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CNN Live At Daybreak

Top Pentagon Official Visits Afghanistan

Aired July 15, 2002 - 06:06   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: A top Pentagon official visiting Afghanistan comments on a coalition airstrike that killed civilians earlier this month.

Let's go to CNN's Nic Robertson, who is joining us this morning from Kabul -- hello, Nic. What's the latest from there?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Catherine, Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy of secretary of state for the Defense, has two elements to his mission here to Kabul.

He began his day at Bagram Air Base meeting with coalition troops. There, he congratulated many of them on the word that they are done (ph), reminded them that -- of their contribution to the fight on terrorism.

He also gave a sort of progress report on how the fight against al Qaeda is going so far. He said that about half of the top al Qaeda officials have so far been captured. He said almost half of the senior Taliban officials were captured. He did, however, say that he thought capturing the rest, or the others who may be at large inside Afghanistan, would prove difficult, because al Qaeda is now operating in smaller numbers.

He also took questions from the soldiers. One of the soldiers there asking about operations in Iraq, but that sergeant got quite a noncommittal answer about whether or not that would happen.

But the other element is going on right now; that is Paul Wolfowitz meeting with Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, meeting with General Fahim, the defense secretary of Afghanistan, and other Afghan officials. On that agenda, as you say, the coalition operation two weeks ago in Oruzgan that resulted in the deaths of some Afghan civilians, injuries to others.

They will also likely be talking about the death and the assassination of the vice president, Haji Abdul Qadir, a few weeks ago, and some of the other issue that are troubling, not only Afghan officials, but Americans officials here, such as recent statements by governors in the south of Afghanistan, tending to sort of break away from their central support for the main government here -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, thanks, Nic. Any reaction, words spread there about the convictions today concerning the murder of reporter Daniel Pearl among the troops there?

ROBERTSON: No, not from U.S. officials, and not at this time from Afghan officials. This is -- given the events here that are happening with the deputy defense secretary, it will likely be later in the day before we would hear from Afghan officials, their views on that sentencing.

CALLAWAY: All right, thank you. That's Nic Robertson joining us from Kabul -- thanks, Nic.

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