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CNN Live At Daybreak

Marines To Set Up Forward Base of Operations in Afghanistan

Aired November 27, 2001 - 05:12   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.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go to the Pentagon. Ed Lavandera is there for us with the latest. As we told you, U.S. marines on the ground in southern Afghanistan with more to join them -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donna, by the end of today, more than 1,000 U.S. marines will be working on the ground near Kandahar and the mission seems to be going so well that in the words of one marine general on the ground, he says, "The New York School of Ballet could not have orchestrated a more intricate movement more flawlessly."

Emotions are high and the morale is high as troops are moving in.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a million things that could go right or wrong and we'll see how many come out on our side.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm looking forward to it. I'm real anxious. I'm looking forward to some combat. I think all the guys are anxious to go. Just pumped up. We're going to get it on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's just a lot of pride that you actually get the chance to actually do something for the states, you know? Nobody else, a lot of the people in the military, they join the military to change things and then they don't get to do anything. And now we actually get to go and do something for our country.

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LAVANDERA: The marines are moving in to establish what's being described as a forward base of operations. It will be established at an air strip just southwest of Kandahar and the idea is to increase the pressure on the Taliban forces and keep them from moving around the country. And, of course, as the marines move in closer, they're also able to inflict swift and deadly force.

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DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Some U.S. marines are now on the ground in the southern portion of Afghanistan. More are joining them. They are not an occupying force. Their purpose is to establish a forward base of operations to help pressure the Taliban forces in Afghanistan, to prevent Taliban and al Qaeda terrorists from moving freely about the country.

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LAVANDERA: The U.S. marines will likely be moving closer to Kandahar, but at this time the Pentagon is being tight-lipped as to exactly what the U.S. marines on the ground there will be doing in the coming days.

These units that were moved in were the 15th and 26th Marine Expeditionary Units and this is part of a more amphibious assault group. They're able to take in more firepower than the special forces units that we've talked about over the last several weeks that are already on the ground and that have been helping U.S. fighter planes pinpoint targets on the ground inside Afghanistan -- Donna.

KELLEY: Ed, do we have any more later information overnight about the five who were injured in that prison uprising around Mazar- e-Sharif?

LAVANDERA: We understand that from briefings yesterday that those five troops were taken out of Afghanistan and that they were last listed in serious condition and were being treated just north of Afghanistan.

KELLEY: OK, Ed Lavandera at the Pentagon, thanks much. We'll talk to you soon.

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