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CNN Live At Daybreak
Pakistanis May Be Near al-Qaeda's No. 2
Aired March 19, 2004 - 05:00 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: Good morning to you. It's Friday, March 19. From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello. Thank you for joining us.
Let me bring you up to date now.
Taiwan's president and vice president are shot while campaigning. Happened just about four hours ago. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
A group of militants still cornered in Pakistan. One of them might be Osama bin Laden's right-hand man. The heavy fighting is going on in the rugged mountains near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Secretary of State Colin Powell makes a surprise stop in Iraq on the anniversary of the invasion. Powell met with U.S. administrator Paul Bremer.
The suspected Ohio highway shooter will have - will waive extradition and be returned from Nevada to face charges. Charles McCoy Jr. could be on his way back to Ohio as soon as tonight.
A second day - a second delay for formal charges against a Fresno, California, man accused of killing his nine children. Marcus Wesson has decided on a lawyer, but the lawyer is deciding if he'll take the case.
We update our top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 5:15 Eastern.
It could all come down to a head today. Pakistani troops believe they have cornered Osama bin Laden's No. 1 man, Ayman al-Zawahiri in a remote mountainous region of Pakistan. Government troops have surrounded the area, and are urging some 200 al Qaeda fighters to surrender. The current fighting is taking place in an area known as a very remote area in the mountains of Pakistan. It's the southern tip of a lawless region known as the federally administered tribal area, which stresses along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
Now, the U.S. is providing reconnaissance information, but officials tell us it is a Pakistani operation.
So let's go right to the region. New York Times report David Rohde joins us by phone from the northern Pakistan city of Peshawar.
Good morning.
DAVID ROHDE, NEW YORK TIMES: Good morning, Carol. Thank you.
COSTELLO: David, what's happening there now?
ROHDE: There's been aerial bombing this morning and continued fighting, but there are no reports that there's been many major headway by the Pakistani government forces. They're apparently still encountering strong resistance.
COSTELLO: The Pakistani information minister came out around midnight Eastern Time and that said that if al-Zawahiri didn't turn himself in, the fighting would become even fiercer.
Have you seen any evidence of that?
ROHDE: Well, yesterday - well, this all began on Tuesday, and there was initially about 4,000 troops in this area. And there's now at least 7,000 troops and probably more pouring in.
And what this really seems to be is a test of the strength of the Pakistani army, which dominates this country. The country's president, Pervez Musharraf, is a general. And the army is determined, I think, to gain control of this area and capture to this person.
And it is still unclear, though, whether it is Mr. Zawahiri. You know, again, there are suppositions that because they're facing so much resistance, it must be a senior figure.
COSTELLO: Is that the only piece of evidence they have that al- Zawahiri would be in those caves, in that rugged mountainous area?
ROHDE: They've had reports that he's been moving in and out of this are for quite some time, so that's what makes them think it's possibly him.
There's also been some reports in the Pakistani press that some of the people who have been captured in the battles in the last couple days have said Zawahiri is present. And there are no reports that Osama bin Laden himself is in this area. Pakistani intelligence officials have said they have not seen a trace of Mr. bin Laden in many months.
COSTELLO: President Musharraf told Aaron Brown they - the fighters there, who are fighting the Pakistani army - are in very strong, dug-in positions. The houses there are almost forts, like mud forts. Can you describe this more for us? How these fighters are resisting, the strong firepower from the Pakistani military?
ROHDE: They're traditional homes here, which are - they're mud - mud-brick walls, which not sound not very strong to Americans, but they're actually very sturdy structures. And they're family compounds with large exterior walls that are sort of closed off to the outside. And then inside the walls is a complex of houses. Brothers will live together in there, so you can have complexes with multiple families inside. And essentially, the problem also is that the fighters have shown themselves to be very mobile. They've moved and ambushed government troops. They're very highly skilled and trained. So it's both that they're dug in and very well-trained and highly motivated. You know, they've killed at least 26 - I believe some 30 government soldiers so far. Very tough fighting for now.
COSTELLO: I know that the U.S. is only providing intelligence or reconnaissance overhead. But is there any evidence at all that U.S. soldiers are taking part in this mission on the ground?
