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CNN Live At Daybreak

Allied Bombers Strike at Dawn; Pentagon Says They're Satisfied with Airstrikes

Aired October 31, 2001 - 05:00   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Pitching in -- President Bush throws a strike at terrorism, showing that America and baseball can survive the threat of more attacks.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Also, CNN's Sheila MacVicar tracks the terrorists still on the loose and their European network.

HARRIS: Good morning. It is Wednesday. It's October 31. That means it's Halloween as well.

KAGAN: Happy Halloween to you.

HARRIS: Same to you.

KAGAN: Thank you.

HARRIS: And welcome to the CNN Center in Atlanta. I'm Leon Harris.

KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan on this Halloween morning. Thanks for joining us and being with us.

We're going to start with a check of the latest developments beginning with damage that was evident in Kandahar today, that after U.S. air strikes targeted a Taliban stronghold overnight. A Taliban spokesman saying two civilian houses were hit and there were some casualties. On the outskirts of Kandahar, CNN's Nic Robertson reporting what he believed to be c130 transport planes flying low over the city.

HARRIS: Some children may dress as police officers or firefighters this evening, reflecting an every day hero's Halloween theme this year. And whatever their costume, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson suggests that children be accompanied by their parents for trick or treating this year.

KAGAN: Good advice kind of like every year.

HARRIS: A smart move.

KAGAN: And British Prime Minister Tony Blair begins a Middle East tour. He is in Syria meeting with President Bashar al-Assad. Mr. Blair hopes to get Israeli-Palestinian negotiations back on track as part of an effort to bolster Arab and Muslim support for the war against terrorism.

With our in depth coverage, we're going to start this morning in Afghanistan. As we mentioned, heavy bombing on the outskirts of Kandahar, and that's where we find our Kamal Hyder today -- Kamal, hello.

KAMAL HYDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.

This morning for the third consecutive day the Allied bombers struck at dawn. They hit the housing complex about 700 to 800 meters from where we are located and the explosion was loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood. After that, the Taliban basically took a group of journalists to six sites around the city to show them the damage to civilian property and to tell them that there was a human civilian toll involved there. And they're going to be taking them to other places, as well.

So far the city remains quiet and there is no air activity over Kandahar -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Kamal, give us some more insight at how it works when the Taliban does take this group of journalists around to areas that they want especially Western reports to see. How restricted is it and exactly how are the reporters led?

HYDER: Well, the Taliban authorities have been saying all along that it is because of security reasons that they cannot allow journalists to roam freely in Afghanistan, primarily because Afghanistan is at war and they say that public reaction is very difficult to control and they do not want any ugly incident involving any journalist. So that is the reason they give for putting restrictions on journalists and not allowing them in.

Obviously, the Taliban are only interested in showing damage to public property and civilian casualties. So far except for Jalalabad, where they were allowing journalists when they went previously to see military damage, as well. But in most cases and in the Kandahar area especially they do not show any military damage to journalists -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Kamal Hyder joining us from southern Afghanistan, thank you very much.

And, of course, a reminder to our viewers, which is obvious, these air strikes are in response to the 5,000 innocent people that were killed in the U.S. last month.

HARRIS: Yes, and we should also add, the Taliban has a big responsibility for putting civilians in harm's way in many of these cases. We just haven't been able to get much confirmation on that, but we've been getting reports on the side about the Taliban actually hiding out around civilians and putting equipment around civilians, much like we saw Saddam Hussein do, using them as human shields.

KAGAN: Moving into the cities.

HARRIS: Yes.

KAGAN: Moving into the cities, making it more difficult to isolate them and attack.

HARRIS: Yes, therefore guaranteeing civilian casualties.

All right, well, that takes us over now to the Pentagon. Ed Lavandera is checking in from there this morning. He's got the latest on the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan -- good morning, Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon.

The Pentagon continuing to say that they're satisfied with the way military air strikes are continuing in Afghanistan. The idea has been over the last couple of weeks, as air strikes have entered the fourth week, to weaken the Taliban front forces, that the air strikes, they say about 80 percent of those air strikes right now are focused on attacking the front lines of the Taliban.

On Tuesday, Pentagon officials releasing new video from the gun -- from the armed video cameras or the video cameras showing the attacks over Afghanistan, a couple of the attacks showing armored vehicles from the Taliban being obliterated. This is part of that campaign also from the Pentagon to show that some of these strikes that are being executed over Afghanistan, that they are being effective.

The idea is to cut off supply lines and communications between the Taliban's forces and to weaken them so when and if U.S. ground troops have to enter Afghanistan, the idea is that it will be a safer environment for those troops to enter.

Also, for the first time, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld acknowledging that U.S. ground troops are working on the ground. A small number of troops working in connection with the pilots flying over Afghanistan, helping them find their targets as they fly over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We do have some military people on the ground. They are in the north. And we've had others on the ground who've come in and out on the south. But the ones that are there are doing exactly what I said. They are military, uniformed military personnel who are assisting with resupply, assisting with communications, liaison, assisting with targeting and providing the kind of very specific information which is helpful to the air effort.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: One other note, as the Ramadan holiday, the Muslim holiday, approaches, which starts in mid-November, Pentagon officials also acknowledging that it's not very likely that U.S. military and Allied forces will suspend military attacks during that time. They say that any time that the Taliban and Osama bin Laden's forces get to regroup and reorganize, that that would not be an effective use of time for the U.S. military. Also, Great Britain's secretary of defense joining with Donald Rumsfeld Tuesday here at the Pentagon in announcing that their support, that during Ramadan it doesn't appear likely that military attacks will be called off at the point -- Leon, back to you.

