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CNN Live At Daybreak
Aid Workers and Their Families Happy That They Are Free
Aired November 16, 2001 - 06:31 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: Administration officials say the U.S.- led campaign in Afghanistan is tightening the noose on Osama bin Laden. Vice President Dick Cheney told the BBC World Service the United States would go after al Qaeda terrorist cells beyond the borders of Afghanistan if necessary.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are the target of enemies who rejoice in the murder of innocent unsuspecting people. We are fighting now to defend freedom and law against force in terror. We are fighting to save ourselves and our children from living in a world of fear. We are fighting and we are winning because we will not permit a small group of vicious, violent men to impose their will on America and on the world.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
HARRIS: The vice president went on to add wars are not won on the defensive. Wars are won by taking the fight to the enemy -- end quote there.
Now if you were with us last hour you heard from a German aid worker who was released yesterday from the Taliban. Well if you weren't -- well, if you are here now, you can listen now to Georg Taubmann who gave us a taste of some of what and his compadres experienced when they were in captivity.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
GEORG TAUBMANN: The one thing I can tell you, we trusted that we -- we knew that the Americans knew where we were and they were very accurate in their hits and it was amazing. Even though we saw a lot of bombings just around us, and we heard a lot of noise and we had to get our adjust to that because we were sitting in our little two by three meters tiny cell and up in the first floor. We were locked in -- the steel gates were closed, but we never even one finger was broken, and even though we heard there's a lot of things going on -- sometimes the building was shaking, but we really trusted that they would not come near enough.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: And also rescued aid workers Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry say that their faith pulled them through the ordeal, that first began when they were arrested in Afghanistan and charged with trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. Here's some of what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
HEATHER MERCER, AMERICAN AID WORKER: That the last three and a half months have probably been the greatest terror of my life. But they have also -- it has also been the greatest privilege of my life. And there -- I would never trade it for the world because I know coming out, not only am I changed, but a nation's changed.
We heard all kinds of commotion outside in the city. Guns firing, rocket launches going off, bombing in the city -- and all of a sudden we looked out the window and we saw all the Taliban just running madly through the city fleeing. At the time we didn't know they were fleeing, but we had assumed that the opposition forces had come in and they were now battling in the city, and but it happened after about 15 minutes of seeing men running from the city, it became really peaceful, and it was completely quiet for maybe 30 minutes, and then, all of a sudden we heard down at the front prison door just men and soldiers -- or men coming back banging down the prison door.
And I know I can speak for myself, but probably also for all of us, we thought that was the Taliban coming back, and that that was this is the end of the road. And we just got in the room and we were praying that God would deliver us from anyone who would want to harm us and all of a sudden a opposition soldier comes in with reams of ammunition around his neck and he just starts screaming you're free, you're free, the city is free. The Taliban have left and I think all of us were in complete shock -- and that was the most amazing thing I've ever seen, to come into a country and be taken captive under one government. And then to walk out of prison a free person under a new government and to see a city changed in just a moment and the women had taken off their burkas.
All of the villagers were out in the streets cheering and to see people playing music, shooting off their guns with great rejoicing and I really believe that a good day will come to Afghanistan. And it really was a precious time to be able to be a part of that. The first thing I saw was my dad with his jeans and his red, white and blue jacket going like this. I remember talking to my mom on the telephone one time, and once on a satellite conversation and she asked me if I had a pair of running shoes. And I said why do I need a pair of running shoes -- I hope I'm not making any great escapes, and she said well because when you get off the plane I want you to run as fast as you can to us.
And while we were in prison, the Taliban weren't saying this, but the prisoners inside said that they would pray five times a day that America would come in and rescue them. So the people themselves want help. They wanted America to come in. They wanted to be -- their nation to be rescued from the regime that was over them. You know in all this time I don't have any animosity towards the Taliban at all, even from the time that we were captured and the interrogation, I didn't have a reason to be angry with them. I felt like they were -- they were doing what they thought was their job and as much as they could, they treated us with respect and so really I don't have any anger against the Taliban for what's happened.
And all of this our greatest concern was that we didn't want to have to leave the country permanently. Afghanistan desperately needs help and I can say for all eight of us our hearts are in Afghanistan. We love the Afghan people and in so many ways our home -- because our hearts our there, our home is in Afghanistan. So no matter -- no matter what form it takes from here on out, we want to continue to love and to serve and care for the Afghan people.
Now that we're free and we'll be able to see another nation be free, and that another day will come for Afghanistan.
CALLAWAY: I just keep thinking about her parents and what that ordeal must have been like for them.
HARRIS: It had to be incredibly harrowing.
CALLAWAY: Yeah.
HARRIS: You know it's amazing to see that they want to go back in. They're saying that the important thing is to still get back in there and help those Afghan people.
CALLAWAY: Well their --
HARRIS: It's amazing.
CALLAWAY: -- dedication is unwavering.
HARRIS: Yeah.
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