Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Taliban Uprising in Mazar-e-Sharif Leaves Many Dead

Aired November 26, 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: Well, some of the hard core Taliban troops who had surrendered earlier in Konduz were taken to a prison in Mazar-e-Sharif.

But as CNN's Allessio Vinci reports, their fighting was far from over, as an uprising ensued. And you may find some scenes in this report a bit disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The revolt took place inside the highly fortified compound occupied by Northern Alliance top General Abdul Rashid Dostum. Eyewitnesses say some 400 Taliban fighters who had surrendered the day before and were brought here seized weapons and began shooting.

Trapped inside the fortress, hundreds of Northern Alliance fighters, two television news crews, from Reuters and Germany's ARD, along with several U.S. special forces, here to advise the Northern Alliance on military affairs.

(on camera): What is happening?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a prison uprising.

ROBERTSON: A prison uprising?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

VINCI (on camera): How did they get weapons?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They stole them from us.

VINCI (voice-over): The gun battle lasted several hours, with Northern Alliance fighters searching for armed Talibans, preventing them from leaving the area. Witnesses say hundreds were killed, some executed, as they tried to escape from the gates.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We control the north end of the fort. The south end of the fort is in their hands.

VINCI: U.S. military advisers communicated with the outside via satellite phone, giving an early assessment of the situation. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's hundreds of dead here, at least, and I don't know how many Americans are here. I think one was killed. I'm not sure.

VINCI: This U.S. military adviser called for help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just need help to free this place up. We need to have a -- and again, we can't hit it from the air.

VINCI: The air force did strike at least nine times, according to eyewitnesses, with precision-guided missiles. The Northern Alliance moved in its tanks. Some of the wounded soldiers ran for cover and escaped from the fortress, followed by the reporters and this U.S. military adviser.

The Taliban who revolted were mainly foreign fighters from Pakistan linked to the al Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden. They were brought to this compound as part of a deal to surrender the city of Konduz five hours away from here. They had all been searched for weapons. Personal items, such as copies of the Koran and hand grenades, were confiscated.

On Saturday, one blew himself up, killing three Taliban and two prominent Northern Alliance commanders, a warning sign that their surrender may have been part of a plan to give themselves up and stage a massive suicide mission. None could have expected to survive the uprising.

Allessio Vinci, CNN, Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan.

(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