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U.S. Military Positioning Forces to Respond to Further Violence in Iraq; Satellite Images Document Uyghur Cemetery Destruction; Bill Taylor Departs Ukraine Today. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired January 02, 2020 - 10:30   ET

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

[10:30:00]

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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: This is just in to CNN. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that he thinks there could be additional provocations in Iraq from Iranian-backed forces there.

We're going to go right to the Pentagon, CNN's Ryan Browne. Ryan, he also -- some strong words not -- from -- from Esper, saying Iran would likely regret it.

RYAN BROWNE, CNN PENTAGON REPORTER: Well, that's right, Jim. The U.S. military, making it clear that it is positioned to take action if these Iranian-backed militia groups, in particular Kata'ib Hezbollah, who the U.S. blames for a series of recent attacks against U.S. bases including one on Friday that killed an American contractor.

And also says that they were behind these demonstrations and these attempts to breach the compound of the U.S. embassy there in Baghdad, pointing to the fact that many of those, quote "protestors" were wearing military uniforms, had set up a command post. Some of the leaders of the group could be there.

So the U.S., very much issuing a warning to these groups, saying that while they believe that the group may conduct additional attacks on U.S. forces, given its history, that the U.S. was well-positioned to make them regret it.

And as we reported earlier, the U.S. has deployed an additional battalion of paratroopers to the region in -- to potentially respond to these attacks. In fact -- and also reinforcing the embassy with about 100 U.S. Marines. In fact, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, saying if anyone attempts to breach the embassy compound, they'll run into, quote, "a buzz saw" -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: When he talks about pre-emptive action as well, what does he mean exactly?

BROWNE: Well, they're monitoring these groups, you know, in -- very closely. So if they see anything, like an imminent attack, for example, if, you know, this group starts preparing rockets or artillery for a strike, they'd be willing to conduct a strike against them potentially before they fire it off. So the -- very tense situation there, we'll be watching closely to see if things escalate.

SCIUTTO: Yes. And then you wonder about what the response to another attack would be. Ryan Browne, thanks very much.

Another story we've been following for some time, CNN has uncovered fresh evidence of a cultural genocide taking place in China right now, just remarkable in the year 2020.

Beijing appears to have been demolishing Muslim grave sites for years, while holding millions -- millions, that's right -- of ethnic Muslims in a massive network of detention and re-education camps. CNN's Matt Rivers, he's been covering this for months now.

Matt, this -- remarkable bit of reporting here. So you documented over time, by yourself with satellite photos, you know, really -- really, a systematic destruction of Muslim burial grounds, burial sites.

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And that's the takeaway here, is that it looks like it's happening across what is the largest region in China, just from north to south, east, west, we documented, over a series of months, using sources and information from the Uyghur diaspora across the world. And what we saw was just the latest example of what appears to be China's systematic destruction of a distinct culture. Let's show you what we found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS (voice-over): When Aziz Isa Elkun's father died, it was too dangerous for him to go to the funeral in China. Aziz is an ethnic Uyghur who lives in exile in North London, but he grew up in a western Chinese region called Xinjiang, an area activists say is the center of an unparalleled human rights crisis in the world today.

AZIZ ISA ELKUN, ETHNIC UYGHUR: This is not a normal state, normal country can't do like this. This is pure evilness.

RIVERS (voice-over): Xinjiang is where the United Nations says the Chinese government has detained hundreds of thousands of Muslim ethnic minorities including Uyghurs over the past several years. Critics say China is doing that to try and eliminate Islam within its borders. Some detainees are seen here in leaked video, blindfolded and shackled as they're transferred between places.

[10:35:10]

Former detainees have told CNN they're kept in a massive network of detention camps where, inside, allegations of torture abound. China's government denies that, and says they're just offering vocational training designed to fight extremism.

But earlier this year, we tried to see those camps for ourselves and were met with police.

RIVERS: Ma'am, can you tell me what that is? Is this something that you don't want us to see? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why you are here? You tell me. Why you are

here? Why you are here?

RIVERS: We're here to film what we believe is a camp.

RIVERS (voice-over): In London, Aziz tells us his father was buried in this tomb, near his family home in central Xinjiang. In the past, he visited him the only way he could, by using Google Earth to see the tomb from above. But in June, the satellite image changed. Before, rows of tombs; now, a largely empty flattened field.

RIVERS: What happened to your father's remains?

ELKUN: I don't know, I don't know. I -- I have no idea.

