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CNN Live At Daybreak

New Cells in Cuba Will Alleviate Crowding in Kandahar

Aired January 24, 2002 - 05:06   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Sources tell CNN 60 more holding cells should be completed today at Guantanamo Bay Navy Base in Cuba. That will allow the transfer of Afghan war detainees to resume.

As CNN National Correspondent Bob Franken reports, there's been no room for new arrivals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At the moment, the flights bringing in detainees are suspended, at least for a day or so, until new cells are finished. At one to a cell, they're near capacity, and that's one of the reasons they're suspending the flights.

BRIGADIER GENERAL MICHAEL LEHNERT, SECURITY COMMANDER: First, we have a large enough population to begin interviewing the detainees that are here. Second, it gives us the opportunity to remove detainees who have been interviewed from the general population. It wouldn't do to have them comparing notes.

FRANKEN: That raises not only security issues, but concerns that doubling up would add fuel to the human rights controversy. But officials here continue to emphasize security. There are occasional minor incidents, they say. Overnight, for instance, a detainee spat on a guard and had to be subdued. And this is how the warden defined subdued.

COLONEL TERRY CARRICO, HEAD OF SECURITY, CAMP X-RAY: We will enter the individual unit with the amount of force necessary, a minimum amount of force, to control that individual and put his hands and feet shackles back on and then give him a cooling down period away from the detainees in his individual unit.

FRANKEN: Meanwhile, five of the injured detainees have received surgery for a variety of broken bones and wounds from the combat. At the base hospital, the emphasis is the same -- security first, then medical treatment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When a detainee comes to the hospital for care, he is accompanied by at least two security personnel and two security personnel are with him during his entire time at the hospital, even at the operating room until he goes to sleep. And then as he wakes up, security continues to be with him through recovery until he's brought back to the Camp X-Ray.

FRANKEN: Back at Camp X-Ray, the Red Cross representatives continue to question detainees. And now the interrogations have begun by the investigators.

These nearly completed buildings are called the joint interrogation facilities. Officials here say the interviews are already underway in other parts of the camp.

(on camera): They would not specify which agencies were involved in the interrogation but did acknowledge that civilian agencies were taking part. No lawyers will be present. This is about information, said General Lehnert, not prosecution, at this point.

Bob Franken, CNN, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And with the Guantanamo Bay transfers temporarily stopped, there's a backup of detainees at the Kandahar Airport detention center.

That's where our Martin Savidge is this morning -- good morning, Martin.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol. Good morning from the front lines of Afghanistan.

These are the front lines, as a matter of fact. It doesn't get any farther than this if you're part of the 101st Airborne that is protecting the Kandahar Airport. In fact, anything beyond those metal posts that you may see sticking up just beyond the main runway there is considered to be enemy territory. This is a potentially dangerous place to be.

It was only just over two weeks ago that a very severe firefight broke out just beyond that metal fence. A lot of incoming firepower came here. A lot of suppressing gunfire went out from here. There was nobody hurt on this side, but there were said to be some blood trails that were found on the other side.

A reference point, just so you know, off in the distance this direction you'll look beyond the line of helicopters there, you'll see the control tower. That's the Kandahar Airport. That's the main reason we're here. That's also the main reason that the army is here. And then if you look over here, this is what they call an O.P., an observation post. Say hello to Andre. He's up on top. He is in charge of the javelin, that is the army or army version of an armored rocket. He's basically watching over our back side, as are a number of other members of the 101st Airborne.

We're with Charlie Company 2187, 101st Airborne Racasan. You always have to say that when you say 101st Airborne. They are now in control of this airport. Not that far away from where we're standing, in the early days of the operation here a marine lost his leg due to a land mine. They believe, they think they got rid of all the land mines, underlining the word think. We are being very careful where we tread.

But this is it. This is as far as you can go. The runway behind us here pretty quiet now. As the sun goes down, it will become very, very active. That is generally the case, the C-17s, the C-130s bringing in troops, bringing in supplies around us here. You may have been expecting perhaps trenches, that they would be dug in. That is not the way it works.

The army uses what are called fighting positions. They're very low to the ground. You can see them here. Basically, you can note them by the fact that there are sand bags on top of them. From those positions they can lay out a clear line of fire. There is a perimeter that encircles completely this airport and this particular perimeter right now is being manned by the 101st Charlie Company. They're basically the people that allow us to sleep safely at night.

We're going to continue to stay here throughout the remainder of the day and into the nighttime hours. And it's nighttime when it gets pretty interesting out here. Last night, a number of trip flares went off. Trip flares are what they use to try to give them any indication if there is someone out there. There has been someone out there. Last night they think it might have been dogs. Other nights, though, there have been real people out there.

They know they're being probed. They know that people are out there mapping their positions. But they're also waiting just in case they decide to come a little bit farther across the line -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Martin, are they having trouble with the detainees at Kandahar Airport now that no more can be shipped to Guantanamo Bay?

SAVIDGE: No. No. They report that the situation with the detainees is fine. We are not allowed to look at the detainees, by the way, and we are not actually allowed to look into the camp where the detainees are being kept. That is part of the agreement. They say, though, that things are operating smoothly, that the detainees are behaving themselves and that for the most part it is another normal day, or just about the end of a normal day here. They don't report any problems, Carol.

COSTELLO: And they're much more difficult to observe by outsiders in Kandahar.

All right, Martin Savidge reporting live for us from Kandahar this morning. Thank you very much and be safe out there.

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