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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

U.S. & Allies Attack ISIS in Syria; Tens of Thousands Refugees Seeking to Flee Syria for Turkey

Aired September 23, 2014 - 04:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: A major story breaking this hour. The U.S. and its Arab allies launching a significant attack from the air on ISIS.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm John Berman. About 32 minutes past the hour right now. We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world.

Military officials say the targets hit were in the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa, but also three other Syrian cities. They're mostly buildings and other so-called hard targets. The aim: to degrade ISIS command and control and resupply and training. Now, these airstrikes represent a significant escalation in the battle against Islamic terror group. A campaign has been confined to targets inside Iraq.

ROMANS: Now, the strikes began with sea-launched tomahawk missiles, followed up by bombers, fighter jets, drones. And the U.S. is not alone in launching these air strikes. American military officials say all the partner nations involved are Arab countries. They include Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

We're keeping you up to date in continuing developments, complete coverage from around the world.

Let's start with senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns -- Joe.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Christine, in the early stages of this campaign, the effort to take out the command and control of ISIS is only beginning. The latest information from Central Command, this was a mix of fighter, bomber, drone or remotely piloted aircraft and tomahawk land attack missiles conducting 14 strikes against ISIS targets. The Pentagon says the strikes destroyed or damaged multiple targets in the area of Raqqa, Dayr az Zawr, al Hasakah and Abu Kamal.

The targets included ISIS fighters, training compounds, headquarters, and command and control facilities, storage facilities, a finance center, supply trucks and armored vehicles.

They used a total of 47 tomahawk missiles launched from USS Arleigh Burke and the USS Philippine Sea, as well as fighter airplanes from the Air Force, Navy and Marines, remotely piloted aircraft and bombers as well. The U.S. said the allies from Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE did participate in those airstrikes. All aircraft safely exited the strike area, CentCom said.

Separately now, CentCom says, and the United States has also taken action to disrupt the imminent attack, they call it, plotting against the United States and Western interests conducted by a network of seasoned al Qaeda veterans, sometimes referred to as the Khorasan group who established a safe haven in Syria to develop external attacks, construct and test improvised explosive devices and recruit Westerners to conduct operations. Those strikes undertaken only by U.S. assets.

Eight strikes against Khorasan, we're told, those occurred west of Aleppo -- John and Christine.

ROMANS: And that is interesting, Joe, that this is an operation within an operation. Tell us a little bit more are these al Qaeda extremists and how they have been able to operate sort of freely underneath the ISIS umbrella inside Syria.

JOHNS: They absolutely have. And they are referred to as an al Qaeda offshoot, if you will, which is very interesting, given the fact we heard so much of the last days and weeks about ISIS. So, the United States decided to take this on its own, even though the allies were participating in the operations against ISIS at roughly the same time, Christine.

ROMANS: An al Qaeda operation within an ISIS operation, in the midst of the very big air campaign in Syria. A very busy evening no question and just the beginning, I'm sure.

Joe Johns, thank you.

BERMAN: And that attack against Khorasan was to disrupt an eminent attack plotting against the United States. We're going to find out much more about that.

We want to move to the other reporters in the region.

CNN's Arwa Damon is live in Turkey, on the border with Syria.

This has been the key the flashpoint in the struggle against ISIS. Tens of thousands of refugees have been attempting to flow over that border from Syria into Turkey. Nevertheless, Turkey not involved, Arwa, in this new operation.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, it has not been directly involved in it. That is because up until this past weekend, ISIS had 49 Turkish hostages in its custody. Now that the release has been negotiated, and they are safely back on Turkish territory, the government here presumably will become more aggressive in its position against ISIS and potentially even join the coalition where we are right now, one of the border crossings that has been opened with Syria and Turkey here.

There are a few hundred refugees waiting on other side to cross. We're expecting the border to open at any point in time in the morning. This is just one of the areas where upwards of 130,000 people have crossed since ISIS pushed into Syria's predominately Kurdish northern areas. The town of Kobani just across the border, still managing to hold out against ISIS fighters. They are the Kurdish fighting force, getting some reinforcements from Turkey's Kurdish population that help boost their morale, allowing them to make some gains against ISIS over the last few days.

What they are hoping is that because of these air strikes that took place, especially those that took place around Raqqa, they'd be able to push back ISIS from the southern front as well. We also did manage to get a hold of a Syrian activist inside Raqqa who said that ISIS had previously evacuated a lot of the buildings that they were occupying and since the U.S. airstrikes began, had a greater presence in the streets, seemingly trying to further imbed themselves amongst the civilian population. But he also said that he went outside to the market place next to one of the hospitals, he saw a number of dead ISIS fighters wounded amongst them as well. But the population, they are still incredibly fearful.

