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CNN Live At Daybreak
Latest on Military Strikes in Afghanistan
Aired October 30, 2001 - 06:00 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Want to get the latest on the military strikes and we want to go to our Bob Franken who is standing by at the Pentagon. Good morning Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Daryn and the latest on the military strikes looks like the latest that we've experienced watching for the last three weeks now, going into the fourth week. Just about everyday we're treated to some more gun sight camera video showing this or that Taliban target being blown up by missiles.
Of course what we're not seeing is the other side of the bombing war. That is usually put into vivid detail by the Taliban and that is the casualties from those missiles or bombs that have gone astray or hit buildings or areas that were not intended. And of course that has been part of this controversy that has started to generate this early into the bombing campaign that in fact it has fallen short of expectations.
On a daily basis Pentagon officials are hit with questions now about whether they have not been able to do everything that they set out to do; whether the Taliban has been a more formidable fall (ph); and whether things have fallen to - behind schedule and that maybe it's time for a ground campaign. All of those questions coming here and often times the officials here refer to General Tommy Franks. He is what's called the CinC, the commander in chief in military (INAUDIBLE), the central command sent com (ph).
That's another one of those military terms and he's touring the region now. That is another of those terms, talking about where the war is actually being fought in the countries around Afghanistan. He was in Pakistan where he was told by the president of that country that the military bombing has to stop sooner rather than later. He's in Uzbekistan now where he had a news conference and he too was peppered with questions - is there a stalemate?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. TOMMY FRANKS, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: I think - I think the president has said on several occasions and I know the secretary has said on several occasions that ...
(INAUDIBLE)
FRANKS: ...we're committed to this war as long as it takes.
(INAUDIBLE)
FRANKS: And so, in my view, it is not at all stalemate.
(INAUDIBLE)
FRANKS: I believe that - I believe that we're on the timeline that we established, which essentially is the timeline that we exercised at our initiative.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: What you heard over the loud speaker, of course, was the translation and officials here say that the lack of tangible results thus far does not translate into any sort of short coming. As a matter of fact, the chairman of the joint chief of staff, Daryn, said here yesterday that the United States - quote - "is in the driver seat" - Daryn.
KAGAN: And Bob, General Franks in Uzbekistan to meet with leaders there. What came out of those meetings?
FRANKEN: Just a general discussion about whether they are going to, in fact, be able to increase the United States presence there. There has been quite a discussion about whether a forward base is going to be set up across the border or whether it is not something that's necessary that can be operating around the countries on the periphery.
Those kinds of discussions are the ones going on. They were not as contiguous as the ones the day before with the Pakistani leader who said that quite frankly the United States needs to do something and do it quickly.
KAGAN: Bob Franken at the Pentagon. Bob, thank you.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right from the latest at the Pentagon to what's possibly the newest case of inhalation anthrax. It's happening now in New York and during a news conference late last night, New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told us this - preliminary test results indicate a 61-year old stockroom employee probably has inhalation anthrax. She's under a doctor's care at New York's Lennox Hill Hospital right now and she's been there since Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, MAYOR OF NEW YORK: She's in critical condition, very serious, and she's on a respirator and her description - the description of her condition is that it's very, very serious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Now she is not a member of the media and she's not a postal worker - first time around for this in New York. The mayor says the woman did work next to a basement mailroom at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital.
KAGAN: And on the heels of that anthrax report, the U.S. attorney general issues a warning that may seem kind of like deja vu from only a couple of weeks ago. Once again, Americans are being told to act with caution. The chance for another terrorist attack here in the U.S. or overseas is very strong and as our national correspondent Susan Candiotti now reports, U.S. intelligence officials say they're getting this information from what they're calling a reliable source.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For the second time in just over two weeks, another warning to Americans be on high alert for more terrorist attacks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The administration has concluded based on information developed that there may be additional terrorist attacks within the United States and against United States' interests over the next week.
CANDIOTTI: What for the second time since October 11th, the attorney general does not share what credible intelligence he has or suggest where attacks might happen. First high alert was never rescinded, so why the new one?
The FBI insists each is important.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is very difficult to tell, but it may well have helped to avert such an attack.
CANDIOTTI: But will Americans think authorities are crying wolf and pay less attention if nothing happens?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By taking them seriously on a continuing basis, we can have the good outcome of avoiding very serious additional terrorist problems.
CANDIOTTI: At this time the FBI says it has no reason to believe the new terrorist warning is related to anthrax. That as more anthrax is found and more people are infected. Traces found in two state department mailrooms and in a nearby annex. Also discovered, anthrax inside the Supreme Court Building. The building had been closed since Friday for checks.
Until more tests are done and the building decontaminated, the Supreme Court is sitting at a federal courthouse a few blocks away. Preliminary tests also turn up anthrax at a building run by the Department of Health and Human Services. Two new confirmed cases of anthrax infection, both in New Jersey, one, a 51-year old woman with skin anthrax. She does not work for the post office or the news media.
She lives near Hamilton Township, where a second postal worker is confirmed to have inhalation anthrax. What about the source? Investigators appear no closer to an answer. Did it come from these three known letters or were there more? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It continues to be very aggressive, ongoing investigation. There are a lot of theories out there. We just need some facts to turn a theory into reality.
CANDIOTTI: They do know the Daschle anthrax contained the additive silica, which experts tell CNN is commonly available as a drying agent in pallet form like this. Powder silica, experts say, would make anthrax spores drier, more likely to float in the air and easier to spread around.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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