Return to Transcripts main page

Wolf

Bombers Came To Turkey From Syria; 22 Detained Following Anti- Terror Raids; Attackers Directed By ISIS; Possibly Hundreds Of Terrorists Wiped Out By Air Strikes Targeting A Massive Convoy On The Move Through Iraq; Ash Carter Expected To Make Announcement; Chief Of Air Force Intelligence: Airstrikes Not Working. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired June 30, 2016 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, I'm Brianna Keilar in for Wolf Blitzer. Thanks so much for joining us.

Three terrorists sent from Syria with help from ISIS to attack the main airport in Istanbul. That is what Turkish authorities are saying today about the deadly attack that took at least 43 lives. Ninety- four people are still in the hospital and those are just some of the new details that are coming out about this airport attack.

We're also learning that officials believe the attackers are foreign nationals from these three countries, Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The Russian foreign minister says the bomber from their country was well known by Turkey.

We're also seeing video from the moment of the attack. Some of the images, we want to warn you, are disturbing. In some of them, we see a gunman running through the airport. You can see him there with his weapon, people scattering off to the side. And this is inside of the arrivals area of the international terminal.

And then, we also have some video of an attacker without his gun drawn. According to Turkish broadcaster, Haberturk, he's confronted by an undercover officer who asks for identification. The attacker then opens fire.

I want to bring our Alexandra Field. She is at the airport in Istanbul. We also have Senior International Correspondent Matthew Chance in Moscow. Alexandra, we have seen more than a dozen anti- terror raids in Turkey after this attack. What can you tell us about that?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, and no doubt we'll continue to see those kinds of raids happening. We know that since the attacks were unleashed at the airport behind me, Ataturk Airport, that officials have been conducting these counterterrorism raids. They picked up some 13 people in Istanbul, another nine people in a coastal city of Izmir. Not clear exactly why they picked up the people that they did pick up, but certainly those people will be questioned now. And we're told that the raids were very much in connection to the attacks here. As you mention, Brianna, authorities have now identified the nationalities of three attackers, and we're learning more about their background. Sources telling CNN that these three men had spent time in Raqqah which would be the (INAUDIBLE) capital of ISIS in Syria. And that they had arrived in Istanbul a month ago. They were sharing an apartment here, renting an apartment here.

That's where investigators found a passport belonging to one of the men. It's a big break in the investigation. It's led them to a lot of information about these men. And you can bet, Brianna, that it means that they are now talking to anyone who was in the vicinity of that apartment, people who may have seen them coming and going, people who could have information about any of their associates.

Because, again, the focus now is to conduct these counterterrorism raids, aimed at picking up anyone who could be plotting additional attacks or have had information about the coordinated series of attacks that was unleashed here just two days ago -- Brianna.

KEILAR: And, Matthew, with these attackers coming from Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, what can you tell us about the link to terror in those areas?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a big link, particularly to ISIS and the Islamic militancy in general. From Russia alone, according to official figures here in the country, some two and a half thousand Russian nationals have already left Russia and joined the ranks of ISIS and are fighting in Syria and Iraq.

And it's a similar story from across the former Soviet, mainly Muslim republics of central Asia. But like Kyrgyzstan and like Uzbekistan as well, it's a really big problem that the authorities here in Russia and in those other countries are trying very hard to tackle. But it's also something they can't really get a handle on because there are these Muslim majority areas in very -- well, in southern Russia and, of course, those countries of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are Muslim majority.

And there are a lot of people who are dissatisfied with their governments. A lot of people there who see the attraction of ISIS. And the flow of militants to join those rebel groups like ISIS in Syria has been unstoppable. And it's a problem that's big for the Russians and, obviously as we've seen, it's huge for the Turks as well now.

KEILAR: Matthew Chance, Alexandra Field, thanks to both of you.

For more on the terror attack in Turkey, let's bring in State Department spokesman, John Kirby. John, thanks so much for your time. And I certainly want to get your reaction to the Turkish government saying the Istanbul Airport attackers were sent from Syria and that ISIS leadership was involved in the planning. Do you feel confident saying that ISIS planned the attack?

JOHN KIRBY, SPOKESMAN, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: Well, we don't know for sure, here in the United States, exactly how the investigation is unfolding. We want to respect that process. We've seen the comments by Turkish officials, certainly respect their work as they continue to investigate this.

As we did say yesterday, though, obviously an attack like this does have the hallmarks of ISIL involvement. Again, we -- we're not able to say that with certainty, but it certainly has those hallmarks.

And, again, this would be in keeping -- again if true, certainly in keeping with the motives of a group that is trying to metastasize. It is trying to influence through very spectacular attacks, you know, a sense of fear and anxiety outside of Iraq and Syria where they are clearly on the defensive.

