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CNN Live Saturday

U.S. Forces in Kuwait Part of War on Terrorism

Aired November 24, 2001 - 18:20   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.
JONATHAN MANN, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. forces in and around Afghanistan have been the focus of America's New War, but there are also troops in a former hot spot that are also fighting the war on terror, just out of the limelight. Sarah Dodd of CNN affiliate KTVT reports from Kuwait.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And just follow me right here with this line right here.

SARAH DODD, KTVT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thousands of U.S. soldiers are setting up camp in northern Kuwait, just miles away from the Iraqi border. Even their deployment orders are not officially part of Enduring Freedom, deterring terrorism is the focus of this mission.

GEN. TOMMY FRANKS, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: Each of the states in this region and each of the nations with whom we work on this counter- terrorism problem are all doing their own work inside their own countries looking for not only al Qaeda, but a great many other terrorist organizations and networks.

DODD: General Tommy Franks traveled to Kuwait to show support for the additional troops who just arrived this week. The number of U.S. soldiers stationed here has now tripled.

FRANKS: As we have continued to set conditions for this global sort of approach to terrorism that we're looking at, we're simply looking around for training opportunities, and we're looking around for coalition opportunities where we put forces for short periods of time.

DODD (on camera): There are three base camps in Kuwait for U.S. troops stationed here. This one is a central location. From this camp, supplies are distributed, the motor pool is maintained, and this is the only location for soldiers to receive medical care.

(voice-over): Medics are trained for many scenarios, including regular sick calls, disease, even the possibility of mass casualties, and the entire battalion is prepared for anything that may happen.

LT. COL. CASSANDRA ROBERTS, U.S. ARMY: This is what we do. This is what we train to do, and so therefore, it's like this is kind of like we've gone through the playoffs and now we're in the Super Bowl, and we're ready to execute.

DODD: For these troops, this deployment will last about six months, but the war on terrorism will likely last much longer.

FRANKS: We have a long, long way to go before we finish this, but I think we've made a pretty good start.

DODD: Troops are also bracing for cooler temperatures. Winters in the Kuwaiti desert are often harsh, with temperatures falling fast, often getting below freezing.

Reporting from Kuwait, Sarah Dodd.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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