ROHDE: No, there's been, intermittently, a small American reconnaissance teams, I think, with electronic eavesdropping equipment positioned in this area. But at this point, we have no reports of American ground troops being there.
Americans are just on the other side of the border, a few miles from this fighting, in Afghanistan. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in a place called Schcin (ph), which has actually been repeatedly attacked by people who cross from Pakistan into Afghanistan and then retreat into --- into this part of Pakistan which has been a safe haven, but doesn't appear to be one now.
COSTELLO: All right. David Rohde from The New York Times, be careful over there. We appreciate you joining DAYBREAK this morning.
Here's a look at events over the last few days leading up to the possible cornering of Ayman al-Zawahiri:
Earlier this week, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf visited tribal leaders to request their blessing for a special mission.
Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday and met with Mr. Musharraf yesterday. Before that meeting, Powell announced the United States was upgrading ties with Pakistan, making it easier for that country to acquire and stockpile U.S. weaponry.
And later in the day, Mr. Musharraf told CNN's Aaron Brown an operation was under way and Pakistani forces had a high-value al Qaeda target in their sights. Government sources say al Qaeda operatives captured this week provided information suggesting al-Zawahiri is with that group of besieged al Qaeda fighters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PAKISTAN: The resistance that is being offered by the people there - we feel that there may be a high-value target. I can't say who. But they are giving (UNINTELLIGIBLE) battle at the moment. They are not coming out in spite of the fact that we have pounded them with artillery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: U.S. officials are downplaying the idea of al- Zawahiri's capture and if it's imminent. And even if he is captured, they suggest it will not break up al Qaeda. National security adviser Condoleezza Rice spoke with CNN's John King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Well, were it true, it would, of course, be major step forward in the war on terrorism, because he's obviously an extremely important figure.
But I think we have to be careful not to assume that getting one al Qaeda leader is going to break up the organization. We've always said that even with Osama bin Laden, who we'd all like to see brought to justice, that that will not be the end of al Qaeda. They have local leadership; they have other national leadership. We have to dismantle the entire network, not just one person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: We've seen Ayman al-Zawahiri at Osama bin Laden's side in videotape. He's been known as the brains of al Qaeda. But al- Zawahiri was involved in Ismalic extremism two decades before meeting bin Laden.
Here's CNN's Jonathan Mann.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN MANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ayman al-Zawahiri made his public debut as a Muslim militant more than 20 years ago.
AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI: We want to see to the whole world...
MANN: Back then, al-Zawahiri, a young doctor, was in prison for his involvement with the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. After his release, al-Zawahiri made his way to Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he worked as a doctor, treating Islamic fighters who were trying to overthrow the Soviet regime in Afghanistan.
This is when he met Osama bin Laden, and found a common cause.
Years later, the two men would shift their holy war from the Soviets to the Americans and go public with their terror alliance.
The attacks against America began weeks later, with suicide bombings of two U.S. embassies. Then there was the attack on the U.S.S. Cole in 2000 and the 9/11 attacks.
Al-Zawahiri often appeared by bin Laden's side, a clear indication of his status as bin Laden's No. 2 and closest adviser. And after 9/11, al-Zawahiri started making his own audiotapes, warning of more attacks on America and its allies.
AL-ZAWAHIRI: (speaking in Arabic)
MANN: Ayman al-Zawahiri has been plotting revolution and terror since the age of 16. Now. at the age of 52, his time may have run out.
Jonathan Mann, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And that brings up this: what about Osama bin Laden? Is his time also running out?
U.S. officials believe bin Laden may be within miles of Ayman al- Zawahiri. U.S. intelligence has long said they believe both men are probably in Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. The House of Representatives has doubled the reward for bin Laden's capture. He now has a $50 million price tag on his head.
In the meantime, Pakistan's military spokesman says his forces are committed to finishing off the terrorists. The U.S. is providing support, but U.S. officials stress it is a Pakistani operation.
CNN is the place for complete coverage on this developing story. Later this hour: taking on al Qaeda in the mountains of Pakistan. We'll get an inside look at the beautiful yet treacherous terrain.
And in our "Eye on the World" segment: Pervez Musharraf, back in the spotlight. He's already survived two assassination attempts. Is he at even greater risk now? We'll look at those questions and much more ahead.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Still to come: radio retribution. Shock-jock Howard Stern and the new, bigger FCC fine.