As we have been reporting, this is not a battle that is going to be won by military might alone or by air strikes. This right now, what we're seeing is very significant, but still just the beginning of what promises to be a very long and protracted fight against ISIS, not just in Syria, but also in Iraq and potentially other nations as well.

BERMAN: All right. Arwa Damon for us on the border between Turkey and Syria, which has been the site of humanitarian crisis over the last several days -- Arwa, we'll check back in with you in just a little bit.

ROMANS: And that coalition of five Arab nations, a lot of people making much of that this morning, that there is some Colonel Rick Francona surprised that said that it is a good, solid coalition of Arab nations. Turkey not part of that yet.

BERMAN: Not part of it, yet, despite being on the border, Turkey not even letting the United States and other nations use their air bases, which are right on the border with Syria for offensive air strikes against ISIS. We will keep following this.

Coming up, we're going to have more of the breaking coverage of the first U.S. and coalition airstrikes in Syria. We're going to go live to one of those coalition nations. United Arab Emirates.

Becky Anderson is there for us. Stay with us.

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ROMANS: Breaking news overnight. The U.S. and at least five Arab nations now carrying out airstrikes in Syria, intensifying this campaign against ISIS in Syria. The strikes focus on Raqqa, the de facto capital of the ISIS self-declared Islamic State. But it's not just Raqqa. It is three other Syrian cities as well.

Tomahawk missiles launched from the sea began the strikes against the Sunni extremists, followed by bombers and fighters. The strikes also include a building in the governor's compound, a post office, a recruitment center. No word on casualties yet this morning.

Becky Anderson following the very latest for us from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

The UAE, one of America's five Arab partners in this fight.

Good morning, Becky.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A very good morning to you.

Yes, U.S. CentCom confirming five nations, including the UAE, either, excuse me, participated in or supported the actions overnight against ISIS. Now, the facts as we know them are that Jordan, I spoken to the minister on air on CNN this morning, the minister of state there. He can confirm that airstrikes were launched from Jordan by Jordan into Syria.

He says that ISIS group had infiltrated their borders. They are back. They are safe, their pilots. He says it is an ongoing operation for them.

What the Saudis, the UAE, and Bahrain are doing remains to be seen. It may be a support role they're playing rather than actually putting their jets in the air.

And then there's Qatar. Now, Qatar has been in a rift between the other GCC members who are relying on the U.S. here with the Saudi, Bahrain and UAE where I am today and Qatar, who have been hosting to date the Muslim Brotherhood. The rise of the political Islam, alongside with the fear of this ISIS group in Iraq and in Syria that is worrying people so much in the region.

So, we are yet to get the details as to exactly what Qatar may have been up to in this coordinated effort. Certainly, we know there has been support, if not participation by all four of those and specific participation by Jordan. That is what we do know to date. What we are still waiting to find out is who is going to raise their heads, as it were in Turkey and in Egypt, two other very big players in this region. We are waiting to find out if indeed Turkey will change its strategy of late and actually get involved. And then what Egypt might do going forward.

Nothing from those two countries as things stand today, Christine.

ROMANS: And in the Turkey front, it has been cautious in part because it had 49 of its diplomats and their families who are being held by ISIS. So, those have been released. So, you can see the other issue going on. But, you know, its border -- I mean, there's been illegal smuggling of

oil over border. It is clearly right there in the middle of this and we'll have to make some sort of stand here. Let me ask you about the people of the UAE, because you got these five Arab nations, a coalition that many are calling historic this morning. But these are the governments who have agreed to go up with the United States against Sunni extremists. It's not necessarily the people. We want to see the people are with their governments here, right?

ANDERSON: This is really crucial. I mean, already, crucially, you got the Sunni majority countries fighting against a group, ISIS, who say they are fighting in the name of Sunni Islam.

So, a very difficult diplomatic dance here by these governments. But clearly, these are allies of the U.S., and clearly, the U.S. is convinced these countries who are all incredibly fearful of this ISIS movement, growing in strength and moving outside of its sort of scope of interest, that being Syria and Iraq at the moment, and potentially getting out to these wider regions, including the Gulf here. So, it's understandable, you can see why the governments got involved.

Turn to the people, I just have been looking at Twitter and getting a sense of what the newspapers here are saying. I'm interested to see that the headlines I'm seeing out of the newspapers this morning locally here to the UAE, for example, aren't actually talking about the efforts sort of being made overnight.

Now, that may be because they have not written their stories, but written their headlines today. It's not a headline story here. That's the interesting point at present. I believe having spoken to a lot of people here and I have been in region now for a very long time speaking to people on the street right up to the government here.

