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CNN Live At Daybreak

America's New War: Taliban Facing Multiple Front Threats

Aired September 25, 2001 - 07:05   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now we want to go to Afghanistan, where the ruling Taliban is facing threats on several fronts.

CNN's Chris Burns filed this report from northern Afghanistan just moments ago.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're standing in a makeshift tank repair shop for the Northern Alliance. This is a T62 tank, Soviet made, one of those that came from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. It was taken by the Taliban. They were fighting with it and now the Northern Alliance says they seized it from the Taliban, are remodeling, refixing it up and will be using it against the Taliban in the coming weeks.

Behind me over here is an armored personnel carrier, also Soviet made. That APC broke down as the Northern Alliance were attacking the Taliban. They're replacing the engine that broke down. Behind the APC is some of that rugged terrain that is typical of Afghanistan, very craggy, very barren, very arid. That is what the Soviets had to deal with. That is what this conflict is dealing with. This is what, perhaps, American forces could deal with in the future if they do come into Afghanistan.

Here is some of the wreckage, the detritus of the Soviet invasion. That is what is being cannibalized and used by the Northern Alliance to fix up these tanks to continue waging their attacks against the Taliban. They have been making some progress. About 30 kilometers south of here is the front and about 50 kilometers past that is the prize. It's Kabul. That is what the Northern Alliance would like to take, but they say that with this kind of hardware, they're going to need American help, American air power, to do that.

Chris Burns reporting from northern Afghanistan.

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