RIVERS: In a months-long investigation, working with sources in the Uyghur community and analyzing hundreds of satellite images, CNN has found more than one hundred cemeteries that have been destroyed, most in just the last two years.

Like this one, in the town of Aksu, a cemetery first demolished then redeveloped with a manmade pond. Or this one, in Xayar, distinctive white tombs leveled and simply built over.

The AFP first reported on this destruction and visited some sites. At three different places, they said they found human bones. CNN has also found multiple government notices online, in one case giving families just 15 days to move remains.

We showed these images to Rian Thum, an anthropologist who studies Islam in China and uses satellite imagery to study this region.

RIVERS: There's no doubt in your mind what that is?

RIAN THUM, UYGHUR HISTORIAN, UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM: Right. No, these -- this is -- this is absolutely clear, what this is. You can see the destruction encroaching. And now, if you look at Google Earth today, you'll see that this sort of flat surface now covers everything. And that is a phenomenon stretching right across the region of Xinjiang.

RIVERS (voice-over): In response, the Chinese government did not deny the cemetery destruction. They said in part, quote, "Governments... in Xinjiang fully respect and guarantee the freedom of all ethnic groups... to choose cemeteries, and funeral and burial methods."

In public documents, official reasons for the destruction include wanting to build, quote, "civilized" cemeteries to promote progress.

Uyghur cemeteries are central to village life, a place to meet and connect one generation to the last.

THUM: It's akin to, for an American, seeing Arlington Cemetery razed and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier dug up and paved over. It's a great act of desecration and a kind of open insult to Uyghur culture.

ELKUN: We are stronger together --

RIVERS (voice-over): Aziz believes it's a desecration that will have a backlash.

ELKUN: We cannot live anymore with them together. Because they are committing genocide against the Uyghur people.

RIVERS (voice-over): In Xinjiang, it seems even the dead can't rest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCIUTTO: I mean, what's going on there is 1930s-like genocide in the 21st century. It's just remarkable. I know the U.S. government estimates more than a million Uyghurs in detention camps, re- education. But tell us how you did this. Because it's hard to document this. You used publicly available satellite images?

RIVERS: Yes, and it was really just a process of time. It just took time. But what we did is, after we did previous reporting on the ongoing situation there, several members of the broader Uyghur community living in the U.S., in the United Kingdom reached out to us and we got a tip that this was happening.

And so then we took that information from those individuals and said to the rest of the Uyghur community that we're in contact with, where are the graveyards? Where are the cemeteries that your relatives are?

And then by gathering all of that information, by looking at -- certain cemeteries are quite famous. And when we spoke to experts and we figured out the locations, and then with the locations and the latitude-longitude, then we went back and just --

SCIUTTO: And compared before and after?

RIVERS: Yes, compared before and after. And you see in the report. I mean, it's stark. There's no question, what happened.

SCIUTTO: Did the Chinese government respond at all to your report?

RIVERS: They did. And tellingly, the Chinese government did not deny that this was happening, you know? And that's their way of kind of getting around it. They justify it, saying things like, well, there's development issues, it's for the safety of the people in the community. But it just doesn't add up. These are rural cemeteries in the middle of nowhere --

SCIUTTO: Wow.

RIVERS: -- you know, there's really no need for it.

SCIUTTO: Imagine if that's where your own relatives were buried.

RIVERS: Yes.

SCIUTTO: Matt Rivers, fantastic reporting.

RIVERS: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: Thanks very much.

[10:39:45]

Still to come this hour, the top diplomat in Ukraine Bill Taylor is out. How does a change in leadership affect the future of foreign policy in that region? Remember, Ukraine remains at war with Russia. We'll discuss, ahead.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL TAYLOR, TOP DIPLOMAT IN UKRAINE: Our holding up of security assistance that would go to a country that is fighting aggression from Russia for no good policy reason, no good substantive reason, no good national security reason, is wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Remember that testimony during the impeachment inquiry in the House? Former Ambassador Bill Taylor, top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, he raised those concerns about the dangers of a Ukraine quid pro quo. And now he's gone.

[10:45:07]

Today is Taylor's last day at his post, he had been appointed after President Trump fired his predecessor, Marie Yovanovitch, believing that she was not on the president's team, as it were.

