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Afghanistan: Two Days of Violence Shake Kabul; More Detainees Arrive at Camp X-Ray; Is American Airlines Pilot Out for Revenge?

Aired February 15, 2002 - 20:00   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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, HOST: I'm Martin Savidge in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Coming up tonight on LIVE FROM AFGHANISTAN, two days of violence shakes the capitol of Kabul, and leaves a government minister dead.

Also, Camp X-Ray, more detainees arrive there today, but could it be they're running out of room? And then more on the former American Airlines pilot now turned combat helicopter pilot here, his fingers on the trigger. Could he be itching for revenge? It all begins right here, right now, LIVE FROM AFGHANISTAN.

ANNOUNCER: Violence at a sports stadium once used as an execution site, and a high level killing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMID KARZAI, INTERIM LEADER, AFGHANISTAN: Our Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism was assassinated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Setbacks for a city trying to recover from years of bloodshed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN ROUSH, WARRANT OFFICER, APACHE CO-PILOT: As far as helicopters go, this is the most powerful attack helicopter, probably in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: He's a professional, flying one of the most lethal birds of war, but for this former American Airlines pilot who lost colleagues in the September 11th attacks, his mission's partly personal.

On patrol and on alert with the 101st Airborne.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's been an altercation, an incident. I need you all to get clear of the gunner and make sure he's got a good clear path.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: LIVE FROM AFGHANISTAN, Martin Savidge.

SAVIDGE: Good evening. It is just after 5:30 in the morning here in Kandahar, Afghanistan, after what was a relatively peaceful night. However, illumination flares were being popped all over the perimeter. As far as we know, though, no shots were fired, after what has been a very tense week here.

The same peacefulness, though, can not be said about the capitol of Kabul. Two days of violence has shaken that city, and left a government minister murdered. CNN's Brian Palmer is there with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARZAI: We had a very tragic incident yesterday.

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Afghanistan's Interim Leader Hamid Karzai speaks out after two violent episodes in a city that has barely begun to heal, calling Thursday's killing of the government minister, an assassination.

All 20 suspects listed are high-ranking government and military officials. Five of the accused are from the highest reaches of power. Among them, the head of the Ministry of Intelligence, several generals in the armed forces, and a Supreme Court member.

KARZAI: We have made some arrests. We'll be making more arrests.

PALMER: Karzai denied the assassination was a political conspiracy, saying the perpetrator's motives were personal.

Doctor Abdul Rahman, Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism, was dragged off an aircraft at Kabul Airport and stabbed to death. Initial reports said Doctor Rahman was beaten to death by religious pilgrims, angry that flights to Mecca were being delayed.

Apparently the men who killed Doctor Rahman, blended into the crowd of pilgrims to conceal themselves. Karzai said three of the suspects escaped on planes chartered for pilgrims bound for Saudi Arabia. Kabul Airport remains under tight security.

On Friday, violence of a different sort, crowds of men rushing the gates of the Olympic Stadium and clashing with Afghan police and soldiers from the International Security Force, during a soccer match dedicated to unity. ISAF soldiers and police used batons, fire extinguishers, and dogs to keep the crowds at bay.

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: It happened because they don't like people to go and enter in the stadium. PALMER (on camera): In a city accustomed to violence and starved for public entertainment, this exhibition soccer match became a focal point for the energy, both violent and peaceful, of an entire city.

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: They don't have any other watching of other things, just the stadium, and they can't go to the stadium to watch the football game, and they left here. This also worried. I can't go to stadium.

PALMER (voice over): Inside, a relative harmony as the international team defeated the Afghan team in a close, exciting match, three to two. But beyond the stadium's walls, constant reminders that often only the surface is calm here in Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PALMER: Marty, Chairman Karzai has asked the Saudi Arabian Government to return three of those suspects that they believe have fled to Saudi Arabia, one of whom is the head of the intelligence ministry. Doctor Abdul Rahman will have his funeral today at around 2:00 p.m., so in several hours here, Kabul time. Marty.

SAVIDGE: Brian, what do these incidents of violence suggest about the stability of the Afghan government?

PALMER: Marty, we are really still assessing the ramifications of these two very disastrous events, but I think they speak to the fragility of the interim government here. The soccer match very, very violent, but again, that was a single incident.

I think the big picture event, the assassination of a government minister by members of Mr. Karzai's own government really, really bodes ill for things that could happen in the future, and it really speaks to the fact that you have a government that's been assembled from warring ethnic groups, contending factions, and really factions within factions, people who have scores to settle.

So I think that perhaps once these suspects are returned from Saudi Arabia, we will get some more information on the real causes of this assassination. Marty.

SAVIDGE: Also, how is that investigation into the killing of that government minister now progressing?

PALMER: Last night in Chairman Karzai's rather hastily assembled press conference, he essentially told us, the investigation is complete. So, roughly 24 hours and they completed their investigation to their satisfaction.

Once again, I think that as the days go by, more information will be revealed. Chairman Karzai telling us they have eye witnesses, and that this event was personal, but there's still a lot of facts that have not been answered and that I think will hopefully be answered over the next couple of days. Marty.

