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CNN Live Saturday

Twenty Prisoners Held at Guantanamo Bay; More Expected

Aired January 12, 2002 - 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: Twenty Taliban and al Qaeda detainees are wintering in Cuba. But it is certainly no holiday. Brian Andrews reports on the opening of the detention center for Afghan war detainees at the U.S. Navy base there in Guantanamo Bay.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN ANDREWS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The joint task force has been told they will be receiving period shipments of Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners, like the ones who arrived on this transport plane Friday, but it's not known when the next batch will arrive in Gitmo.

The Army colonel serving as warden for the prison camp says this first operation was a success.

COL. TERRY CARRICO, U.S. ARMY: They are really focused on mission, this was our one of our test runs, and it went extremely well. And they stepped up to the plate and hit a home run for us.

ANDREWS: The group of 20 al Qaeda and Taliban detainees who arrived on Friday spend their first night at Camp X-Ray, a temporary prison camp located at a very remote part of Guantanamo Bay Navy base.

(on camera): The camp is like a fortress, even though it's just barbed wire and a chain-link fence. The military has several layers of security built into this operation, both internal and external.

CARRICO: Positive control, firm and fair, and I'm very confident, very confident that we have the situation well in hand.

ANDREWS (voice-over): As for the detainees who are here at Gitmo in Camp X-Ray, the military tells us that they were observed praying on their first night inside their cells. They also ate meals, and we're told they also conversed with each other, as their cells are open air and they are able to have conversations through the fence.

That's the latest from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I'm Brian Andrews reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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