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CNN Live At Daybreak

Pentagon Skeptical of Northern Alliance Reports; Says Taliban Leadership Fracturing in Kandahar

Aired November 30, 2001 - 05:18   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Checking at the Pentagon now and that's what we do at this time of the morning, with Ed Lavandera -- Ed, good morning.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

The situation, by all accounts, on the ground in Kandahar seems to be very tense at this hour. We are understanding that southern opposition groups of the Taliban say that they've moved closer to the city's edge. As this is happening, on the northern edge, in the northern province of Kandahar, some 50 miles, we understand, from the city, the Northern Alliance is saying that they're starting to make their push for the city as well.

The Pentagon and U.S. military officials saying they're a little bit skeptical of those reports as far as the Northern Alliance is concerned at this point. And they're also saying that inside the city of Kandahar, the Taliban has, the Taliban leadership and the military structure inside the city is becoming fractured.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REAR ADM. JOHN STUFFLEBEEM, PENTAGON SPOKESMAN: There are some commanders who are negotiating for surrender of their forces. There are others whom might take Mullah Omar's orders literally and intend to dig defensively and fight to the death. That's a possibility. But there are other units that are severed from competent or legitimate leadership that they would look to and they're, and that's where we were seeing sort of this dropping their weapons and trying to blend back into the countryside. So it's kind of the full gamut there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: This also raises a lot of concerns for U.S. military on the ground there because the Northern Alliance is made up, of course, of various ethnic tribes and also as well as in the southern opposition groups, there's a blend of ethnic tribes, as well. And a lot of these groups have a long history of not getting along. So U.S. military officials worried about what that situation might look like on the ground if these groups were to move into the city.

Also, the Pentagon releasing new video, the latest video images of all of this continues while bombing continues in Kandahar and across Afghanistan. The U.S. military focusing the air campaign on the caves and compounds where Taliban leadership and al Qaeda leadership is suspected of hiding out.

And one final update to pass along here from the Pentagon, Ahmed Abdel-Rahman, the 35-year-old son of the Muslim cleric who was convicted of conspiring to blow up U.S. landmarks and the World Trade Center, U.S. military officials, there had been a report that he's been captured by the Northern Alliance and the U.S. military says that they're still working to confirm that report.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: Ed Lavandera at the Pentagon.

Ed, thank you.

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