Plus, your safety in the skies. We'll tell you about new regulations airlines - new regulations airlines coming into the United States have to obey.
And "In the Line of Fire: A Reporter's Notebook" while covering the war in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think we're going to break off this live shot for the time being. We're not sure what we see up there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
RODGERS: Good bye. We've got to dive for vehicles, we think. See you. Bye.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: You are watching DAYBREAK for a Friday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: 5:14 Eastern Time. Time to take a quick look at the top stories now.
As assassination attempt - an asashanation - I'm sorry. An assassination attempt in Taiwan today. Both the president and vice president were shot while campaigning for this weekend's presidential election. Senior officials say their injuries are not life threatening. If you look closely, though, you can see a bullet hole in the window of a car carrying the president and his vice president his wife, as they rode in a parade.
After a visit to Pakistan, Secretary of State made an unannounced stop in Baghdad today as the U.S. marks the first anniversary of the war.
And U.S. troops are going to Kosovo as part of NATO peacekeeping force to stop deadly ethnic violence that has killed at least 31 people.
We update our top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 5:30 Eastern.
President Bush is marking the one-year anniversary of the war in Iraq with a White House address this morning. CNN will carry that live at 11 Eastern Time.
And the war began with what Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld described as shock and awe.
There we're taking you back to March 20, 2003. U.S. and British warplanes pounded targets in Iraq with a barrage of air strikes before ground troops rolled into the country with tanks and Bradleys.
And once again it looks like journalists are casualties of war. The Arab television network al-Arrabiyah says one of its reporters and a cameraman were shot and killed by U.S. troops at a checkpoint in Baghdad. It's just one example of the dangers reporters face while covering the war.
CNN Walter - CNN's Walter Rodgers joins us now from Baghdad with much more.
Hello, Walter.
RODGERS: Hello, Carol.
You know, when you look at the statistics on the number of soldiers - or, excuse me, reporters - killed during the war - 19 journalists killed in Iraq last year alone. Thirty-six journalists killed worldwide. It's actually remarkable that more were not killed.
This is a very, very dangerous business we're in. After my embedding with the 7th Cavalry last year - and we were under fire for 12 to 13, 14 days straight. The first thing I did when I reported back to Atlanta was tell the bosses there embedding is an extraordinarily dangerous adventure, and if you do it again, you're almost certain to get more journalists killed. I lost a very dear friend in the war, Elizabeth Nufer (ph) of The Boston Globe.
Again, journalism is no longer that nice, soft business you see in the old black-and-white films. It's a very tough job, and it's not a place for the faint-hearted. In fact, the Committee for the Protection of Journalists now reports there are 139 journalists who were jailed last year for simply practicing their craft. And the majority of those jailed were in China - Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, and talking about the dangers of being embedded, Walter - would you do it again?
RODGERS: I've been asked that question many times, and the answer is yes and no.
Yes, if I could go back with the very same fine soldiers from the 7th Cavalry. Yes, if I could go back with my cameraman, Charlie Miller (ph), my engineer, Jeff Barwise (ph), Paul Jordan (ph), our Australian security guard. And I don't think so under any other circumstances.
I'm going to tell you embedding, covering wars is extraordinarily dangerous. Look at Sarajevo. I have a friend for Italian television; I just chanced upon her in the hotel this morning. She gave me a hug and she said, Be careful. It's very dangerous out there.
We expect this to be a very dodgy weekend here, of course, because it's the first-year anniversary of the attack - the American invasion of Iraq.
What we do is, in one sense, more dangerous than what soldiers do. We practice a craft; the craft is truth telling or a reasonable attempt at truth telling. And we don't have guns and often we don't even have protection - Carol.
COSTELLO: I was going to ask you a little along those lines, that when you're embedded with people that you really admire, how difficult is it to remove yourself from them and tell people what's really going on objectively?
RODGERS: It's not difficult at all. And the interesting thing is, I'm going back over my notes a year later and trying to write some of them down, seeing if it turns into a book.
