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General Killed in Afghanistan; Ebola Patient in U.S.; Mideast Cease-Fire

Aired August 05, 2014 - 14:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And here we go. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for joining me here on this Tuesday.

We have to begin with the difficult and dangerous U.S. military mission in Afghanistan. It has now stormed back into the headlines today with word that a U.S. general has been shot and killed by a gunman believed to have been an Afghan soldier. If you look at a map here, it happened just outside of the capital of Kabul at a training center for Afghan military officers. This is basically, as we've been talking to reporters it's inside of Kabul, it's likened to an Afghan version of West Point, where the country's future military leaders are trained.

Up to 15 others, including some Americans and a German brigadier general, were wounded in this same attack. We can tell you at this hour that the gunmen, the assailant here, was killed. By whom, we do not yet know. The Pentagon says the general's death is one of the highest ranking American deaths in the war since 9/11/2001.

Let's go more from CNN's chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto, who is live for us at the Pentagon right now, and former CIA counterterrorism official Philip Mudd, standing by to offer his analysis as well.

So welcome to both of you.

And just, Jim Sciutto, to you, what is the very latest? What do we know?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, certainly a grim day for the people here in the Pentagon, but also for coalition forces in Afghanistan. As you say, the most senior U.S. general killed since 9/11. In fact, a three star general who was killed here in the Pentagon on 9/11. But a significant toll as well, 15 injured, eight of them American, and we're told that eight -- several of those injuries are serious.

I've also learned that this attacker was an Afghan soldier who had gone through a vetting process because these so-called green on blue attacks, Afghan soldiers attacking coalition forces, have been an ongoing problem with the U.S. military for a number of years now. They've introduced a vetting process. This soldier went through that vetting process, but still this morning turned his gun, a light machine gun, I'm told, on these soldiers, killing that one U.S. general and injuring several more seriously. And that raises very serious questions, not only about the vetting

process, but also about what's going on underway right now, which is the transition from security in Afghanistan being handled by coalition forces in the lead to Afghan forces. And t hose two issue I raised with the Pentagon spokesman, Admiral John Kirby, a short time ago here in the Briefing Room. Here's how he answered, Brooke.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Wondered, bigger picture, we're months away from Afghan -- from the U.S. handing over security responsibility for Afghanistan to Afghan forces like these. Does this undermine your confidence in their ability to take over that role?

REAR ADM. JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: Great question, Jim.

First, too soon to tell on what this means for the vetting process. Again, we believe this individual was a member of the Afghan National Security Forces. We need to let the investigation proceed to figure out exactly who this was before we can lead to any conclusions about the vetting process.

On your second question, I would say, and General Dunford (ph) mentioned this in his discussion with the secretary today, the Afghan National Security Forces continue to perform at a very strong level of competence and confidence and warfare capability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: We're told that this was a routine visit to the national defense university, the Marshal Fahim National Defense University. This is a massive training facility outside of Kabul, the capital in Afghanistan, where they are underway with training. You know, the senior leaders of the Afghan military going forward. And this is -- you know, it's a real blow to those efforts to have an attack like this take place at what is really Afghanistan's West Point, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Yes. To underscore that, these are apparently the future leaders of Afghanistan, so it's huge.

And, Phil Mudd, let me just add, we learned just a little bit ago that the Taliban are not claiming responsibility for this specific attack, but the spokesperson is praising this Afghan soldier who carried out these shootings.

But I want to take it back to the question that Jim Sciutto asked of John Kirby, that being the undermining of the confidence between Americans and Afghans. How can it not, as we are preparing more or less to withdraw?

PHILIP MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST: I think you've got to separate out the tragedy that we've witnessed in the past 24 hours from the trend line we've seen for a couple years. These kinds of insider attacks, what's called green on blue, were almost a weekly occurrence back in 2012. They've dropped dramatically through 2013 and into this year. And we've also seen the Afghan security forces take it to the Taliban, particularly in the Taliban heartland of the south. So this is a tragedy, but let's not assume it suggests that the Taliban is on the resurgence here.

BALDWIN: We know, just looking down at my notes, I believe it was 61 coalition officers killed when it was really at its peak in 2012 with those insider attacks.

Jim Sciutto, how often has this happened, taking out the significant of this general being killed, how often have these green on blue attacks say happened in the last 365 days?

SCIUTTO: Well, to Phil's point, they did peak in 2012 and those attacks dipped in 2013. There have only been a couple so far this year in 2014. That's a step forward. There is a risk going forward though because as the U.S. military and coalition forces pull back, it's going to be Afghan forces making the decisions, vetting the soldiers when they come in and presumably they won't have the same ability that U.S. and coalition forces have had to prevent this kind of attack down the line. So that's a risk to be aware of going forward.

