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CNN Live At Daybreak

Airstrike Destroys Building Said to Hold Key Al Qaeda Leaders

Aired November 15, 2001 - 05:01   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: Let's go right to the Pentagon and speak with CNN's Jeff Levine and try to get some details about the air strike, apparently on a building that was believed to be holding some top al Qaeda members -- what can you tell us, Jeff?

JEFF LEVINE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Catherine, obviously the Pentagon is still after Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda terror network. Sources tell CNN that there was a U.S. raid against a structure thought to harbor key al Qaeda terror leadership. That structure is somewhere in Taliban controlled Afghanistan.

Now, it's not clear if Osama bin Laden were actually in the building, but the building itself was destroyed and those inside the building were thought to be killed. Now, up until now, the U.S. has depended heavily on bombs and other high tech devices to damage the Taliban. But with so many gains on the ground, that strategy could be changing.

Now, the new approach could depend on things like counterintelligence and intelligence gathering. The key element there is Taliban defectors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REAR ADM. JOHN STUFFLEBEEM, PENTAGON SPOKESMAN: There are defections. Opposition groups in the north are working to encourage defections. Our leaflet program encourages defections. We don't have a good estimate of the numbers of those who have decided to defect or retreat or maybe even stay and fight in a pocket of resistance. But we do know that it's happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVINE: It's estimated that hundreds of the Taliban soldiers have already defected. They could provide a wealth of information that could dramatically alter the bombing effort. For example, the bombs could be focused on caves or hideouts favored by the Taliban.

However, we should say that the Taliban are perfectly capable of blending in with the civilian population. It's going to be very, very hard to find them. This is not going to be a simple task. But now it could be a much more focused kind of task -- Catherine, back to you.

CALLAWAY: All right, CNN's Jeff Levine at the Pentagon, thank you.

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