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American Morning

U.S. Forces Still Examining Darunta Camp

Aired August 19, 2002 - 07:25   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We continue now with a CNN exclusive, al Qaeda's Terror Archive. Terrorism experts and intelligence sources now believe some of the tapes obtained by CNN and being shown here this morning were made at a remote training site known as the Darunta Camp in Afghanistan just east of Kabul.

CNN's Matthew Chance visited the site, which has been reduced to rubble by U.S. bombs. He spoke with some local Afghans about the camp's legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Through the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, a grueling drive to the foothills of Darunta, this now notorious al Qaeda complex of camps and training grounds. For years, Taliban forces protected this remote site, controlling access and keeping their al Qaeda allies from prying eyes. Guided by satellite images and local militia, we pinpointed the now bombed and abandoned facilities through which hundreds of al Qaeda fighters would have passed.

On this rocky ground, say intelligence sources, weapons were tested and ideology taught to terrorist recruits. Local officials say Kashmiri separatists had a base here alongside al Qaeda members from around the world.

But it's these buildings, once occupied by an Egyptian al Qaeda scientist, Abu Khabab, that locals say research using animals was conducted. And local villagers, former al Qaeda neighbors, showed us chemical and explosives dumps where they say material gathered by U.S. troops in protective clothing was destroyed, including bottles of chemicals.

The Arabs had many bottles full of liquid that looked like alcohol, he says. It might have been medicine, or it could have been used to make bombs.

After the intensive Allied bombing, there is nothing here that matches anything on the al Qaeda tapes showing chemical testing on dogs. But this still heavily guarded site, or evidence already collected from it, may yield important answers yet.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHANCE: All right, so an interesting trip there to Darunta to try and collect evidence to support the theory that this was at least one of the places where the al Qaeda may have tested chemicals on animals. Because of the nature of the site, though, the fact that it's more than a year now since the al Qaeda were there, the fact that it's been heavily bombed by coalition bombers, meant there's really not much left for us to sift through.

But right now interesting anecdotal evidence, though, Paula, coming from villagers who have been living next door to al Qaeda for many years, saying not just that they believed that there were chemical experiments going on inside there, but also telling us that U.S. forces make regular trips there, sometimes wearing protective clothing, decontamination suits.

So it does seem that the Darunta Camp is one U.S. forces are still keeping a very close eye on, indeed -- Paula.

ZAHN: And Matthew, when you just mentioned the Darunta Camp you referred to at least one of the sites. Is there evidence that other sites existed where this kind of experimentation took place?

CHANCE: Well, of course there were a great deal of other sites across Afghanistan where the al Qaeda may have embarked on this kind of operation. Darunta is the one that's being fingered by the experts in the security and intelligence services at the moment. But obviously there are many other possibilities across the country and, indeed, beyond the borders of Afghanistan, where this kind of experimentation could have taken place -- Paula.

ZAHN: Thanks so much.

Matthew Chance reporting this morning from Afghanistan.

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