Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

U.S. Forces On Move in Afghanistan.

Aired May 21, 2002 - 11:36   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: While America is on alert, U.S. forces are on the move in Afghanistan. They raided a compound near the site where a special forces soldier was killed.

CNN correspondent Barbara Starr joins us with more details.

Good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Well, yes, dozens of U.S. special forces raided a compound in eastern Afghanistan overnight, looking for the Al Qaeda attackers who killed an American soldier on Sunday. Sergeant Gene Ardent (ph) Vance of West Virginia was killed in that roadside ambush as his patrol was moving along in what appears to be one of the newest Al Qaeda tactics, small-scale guerrilla raids against U.S. forces who are moving through eastern Afghanistan.

The effort to find the attackers in last night's raid was not terribly successful. U.S. officials talked about it in Bagram earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. BRYAN HILFERTY, U.S. ARMY: Last night, coalition forces conducted a raid in the vicinity of the ambush site. No shots were fired. And no one was detained. However, we did regain some intelligence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Now Sergeant Vance's body arrived back in Ramstein. You can see it here yesterday. There will be some forensic processing, and we are told his body is expected back in his hometown of Morgantown, West Virginia by the end of the week.

And there is one other update on a military mission conducted by the United States last week in Afghanistan we want to tell you about. In that raid, 32 suspects were killed, and sources now tell us that they do believe -- excuse me, 32 were captured, and they now tell us they do believe one of the 32 they captured was -- is possibly a senior Taliban corps commander. they are continuing interrogation of all of those 32 suspects to see exactly who they have -- Carol.

LIN: All right, Barbara Starr, reporting live from the Pentagon this morning. Thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com