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CNN Live Saturday

Pentagon Blames Bad Weather for Crash of U.S. Helicopter and Loss of Unmanned Surveillance Drone

Aired November 03, 2001 - 16:05   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Now the Pentagon is blaming bad weather in Afghanistan for the crash of U.S. special forces helicopter, which injured four servicemen. And defense officials also blame the weather for the loss of unmanned spy plane. Taliban, however, telling a much different story about what happened to the two aircraft. Let's go to CNN's Jonathan Aiken who is standing by for us at the Pentagon with the latest. What is the Pentagon telling you?

JONATHAN AIKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, something far different from what the Taliban claims. Taliban says that it shot down two U.S. helicopters over Afghanistan Saturday and killed somewhere between 40 and 50 Americans. It also claims to have downed an unmanned reconnaissance drone. As you mentioned, Catherine, the Pentagon has another turn of events in this case, blaming bad weather.

Let's give you the details of both incidents, and we'll begin with the helicopters. According to the military, two U.S. choppers were on a mission in Afghanistan, flying in bad weather. One of the choppers tried to land, couldn't, crash-landed in the bad weather. The second chopper landed safely, managed to retrieve the crew of four from the first helicopter. After that chopper departed, F-14 Tomcats, very similar to one you're about to see, F-14s based on the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt in the Arabian Sea, flew back to the location of that downed helicopter and destroyed it.

We're told that's standard operating procedure in the event that U.S. aircraft may have sensitive material on board, material the U.S. military doesn't want its enemies to see. As for the crew of four, we are told they were treated for what the Pentagon calls "non-life- threatening injuries."

Now, in the case of the drone, that was an unmanned Predator drone, very similar to this one, flying, the Taliban says, over eastern Afghanistan when it was shut down. The Air Force claims that bad weather brought down the drone, and that it won't even bother to try to retrieve it.

Now, in terms of fighting, it's been a busy day for U.S. aircraft over Afghanistan. Sixty-five fighter jets and strike aircraft being used to targeting six areas in and around the capital of Kabul, the stronghold, the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, and it's not on the map there, but to the east of Mazar-e-Sharif is a town called Kondoz (ph), and there was substantial U.S. military action located in that area.

The strikes in the north and around Kabul focused on Taliban troop placements. We're told the strikes elsewhere in the country focused on the network of tunnels and caves beings used by Taliban and al Qaeda forces -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: And Jonathan, good news that the crew was rescued and in good shape. Tell us more about the Predator. This isn't the first Predator that has been downed there in Afghanistan, is it?

AIKEN: No, there were other drones that have been used, and drones have been used continuously ever since this operation began. This is the first drone that was downed that was used and flown, operated, sometimes by remote control, by the U.S. military. We are told that the other drone that was downed early in this operation was flown by another U.S. agency -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right. CNN's Jonathan Aiken at the Pentagon. Thanks, Jonathan.

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