Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

U.S. Forces Continue Air Raids on Kabul and Kandahar

Aired October 20, 2001 - 16:07   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, overseas we're also learning more about what went on last night in and around Kandahar, the Taliban stronghold in the south there.

Let's pick things up with CNN's John Vause in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, monitoring things from there. John, hello again to you.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hi again, Bill. Well, the situation in Afghanistan we reported earlier on those helicopters over the capital Kabul. We also had reports that the Taliban had fired anti-aircraft fire at those helicopters or helicopter.

People on the ground certainly confirmed hearing one helicopter over the city of Kabul. So far, no uptake on what's been going on there. We know that, in fact, there had been some heavy fighting outside of Kabul. We believe that was a push by the Northern Alliance into the capital.

We know that the Northern Alliance has been fighting on a number of fronts over the last few weeks, but in fact this push into Kabul the latest offensive that they have launched, but indeed they are out manned and outgunned.

Whether or not this push was inspired by the U.S. troops on the ground, we do not know, but indeed some fairly heavy and intensive fighting earlier tonight by the Northern Alliance as they try and push into the capital Kabul.

Now in Kandahar, our people on the ground have also reported those AC-130 gun ships over the city. Once again, we are waiting for an update from them as to what the situation is there.

The last word we had from them was in fact that those AC-130's were in a descending mode. They were circling over the city and heading to a lower altitude, but that was the last word we had.

We know, in fact, that the situation in Kandahar, there had been some fairly heavy shelling during the day. We also know that before those Special Operations troops went in yesterday, there was some fairly pounding air strikes on the city to try and soften up those Taliban forces that were there. You know those strikes have, in fact, been ongoing, but as we say at this stage it certainly appears to be all quiet in Kandahar. Now, we are receiving some word from the refugees who are arriving at the border here in Pakistan. They have been arriving by the thousands over the last few days. They said that the situation in Kandahar is indeed fairly grim, no electricity, very little running water, food in fact is running quite low.

They also say that indeed there has been general looting, looting of abandoned shops, of abandoned homes, people who have packed up and left. Those who are staying or a small band of militia, in fact, have been going from house to house and shop to shop looting what is left behind.

And we know, in fact, at the border today 5,000 people arrived in the border city of Chaman. They were let in because they had the proper documentation. By that we mean they had visas for Pakistan or indeed they had Pakistan ID cards. All the border guards were allowed to let in desperate hardship cases at their discretion.

We also have heard reports that border guards are being bribed to allow certain people across the border. We are also being told by the U.N. that there is something like 10,000 people, an estimated 10,000 people still on the outside on the Afghanistan side of that border waiting to cross, indeed a fairly grim situation at the border, and indeed in Kandahar -- Bill.

HEMMER: John, one of the things that is so critical throughout this campaign is the reaction for the Pakistani people, whether in Islamabad or Karachi or the town of Quetta.

It has been several days since we have seen any videotape of protests. Have you been able to gauge reaction on the streets of Pakistan, and if so, what are people saying?

VAUSE: The situation here, it's fairly controlled. It's fairly muted if you like. It's been building and building, slowly and slowly, but what you have here, you have those hard-liner Islamic fundamentalists who, we have had rallies yesterday, the day before. The rallies have not been growing in number, but they've been growing in rhetoric and, I guess, in violence.

They've been burning those effigies. They've been burning American flags. We've been saying time and time again, the longer these air strikes go on, the more incensed the people of Pakistan will be getting.

But we haven't seen any evidence of that yet. We have seen some groups of fairly moderate people, some doctors and lawyers who took to the streets to prove that it wasn't just the Islamic hard-liners who were, you know, taking -- whose anti-American sentiment were rising because of these strikes.

What we're seeing is a group of people who understand the action that the government has taken, but certainly do not agree with it. They understand that President Musharraf in their words had no choice but to support the U.S. in these air strikes and support the coalition. However, they certainly don't agree with it. The issue though, as far as the moderate people go, they say just because they're not taking to the streets and burning flags and burning effigies does not mean that in their hearts they agree with this coalition.

HEMMER: Something we will keep a close eye on in the days and weeks forward. John Vause reporting live in Islamabad. John, thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com