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CNN Live Saturday

U.S. Army Forces Relieve Marines at Kandahar Airport

Aired January 19, 2002 - 20:02   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Back in Afghanistan, U.S. soldiers have officially relieved the Marines of their duties at Kandahar Airport. It's another sign of America's long-term commitment to Afghanistan. CNN's Jonathan Aiken has the latest on the war front.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN AIKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A changing of the guard. The Army's 101st Airborne took control of the U.S. base at Kandahar Airport from the Marines who have held it for just over a month.

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, (RET.) CNN MILITARY ANALYST: You bring in more people, heavier equipment, and they've got heavy helicopters -- heavy on helicopters to go out on raids.

AIKEN: The transfer at Kandahar has been an ongoing operation. It does not affect the more than 300 detainees being held there.

Pentagon officials say the Marines will return to assault ships in the Arabian Sea, where they can be used on future missions. Half a world away, at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the more than 100 detainees there are receiving visits from a team of Red Cross officials, including a physician and a linguist.

BRIG. GEN. MICHAEL LEHNERT, U.S. MARINES: They've been allowed full access into the camps; they're looking at everything. We appreciate that. We're having some very frank discussions with them. Very open discussions.

AIKEN: The Pentagon promises humane treatment of its detainees, but human rights groups, and even coalition partners like Canada, have criticized the Spartan facilities at Camp X-ray.

In Northern Afghanistan, light at the end of the tunnel after years of war. The Salang Tunnel, a key shortcut, linking Northern Afghanistan with its capital Kabul, was reopened after being heavily damaged by anti-Taliban forces five years ago. Built by the Russians in the 1960s, used in their invasion of Afghanistan in the '70s, it will be a key route for convoys bringing desperately needed humanitarian aid into the region.

GEN. TOMMY FRANKS, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: We certainly have seen evidence of people in need of support. And all of us have worked and work everyday very hard to try to get humanitarian assistance and blankets and the like up into these more remote areas.

AIKEN: Outside Afghanistan, more arrests of suspected al Qaeda members, both in Spain and in the Philippines, where three men were arrested. Men who officials say are linked to al Qaeda terrorists.

(on camera): As those arrests show, the war on terrorism is a campaign without borders, and it could also be the front that heats up the most. U.S. bombers over Afghanistan dropped no ordinance on Friday. And on Saturday the U.S. command said it was "looking for targets of opportunity."

Jonathan Aiken, for CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: A war without borders. Tonight, of course, we're joined by CNN Military Analyst Retired General Wesley Clark, the former NATO Supreme Commander. Good evening, general.

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Hi Carol.

LIN: Let's talk about these latest arrests of these alleged al Qaeda members in the Philippines and in Singapore and in Spain. What does this tell us, or what should this tell us about the scope of the al Qaeda network?

CLARK: Well, it confirms the scope is in many different countries. As the secretary of defense has said, it's 50 to 60 countries. And I think it also shows that the intelligence bite that we're taking out of al Qaeda through our activities in Afghanistan are really paying off now. We're getting the intelligence we need to go worldwide and get these cells and take them down.

LIN: The fact that these arrests were made, does that indicate that there was likely a terrorist act in the planning and sure to happen at any day or week now?

CLARK: It may well indicate that. It may also just be that this was an opportune moment to take people in and we learned their names, and this was a time to bring them in. So nothing has been disclosed on this. Can't say yet.

LIN: And the fact that these arrests first started last week in Singapore and then moved on to the Philippines and Spain, it seems like that these individuals, al Qaeda suspects, are actually talking to investigators and giving out names and telling them now where they should go. Does this surprise you?

CLARK: Not really. People in organizations like this have all kinds of different motives. And if our interrogators are skilled as they are, and if we're treating them the right way -- and a certain number of them are going to cooperate because it's in their own best interest to do so -- and I think we're seeing the results of this.

LIN: General, are these Americans who are interrogating these al Qaeda arrestees, or are these local law enforcement in the Philippines and these other international countries who are doing the interrogation? And, if so, are they allowed to use interrogation techniques that would not be allowed by U.S. forces?

CLARK: Well, in most cases, at least in Afghanistan, we're doing the interrogation ourselves. Now there may be others who are also interrogating people before they're given to us. If that's the case, we don't really have any control over what's being done. But where we do it, we don't do anything that is not in accordance with legal procedures. That's the guidance that's given to all the armed forces, all the intelligence collection agencies and so forth.

LIN: But I guess what I'm really asking is, if it's a foreign country that's running these interrogations, and, frankly, if they're allowed to torture the people they arrest, is that a more effective way of cracking down on al Qaeda? That we allow these foreign countries to interrogate at their -- according to their own customs?

CLARK: There's always mixed results as a result of torture. Some people break under it, but in the long term, we've always found that it's counterproductive because it builds enemies against you. And so I think, really, the basic manuals on interrogation say you've got to know the person. You've got to get to know that person and find out what motivates him. And if you do that, you may not have to rely on torture to get good information.

Now other countries may be torturing, and we're not going to be able to stop that. But we certainly don't want to be complicit in it. That's not our standard.

LIN: On another matter, President Musharraf of Pakistan made an interesting statement this week. He said that he thinks that Osama bin Laden is dead because he would need kidney dialysis in order to stay alive. Do you believe this to be true?

CLARK: I -- Osama bin Laden has been known as a hypochondriac. Maybe he has been on dialysis at some point, but my guess is he's not dead. And I say that primarily because we would have heard something. Some family member somewhere -- and, Carol, have we ever heard from the family? He had several wives; he had more than a dozen children. Where are they? And so I think that's the clue for us to go after to find out where he is. My guess, he's in a friendly country, and if he needs dialysis, they're giving it to him.

LIN: Well then why would President Musharraf make such a public statement, knowing it would be echoed around the world that he believed bin Laden is dead? Is this just a cover for the fact that bin Laden hasn't been found yet?

CLARK: Well, as I saw it, he really said there were four options. And he did mention this is what he thought was a possible option. But I don't think the Pakistanis know either.

LIN: All right. Well it seems, though, it's good news for the Marines to be going back to their ship. They'll get a warm shower and something hot to eat. But I was cracking up earlier in Jonathan Aiken's report, because some of the Marines were dissing the Army guys coming in saying, "Hey, we the Marines, did all the hard work. And now they just have to make sure they don't lose the fort." What's that about?

CLARK: Well, there is always a little bit of friendly inter- service rivalry. And, you know, this is the furthest the Marines have ever deployed inland in an operation. They went several hundred miles. Normally they operate just in what's called a lateral area. It's right off the -- right off the coastline. And now they're really in deep. The Army -- many in the Army felt that they should have been in there doing it. But in reality, it's going to take all of our men and women in uniform in all of the services working together to make this operation come off, because we're in for a long-term struggle.

LIN: Long term. How long do you think U.S. forces are going to be inside of Afghanistan?

CLARK: In Afghanistan, I would say we'll be there more than two years. We've got to stabilize the country. It is going to take time. It would be nice if it became a democracy; we don't know if it can become that. But we do know that if we pull out it will collapse again.

LIN: Surely. All right, thank you very much, general. Always good to see you.

CLARK: Thanks, Carol.

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