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CNN Live Today

Renewed Fighting Near Border of Pakistan

Aired April 30, 2002 - 14:10   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: Near the border of Pakistan, renewed fighting between U.S.-led troops and al Qaeda fighters. At least four al Qaeda members are reported shot and killed there. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr with more on this, in D.C. Barbara, good afternoon.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill. Well, this skirmish began when a group of Australian special forces at an al Qaeda complex near the border with Pakistan, but inside Afghanistan, they had this under surveillance. As they approached the facility, a firefight broke out.

The Australians then called in reinforcements. More than 100 troops from the U.S. Army's elite 101st Airborne division arriving on the scene. This is exactly the type of confrontation that U.S. and coalition forces had been expecting right now as part of the ongoing Operation Mountain Lion.

In fact, hundreds of U.S. and coalition forces have now in recent days stepped up their activity along the Afghan border with Pakistan. This is a tribal area. The border is very porous. It's long been a Taliban and al Qaeda stronghold. And the fear is that regrouping al Qaeda members have been moving back and forth across that border.

And the U.S. and the coalition forces now want to clamp down and try and catch them. And as we know, the U.S. has now placed a small number of U.S. military forces on the Pakistan side of the border. All of this is an effort to improve surveillance, improve reconnaissance.

And if they can find al Qaeda moving across the region, then it will improve their ability to catch them, they say. And as part of the stepped-up operation in recent days, we are told that there are fresh trails of al Qaeda that have been seen moving through the area -- Bill.

HEMMER: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Barbara, thanks.

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