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CNN Live At Daybreak

America Strikes Back: Daylight Raids Continue in Afghanistan

Aired October 10, 2001 - 08:07   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: Bombs fell on Afghanistan after dawn for the second straight day, and with the U.S. claiming air superiority, daylight raids could come regularly.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour is monitoring the military situation from neighboring Pakistan -- Christiane, good morning.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, yes, indeed, there have been more air raids on Afghanistan. We spoke to our sources there in Kandahar, who said the last one was about six hours ago, and they are, obviously, bracing for more tonight, they say.

From the Taliban, we have had increasingly defiant statements. The Taliban is saying variously that they have now lifted their supposed restrictions on Osama bin Laden since the airstrikes began, and that he is now free to conduct Jihad, or what he calls holy war.

Taliban also saying that he is alive and well, but they're saying they don't know where he is -- just that he is in Afghanistan.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The refugees are given shelter in the country, because they are refugees, and then they should confine themselves to being refugees and not start having political agitations and things of that nature. If anyone who indulges in such activities should be sent back.

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AMANPOUR: Well, clearly, that was the wrong interview that we wanted to bring you. That was the foreign ministry spokesman here saying that if there were more disturbances by -- on the streets of Pakistan in these demonstrations, and if they found that there were Afghan refugees who were taking part in those disturbances, then they would repatriate them.

But on the other issue, as I was mentioning, of the Taliban, the ambassador here continues to be defiant, continues to say that, in fact, their air defenses have not been crippled, and continues to say that they don't believe al Qaeda is a terrorist organization. Of course, there is a disconnect with that, because while they are saying that, al Qaeda is sending out statements from television stations based on Afghanistan saying that they support those attacks on the United States and calling for more attacks on the United States.

Now, in another issue, there have been reports here in Pakistan of Taliban militias conflicting and confronting with Pakistani militias on the border, and also of Taliban helicopters coming over to Pakistan.

We asked the interior minister last night about that. He said that the helicopters have tried to come over, but that they had turned them back and were refusing to allow them entry or landing rights here in Pakistan -- didn't know why they were coming over -- not with hostile intent, he said -- but maybe to save their remaining helicopter gunships or to bring Taliban leaders out -- Paula.

ZAHN: Thanks so much, Christiane.

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