Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

America Strikes Back: Protests in Pakistan Sometimes Violent Today

Aired October 12, 2001 - 08:28   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: All right Paula, thank you - 8:30 a.m. on this Friday East Coast Time, in Islamabad, Pakistan about 5:30 local time and it has not been a peaceful day across that country. Sometimes violent protests have broken out in different cities across their country.

Let's go to Islamabad now and CNN's Tom Mintier who is tracking this and a lot more on this Friday. Tom, hello to you.

TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello Bill. It was a day of protest and prayer here. The protest getting started before the prayer. The most violent protest in the port city of Karachi where police and demonstrators fought pitched battles throughout the day.

The demonstrators hurdling stone, the police responding with tear gas. Several vehicles were set on fire including two city buses and the mayor of Karachi's car. He is a member of the political party that helped to organize these demonstrations and it might be interesting what he thinks about seeing his car go up in flames.

There was also a business targeted - an American fast food franchise was set on fire by the demonstrators. The damage was moderate. The firefighters came in. The owner of the franchise boarded up the front of logo several days ago, but apparently the demonstrators knew where it was.

Now joining us here in Islamabad is someone whose voice you know, but you probably haven't seen to our viewers around the world, I'd like to introduce you to Kamal Hyder.

Kamal, you have been inside Afghanistan since the strike started - well before. What is the mood of the people there to this night and day bombardment?

KAMAL HYDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well initially the mood was - you know, there was apprehension initially that the bombing campaign would lead to serious loss of civilian life. And then people then felt comfortable that that was not going to be the case. However, speaking with different people inside Afghanistan today, we find that apprehension cropping up again.

MINTIER: We saw yesterday a picture out of Kandahar where people were basically getting on donkey carts -- getting anything they could carry and leaving the city. It seemed reminiscent of what I saw in Phnom Phen in 1975. How much fear was in Kandahar at a time like this.

HYDER: Well if you remember, yesterday, they hit an ammunition dump. In the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) area. This is on the outskirts of the city, and very close to a -- basically populated area. And the nomads, Koochis (ph) and internally displaced people who have set up shanty towns -- they have set up tents in that area. And obviously, they were exposed to the projectiles coming from secondary explosions, and of course, loss of life reported now. Eyewitnesses say that up to 18 people may have died.

MINTIER: Now the Pentagon says that they are hitting military targets. You have been in there, you have seen the bombs falling from the planes. And you've seen the after-effects. The Taliban says, they're hitting civilian targets. Primarily, what have you seen on the ground, as far as what has been hit?

HYDER: Basically, I haven't seen these bombing missions -- I just wanted to correct you on that -- directly myself. But reports coming in from close by areas, where we were located, told us that initially there was -- there was no loss of civilian life. That the precision was pretty good. And that the areas being hit were on the outskirts of the city. For example, they did not target populated areas within the city of Jalalabad.

However, as these attacks move closer to the cities, in the city in some cases -- for example, in Kandahar -- the corps commander's headquarters is smack middle of the city. Now obviously, there are going to be accidents. I think the American administration themselves said that there will be accidents. And now we're beginning to see that.

MINTIER: When -- when the Belgrade campaign was on, they went after the electric grid. They basically knocked out power for the entire city, basically putting a hardship on. Are we seeing any targeting of water supplies, power supplies, things that both the military and civilians could use?

HYDER: Well, today we have reports, you probably know already, we have reports from the Kajuki (ph) Dam area that some bombs may have fallen in the Kajuki Dam area. This is the dam which supplies Kandahar with electricity. Now Kandahar is a city under drought. Afghanistan is facing one of its worst droughts and what you are seeing now is, that in case there is an attack or if that is a target, there is an apprehension as far as the people are concerned, that they would not be able to pump ground water.

And that would be a catastrophe. Whoever has remained behind, will not be able to cope up with the difficulties that may be accrue from this.

MINTIER: Alright. Kamal Hyder, very mu -- thank you very much. Hope you are safe on your way out. Just came out of Afghanistan, now into Pakistan. And some very harrowing tales that he'll have to tell about being on the wrong end of the American military might. Back to you Bill. HEMMER: Tom, before we let him go, can we go back to him and ask him about his journey out? Reports back here in the U.S. say it took him anywhere from 14 to 18 hours of pretty rough going. Has he described that much?

MINTIER: Yeah, a question from Bill Hemmer. When you were coming out, it took 14 to 18 hours. What is the journey like? Because the border crossings where you would normally cross are closed. How do you get in and out without giving away how you do it?

HYDER: Well, it's mountainous territory. It's mountainous country. You remember the Russians were in Afghanistan for 10 years. The mujahideen were crossing the frontiers. These are porous borders. Difficult terrain. And...

MINTIER: Ride, walk, donkey, horse?

HYDER: Well, a combination of everything (LAUGHTER), basically mule trains, walking, old Afghan 4 x 4 way, meandering through the valleys. Difficult terrain, especially in the east, and further up towards what (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MINTIER: Alright, thank you very much. Bill, not a journey that I think you want to be making any time soon. Back to you, Bill.

HEMMER: You are indeed right there, Tom. Thank you and thanks to Kamal as well. He did excellent work on the ground there in Afghanistan. Tom many thanks, we'll be back in touch a bit later.

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