But to Phil's point, tremendous progress has been made among those measures, a vetting process that this soldier went through, but, of course, as Admiral Kirby said today, those measures mitigate the risk, but this is still a war zone, they don't eliminate the risk.

BALDWIN: OK. Phil Mudd and Jim Sciutto, I appreciate you both joining me on this story.

We're going to take you back to it, but I just want to hit pause and take you straight to this news conference. This has just begun. We've been watching and waiting for that second Ebola victim to be taken, as she now has, to Emory Medical Center in Atlanta. She is Nancy Writebol. The group that she was working with, she was living in Monrovia in Africa, in Liberia. So this group she was employed by, Serving In Mission, SIM, they're holding a news conference. Let's dip in.

BRUCE JOHNSON, PRESIDENT, SIM USA: Husband David, he's still in Liberia. He may be available for interviews later on. But again, right now his focus and our focus is for that family to care for one another and to give them the space to love mom.

You can contact Palmer (ph), of course, with any further questions that you might have.

Let me just update you on Nancy before she left Liberia. We've seen her arrive here on the stretcher. It was a much different scene than Kent. There's an age difference between Kent and Nancy. But I talked with David about 11:00 a.m. in Liberia and I asked him, David, if you were at your home church, what would you share with someone that came up to you and said, how's Nancy doing? And he said, Nancy is still very weak. She shows signs of continued improvement. She's showing signs of progress and is moving in the right direction. And Nancy had yogurt before she got on the airplane. Hope she got some peanuts on the flight over. When Nancy was put on the airplane at 1:00 a.m. Monrovia time, they

took her to the plane on a stretcher. However, she did stand up and with assistance got on the airplane, which was great news.

He said, you know, we still have a long ways to go but we have reason for hope. And as he said, we are cautiously optimistic. You know, he also went on to say that, Nancy and I are profoundly grateful to the U.S. government and all that were marshalled on behalf of them and to be able to have Nancy back in the U.S. I am very happy and I'm extremely grateful. I'm not anxious or fretful or fearful, just relieved, as you could imagine. A week ago, he said, we were thinking about possible funeral arrangements, yet we kept our faith. Now we have a real reason to be hopeful. We would have gone over the edge. I would have gone over the edge if I hadn't been able to communicate with family and dear friends by phone and over the Internet.

The degree of care that Nancy has received in Liberia has been exceptional on our mission campus. It's not like having a nurse just come up and come in and puff up your pillows. It's more like going into a nuclear reactor. The suits are very clumsy, they're hot, they're very uncomfortable, but it was like watching the love of Christ take place right before your eyes. And then at the end of the call, David actually prayed for me.

Jeremy Writebol has issued this statement that will be made available to you. Jeremy said, we are tremendously relieved that our mother is back in the United States. We know that she will receive the best medical care possible at Emory University Hospital. We're grateful to everyone who has joined us in praying for this moment. Please continue to pray for her and for Dr. Kent Brantly.

I'd be glad to take your questions.

Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).

JOHNSON: Good to see you again, Kate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good to see you too. So it sounds like really good news. What is Nancy's prognosis? How long do you think she might have to be here?

JOHNSON: The doctors that are caring for her now at Emory University, we're turning those reports over to Emory University Hospital on those kinds of situations, her medical care.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Steve Osunsami with ABC News. How are you?

JOHNSON: Good, Steve.

BALDWIN: SIM -- this is the president of SIM, Serving In Mission. This is the group that Nancy Writebol, a woman who had been living with her husband David in Liberia, had been working with, employed by, working with Samaritan's Purse, doing great work in West Africa when she had gotten Ebola. She is the second American Ebola patient. And she's just landed in Georgia.

But just quickly, something to note. Just pretty stunning to know that she is in Atlanta being taken care of at Emory Medical Center, as we're watching her being taken earlier today out of this ambulance. But to listen to the president of SIM talk about the conversation he had with her husband saying it was just a week ago when they were already thinking of funeral arrangements and here she is steadily improving.

She is in this hospital in the same isolation ward with Dr. Kent Brantly. He was working with Ebola patients in Liberia as well last month when he became infected. Here they both are. So they're both Americans. They have both been given this highly experimental serum to treat this virus that, keep in mind, has never before been tested on humans. And so far, the drug seems to be working.

Joining me now from Atlanta, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, our chief medical (INAUDIBLE) Emory Hospital, one of four medical facilities in the country, we should point out, with extensive isolation procedures.

