Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Target: Terrorism - U.S. Military Planners Consider Preemptive Strikes on Taliban Air Defenses In Order to Deliver Aid

Aired October 05, 2001 - 08:11   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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. wants to deliver humanitarian aid -- food, medicines, blankets -- to people in Afghanistan. To do it, the U.S. may have to air drop food and supplies. But now there is concern the supply planes could be shot down by Taliban air defenses.

So U.S. military planners are now reportedly considering preemptive strikes to take out those air defense sites.

We get more on this from CNN's Jeanne Meserve at the Pentagon -- good morning, Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

It is known, of course, that the Taliban has some anti-aircraft capability. And Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, on his trip through the region, has said that U.S. planes will not fly there until it is safe. Senior U.S. officials say the U.S. is considering the use of preemptive strikes in that region.

The secretary of defense arriving this morning in Uzbekistan. The map tells the story of why he is there. Uzbekistan just north of Afghanistan -- they share an 80 mile long border. It would be the perfect place to locate U.S. forces, specifically special operations forces for any operations into Afghanistan.

Senior administration officials are telling CNN that Uzbek officials are urging the U.S. to maintain military bases in Uzbekistan even after any action in Afghanistan is completed in order to protect Uzbekistan from Islamic fundamentalists from within and from without. No indication of how U.S. officials are going to respond to that conversation.

At this point, although Uzbekistan is a Muslim country, it does not have a significant fundamentalist movement.

That is not true of Egypt. That was the secretary of defense's last stop on this trip. He spoke there with President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak, of course, a recipient of large amounts of U.S. military aid, but unlikely to take a significant military role in this operation, because of the large and active Islamic fundamentalist movement there -- a movement which has already spawned demonstrations against U.S. air strikes in Afghanistan. And one additional stop on the secretary's schedule: He is now planning to stop in Turkey on his way home as the U.S. continues to try and cement the coalition for any possible military action -- now back to you.

O'BRIEN: Jeanne, I guess it's worth pointing out the significance of Turkey in all of this affair. There are U.S. bases already there strategically located as well, right?

MESERVE: That's right. Turkey, a NATO ally -- also a Muslim country. It early on said that it would allow the U.S. to use its air space and its bases for transport planes -- a very significant sign of support. Turkish officials have been here. The secretary had been planning apparently to stop in Turkey for the refueling of his plane, decided it was a wise idea to stop and do some additional talking before any U.S. military action, if it takes place -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Jeanne Meserve at the Pentagon.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.