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CNN Live Today
U.S. Forces in Largest Afghan Engagement Since Anaconda
Aired January 28, 2003 - 10:04 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, as the U.S. prepares for possible war in Iraq, a firefight rages in southeastern Afghanistan. U.S. and coalition forces are battling some 80 rebels in the mountains about 15 miles north of Spin Boldak. Now, this is the largest-scale fighting in the region in ten months.
Reporter Karl Penhaul is standing by now in Kabul. He has got the latest on this developing story -- hello, Karl, what's the word?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Leon. Yes. Well, U.S. bombers, fighter planes and helicopters have been pounding a cave complex north of Spin Boldak for about the last 24 hours. This is an area close to the border with Pakistan. U.S. military commanders are telling us so far, according to their intelligence information, 18 rebel fighters have died.
There are no reports of casualties on the U.S. or coalition side. Afghan military sources on the ground are telling us that the bombing campaign is now winding down slightly, but we do understand from U.S. military commanders that 350 American troops are now on the ground. We understand that they're consolidating a position there, and their aim is then to sweep through the cave complex, clearing caves and looking for intelligence information, looking for information about these rebel fighters that are there.
Earlier in the day, Colonel Roger King, the spokesman for the U.S. forces at Bagram Air Base, gave us a briefing and told us a little bit about the results of the fighting so far.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. ROGER KING, U.S. ARMY: A small group of United States Special Forces soldiers were clearing a compound with support from Afghan militia forces when is they came under small arms fire Monday at approximately 11:00 a.m., 13 kilometers north of Spin Boldak in Kandahar Province. The coalition forces returned fire, killing one, wounding one, and detaining a third man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PENHAUL: Colonel King also went on to say that about 100 fighters, he estimates, are holed up in the cave complex. He says that they are forces loyal to Gulbedin Hekmatyar, an ex-prime minister of Afghanistan during the civil war years, and now one of these renegade warlords.
He has teamed up, apparently with remnant Taliban and al Qaeda forces. Colonel King also made the comparison here, saying that this was the biggest military operation by U.S. forces since Operation Anaconda in March 2002. That said, the scale of this operation is much smaller than that so far. It wasn't a pre-planned operation. It was a reactive mission, but there may be some buildup in the coming days -- Leon.
HARRIS: Thanks, Karl. Karl Penhaul reporting live for us. And we'll get back to you later on as this story develops.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 28, 2003 - 10:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, as the U.S. prepares for possible war in Iraq, a firefight rages in southeastern Afghanistan. U.S. and coalition forces are battling some 80 rebels in the mountains about 15 miles north of Spin Boldak. Now, this is the largest-scale fighting in the region in ten months.
Reporter Karl Penhaul is standing by now in Kabul. He has got the latest on this developing story -- hello, Karl, what's the word?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Leon. Yes. Well, U.S. bombers, fighter planes and helicopters have been pounding a cave complex north of Spin Boldak for about the last 24 hours. This is an area close to the border with Pakistan. U.S. military commanders are telling us so far, according to their intelligence information, 18 rebel fighters have died.
There are no reports of casualties on the U.S. or coalition side. Afghan military sources on the ground are telling us that the bombing campaign is now winding down slightly, but we do understand from U.S. military commanders that 350 American troops are now on the ground. We understand that they're consolidating a position there, and their aim is then to sweep through the cave complex, clearing caves and looking for intelligence information, looking for information about these rebel fighters that are there.
Earlier in the day, Colonel Roger King, the spokesman for the U.S. forces at Bagram Air Base, gave us a briefing and told us a little bit about the results of the fighting so far.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. ROGER KING, U.S. ARMY: A small group of United States Special Forces soldiers were clearing a compound with support from Afghan militia forces when is they came under small arms fire Monday at approximately 11:00 a.m., 13 kilometers north of Spin Boldak in Kandahar Province. The coalition forces returned fire, killing one, wounding one, and detaining a third man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PENHAUL: Colonel King also went on to say that about 100 fighters, he estimates, are holed up in the cave complex. He says that they are forces loyal to Gulbedin Hekmatyar, an ex-prime minister of Afghanistan during the civil war years, and now one of these renegade warlords.
He has teamed up, apparently with remnant Taliban and al Qaeda forces. Colonel King also made the comparison here, saying that this was the biggest military operation by U.S. forces since Operation Anaconda in March 2002. That said, the scale of this operation is much smaller than that so far. It wasn't a pre-planned operation. It was a reactive mission, but there may be some buildup in the coming days -- Leon.
HARRIS: Thanks, Karl. Karl Penhaul reporting live for us. And we'll get back to you later on as this story develops.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