HARRIS: All right, Ed, let me ask you real quickly, any word on the cave campaign? Remember they had been starting to target the caves that they believe that there may be Taliban troops hiding in. Any word about whether they're stepping that up or whether there's some significant success in going after some of these cave locations?

LAVANDERA: Well, over the course of the briefings here at the Pentagon over the last several days, they say a lot of the air attacks that they've launched in Afghanistan, that there are so many caves, that the system is so complex that as the bombs are dropped over Afghanistan, that they find new targets. And this also applies to this cave system that the Taliban and Osama bin Laden's terrorist network seems to use to its advantage very well in that country.

So they say here at the Pentagon that that bombing will continue and that the focus will continue on some of those caves as they even also, over the next couple of weeks, continue to find more places to bomb -- Leon.

HARRIS: Got you.

Ed Lavandera at the Pentagon this morning, thank you very much. We'll see you soon -- Daryn.

KAGAN: No doubt you heard earlier this week the warning from Bush administration officials talking about the new terror alert and of course it should be taken seriously. But of course the Bush administration saying at the same time we should go on living normal lives.

Well, for thousands of New Yorkers, that meant a trip to Yankee Stadium for last night's game three of the World Series.

But as CNN's John King tells us, there are changes at this year's edition of the fall classic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For a president, this is part of the routine, part of the effort to convince the country life goes on. But tradition comes with extra security this year, a city and a country stung by terrorism just weeks ago, on notice it could be about to happen again.

Air space over Yankee Stadium was put off limits because of the new terrorism alert. The government also ordered new flight restrictions near nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities and promised additional measures at airports and other major transportation centers.

UNIDENTIFIED OFFICIAL: There will be higher levels of surveillance and more stringent searches. KING: The stepped up security came after a new alert based on U.S. intelligence reports, indicating a high risk of more terrorist attacks in the next week or so.

TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY DIRECTOR: You can fairly assume that the experts view this information somehow related to Al Qaeda or bin Laden, or else we wouldn't have ramped it up.

KING: But the administration said the intelligence did not indicate specific targets or the types of strikes being planned. And some in Congress complained that such a warning only serves to scare people.

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: Well, it's vague. It's nonspecific. It says everybody beware, but you don't know what to beware of, or you don't know how to protect yourself. And that's the problem.

KING: The president told high school students they need to be alert, but calm.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our commitment to freedom has always made us a target of tyranny and intolerance. We must never flinch in the face of adversity, and we won't.

KING: Heading to the ball game was the president's way of proving he can go about his routine despite the new alert.

(on camera): But the new alert also meant new security precautions around the president and the White House, including the decision to once again move the vice president to a separate, secure location.

John King, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Another sign of normalcy will be on display in neighborhoods across America this evening. That as children go trick or treating. On "LARRY KING" last night, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson advised parents to be vigilant. But you know what? Let your kid go out and have a fun Halloween.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY THOMPSON, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: But something, you know, can always happen when children are out tricks or treating and walking out in the streets and going door to door. All I'm asking people to do is be very careful. Go with their children. Watch what they receive and check it out and be vigilant with their activities. But do not be so afraid that you do not allow your children to enjoy Halloween.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: And because of the terror alert, law enforcement officials say they do plan on beefing up security at public Halloween parties this year.

HARRIS: It looked like the Secretary was sitting in your chair.

KAGAN: Really?

HARRIS: Yes. Right.

KAGAN: Warming it up. Warming it up.

HARRIS: Same background.

Now, American Airlines officials are saying that they have finished installing a new cockpit security system on their entire fleet of planes. New locking devices on the cockpit doors are secured on the inside so intruders can be kept outside.

CNN's Kathleen Koch reports on other new technologies being considered to protect pilots throughout the industry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cockpit doors that can't be shot, smashed or chopped down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over here we have a display on the map. We are just approaching HUMA (ph).

KOCH: Real time monitoring of cockpits and cabins -- cutting edge technology flowing in every day to the FAA in response to its all points bulletin for new security solutions.

UNIDENTIFIED FAA OFFICIAL: We have received about 23,000 suggestions, e-mails, from very simple e-mails to much larger and more encompassing proposals.

KOCH: The federal government has pledged $500 million to pay for security improvements. Some would replace short-term measures like steel bars to strengthen cockpit doors. Since September 11, 95 percent of U.S. aircraft now have such temporary reinforcements, but airlines must put in permanent fixes by April 2003.

So companies are designing doors that withstand threats but let air pass through in case of a cabin decompression and let pilots escape in case of an emergency. Some include cabin cameras and access codes to further protect the cockpit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, again, if the pilot gives the all clear, the person has keyed in the keypad, the door opens up and then the flight attendant can walk right in.

KOCH: Others are proposing security improvements no one has even asked for, like a satellite based system feeding flight data and cockpit and cabin video live to ground controllers, all valuable, say developers, if a plane suddenly veers off course.

IRVIN JACOBS, CHAIRMAN, QUALCOMM: We would certainly, with such a system, if it worked properly, be alerted much more rapidly and then have a better idea of what steps might be possible.

KOCH: Many of the new technologies are costly. The nation's largest pilots' union opposes cameras in the cockpit and questions whether they would prevent hijackings. Security experts, meanwhile, caution against spending millions on unproven ideas at the expense of more practical measures.

NEIL LIVINGSTONE, SECURITY ANALYST: Technology is not going to save us from terrorists in the aviation security arena. It will help. It's a good tool. But the backbone of the system are procedures.

KOCH (on camera): Procedures like better baggage and passenger screening that would keep terrorist threats off the aircraft to begin with and that experts caution shouldn't be shortchanged in the rush to keep the skies safe.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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