One of the amazing things that for the first 10 to 12 hours of the U.S.-led assault on Iraq, the army was so busy it couldn't even pay any attention to where we were. And if there was any bonding in the war, it did not occur in the first week or so or beyond that. It occurred after the soldiers saw that we went through fire with them. And at that point, where we didn't flinch and we didn't ask to be pulled out and we were in an unarmored vehicle - it was at that point that the bonding occurred. That and after the assault on Iraq, when everyone had a chance to reflect, My God, we went through this together, and wasn't it dangerous?
That's when the closeness occurred. Really afterwards - Carol.
COSTELLO: Fascinating insight. Walter Rodgers live from Baghdad this morning.
For a day-by-day account of the Iraq war and a look at how the one-year anniversary will be marked, log on to our Web site at cnn.com/specials.
(MARKET UPDATE)
COSTELLO: The FCC in this country cracks down on the offensive front. More f-Word fall-out just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: A very disturbing story involving children in a small Montana town tops our look at stories "Across America."
This is Forsyth Elementary School, where three boys have been arrested in an alleged plot to shoot a third-grade classmate. Authorities say the boys - two are 8, the other 11 - buried a loaded handgun in a sandbox. The sheriffs says the boys planned the alleged assault because the female classmate had teased two of them. Another classmate alerted school officials.
The government has a message - make that an order for the pilots of international flights over the United States to keep the cockpit doors locked. The Transportation Security Administration issued the order as part of the effort to prevent another 9/11-type event.
And in Tennessee, the Rhea County commissioners have revered their anti-homosexual decision made earlier this week. After a firestorm of opposition, the board voted not to ban homosexuals.
The FCC is fining Infinity Broadcasting $27,500 for a 2001 Howard Stern broadcast about sex. The agency also says the use of the f-word can bring a maximum fine in the future. It's never said that before, that using that word violated FCC rules. It does now though. You might recall there's a move in Congress to make the maximum fine for indecency $500,000.
DAYBREAK will be right back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS: Spring means March Madness for college basketball fans. And even if you don't know who will play in the Final Four, one thing will be certain: they will be using Wilson basketballs.
Wilson Sports not only makes the official ball of the NCAA tournament, it was also the official football of the Super Bowl. Wilson is one of the sporting brands run by Amer Group, a Finland company that also owns Atomic skis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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 March 19, 2004 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. It's Friday, March 19. From the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello. Thank you for joining us.
Let me bring you up to date now.
Taiwan's president and vice president are shot while campaigning. Happened just about four hours ago. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
A group of militants still cornered in Pakistan. One of them might be Osama bin Laden's right-hand man. The heavy fighting is going on in the rugged mountains near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Secretary of State Colin Powell makes a surprise stop in Iraq on the anniversary of the invasion. Powell met with U.S. administrator Paul Bremer.
The suspected Ohio highway shooter will have - will waive extradition and be returned from Nevada to face charges. Charles McCoy Jr. could be on his way back to Ohio as soon as tonight.
A second day - a second delay for formal charges against a Fresno, California, man accused of killing his nine children. Marcus Wesson has decided on a lawyer, but the lawyer is deciding if he'll take the case.
We update our top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 5:15 Eastern.
It could all come down to a head today. Pakistani troops believe they have cornered Osama bin Laden's No. 1 man, Ayman al-Zawahiri in a remote mountainous region of Pakistan. Government troops have surrounded the area, and are urging some 200 al Qaeda fighters to surrender. The current fighting is taking place in an area known as a very remote area in the mountains of Pakistan. It's the southern tip of a lawless region known as the federally administered tribal area, which stresses along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
Now, the U.S. is providing reconnaissance information, but officials tell us it is a Pakistani operation.
So let's go right to the region. New York Times report David Rohde joins us by phone from the northern Pakistan city of Peshawar.
Good morning.
DAVID ROHDE, NEW YORK TIMES: Good morning, Carol. Thank you.
COSTELLO: David, what's happening there now?
ROHDE: There's been aerial bombing this morning and continued fighting, but there are no reports that there's been many major headway by the Pakistani government forces. They're apparently still encountering strong resistance.
COSTELLO: The Pakistani information minister came out around midnight Eastern Time and that said that if al-Zawahiri didn't turn himself in, the fighting would become even fiercer.
Have you seen any evidence of that?
