Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Across Pakistan a Wave of Anti-American Riots; Often in War, Children Become Innocent Victims
Aired November 09, 2001 - 08:00 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush sounds a rallying cry, telling a welcoming crowd in Atlanta to turn their fears into action.
GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: There is a difference between being alert and being intimidated. And this great nation will never be intimidated.
(APPLAUSE)
ZAHN: The President, interrupted by applause 11 times. He saluted police, firefighters and postal workers.
A kidnapping with a September 11th tie. A six-year-old girl is abducted from her front yard in New Jersey after her family moved out of New York for their safety.
And think World War II. The White House seeks Hollywood's help in the war efforts.
And good morning, good to have you with us as we wrap up yet another week here.
It is Friday, November 11th. From New York I'm Paula Zahn.
MILES O'BRIEN: I'm Miles O'Brien. We're glad you're with us.
ZAHN: And ahead in this hour, the latest on the war in Afghanistan as wave upon wave of air strikes target Taliban positions north of Kabul.
In the south, no letup in the bombings for 18 hours.
In Pakistan, anti-U.S. demonstrators hit the streets as Islamic militants stage a day of nationwide strikes. We'll go there live.
O'BRIEN: Our guests this hour include another hero, a doctor who has some things to say about America's readiness, or perhaps lack of it, to handle bio-terror emergencies.
ZAHN: And in our sound-off segment this morning, the call goes out in Washington for our spies to think more like terrorists.
First, though, let's go to the morning's headlines. Here's Bill Hemmer in Atlanta with our (INAUDIBLE) ...
BILL HEMMER: Paula, Miles, good morning, again.
President Bush has told a cheering audience here in Atlanta, the U.S. will, "never be intimidated by terrorists."
The President also thanked workers at the CDC here for their efforts to protect the nation against bio-terrorism.
Later, Mr. Bush addressed an audience that included many police officers and firefighters.
PRESIDENT BUSH: I have called our military into action, to hunt down the members of the Al Qaeda organization who murdered innocent Americans.
I gave fair warning to the government that harbors them in Afghanistan. The Taliban made a choice to continue hiding terrorists, and now they're paying a price.
(APPLAUSE)
HEMMER: The President concluded by saying, my fellow Americans, let's roll.
Also, the President expected a call today for more National Guard troops at the nation's airports, and he may expand their security role.
The additional troops would be assigned on a temporary basis, but they would serve at least until Congress resolves its differences and sends the President an airline security bill.
On the military front, U.S. warplanes came in waves this morning, scattering bombs over a two-mile range near the strategic Bagram airbase north of Kabul.
Meanwhile, in Kandahar, in the south, CNN correspondent, Kamal Hyder reporting those bombs started falling yesterday afternoon. And still, he says, they are coming down now.
Three demonstrators killed today in a clash with police in southern Pakistan. Those deaths came as demonstrators in several Pakistani cities protested the government's support of U.S. bombing.
One person was injured in Peshawar, as protesters threw rocks at police and, who fired tear gas into the crowd.
Also, police in Karachi also used tear gas to break up a demonstration there. We will go live to Islamabad in a few moments for an update on this Friday morning.
At Spring Lake, New Jersey, the search is on, now for 6-year-old Anna Cardelfe, abducted yesterday from her family's front yard. Playmates say a man pulled the young girl into his car and drove away.
The Cardelfe family has lived in New York, but moved recently to their home in New Jersey after the attacks of early September.
Some defense lawyers criticizing new Justice Department rules issued by the Attorney General to deal with terrorist threats. Those changes would allow investigators to monitor phone calls or mail between terrorist suspects and their lawyers.
That would be limited, though, to instances when the messages might relate to future terrorist attacks.
Federal investigators saying, the latest in the series of anthrax hoaxes involves clinics across the country that provide abortion services. More than 200 have received packages or letters containing threats and white powder - the packages, signed the Army of God. So far, they have all tested negative, though, for anthrax.
A federal grand jury in Jacksonville, Florida has indicted another 12 people on conspiracy charges. This in an alleged $20 million scam involving McDonald's promotional games.
Earlier, 21 people were charged with theft and distribution of high-value McDonald's game pieces. Eight have pled guilty to mail fraud.
Also, from New York City, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, cut yesterday in northern New Jersey, only 20 miles away.
It arrived there this morning in midtown Manhattan. The 81-foot Norway spruce will stand guard at the Rockefeller Center - that's the skating rink there - until the New Year. It'll be draped with lights that'll be turned on during a rather lavish ceremony, scheduled for the 28th of November.
They've had a tree, another one to go up this year. Good to see, too.
Back to Paula, now, and Miles with more in New York. Miles?
O'BRIEN: It's kind of sad to see that tree come down, isn't it, (INAUDIBLE) ...
ZAHN: I know. If that was sitting in my front yard, I don't whether I would ...
O'BRIEN: ... I don't know, ...
ZAHN: ... be so generous.
O'BRIEN: ... I don't know. But of course, if it, you know, the right wind storm came by, it could do a number on your house, I guess. I don't know.
ZAHN: I don't know.
O'BRIEN: I don't know.
ZAHN: But at least we get to enjoy it here, ... O'BRIEN: Yes.
