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CNN Live At Daybreak

America Strikes Back: The Strategy Behind Intensive Bombing

Aired October 11, 2001 - 07:51   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Paula, thanks again.

Major General Don Shepperd to talk about the latest bombardment we're hearing about. On Monday and Tuesday, and even on Sunday, it was a hit here and a hit there. But this is quite intense, Kabul also Kandahar. What are you hearing about the strategy regarding this?

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), U.S. AIR FORCE, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Bill, my take on this is twofold. First of all, in the first segments of the air attack, we're taking out the surface targets, the integrated air defense systems, the missile sites, that type of thing. They're easy. They're on the surface. Anything you can see.

Now I believe the message is we know where you are, we've been listening, we've been watching. We've been watching from space, we've been watching from airborne platforms, we've been watching from the ground and we're going after you underneath in your command bunkers now. I think that's what this phase is about.

HEMMER: We want to show our viewers what we're getting word on, a 5,000 pound bomb being dropped by a B2. You said it would be a bunker buster. How does it work?

SHEPPERD: A bunker buster basically is a very hard bomb. It's extremely hard in the case so when it hits the ground it doesn't break up. It has a special fuse on it that allows it to go underneath the ground and then blow up below the ground at selected depths.

HEMMER: How is that different from, say, carpet bombing during Vietnam or even Iraq?

SHEPPERD: A big difference. What you did from B52s, for instance, in Vietnam was when the bomb hit, although it dug a crater, it blew up on the surface. These now go deep, deep, deep where people are working underground, storing things underground, that type of thing, to get deep at the stuff under the ground, under the rocks.

HEMMER: Quickly, some video from overnight, rare video that we have seen, a huge fireball of an explosion. Does this indicate anything to you, oil depot or what?

SHEPPERD: It could be two things. That could be something that was on the surface that was hit and really blew up or it could be something that was one of these penetrator bombs that went underneath and it was stored underground like ammunition, fuel, that type of thing, and then it exploded up back onto the surface. You can't tell just by looking at a fireball, Bill.

HEMMER: We're also getting reports from the region, though, that in central Pakistan, we don't know where specifically, reports that U.S. military forces and troops on the ground there. What would that indicate, if anything?

SHEPPERD: Yes, we'll have to wait for the Defense Department to confirm that because it's very touchy, anything you talk about in Pakistan because of the political situation. That would be logical to me. You want to get things close to the borders for rescue and also to insert special operations forces. It simplifies our problem. The closer you are, the better you are and the less times you have to refuel the more often you can go back at it.

HEMMER: We're out of time. More coming up later.

General, thank you.

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