ROHDE: Well, yesterday - well, this all began on Tuesday, and there was initially about 4,000 troops in this area. And there's now at least 7,000 troops and probably more pouring in.
And what this really seems to be is a test of the strength of the Pakistani army, which dominates this country. The country's president, Pervez Musharraf, is a general. And the army is determined, I think, to gain control of this area and capture to this person.
And it is still unclear, though, whether it is Mr. Zawahiri. You know, again, there are suppositions that because they're facing so much resistance, it must be a senior figure.
COSTELLO: Is that the only piece of evidence they have that al- Zawahiri would be in those caves, in that rugged mountainous area?
ROHDE: They've had reports that he's been moving in and out of this are for quite some time, so that's what makes them think it's possibly him.
There's also been some reports in the Pakistani press that some of the people who have been captured in the battles in the last couple days have said Zawahiri is present. And there are no reports that Osama bin Laden himself is in this area. Pakistani intelligence officials have said they have not seen a trace of Mr. bin Laden in many months.
COSTELLO: President Musharraf told Aaron Brown they - the fighters there, who are fighting the Pakistani army - are in very strong, dug-in positions. The houses there are almost forts, like mud forts. Can you describe this more for us? How these fighters are resisting, the strong firepower from the Pakistani military?
ROHDE: They're traditional homes here, which are - they're mud - mud-brick walls, which not sound not very strong to Americans, but they're actually very sturdy structures. And they're family compounds with large exterior walls that are sort of closed off to the outside. And then inside the walls is a complex of houses. Brothers will live together in there, so you can have complexes with multiple families inside. And essentially, the problem also is that the fighters have shown themselves to be very mobile. They've moved and ambushed government troops. They're very highly skilled and trained. So it's both that they're dug in and very well-trained and highly motivated. You know, they've killed at least 26 - I believe some 30 government soldiers so far. Very tough fighting for now.
COSTELLO: I know that the U.S. is only providing intelligence or reconnaissance overhead. But is there any evidence at all that U.S. soldiers are taking part in this mission on the ground?
ROHDE: No, there's been, intermittently, a small American reconnaissance teams, I think, with electronic eavesdropping equipment positioned in this area. But at this point, we have no reports of American ground troops being there.
Americans are just on the other side of the border, a few miles from this fighting, in Afghanistan. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in a place called Schcin (ph), which has actually been repeatedly attacked by people who cross from Pakistan into Afghanistan and then retreat into --- into this part of Pakistan which has been a safe haven, but doesn't appear to be one now.
COSTELLO: All right. David Rohde from The New York Times, be careful over there. We appreciate you joining DAYBREAK this morning.
Here's a look at events over the last few days leading up to the possible cornering of Ayman al-Zawahiri:
Earlier this week, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf visited tribal leaders to request their blessing for a special mission.
Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday and met with Mr. Musharraf yesterday. Before that meeting, Powell announced the United States was upgrading ties with Pakistan, making it easier for that country to acquire and stockpile U.S. weaponry.
And later in the day, Mr. Musharraf told CNN's Aaron Brown an operation was under way and Pakistani forces had a high-value al Qaeda target in their sights. Government sources say al Qaeda operatives captured this week provided information suggesting al-Zawahiri is with that group of besieged al Qaeda fighters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PAKISTAN: The resistance that is being offered by the people there - we feel that there may be a high-value target. I can't say who. But they are giving (UNINTELLIGIBLE) battle at the moment. They are not coming out in spite of the fact that we have pounded them with artillery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: U.S. officials are downplaying the idea of al- Zawahiri's capture and if it's imminent. And even if he is captured, they suggest it will not break up al Qaeda. National security adviser Condoleezza Rice spoke with CNN's John King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Well, were it true, it would, of course, be major step forward in the war on terrorism, because he's obviously an extremely important figure.
But I think we have to be careful not to assume that getting one al Qaeda leader is going to break up the organization. We've always said that even with Osama bin Laden, who we'd all like to see brought to justice, that that will not be the end of al Qaeda. They have local leadership; they have other national leadership. We have to dismantle the entire network, not just one person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: We've seen Ayman al-Zawahiri at Osama bin Laden's side in videotape. He's been known as the brains of al Qaeda. But al- Zawahiri was involved in Ismalic extremism two decades before meeting bin Laden.