So, Sanjay Gupta, I mean just incredible pictures earlier watching her. I was waiting to see is she'd be walking out of the ambulance like we saw the doctor. She was instead, you know, on that gurney with those medical professionals covered head-to-toe. What did you make of that when you saw those pictures?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, what I would say is that I was more surprised that Dr. Brantly, a patient from a few days ago, had walked into the hospital from the ambulance. The fact that she was on a gurney I thought was more sort of what we expected, especially given how grave their conditions were just a few days ago. Brooke, I was struck by the same thing that you were struck by. You know, we hear from Mr. Johnson there just giving that press conference saying that her husband, you know, was talking about, you know, planning funeral arrangements for her. It's - I mean I just - it's hard to even imagine what the family's been going through for some time now, left wondering, waiting for some time until they're just now reunited with her family members for the first time.

But again, you know, Dr. Brantly, it was a similar sort of situation, Brooke. You may remember, I mean, he thought he was going to die. He spoke to his wife on the phone telling her as much and then, you know, he was given this treatment, which seemed to have a dramatic impact on him. Improvement, you know, by the next morning he was up, able to shower on his own before he got on the plane to fly here.

BALDWIN: Amazing.

GUPTA: A similar sort of thing we're hearing now with her. Those are some more details that we had not heard before, Brooke, in terms of just how grave her condition was.

BALDWIN: So they were thinking of funeral arrangements a week ago. Now we hear that she was able to at least eat yogurt before getting on that plane en route from Africa via Maine to Atlanta. Let me ask you now, though, Sanjay, about the people, both head-to-toe, I mean nothing -- everything covered, taking her inside Emory to the isolation unit. What do we think is happening now behind closed doors with both of these patients? What kind of precautions are being taken?

GUPTA: Well, first of all, I think they probably took Ms. Writebol up to this isolation unit. Obviously that's the reason she is here, to get that - she's going to be in that isolation ward. But they're also probably going to do a full assessment now, something that she has likely not had in Liberia, according to the doctors I spoke to. And that means, you know, how her heart - how is her heart, how are her lungs kidney, her liver, all of those questions and obviously trying to determine, does she need additional fluids, does she need any blood problems, has she had any bleeding problems.

She also got two of three doses of that experimental medication that we've been talking about, Brooke. A third dose is planned now, we understand, for Wednesday.

BALDWIN: OK.

GUPTA: The Emory University doctors have been in touch with the National Institutes of Health and the FDA to get her that medication here. And my guess is at some point the family is going to visit her as well. I mean, again, they've been - they've been waiting for a long time for this.

BALDWIN: Can't imagine. Thinking about their family members, their loved ones, wishing and obviously hoping for the best as we are for them as well.

Dr. Gupta, thank you very much for me, outside of Emory Medical Center.

And coming up in about 15 minutes from now, we're going to come back to this story and ask the question, what are airports doing to screen passengers possibly with Ebola? We'll take a closer look at the step officials are taking to try to keep people on board those planes safe.

Also ahead, a major move, Russia, building up troops along the Ukrainian border, and they could be ready to strike at a moment's notice. Question we want to know is, is Vladimir Putin nervous? Is he worried?

Plus, just hours into a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, my next guest says it's pretty clear now that Israel must bring Hamas, the militant group, to the negotiation table. Hear why.

You're watching CNN's special coverage.

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BALDWIN: Welcome back. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

The guns have fallen silent in Gaza. Israeli troops have left the Gaza Strip and the cease-fire that started at 13 hours ago, it is holding. Both sides are sending signals they are finished, at least for now. Talks to try to cement a longer term truce are to begin in Egypt once Israeli negotiators arrive. A Palestinian team is already waiting and the mediators are the Egyptians. Having fled their homes in search of safety, Gazans now are returning. Many, as you can see, on these just rickety buggies. Some are finding their homes still standing. But after a month of Israeli air strikes, others have next to nothing.

Officials in Gaza say Israeli attacks killed more than 1,800 people, 70 percent of whom the U.N. considers to have been civilians. For its part, Israel says it lost 64 soldiers and three civilians in assaults carried out by Hamas.

Israel also says its soldiers took out 32 of these tunnels leading in and out of Gaza. Tunnels used by Hamas to resupply and stage terror attacks. The Israelis say they also destroyed some 3,000 unfired rockets and killed 900 militant fighters.

With me now live from London, Ed Husain, he is with the Council on Foreign Relations based here in New York.

Ed, welcome back.

ED HUSAIN, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Thank you for having me again, Brooke. Good to be with you.