[13:05:18] KEILAR: Jeh Johnson, the Secretary of Homeland Security, said in testimony on the Hill that there was one American that was slightly injured in the attack. What can you tell us about that?

KIRBY: Well, we were not aware of any U.S. deaths. We're also -- have no indication that there are Americans that were seriously wounded. We certainly are aware that Americans were near the scene of the attack. And we're working with authorities just very, very closely to try to get more information about this.

I would tell you, though, if you don't mind me using this platform to say, that if there are American citizens certainly watching or hearing me, if they're in need of assistance of any kind, to please reach out to our embassy officials there in Turkey and consulate officials so we can help.

KEILAR: We certainly do not mind you saying that at all. No, that's very important information to get out there.

And we're learning more not just about the victims but the attackers and what we now know, according to reports, that one was Russian, one from Uzbekistan, one from Kyrgyzstan. What does this tell you? How significant -- what's the significance of the nationality of the attackers?

KIRBY: Well, again, it's difficult to know with great certainty because we haven't seen a claim of responsibility. We understand that there's the hallmarks here of an ISIL attack. So, I don't want to get ahead of the investigation.

But, Brianna, if it's true that ISIL was responsible for this and if it's true that those are the nationalities, I think it speaks to the fact that this is a group that continues to be able to attract foreign fighters from around the world. This ideology still seems to fester. It still seems to have an ability to influence young men to this -- to this effort. Si, that is not in itself a surprise. We knew that as this group got under more pressure in Iraq and Syria, that they would try to seek attention, try to gain recruits through these kinds of spectacular attacks.

So, again, we're -- we want to let the investigation go. We don't want to get ahead of that. But again, this is the kind of thing -- if it is related to them, it's the kind of thing that wouldn't be a great surprise that they are trying to get foreign fighters from other places outside the region.

KEILAR: An attack like this highlights the status of the U.S.-led coalition progress certainly against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. And we're hearing some different things. We've heard from John Brennan, the CIA Director, his testimony on the Hill that despite diminishing some of the territory of ISIS that it has not at all diminished the terrorism capability of the group or its global reach. And then, we heard the secretary of state, John Kerry, saying that ISIS is asking -- or is acting out of desperation. So, which is it because they seem like two very different assessments of where the group is?

KIRBY: Sure. And I understand the question and where it's coming from. I would tell you that, actually, we believe both are true. Right, this is a group that is very much on the defensive in Iraq and Syria. They've lost about half their territory in Iraq, 20 percent of it still in Syria. Their resources are drying up. They're having trouble recruiting. They're having trouble keeping leadership. We're killing about, you know, one leader every three days or so of Dash (ph).

So, this is a group that's very much under pressure. And we knew -- even months ago, we knew that as they became more increasingly under pressure in Iraq and Syria that they would try to branch out through these spectacular terrorist attacks. That they were going to revert to more terrorist tactics like we've seen recently. So, this isn't a huge surprise to us.

And I would also tell you that as they adapt, so too have we, Brianna. We have increased our information and intelligence sharing with partners around the world. Interpol has become more involved. Many countries have now adopted all kinds of administrative and legal efforts to try to get at the foreign fighter threat.

So, again, we're not always going to be perfect. They only have to be right once. We have to be right 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So, there's -- we still are mindful that this is a group that is capable of these dangerous attacks. But we have tried to adapt as well to their adapting, to the pressure that they're under in Iraq and Syria.

KEILAR: John, I want to ask you, before I let you go, about a proposal for a partnership that we've learned about between the U.S. and Russia when it comes to fighting ISIS in Syria. The agreement being that the U.S. would sort of lean on Russia to get Bashar Al Assad to not take aim at certain areas where there are Syrian rebels in exchange for U.S.-led coalition going after Al Nusra, which has been a thorn in Assad's side. What can you tell us about this?

KIRBY: Well, here's what I'll say about this. We have been nothing but clear about the fact that we want to see a cessation of hostilities go nationwide --

KEILAR: But is this happening?

KIRBY: -- in Syria.

KEILAR: Is this partnership happening?

KIRBY: We have been nothing but clear about our intentions here and what we want to see the cessation of hostilities be nationwide and being during in Syria.

[13:10:02] And we've been nothing but clear with our concerns about Russia and the degree to which that are -- that they have helped the regime in some ways, continue to violate that cessation. And we have asked, and we've urged, and we have stressed with them the need for them to use their influence, the influence we know they have over Assad, to stop cessations of a -- to stop it, sorry -- to stop violations of the cessation of hostilities, to stop killing innocent civilians and opposition groups.

Now, the cessation of hostilities remains very fragile so we're going to stay at this. We're -- these conversations with the Russians are continuing and I'm just not going into more detail than that.

