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CNN Live At Daybreak

Marines Search Tora Bora Caves, Bush Freezes More Assets

Aired December 21, 2001 - 05:02   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: We're going to take you now to the Pentagon and CNN's Bob Constantini with a new development in the search of eastern Afghanistan, the caves there, for Osama bin Laden -- good morning.

BOB CONSTANTINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Catherine.

CNN has learned that as many as 500 marines could be going into the Tora Bora region as early as this weekend to aid in the cave by cave hunt for any remaining al Qaeda fighters. Now, the marines would go into the mountains to join U.S. special forces who have been helping local anti-Taliban soldiers search the rugged terrain.

They've found large weapons stockpiles. A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition says they are also looking for any sign of what happened to Osama bin Laden and whether he is traveling back and forth along the border with Pakistan.

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KENTON KEITH, ANTITERRORISM COALITION: The process of looking through those caves in Tora Bora is not finished. The process of rounding up everybody who is on the run in the region is not finished. It is quite possible that he's still there. It's quite possible that he's holed up in one of those caves and it's quite possible that he is not able to move out of one of those caves.

I think that what everybody is concluding on the coalition, from the senior leadership of the coalition is that we just simply don't know where he is. He, we are still trying to find him. The hunt will go on whether it takes a day or a week or a year or however long it takes. It will continue until he is brought to justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONSTANTINI: The U.S. now has a total of 23 detainees, former al Qaeda and Taliban fighters, in custody, most of them at the marine encampment in the Kandahar Airport. However, three new detainees have been taken to the USS Peleliu, a ship in the Arabian Sea. Not only is the American John Walker being held on the assault vessel, but also two men officials here are calling top Taliban leaders. And all of the detainees are being interrogated by CIA and FBI agents, hoping to get more information about terrorist networks -- Catherine. CALLAWAY: And, Bob, before you go, can you tell us more about the president's plan to go after some of the assets of some other groups that may be supporting al Qaeda?

CONSTANTINI: Yes. On Thursday, to mark the 100th day of the war against terrorism, the president froze assets of two groups, the first being Umma Tameer-e-Nau, which the president said masquerades as a charity in Pakistan but it is actually helping or trying to help al Qaeda get weapons of mass destruction, in particular, possible nuclear weapons. And the other group is Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, which is identified as a terrorist group operating in the disputed territory of Kashmir and operating against India -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Thank you, Bob Constantini at the Pentagon this morning. See you a little bit later, Bob.

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