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CNN Live At Daybreak
President Bush Signs Order to Set Up Military Tribunals for Terrorists
Aired November 14, 2001 - 05:09 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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Time now for the latest developments. A senior U.S. official says that a serious fight may be under way for control of Kandahar. The official tells CNN that there are indications the Taliban stronghold could fall soon.
And Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says that even though the Taliban are on the run, the U.S.-led military strikes will continue. Rumsfeld says the Taliban must still be dislodged from control of the country and the al Qaeda network rooted out.
U.S. special forces are in southern Afghanistan to disrupt the Taliban and in Kabul to create order after the Taliban retreat.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: But there's also other words coming out on this, from the Pentagon.
Jeff Levine checks in from there this morning. There's some word this morning about a special order being signed by President Bush about special military tribunals for anyone who is reigned in by the efforts over in Afghanistan -- good morning, Jeff. What's the word on that?
JEFF LEVINE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Leon.
President Bush has, indeed, signed an order authorizing military tribunals for the trial of terrorists. Now, they would try foreigners charged with terrorist acts. The White House says there is not a military tribunal as yet, but one could be set up and it would be used to try individuals like Osama bin Laden or his associates.
These would be the first such tribunals since WWII. Other presidents have used military tribunals, for example, President Lincoln or President Washington. They used them against accused spies.
Now, if the president does decide to go ahead with this, the defense secretary would set up a commission to set the wheels in motion and then the tribunals would occur.
Not surprisingly, those involved with civil liberties advocacies like the American Civil Liberties Union, feel the development is quite disturbing. The White House says the tribunals are necessary, though, to protect jurors from potential reprisals and also to protect government intelligence gathering.
So this is something to be watched very, very carefully.
Now, as far as the war itself in Afghanistan is concerned, there were many here who were saying even a week ago that the Pentagon was way off base in its approach to the war. However, now it appears that the Taliban is on the run. And, in fact, Secretary of State Colin Powell is saying that Taliban forces are at a break point and a senior U.S. official is also suggesting that there is a serious fight going on for Kandahar, which is a Taliban stronghold.
Now, perhaps the most dramatic example of all of this is the fall of Kabul, which took place in the last couple of days. It fell to the Northern Alliance, as you know. And even though the Taliban are in disarray and they're retreating, U.S. military operations are going to be continuing. That's because there is a goal that remains, namely, the capture of Osama bin Laden and the destruction of his al Qaeda terrorist network.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: The forces of Taliban and al Qaeda have several choices. They can flee and reorganize in the south. They can flee and melt into the countryside. Or they can defect. If they reorganize in the south, we are going to go get them. If they go to ground, we will, as the president said, root them out. And if they decide to flee, I doubt that they'll find peace wherever they select.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVINE: The U.S. and its international partners had hoped that the Northern Alliance would stay out of Kabul pending a new coalition government but events did not permit that to happen. As it turned out, U.S. special forces went into the city in an effort to maintain order. They were cited at an air base outside of Kabul.
Specifically, the troops were in Kabul to prevent looting and other forms of lawlessness.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUMSFELD: What kinds of incidents might occur? I don't know. But there are a very small number of U.S. forces in the city of Kabul. They are not sufficient forces to monitor or police the entire city. They are a sufficient number that they can give advice and counsel to the people who are in the city, the leadership, and that they can report back that which they see and we have not received reports back to that effect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVINE: Now, the Al Jazeera television network is reporting that the opposition forces, the Northern Alliance, have taken four more provinces from the Taliban. Of course, those reports cannot be independently verified, Leon. But it appears that the Northern Alliance is definitely on the march.
HARRIS: Well, let me ask you this, Jeff, if, as the Northern Alliance continues on the march, is the U.S. also going to be continuing its heavy bombardment from the air and, I guess, ahead of this advance by the Northern Alliance and by the retreat of the Taliban? Are they going to also going to pave the way for the Northern Alliance to move further south?
LEVINE: Well, I think you have to consider a couple of things. The Northern Alliance is going to want to move into Taliban strongholds and no doubt they will get support from the U.S. in that effort. Furthermore, there's a question as to where the Taliban have actually gone. Have they retreated to the higher ground, so to speak? Have they gone to their vaunted caves?
The U.S. military, no doubt, will seek them out. This is a long- term effort. So one can expect there will be more U.S. military action. There no doubt will be more U.S. bombing.
HARRIS: So we'll keep our eyes open for the stepping up of the cave bombing then in days to come?
All right, Jeff Levine at the Pentagon, thank you very much --
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