KEILAR: The Russians haven't really lived up to their end of the bargain, when it comes to preserving the cease-fire. Why do you think it would be any different?

KIRBY: Well, again, we're continuing to look at ways that we can get the cessation of hostilities in place across the nation and have it be enduring. And that has been a real challenge. And we have been, again, very honest and very candid and forthright with the Russians about using the influence we know that they have over Assad. That, for some reason or another, they either haven't used that influence to the full extent or Assad is becoming somewhat immune to that influence. And, again, we just don't -- we don't have all the details on that.

But, look, these conversations inside the international Syria support group, of which Russia's a member, are continuing and will continue because we want to see the violence stop so that humanitarian access can be had to all the millions of Syrians in need and so, frankly, that we can get the political discussions back on track which have not gone anywhere in the last month or so.

KEILAR: John Kirby, State Department spokesperson, thank you so much.

KIRBY: My pleasure. Thank you.

KEILAR: And coming up, the U.S.-led coalition puts the squeeze on ISIS. Possibly hundreds of terrorists wiped out by air strikes targeting a massive convoy on the move through Iraq.

And you're also looking at live pictures that we're about to put up there, coming from the Pentagon. This is where defense secretary, Ash Carter, is expected to make a big announcement around 1:30 p.m. He's expected to announce changes to the military's transgender policy. We'll bring that to you live when it happens.

[13:12:10] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:16:01] KEILAR: As we continue to watch for new developments in the terror attack in Istanbul, we have a major development in the war on terror for coalition forces assisting Iraqi fighters near the city of Fallujah. A spokesman says that airstrikes targeting two convoys over the past two and a half days hit about 175 vehicles being used by ISIS. In addition, Iraqi officials say that dozens of militants were killed in those strikes that you're seeing pictures of right now. One U.S. official suggested that as many as 250 ISIS fighters could have been in these vehicles. Military officials say when strikes from both Iraqi and coalition aircraft hit the convoy, fighters abandoned their vehicles, they fled on foot. A U.S. official says the operation required American aircraft because there were a lot of civilians in this particular area, and, in fact, members of a humanitarian group said that a couple members of their team were nearly hit by an airstrike while they were near a military checkpoint. These airstrikes coming days after the Iraqi military announced that its troops has seized Fallujah from ISIS. A big victory there.

Now, despite the latest news of advances in Iraq, the chief of Air Force intelligence tells CNN in an exclusive interview the coordinating airstrikes targeting against ISIS get a failing grade.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. ROBERT OTTO, U.S. AIR FORCE CHIEF OF STAFF FOR INTELLIGENCE: I would give us a five, which means we have a lot of work to do. The problem is not having enough fighter jets to drop bombs, the problem is having enough legitimate targets that we can strike that can put ISIL on their heels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now, let's discuss this counter ISIS strategy. And to do that I am joined by Ambassador James Jeffrey. He is the former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and to Turkey. We also have Vali Nasr. He is the dean at the school of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He's also the author of "The Dispensable Nation." And we have CNN military analyst Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona. He was the former U.S. military attache in Syria.

And first to you, colonel. I want to get your reaction to what we heard Lieutenant General Robert Otto say there. Do you agree?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Oh, absolutely. This has been the problem all along is the -- is the target validation process. We have to develop enough targets for the aircraft to hit. Remember early on in the air campaign, many of the aircraft were returning to base with their ordinance unexpended and -- because they couldn't get the clearance to drop on targets or they didn't have enough targets to strike. I think a lot of that has to do with their very restrictive rules of engagement. That appears to be lessening somewhat. And, of course, over time, the increased intelligence that we're gathering has allowed them to develop more targets. So I think five might be a little bit low, but I certainly wouldn't go higher above a seven.

KEILAR: Vali, what do you think about this? What do you read on what the general said?

VALI NASR, DEAN, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIV'S SCHOOL OF ADVANCED INTL. STUDIES: Well, the military knows much better about how well they're doing in an air campaign, but the reality is that there is very little American troop presence on the ground. The process by which it would gather information, be able to know what to hit, you know, that requires a lot more American presence on the ground and also a much more robust Iraqi military presence in order to be able to gather the information. I think there's been too much emphasis in winning this war from the air and, as a result, a lot of pressure is put on accuracy of our air campaign. But we have to be realistic. That's going to go only so far. And end of the day, this battle, like we saw in Fallujah, has to be won on the ground.

KEILAR: You say in an article, ambassador, you say, "the mission should be crushing ISIS as a state and as a military and economic power. That is a different challenge and one far more responsive to conventional military power." How is that done?