ZAHN: ... in the next couple of weeks.
O'BRIEN: Yes, it gets its moment in the sun, so to speak.
All right. Let's go to on - back to a story that Bill was just telling you about.
Across Pakistan today, a wave of anti-American riots. At least three people were killed today when Pakistani police clashed with demonstrators.
CNN's Bill Delaney is in Islamabad and he has details for us. Hello, Bill.
BILL DELANEY, CNN NEWS, ISLAMABAD: Well, thank you, Miles.
Yes, a wave, but certainly not the tidal wave, a coalition of mostly religious parties had hoped today would lead to widespread work stoppages and road blockages throughout Pakistan.
Generally, that did not happen, with some serious exceptions, especially along the Punjab-Sindh highway in southern Pakistan, where some 6,000 protesters tried to block that important highway.
Police came in. There were clashes, and according to the Information Ministry here, when, what they described as the mob attacked police. Police fired, and three protesters were killed.
Most major cities in Pakistan, however, though they saw protests, the protests generally moderate.
Here in the capital of Islamabad, we saw some very moderate protests, small crowds of protesters in the nearby working class town of Rawalpindi, Miles, more serious protests.
And in Karachi, in the port city of Karachi, there were hundreds of demonstrators who did have to be broken up with tear gas.
Now, why weren't the demonstrations more serious? Well, a very heavy police presence throughout the country no doubt had a lot to do with it.
Important trucking and transport organizations decided not to honor the strike, and the government declared a national holiday. They honored a poet, a Pakistani poet today in Pakistan. That's a holiday that hasn't been observed for a number of years.
The government declared that holiday today. That kept offices and schools closed, and, of course, kept traffic off the roads, and many people off the streets.
Back to you, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Bill, what's the outlook as we approach Ramadan? Is there some anticipation these protests will swell?
DELANEY: Yes. The tension will increase here if the bombing continues during Ramadan, which starts in about a week or two with the new moon.
On the other hand, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who of course, addresses the United Nations tomorrow in New York, has managed pretty much to keep the majority of Pakistanis on his side.
Pakistanis don't like the bombing. They're not going to like it during Ramadan. The president himself doesn't like the bombing, and wants it to end as soon as possible, and would like it not to happen during Ramadan.
But at the same time, this president, who's a good communicator, has managed to persuade a majority of Pakistanis that it's in Pakistan's interests to support the U.S.-led coalition.
So, certainly, tension will increase, but we do not expect extremely widespread demonstrations, as somewhat indicated today, Miles, by the fact that this day of national protests called by these religious parties did not turn out as large, certainly, as the religious parties would have hoped.
Back to you, Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Bill Delaney in Islamabad for us. Thank you very much. Paula.
ZAHN: Too often in war, children become innocent victims. At a refugee camp in Pakistan, young Afghans lament their plight since the U.S.-led military campaign began.
But they also defy Taliban rule. CNN's Rebecca MacKinnon reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Afghan (INAUDIBLE) ...
REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN NEWS: Afghan refugees committing what would be a triple crime back home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She washed the floor, (INAUDIBLE) ...
MACKINNON: One, this woman is working. Two, these girls are in school. Three, they're learning English, which the Taliban calls a vehicle for spreading Christianity.
But students say, even inside Afghanistan, educated families regularly break all three rules with secret classes in private homes.
Students here, especially the girls, dislike the Taliban for depriving them of an education. But they're also angry at the Americans for dropping bombs on their country. The Fahtna Zaharra (ph) School for Afghan refugee children has 100 new students since the air strikes started. Teachers took some new arrivals out of class to speak with us.
MACKINNON: Why did you (INAUDIBLE)?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Because the - when we sleep at night, the airplane come and ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The bombs.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: ... and bombed the (INAUDIBLE).
MACKINNON: Were you scared?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nina (ph).
MACKINNON: Eleven-year-old Massi (ph) is in fifth grade. His sister Meela (ph) is 13, just in second grade.
Bad memories prevail and stress levels are high. Fahzi Ekh (ph) came with her family a week ago, ...
FAHZI EKH: And then so left with a class (ph) how (ph) with my friends, what is happening again, I don't know, if they will die.
MACKINNON: Marcella (ph) crossed the border over mountain passes on foot.
MARCELLA: We don't have any clothes, and now our (INAUDIBLE) is get (INAUDIBLE) their own clothes ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They've gone through severe horror and trauma. There's - our teachers talk with them, listen to them. I've listened to them. They tell their stories. Painful stories. I lost my mother. I lost my grandmother. The clothes I have on are not my own. My younger brother has gone mad.
MACKINNON: In art class, children's drawings reflect recent experiences. For these little girls, it's airplanes and bombs.
Nine-year-old Loha (ph) has drawn a picture of her neighborhood.
LOHA: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is a plane. It is bombing this house. And there is a boy, he's killed.
MACKINNON: Killed, she says, by Americans.
Why does she think that they did that?
LOHA: (INAUDIBLE) MACKINNON: Because of Osama bin Laden, she replies. He has caused a problem, and Afghanistan has been attacked, and many people are killed by the Americans, she says, trying not to cry in front of the camera.
Rebecca MacKinnon, CNN, Peshawar, Pakistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
