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CNN Live At Daybreak
U.S. Plans Offensive Against al Qaeda, Taliban
Aired January 29, 2004 - 05:24 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: Has Osama bin Laden been back to his old neighborhood? Maybe. Coalition intelligence sources tell CNN they believe the al Qaeda leader recently revisited an area near the city of Khowst in eastern Afghanistan. Five years ago, in a terrorist camp near Khowst, bin Laden declared jihad against the United States.
And while we're on the subject of Afghanistan, the U.S. war on terror may be shifting back there. A senior Defense Department official says the U.S. plans a spring offensive in Afghanistan against al Qaeda and Taliban fighters.
Here's our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre to tell us more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Pentagon stresses that U.S. and Afghan offensive operations have never stopped, even during the harsh Afghan winter, when Taliban and al Qaeda remnant are believed to have hunkered down in the snowy mountains.
The latest operations, code-named Mountain Avalanche and Mountain Blizzard, have nabbed a number of suspected Taliban operatives in recent weeks.
But anticipating increased enemy activity as the snow melts, the U.S. is gearing up for a spring offensive to defeat the Afghan insurgents, as well as intensify the hunt for Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants.
LT. COL. BRYAN HILFERTY, U.S. ARMY: I can say that Osama bin Laden, Mullah Omar and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) represent a threat to the world and they need to be destroyed and we believe we will catch them in the next year.
MCINTYRE: According to the best U.S. intelligence available, bin Laden is still believed to be hiding in a remote and largely ungoverned area between Afghanistan and Pakistan. But Pentagon officials deny published reports the U.S. offensive will send troops across the border into Pakistan.
Pakistan's pro-American president, Pervez Musharraf, has publicly opposed such cross-border operations, and for now, U.S. officials say the 11,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan will operate on their side of the border. The hunt for bin Laden has increased urgency, because it's believed al Qaeda was behind several assassination attempts against President Musharraf, who's been a key ally in the fight against Taliban and al Qaeda. Bin Laden's capture could also benefit President Bush as he campaigns for re-election. But Pentagon officials insist there's no political motive behind the planned offensive, just as there was nothing political about the capture of Saddam Hussein last month.
(on camera): U.S. commanders are expressing more confidence these days that Osama bin Laden's days are numbered. The top U.S. general in Afghanistan went so far as to suggest he will be captured this year.
Pentagon officials, however, urged cautious. As Defense Secretary Rumsfeld is fond of saying, You don't have him until you have him.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 29, 2004 - 05:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Has Osama bin Laden been back to his old neighborhood? Maybe. Coalition intelligence sources tell CNN they believe the al Qaeda leader recently revisited an area near the city of Khowst in eastern Afghanistan. Five years ago, in a terrorist camp near Khowst, bin Laden declared jihad against the United States.
And while we're on the subject of Afghanistan, the U.S. war on terror may be shifting back there. A senior Defense Department official says the U.S. plans a spring offensive in Afghanistan against al Qaeda and Taliban fighters.
Here's our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre to tell us more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Pentagon stresses that U.S. and Afghan offensive operations have never stopped, even during the harsh Afghan winter, when Taliban and al Qaeda remnant are believed to have hunkered down in the snowy mountains.
The latest operations, code-named Mountain Avalanche and Mountain Blizzard, have nabbed a number of suspected Taliban operatives in recent weeks.
But anticipating increased enemy activity as the snow melts, the U.S. is gearing up for a spring offensive to defeat the Afghan insurgents, as well as intensify the hunt for Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants.
LT. COL. BRYAN HILFERTY, U.S. ARMY: I can say that Osama bin Laden, Mullah Omar and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) represent a threat to the world and they need to be destroyed and we believe we will catch them in the next year.
MCINTYRE: According to the best U.S. intelligence available, bin Laden is still believed to be hiding in a remote and largely ungoverned area between Afghanistan and Pakistan. But Pentagon officials deny published reports the U.S. offensive will send troops across the border into Pakistan.
Pakistan's pro-American president, Pervez Musharraf, has publicly opposed such cross-border operations, and for now, U.S. officials say the 11,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan will operate on their side of the border. The hunt for bin Laden has increased urgency, because it's believed al Qaeda was behind several assassination attempts against President Musharraf, who's been a key ally in the fight against Taliban and al Qaeda. Bin Laden's capture could also benefit President Bush as he campaigns for re-election. But Pentagon officials insist there's no political motive behind the planned offensive, just as there was nothing political about the capture of Saddam Hussein last month.
(on camera): U.S. commanders are expressing more confidence these days that Osama bin Laden's days are numbered. The top U.S. general in Afghanistan went so far as to suggest he will be captured this year.
Pentagon officials, however, urged cautious. As Defense Secretary Rumsfeld is fond of saying, You don't have him until you have him.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