Here's CNN's Jonathan Mann.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN MANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ayman al-Zawahiri made his public debut as a Muslim militant more than 20 years ago.
AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI: We want to see to the whole world...
MANN: Back then, al-Zawahiri, a young doctor, was in prison for his involvement with the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. After his release, al-Zawahiri made his way to Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he worked as a doctor, treating Islamic fighters who were trying to overthrow the Soviet regime in Afghanistan.
This is when he met Osama bin Laden, and found a common cause.
Years later, the two men would shift their holy war from the Soviets to the Americans and go public with their terror alliance.
The attacks against America began weeks later, with suicide bombings of two U.S. embassies. Then there was the attack on the U.S.S. Cole in 2000 and the 9/11 attacks.
Al-Zawahiri often appeared by bin Laden's side, a clear indication of his status as bin Laden's No. 2 and closest adviser. And after 9/11, al-Zawahiri started making his own audiotapes, warning of more attacks on America and its allies.
AL-ZAWAHIRI: (speaking in Arabic)
MANN: Ayman al-Zawahiri has been plotting revolution and terror since the age of 16. Now. at the age of 52, his time may have run out.
Jonathan Mann, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And that brings up this: what about Osama bin Laden? Is his time also running out?
U.S. officials believe bin Laden may be within miles of Ayman al- Zawahiri. U.S. intelligence has long said they believe both men are probably in Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. The House of Representatives has doubled the reward for bin Laden's capture. He now has a $50 million price tag on his head.
In the meantime, Pakistan's military spokesman says his forces are committed to finishing off the terrorists. The U.S. is providing support, but U.S. officials stress it is a Pakistani operation.
CNN is the place for complete coverage on this developing story. Later this hour: taking on al Qaeda in the mountains of Pakistan. We'll get an inside look at the beautiful yet treacherous terrain.
And in our "Eye on the World" segment: Pervez Musharraf, back in the spotlight. He's already survived two assassination attempts. Is he at even greater risk now? We'll look at those questions and much more ahead.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Still to come: radio retribution. Shock-jock Howard Stern and the new, bigger FCC fine.
Plus, your safety in the skies. We'll tell you about new regulations airlines - new regulations airlines coming into the United States have to obey.
And "In the Line of Fire: A Reporter's Notebook" while covering the war in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think we're going to break off this live shot for the time being. We're not sure what we see up there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
RODGERS: Good bye. We've got to dive for vehicles, we think. See you. Bye.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: You are watching DAYBREAK for a Friday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: 5:14 Eastern Time. Time to take a quick look at the top stories now.
As assassination attempt - an asashanation - I'm sorry. An assassination attempt in Taiwan today. Both the president and vice president were shot while campaigning for this weekend's presidential election. Senior officials say their injuries are not life threatening. If you look closely, though, you can see a bullet hole in the window of a car carrying the president and his vice president his wife, as they rode in a parade.
After a visit to Pakistan, Secretary of State made an unannounced stop in Baghdad today as the U.S. marks the first anniversary of the war.
And U.S. troops are going to Kosovo as part of NATO peacekeeping force to stop deadly ethnic violence that has killed at least 31 people.
We update our top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 5:30 Eastern.
President Bush is marking the one-year anniversary of the war in Iraq with a White House address this morning. CNN will carry that live at 11 Eastern Time.
And the war began with what Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld described as shock and awe.
There we're taking you back to March 20, 2003. U.S. and British warplanes pounded targets in Iraq with a barrage of air strikes before ground troops rolled into the country with tanks and Bradleys.
And once again it looks like journalists are casualties of war. The Arab television network al-Arrabiyah says one of its reporters and a cameraman were shot and killed by U.S. troops at a checkpoint in Baghdad. It's just one example of the dangers reporters face while covering the war.
CNN Walter - CNN's Walter Rodgers joins us now from Baghdad with much more.
Hello, Walter.
RODGERS: Hello, Carol.
You know, when you look at the statistics on the number of soldiers - or, excuse me, reporters - killed during the war - 19 journalists killed in Iraq last year alone. Thirty-six journalists killed worldwide. It's actually remarkable that more were not killed.
