soldiers inside Pakistan carrying out missions right now, and obviously, it's being done in conjunction with Pakistanis. But these are small numbers of troops, these are the covert units. Perhaps they are working with the Central Intelligence Agency. Perhaps not. But they are not what you conventionally think of as U.S. Army troops.

That's going to depend on the mission that develops there, what the objectives look like, what the size of the force is. So far, according to what I have learned, what you got are very small groups of people, trying to remain anonymous and hide largely among the local population, and what has to be done is the U.S. elite forces that are in there have to draw fire first and locate the enemy, and then they have to engage it.

So it is a small unit operation, it's highly specialized, it's very risky, and obviously, it's very private.

HEMMER: General, we are going to put up a map of the region for our viewers here. They are going to recognize the town of Khowst. It's north of Khowst and around that area where Operation Anaconda took place. And essentially, right where that boundary is, that red line, is the area that we're talking about right now. Is this leading us to believe that Operation Anaconda was not nearly as successful as we were told in the beginning? CLARK: Well, I think the operation was successful in that a number of the Al Qaeda troops were taken out and a base area was devastated. But we don't know the full size of the Al Qaeda forces that made the raid against us, and it was clear they established a base in western Pakistan and had infiltrated across the border. So some obviously slipped back in. Others probably never came across.

HEMMER: What this looks like now is a widening conflict clearly. From the military sense, general, what concerns do you have about that strong possibility?

CLARK: I think the real issue here is whether President Musharraf can maintain control of the country, keep the support of the Pakistani military and the local tribesman in this area. What the United States is going to do in there is send very small numbers of forces in and very selective missions. It's a precision engagement at this point. And so the real risk is not for military escalation, but rather for political instability in that part of Pakistan.

HEMMER: You mentioned that Pervez Musharraf. There were elections in Pakistan on Tuesday of next week. The reports I got is that he wanted to keep this thing quiet, and apparently, it's not as quiet as would he like. Are there serious political repercussions that may preclude him from becoming the leader of that country again the first part of next week?

CLARK: Well, I think there certainly are concerns in that respect, and it is behind the downplaying of this story. But I think he's got so much strength in his control of the media and his influence throughout the country that there is little chance that is he not going to win this referendum he called and be given another five years in office.

HEMMER: Quickly, Donald Rumsfeld is in the region. The significance of his visit is what?

CLARK: I think it's time for him go back and hold hands, and give a face-to-face talk to the troops and also to the local political leaders, make sure they know we are still committed, still care about them, still thinking about them, and hold that floating coalition together.

HEMMER: One wanders if the talk about a spring offensive has more gusto to the possibility of the rumors and the reports with that visit there. Possibly, we shall see.

General Wesley Clark, thank you, in Las Vegas with us this afternoon.

Have a good weekend.

CLARK: Thank you.

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