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CNN Live At Daybreak

Gen. Tommy Franks Visits Yemen To Check on Hunt for Al Qaeda

Aired February 11, 2002 - 05:01   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: The head of the U.S. day to day operation in Afghanistan is now in Yemen talking to officials about al Qaeda.

We get more on the phone from CNN's Brent Sadler in Sanaa, Yemen -- Brent, what can you tell us this morning?

BRENT SADLER, NBC CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, a stream of top level American officials have been visiting Yemen since the September 11 terror attacks on America to encourage Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to cut off terrorist routes in this country. And to that end, General Tommy Franks, the commander- in-chief of the U.S. military command, is now here to assess Yemen's progress in the ongoing hunt for two al Qaeda suspects now on the run in Yemen.

The two wanted men, both Yemenis, are thought to be important cogs in Osama bin Laden's terrorist network, responsible, it's said by U.S. officials, for moving money, materials and helping to plan terror activities. They're also suspected of involvement in the suicide bombing of the American warship USS Cole in Aden some 16 months ago, with the loss of 17 American sailors.

The Yemenis, it's understood, are asking for U.S. help in anti- terror training, surveillance, logistical support as well as military equipment. Today's high level talks are also focusing on U.S.-led efforts to help Yemen set up its own Coast Guard to patrol around 1,600 miles of coastline, including the southern end of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, water which could be used for the movement of terror related individuals and supplies -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Thank you.

Brent Sadler reporting live for us from Yemen this morning.

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