AMB. JAMES JEFFREY, VISING FELLOW, THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: Well, it's done by using elite ground forces. There aren't enough locals, thus I and others have advocated a limited number in the few tens of thousands of American combat troops to lead a larger coalition of forces from the region. The president opted against that. I can understand why, although I think it was wrong. He opted for an air adviser, special forces train and equip operation.

[13:20:14] But the problem is, as your other two correspondents have just noted, is that even this has been carried out in a very low risk, cautious way. It's improved recently, thus some of the successes, but we need to get more advisory teams out in the front, we need forward air controllers to be calling in those strikes and to make the Air Force that we do have present, as the general said, much more useful.

KEILAR: Turkish officials now saying that they have pretty good evidence that the Istanbul airport attackers came from Raqqa, Syria, and that ISIS leadership was involved directly in planning this. What does that signify to you?

JEFFREY: It signifies an open level of walk there between Raqqa, ISIS leadership in Turkey. Turkey has been somewhat ambivalent warrior against ISIS. They have other fish to fry, including the PKK Kurdish rebels and the Syrian government. But at this point, because they're supporting our efforts against ISIS, and those efforts are having some success, ISIS has decided to go directly against Turkey. This will pull Turkey into the war against ISIS more, and that's a good thing.

KEILAR: Vali, I know we hear this criticism that the strategy of just being really an air campaign is too limited. But when you're talking about as many as 250 fighters being killed in what's very dramatic attack by U.S. and Iraqi fighter jets on this convoy coming out of Fallujah, how significant is that number? NASR: I think it's very significant. But we have to realize that we're

dealing with sort of two dimensions of ISIS. You have ISIS, the conquering military government on the ground, which is being broken up in Syria and in Iraq, with Iraqi military, with U.S. air campaign, and then you have ISIS, the terrorist organization, that is not necessarily dependent on control of territory on the ground in Iraq and Syria. And I think, in fact, as ISIS begins to unravel in Iraq and Syria, the organization will shift its focus much more into terrorism. And, you know, it's much more easy for them to penetrate the border in places like Turkey and to carry out attacks like we are seeing.

So we can see a scenario in which we can have very successful operations against Raqqa, against Mosul, against Fallujah, kill large numbers of ISIS troops on the ground, and yet see a strengthening of ISIS as terrorism arm which relies on lone wolves, on singular fighters, that essentially militarily operate very differently than their standing militia on the ground.

KEILAR: And, real quick to you, Colonel Francona, how significant -- is it substantive, is it psychological of a victory is that convoy attack?

FRANCONA: Well, I think -- I think it's both. But the psychological victory is very important because, in the past, when we've seen the Iraqis take Ramadi and Tikrit, ISIS was able to escape. They were able to get their vehicles and their personnel out and move them further north because we all know where the real fight in Iraq is going to be, and that's the retaking of Mosul.

In this case, they were not able to do that. And they were delta a very significant blow. So I think that this might hurt their recruitment because, you know, it's one thing when ISIS was on a role and they were taking territory, they had recruits flowing in at a high rate. You know, now that they're being killed quite effectively now from the air, and I take the ambassador's point that we do need better forces on the ground, that's why these operations in Iraq -- in Ramadi, Tikrit and Fallujah have taken so long. Mosul's going to be a long, drawn out affair unless we do put increased American people -- numbers on the ground.

KEILAR: Yes. Thank you so much, gentlemen. Rick Francona, James Jeffrey, Vali Nasr, appreciate all of you being here.

And the Taliban is claiming responsibility for a deadly attack in Afghanistan. This happened about 12 miles west of Kabul. Two suicide bombers attacked a convoy of buses carrying more than 200 police cadets. They killed at least 34 people. Thirty of those victims were officers, the others were civilians. And Afghanistan's president condemning this attack, calling this, quote, "a crime against humanity."

Coming up, the attack in Istanbul putting U.S. officials on high alert ahead of the Fourth of July weekend. You're looking at a live picture coming to us from Reagan National Airport here in Washington, D.C., just outside of Washington, D.C. And just ahead, a live report on the new security measures to expect in the nation's airports. [13:24:46] And we are standing by for a big announcement from the

Pentagon. Defense Secretary Ash Carter expected to announce changes to the military's transgender policy. We'll bring that to you live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Live pictures from the Pentagon. That's what you're looking at there. This is where Defense Secretary Ash Carter is about to come out and make a big announcement. We will bring you that to you live.

Well, the Istanbul attack has raised concerns about the safety of airports, especially as Americans embark on a long holiday weekend. Appearing at an oversight committee hearing, the head of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, tried to reassure travelers. He talked about what you can expect this weekend at airports across the nation.

[13:29:53] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEH JOHNSON, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Since Brussels, we have enhanced security at airports around the nation. Since the Brussels attack in March, our TSA Viper Teams have been more visible at airports and at transit centers generally.