BALDWIN: Great to have you. I mean as we talk about this current iteration of the cease-fire, do you think this is finally the real deal?

HUSAIN: No, sadly I don't because we've been here multiple times during this conflict and over the last 30 to 40 years we've been here several times. This is only, sadly, a temporary cease-fire. It's a question of time before Israel is forced to go back to conflict. And I think it's a question of days before rockets are again lobbed into Israeli territory. And that's because Hamas isn't in full control of Gaza.

There are people who are more extreme than Hamas, such as Islamic jihad, who will violate the peace process or the peace agreement if it holds in the coming days, and then Israel will be forced to either respond in some way and go to war again or try and cut a deal with Hamas to unleash its own war against those who oppose both Hamas and Israel. And my point is this, that, yes, Israel can continue to go to war over and over again. But ultimately this threatens Israeli security in the long term and I don't think it's a viable solution for Israeli survival and security in the decades and centuries ahead.

BALDWIN: Well, a lot of the thrust of your piece is about Hamas. Hamas at the negotiating table taming, I believe, taming was the word you used when it came to Hamas. And so as we're talking about these talks to cement and broaden the cease-fire agreement, that they are set to begin in Egypt as soon as the Israelis arrive.

I want you to just look at this. We've pulled this. This is former President Jimmy Carter, actually. He's writing today about the role of Hamas going forward. So this is what President Carter wrote in the pages of a newspaper. "The United States and Europe should recognize that Hamas is not a military but also a political force. Only by recognizing its legitimacy can the west begin to provide the right incentive for Hamas to lay down its weapons." Has - I mean, how realistic is that and to what extent has this militant, this terrorist group, as they've been labeled, how have they been defanged by this past month of Israeli attacks?

HUSAIN: They haven't been defanged, Brooke. Their nature is that as long as they are alive and as long as they're committed to the psychology of warfare, they will continue to thrive, draw new recruits from the children of the dead and continue to fight for decades ahead. You're absolutely right, the defanging must happen and the defanging happens through giving them the recognition that they call for.

And let's not forget, this (INAUDIBLE), the current so-called prime minister of Hamas in Gaza, wrote to President Bush in 2006 calling on the United States government, a, to recognize Hamas as a political force, which it was by virtue of winning the elections in 2006 in Gaza, and, b, extended a long-lasting cease-fire with Israel by its own volition. And the American government, under President George W. Bush made the mistake of ignoring Hamas because we deemed it as a terrorist organization.

Now, it's important to remember that Hama is not the first organization that has both a political arm and a terrorist arm. The Irish Republican Army was the militant wing of Shinfan (ph), the Irish mainstream separatist political force. The American government, the British government, and Irish government, dealt with the - with the Shinfan and led to what is now essentially defanging of the (INAUDIBLE) and we have a sustained --

BALDWIN: But in this case, Ed, it seems like they - there is no - that they both feel so defined on either side, Hamas won't recognize the right of Israel to exist, how can they even begin to sit at the negotiating table when the head of Hamas sat down with our own Nic Robertson and wouldn't even - you know, totally skirted that question when he asked that of him? How is it possible to find a middle ground?

HUSAIN: He -- so what normally happens is, that's not the starting point. It's not to say whether you recognize Israel as a starting point but that's the end result of a discussion process. And secondly, the Israelis would turn around and say to us, well, the Kuds (ph) charter doesn't recognize a Palestinians state, so we can't get as emotional as they -

BALDWIN: Absolutely correct.

HUSAIN: As they do over this. We've got to retain a level of intellectual objectively and a sense of grand strategy here and bring both strategies - both sides to the table by taking all of this nonsense to a side. It's like being with children in a playground. You said so-and-so. You said such and such. The issues at stake are much greater. An entire region is now inflamed by this conflict between two emotional people that can't get beyond the division of land and the historic claims and counter claims to it. And we can't let ourselves get sucked into it and play to their game of, oh, you've got to recognize me first. Well, no, that's not how it works. We can pursue both on a two-track process and come to those discussions later rather than at the outset.

BALDWIN: I totally hear your point. I think the world would agree with you, this is nonsense but it's nonsense with way too much bloodshed.

Ed Husain, I want to push everyone to read your opinion piece at CNN. Just go to cnn.com/opinion to read Ed Husain's article.

Coming up next, just weeks after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot out of the sky, new word that pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine may be losing and Russia's building up troops along the border. We'll take you there live.

Plus, experts say there's no real way of knowing whether someone infected with Ebola boards a plane. We'll talk about that coming up.

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