CNN's senior national correspondent Alex Marquardt, he joins me now with more details. Do we know who's going to follow him in there? It's a lot of disruption in a key post, in a key country that remains at war with Russia.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and we have to remember, Jim, that Ambassador Taylor was just temporary, he wasn't even nominated to be ambassador. And now, his number two at the embassy in Kiev, Kristina Kvien, the deputy chief of mission, she is taking over. She's been there around the same time as Taylor.

There -- the timing of his departure is extremely suspicious because Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, was expected to be in Kiev tomorrow. That trip was postponed so that Pompeo could monitor the situation with Iran and those protests in Iraq.

But it would have been incredibly awkward for Pompeo to have been seen with Taylor in Kiev right after that blockbuster testimony from Taylor, in which he testified that he did witness a quid pro quo, he saw the Trump administration holding back aid and a White House meeting in exchange for those political investigations.

I just want to remind our viewers of one exchange that Taylor had with one of the president's envoys to Ukraine, Ambassador Gordon Sondland, in which Taylor texted Sondland, saying, "As I said on the phone, I think it's crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.

Sondland then responded, "I believe you are incorrect about President Trump's intentions. The president has been crystal clear," no quid pro quos of any kind.

Jim, you'll remember, all too well, that when it was Sondland's turn to testify, he reversed that, saying in fact there was a quid pro quo --

SCIUTTO: Yes.

MARQUARDT: -- and everyone was in the loop.

Now, before his departure, Taylor did post a farewell video. Here's just a little part of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLOR: Think of the things that have happened since last June. A new Rada was elected, a new opportunity to move forward on reform, High Anti-Corruption Court was established. There have been opportunities for many of the reforms that have been pending for years and years, to be enacted by a very active Rada.

Progress toward peace in Donbass, phone calls between President Zelensky and President Putin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARQUARDT: Well, some upbeat music there, not exactly reflective of the tone of the relationship right now between the U.S. and Ukraine.

All of those positive notes that Taylor is making, no mention of the impeachment inquiry, the -- the circumstances around his departure or any quid pro quo -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: Alex Marquardt, thanks very much.

[10:47:52]

Residents in Colorado and Nebraska back here in the U.S. are scared after more than a dozen unmanned drones have been spotted there, sometimes in groups. Who's behind this midair mystery? We'll have more.

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SCIUTTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under indictment, is asking the Israeli parliament for immunity from prosecution in three -- count them, three -- corruption cases. He faces indictment on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing, and has called the ongoing proceedings an attempted coup -- does that sound familiar to you?

CNN correspondent Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem with more. So, Oren, will he get immunity?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So far, right now, the indications are no, and we'll get to the proceedings and how this all works in a moment. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had 30 days to request immunity from Parliament after the official indictment was unveiled. He waited until the last moment, submitting his request with just four hours to go until the deadline.

But in his statement, which we heard last night, it did not sound like an immunity request; it sounded like a campaign speech. He started by ticking off his accomplishments, and said he wants to lead the country for many years to come. Then he said the immunity law is designed to protect politicians from what we call -- what he called a "fabricated indictment." He has accused this of being political all along, and we heard that accusation once again.

He then shifted, after quickly saying he would request immunity, to attack on his rivals, who he says have no plan to leave the country. Well, they fired back immediately after Netanyahu's statement, and said the choice now for voters is clear in March's election, the third within 12 months as Israel faces protracted political deadlock. They said voters can either pick the interests of Netanyahu or the national interests. The kingdom of Bibi, or the state of Israel.

Where do the legal proceedings go from here? and this is where this quickly breaks down. Why is that? Netanyahu's request for immunity has to be heard by what's called the Knesset House Committee. Except because there's no fully functioning government, because there's no functioning coalition here, there's no House Committee. So Netanyahu's request can't be heard.

The legal proceedings against him, the criminal investigations he faces, the indictment he faces, all of that is now stuck. Israel's political deadlock has become its legal deadlock at this point -- Jim.

SCIUTTO: And now a third election in two months, uncertain outcome there. Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem, thanks very much.

Residents in rural parts of Colorado and Nebraska are on edge after a series of mysterious drone sightings over the past several weeks. The FAA tells CNN that multiple government agencies are now investigating. County officials say the drones are operating within federal guidelines, and they do not believe they mean any harm. They're certainly, though, scaring people there.

[10:55:15]

Still to come, a shake-up in the 2020 Democratic presidential field and several candidates announcing major fundraising hauls. We're just weeks away from the Iowa caucus. We're going to break it all down. We'll be right back.

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