Look, I think the people on the street believe that ISIS is a real threat and a real sense that this for the first time is a region on high alert. These are big economies and big business centers. They don't need threats of any sort. The people on the street will tell you, look, if it is quick, if it's efficient and it does its job, i.e., it destroys ISIS, that will be good thing.

And I think you will see support, even if it's not vocal support out loud, they will be supporting their governments and their civic duty to a certain extent would suggest they would do that. If this goes on longer, though, and we are not talking just hours, days, weeks, we could be talking possibly months at this stage. Then, I think things could change.

So, I think it's a question of watch this space. Today, even though as I say, the press isn't necessarily headlining the story, there are things going on here as well. I think you will find, there is quite a lot of support here on the Arab-Sunni street. It's just a question of how long this goes on -- Christine.

ROMANS: The ISIS public relations campaign that so terrified the West, also terrifying its neighbors, it turns.

Thank you so much, Becky Anderson, in the UAE.

BERMAN: Yes, it's so interesting. These strikes included attacks, not just on ISIS strongholds, but also an attack on a group called Khorasan, an al Qaeda offshoot where the attacks were to disrupt the imminent attack plotting against the United States.

We will have much more on that and much more on the breaking news of the airstrikes overnight in Syria. We're going to speak to CNN's Anna Coren who is in Iraq where, of course, U.S. planes have been hitting for over a month now.

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ROMANS: All right. Breaking news overnight: until now, U.S.-led arrest strikes against ISIS have been confined to Iraq. But as we told you overnight, this has now spread. Now, you got multiple cities in Syria rained overnight by tomahawk missiles, fighter jets, drone activity.

CNN's Anna Coren has been covering the attacks in Iraq, the attacks that set the precedent here that started this advance. This U.S.-led advance, trying to ISIL's spread. She's live for us now in Irbil.

Anna, it must be welcome news in Iraq that the U.S. and five Arab partners have reached out to where really is the birthplace of ISIS in Raqqa.

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Christine, there is a really feeling of about time. They have been calling for airstrikes in Syria now for weeks, saying that they can't just confine the operation to Iraq, that they need to go into the safe haven, the sanctuary of ISIS, which we know is Syria and hit them hard, which is what the United States and Arab nations have done over the last few hours.

But, certainly, the Kurdish regional government saying that, you know, this is encouraging. Obviously, this international coalition going in because the representation of the Arab countries, as I say, encouraging. But they are hoping for intensification of the air campaign here in Iraq.

There have been 190 U.S. airstrikes to date. Plus, several French airstrikes over the weekend.

And, look, it's making an impact. There is no doubt about it. It is stopping the rapid advance of ISIS that we saw in the lead-up to the air strikes. But they're not retreating. I think that's really important to note, that these militants are not scouring off. They're not heading back to Syria or to the safe havens of Mosul.

They are staying and they are fighting. That is with the forces on the ground, the Peshmerga and Iraqi security forces. So, real questions are being raised as to the effectiveness of this campaign because they know it cannot be achieved alone, Christine.

ROMANS: For us this morning in Irbil in Iraq, thank you, Anna. BERMAN: I want to stay in the region right now with new breaking news

on the Turkey-Syrian border. This is where tens of thousands of refugees have been trying to flee Syria for Turkey. We understand that Turkey has just opened parts of its borders minutes ago. Thousands of refugees are now flooding.

And our Arwa Damon you can see standing right there.

Arwa, give us an update.

DAMON: You know, these families have been waiting on the other side for quite some time now. Many of them arriving exhausted. We just saw a man being brought across on the stretcher.

We're going to pan off right now because authorities are forcing us to stay on this side of the fence and just show you what's happening on the other side. All of these families there still waiting and trying to get across. Some of them have been waiting on the other side for days. They are exhausted, the children crying, parents struggling.

It's very hot and dusty out here. These most certainly are difficult conditions to be surviving under, but the Turkish authorities are being quite meticulous in how they're letting everyone in and everyone is being searched.

Once the children get across, they, too, will be vaccinated. Turkey has a challenge on its hands, along with the various international aid organizations here when it comes to the massive influx. The largest we have seen of refugees from Syria since the crisis there began some three years ago.

But the U.S. airstrikes possibly may be altering the battle field here. We're going to have to wait and see. But for now, these refugees must at this stage cannot go back home.

BERMAN: An enormous human toll, so much suffering in the region. These airstrikes having implications over a wide swath of area.

Our Arwa Damon in the Turkey, Syria border right now. We'll check back in with you in a little bit.

ROMANS: So many countries forced to deal with it. When we come back, we're going to return to the breaking news coverage of the first U.S. airstrikes in Syria.

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