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CNN Live At Daybreak

Officials Dispatched from Kabul Investigate Bombing

Aired July 02, 2002 - 05:01   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: Now to a story that gets more confusing by the hour. What caused the U.S. bombing of an Afghan village? A number of civilians were killed in the air strike.

Our Nic Robertson is at the Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul -- Nic, what can you tell us?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest information we have from the hospital in Kandahar, which is closest to, which is the closest to the incident in Uruzgan Province, is that there were 22 people injured there, at least one of them seriously.

Now, leaving from Kabul today, a joint delegation, including U.S. State Department officials, coalition forces' officers and some senior Afghan officials from various ministries, the Border Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Intelligence Ministry, all going to Uruzgan Province. Primary on their list of things to find out was exactly what happened and why.

Now, the Defense Ministry in Kabul, the chief of staff there says he believes that what may have happened was the wedding was targeted by bombs or was hit by bombs because the people were celebrating the wedding and firing their guns in the air.

However, coalition military briefers here, who have been explaining to the media exactly what was happening during the ongoing special forces operation overnight Sunday night/Monday morning in Afghanistan and organizing Province say that they can rule out celebratory gunfire being the cause of the bombing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. ROGER KING, U.S. ARMY: Normally when you think of celebratory fire, which is something that's not necessarily uncommon, it's random. It's sprayed. It's not directed at a specific target. In this instance, the people on board the aircraft felt that the weapons were tracking them and were, have, making a sustained effort to engage them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, the military briefers also say that they believe that this site was a site that was hostile to coalition forces. They say that in the past when they have launched missions in this area they have been fired upon from that area. And, indeed, they say there was one particular anti-aircraft gun position there that was, in fact, on their target list for the operations that night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: It was one coordinated operation that had many parts. Among those were reconnaissance for future operations, firing on preplanned targets that had proven in past operations to have a hostile presence and, as I understand it, there was also some intent to exploit what intelligence had told us would be a sensitive site, which could be a place that would contain weapons, documents or personnel that we were looking for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, Carol, as well as the 22 people we know of in Kandahar Hospital, U.S. coalition forces also say that they have treated five, four, rather, children, all under the ages of five, four Afghan children -- Carol.

COSTELLO: The United States is being very careful in its investigation. It's invited other countries to help in the investigation. Why is it doing that?

ROBERTSON: Well, the coalition forces here -- and it has been stressed to us that it was a coalition force, not just U.S. special forces, but other special forces who were involved in that operation -- they would want to bring those, elements from those countries on board into this investigation, from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, a representative of the State Department has been sent. And also, it's been felt important to bring on board Afghan officials, the minister of borders, a deputy from the Interior Ministry and officials from the Intelligence Ministry, the governor from the province of Uruzgan and also some of the elders from Uruzgan. Important to bring on these figures here to build a broad consensus and to hear all opinions and to look at it from all sides -- Carol.

COSTELLO: A tragic situation there.

Thank you.

Nic Robertson reporting live for us from Afghanistan this morning.

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