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CNN Live At Daybreak
The War on Terror: Tracking Al Qaeda
Aired October 03, 2003 - 06:15 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: The wild, wild west Pakistani style. The Pakistani military has been conducting violent raids along its borders. It's killed or captured Taliban and al Qaeda members. But so far, as far as we know, there have been no big guests.
Live to Islamabad and Ash-har Quraishi.
Good morning, have their been any big guests? Do we know who is in custody?
ASH-HAR QURAISHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, officials we spoke to today say they are still in the process of investigating and identifying these 18 suspected al Qaeda militants that were captured in this very dramatic siege in the tribal areas in the northwest of Pakistan along the border with Afghanistan.
Now we were taken up to this area, which is known as south Wazeristan, yesterday during these operations, which began early in the morning and carried out throughout the day until nightfall. At the end of the operation, 18 suspected al Qaeda militants were captured, 8 others were killed. The Pakistani military also suffered some casualties, two soldiers were killed and two others wounded.
Now officials say that they approached the compound in this area. There was a mud compound structured there where they had been monitoring for several days the movement of what they called foreign elements crossing back and forth over the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. They approached the structure. And when they came under gunfire that's when they called in the helicopter gunships, as well as all- terrain vehicles and ground soldiers. They went in and they went and captured these 18 suspected militants.
Now also found in those compounds, they were able to seize AK-47 assault rifles, grenades, anti-tank mines, as well as audio cassettes and other documents.
Now this comes at a time when Pakistan has been under increasing pressure by the United States and the interim -- the Afghan interim government to do more to crackdown on resurgent Taliban and al Qaeda fighters that they say are crossing over from Pakistani soil in areas like the tribal areas of Wazeristan and launching attacks against coalition forces. One official saying that this is proof of Pakistan's commitment to the war on terrorism -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Ash-har Quraishi reporting live from Islamabad, Pakistan this morning. 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 October 3, 2003 - 06:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The wild, wild west Pakistani style. The Pakistani military has been conducting violent raids along its borders. It's killed or captured Taliban and al Qaeda members. But so far, as far as we know, there have been no big guests.
Live to Islamabad and Ash-har Quraishi.
Good morning, have their been any big guests? Do we know who is in custody?
ASH-HAR QURAISHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, officials we spoke to today say they are still in the process of investigating and identifying these 18 suspected al Qaeda militants that were captured in this very dramatic siege in the tribal areas in the northwest of Pakistan along the border with Afghanistan.
Now we were taken up to this area, which is known as south Wazeristan, yesterday during these operations, which began early in the morning and carried out throughout the day until nightfall. At the end of the operation, 18 suspected al Qaeda militants were captured, 8 others were killed. The Pakistani military also suffered some casualties, two soldiers were killed and two others wounded.
Now officials say that they approached the compound in this area. There was a mud compound structured there where they had been monitoring for several days the movement of what they called foreign elements crossing back and forth over the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. They approached the structure. And when they came under gunfire that's when they called in the helicopter gunships, as well as all- terrain vehicles and ground soldiers. They went in and they went and captured these 18 suspected militants.
Now also found in those compounds, they were able to seize AK-47 assault rifles, grenades, anti-tank mines, as well as audio cassettes and other documents.
Now this comes at a time when Pakistan has been under increasing pressure by the United States and the interim -- the Afghan interim government to do more to crackdown on resurgent Taliban and al Qaeda fighters that they say are crossing over from Pakistani soil in areas like the tribal areas of Wazeristan and launching attacks against coalition forces. One official saying that this is proof of Pakistan's commitment to the war on terrorism -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right. Ash-har Quraishi reporting live from Islamabad, Pakistan this morning. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