This is a very, very dangerous business we're in. After my embedding with the 7th Cavalry last year - and we were under fire for 12 to 13, 14 days straight. The first thing I did when I reported back to Atlanta was tell the bosses there embedding is an extraordinarily dangerous adventure, and if you do it again, you're almost certain to get more journalists killed. I lost a very dear friend in the war, Elizabeth Nufer (ph) of The Boston Globe.
Again, journalism is no longer that nice, soft business you see in the old black-and-white films. It's a very tough job, and it's not a place for the faint-hearted. In fact, the Committee for the Protection of Journalists now reports there are 139 journalists who were jailed last year for simply practicing their craft. And the majority of those jailed were in China - Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, and talking about the dangers of being embedded, Walter - would you do it again?
RODGERS: I've been asked that question many times, and the answer is yes and no.
Yes, if I could go back with the very same fine soldiers from the 7th Cavalry. Yes, if I could go back with my cameraman, Charlie Miller (ph), my engineer, Jeff Barwise (ph), Paul Jordan (ph), our Australian security guard. And I don't think so under any other circumstances.
I'm going to tell you embedding, covering wars is extraordinarily dangerous. Look at Sarajevo. I have a friend for Italian television; I just chanced upon her in the hotel this morning. She gave me a hug and she said, Be careful. It's very dangerous out there.
We expect this to be a very dodgy weekend here, of course, because it's the first-year anniversary of the attack - the American invasion of Iraq.
What we do is, in one sense, more dangerous than what soldiers do. We practice a craft; the craft is truth telling or a reasonable attempt at truth telling. And we don't have guns and often we don't even have protection - Carol.
COSTELLO: I was going to ask you a little along those lines, that when you're embedded with people that you really admire, how difficult is it to remove yourself from them and tell people what's really going on objectively?
RODGERS: It's not difficult at all. And the interesting thing is, I'm going back over my notes a year later and trying to write some of them down, seeing if it turns into a book.
One of the amazing things that for the first 10 to 12 hours of the U.S.-led assault on Iraq, the army was so busy it couldn't even pay any attention to where we were. And if there was any bonding in the war, it did not occur in the first week or so or beyond that. It occurred after the soldiers saw that we went through fire with them. And at that point, where we didn't flinch and we didn't ask to be pulled out and we were in an unarmored vehicle - it was at that point that the bonding occurred. That and after the assault on Iraq, when everyone had a chance to reflect, My God, we went through this together, and wasn't it dangerous?
That's when the closeness occurred. Really afterwards - Carol.
COSTELLO: Fascinating insight. Walter Rodgers live from Baghdad this morning.
For a day-by-day account of the Iraq war and a look at how the one-year anniversary will be marked, log on to our Web site at cnn.com/specials.
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COSTELLO: The FCC in this country cracks down on the offensive front. More f-Word fall-out just ahead.
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COSTELLO: A very disturbing story involving children in a small Montana town tops our look at stories "Across America."
This is Forsyth Elementary School, where three boys have been arrested in an alleged plot to shoot a third-grade classmate. Authorities say the boys - two are 8, the other 11 - buried a loaded handgun in a sandbox. The sheriffs says the boys planned the alleged assault because the female classmate had teased two of them. Another classmate alerted school officials.
The government has a message - make that an order for the pilots of international flights over the United States to keep the cockpit doors locked. The Transportation Security Administration issued the order as part of the effort to prevent another 9/11-type event.
And in Tennessee, the Rhea County commissioners have revered their anti-homosexual decision made earlier this week. After a firestorm of opposition, the board voted not to ban homosexuals.
The FCC is fining Infinity Broadcasting $27,500 for a 2001 Howard Stern broadcast about sex. The agency also says the use of the f-word can bring a maximum fine in the future. It's never said that before, that using that word violated FCC rules. It does now though. You might recall there's a move in Congress to make the maximum fine for indecency $500,000.
DAYBREAK will be right back.
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GERRI WILLIS, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS: Spring means March Madness for college basketball fans. And even if you don't know who will play in the Final Four, one thing will be certain: they will be using Wilson basketballs.
Wilson Sports not only makes the official ball of the NCAA tournament, it was also the official football of the Super Bowl. Wilson is one of the sporting brands run by Amer Group, a Finland company that also owns Atomic skis.
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