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CNN Live At Daybreak
Target: Terrorism - Aid to Afghanistan
Aired October 05, 2001 - 07:49 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: Now to these images of northern Afghanistan. The opposition Northern Alliance has tanks and troops near the front line of Afghanistan's civil war. It says the troops are waiting for orders and poised to push towards Kabul, the ultimate prize in the war against the ruling Taliban.
At the same time, thousands of Afghans fearing U.S. military strikes have been on the move. The refugee crisis is a major concern for the White House. President Bush promising $320 million in humanitarian aid.
Let's get some perspective on that from Khaled Mansour of the World Food Program. He joins us from Islamabad this morning.
Good morning.
How bad is the problem right now?
KHALED MANSOUR, WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: Good morning.
Well, the problem is already very bad. It was bleak even before 11 September. We are in a race with time to reach about 400,000 people in the north who are already running out of food and we are in a race with time to reach areas inside Afghanistan that will be completely cut off come mid-November.
ZAHN: All right, yesterday we had as a guest on our show the Pakistani ambassador to the U.N. and he said that the $320 million in humanitarian aid from the U.S. is greatly appreciated, but basically that would amount to $12 a year per refugee. What will that do?
MANSOUR: Well, the United Nations appealed altogether for $584 million in aid to 7.5 million Afghans. For the World Food Program to help the 7.5 million Afghans, we need $257 million. I think the U.S. contribution will go a long way in meeting lots of the humanitarian demand here in Pakistan and in Afghanistan.
ZAHN: So in the meantime, how do you bridge the gap?
MANSOUR: Well, the U.S. has been the largest contributor to the World Food Program in Afghanistan for the past few years. But there were also other generous donors from the rest of the world.
ZAHN: I wanted to repeat something that President Bush announced yesterday when he presented this package, and he said this is our way of saying while we firmly and strongly oppose the Taliban regime, we are friends of the Afghan people.
Do you think that message is getting through?
MANSOUR: I think the message is getting through even before 11 September. For example, the World Food Program's last operation for seven months was 90 percent funded by the United States. Last year alone, the United States provided 140,000 tons of food to Afghanistan. This is a huge quantity. I think the Afghan people, despite the fact of the lack of information, they are avid listeners to radio and they know where the help is coming from.
ZAHN: We have just gotten word from some of our Pentagon sources that a senior U.S. defense official has been saying that the United States is now considering preemptive strikes against air defense sites in Afghanistan to ensure the safe delivery of food and aid. Any reaction to that?
MANSOUR: Well, there's a massive need inside Afghanistan and I'm sure the poor Afghan people can use all the help they can get. Yesterday we also announced that the World Food Program is going to organize an airlift because we have about 600,000 people that will be completely cut off because the mountain passes will be closed after mid-November. And for them, we will also need to have an air drop.
ZAHN: And in addition to that, apparently some leaflets are being prepared for delivery to the people of Afghanistan. Can you tell us anything about those this morning?
MANSOUR: Well, I'm not aware of anything about leaflets, but I can tell you that we have our local aid workers on the ground. WFP and other aid agencies have been working in Afghanistan for many years and the people know what we are doing there.
ZAHN: Because apparently this, traditionally these leaflets are meant to affect "the hearts and minds" of civilian populations. Do you think that works?
MANSOUR: Well, in Afghanistan the literacy rate is really low. Most of the people get their information from radio, from Voice of America or BBC or other station, radio stations that beams in local languages to Afghanistan.
ZAHN: And just quickly in closing, sir, within the next couple of weeks, how many more people do you expect to converge on the border there of Pakistan and Afghanistan?
MANSOUR: Well, until now the feared massive influx of refugees into neighboring countries to Afghanistan has not materialized. What we are trying to focus on now and to help are the millions of people who are stuck inside. They're either too poor, too old or too weak to leave or they don't want to leave the country.
ZAHN: Khaled Mansour, thank you very much for joining us this morning. Best of luck to you as you try to get this aid in order for all those thousands of people who need it.
MANSOUR: Thank you.
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