SAVIDGE: Brian Palmer joining us live from the capitol Kabul, thanks very much. Let's move on now across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean and the island of Cuba. Things are getting tight at Guantanamo Bay. That's the detention center where they're holding suspected al Qaeda and Taliban suspects.

More detainees arrived there today. CNN's Jason Carroll has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The latest wave of detainees arriving Friday at Guantanamo Bay will also be the last group until further notice. The group of 12 detainees put the temporary outdoor facility called Camp X-Ray at capacity.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL BILL COSTELLO, U.S. MILITARY SPOKESMAN: Twelve detainees got here. It brings out total to 300. We have the capacity to go up to 320. A decision was made locally to stop at 300, so that we have some cells available for isolation, for any particular reason. But we are effectively and are operating on that right now.

CARROLL (on camera): There are plans to build a permanent facility here on the naval base. It would house 408 units. We're told it could include amenities, such as a toilet and a sink. But military officials say they need Congressional approval before they begin building it.

LIEUTENANT COMMANDER BRENDAN McPHERSON, U.S. COAST GUARD: As soon as we get approval, we'll be able to begin construction on the new facility, and then within 55 days, we expect to have 408 units ready.

CARROLL (voice over): The need for a permanent facility will become more apparent each day. Camp X-Ray's outdoor cells will not provide much protection from rising temperatures and humidity, and Pentagon sources tell CNN, the most likely scenario at the moment is to hold military tribunals here. It could take months before those get underway.

COSTELLO: As the global war on terrorism progresses, certainly there may be more detainees that come into U.S. custody. But right now, we're at 300. We're at capacity. Decisions need to be made before we go higher, whether we increase the capacity at X-Ray, whether we get additional modular units built out at radio range, and whether we go up to 2,000.

CARROLL: For now, Guantanamo Bay waits to hear from Washington. Congress could give its approval as early as next week, to build a permanent detention center. Jason Carroll, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Moving on to the United States now, a jury selection date has been set for August 26, in the case of the man accused of being an American Taliban, John Walker Lindh. He's accused of also being an al Qaeda trained terrorist. Barring any delays that would mean his trial could be underway on September 11th, the one-year anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. CNN's Jonathan Aiken has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN AIKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): John Walker Lindh returned to Federal Court Friday, his lawyers hoping to push the start of his trial past the first anniversary of September 11th.

Both the prosecution and defense had settled on September 16th. Judge T. S. Ellis picked the day he already had in mind, Monday, August 26th for when jury selection and Walker Lindh's trial on charges he conspired to kill Americans in Afghanistan, would begin.

Worried the defense may be starting its arguments on or near September 11th, Walker Lindh's attorney, George Harris, told Judge Ellis: "There will be memorial services, a great deal of emotion across the country. We know that."

His voice rising, Harris continued: "There is no connection between September 11th and this case, but the government, including Attorney General John Ashcroft, has attempted to make a connection."

Judge Ellis said he might reconsider the trial date, but rejected defense fears of pretrial publicity. "April or December" Ellis said "I don't think it will make any difference."

Walker Lindh's head was upright. He looked straight ahead, as the trial date was set.

MARK HULKOWER, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: It's not a good development for the defense that this happened. As to whether it's a significant loss for either side, not that many trials are decided by when they start.

AIKEN (on camera): Not that there was every much doubt, but Judge Ellis made clear what his intentions are, and that is a streamlined process. He's consolidated or expedited pretrial hearings, involving evidence and the use of classified material, and he took prosecutors to task on Friday, for not being willing to move as fast as he wants them to.

AIKEN (voice over): "Justice Delayed, Justice Denied," is the inscription on this Federal Courthouse, where the trial of accused 9/11 terrorist, Zacarius Moussaoui, could begin just as John Walker Lindh's trial might be ending. Jonathan Aiken for CNN, Alexandria, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Now, we move across the Pacific Ocean, to the islands of the Philippines. There U.S. forces are moving themselves and their gear to a jungle island in the Philippines itself. Twenty-one U.S. support staffers today headed for the island of Basilan. They are going to set up a camp, which will be a staging area for the Philippine military to assault against Abu Sayaaf guerillas that are linked to al Qaeda. U.S. Special Forces members are expected to begin arriving on the island on Sunday. It is part of a six month U.S.-Philippine exercise.

Meanwhile back in the United States, more tough talk coming from Washington, from a man who is seldom seen and seldom heard these days. We get a live report from Major Garrett at the White House.

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Marty. Vice President Cheney did give a speech today to the Council on Foreign Relations, and it was notable in how starkly he described the enemy the United States faces, the collective enemy, the face of terror, and what it must do as it confronts this enemy, these terrorist cells around the world.

The White House is acutely aware that on the ground in Afghanistan, there is a sense that it's a mopping up operation. White House officials don't believe that's true. They believe a lot of heart and very tough work remains in Afghanistan, and tougher work still in other theaters yet to come in the War on Terrorism.

Here's how Vice President Cheney described what the United States and its allies are up against.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We face an enemy that is determined to kill Americans by any means, on any scale, and on our soil. We're dealing with a terror network that has cells in 60 countries. Such a group can not be held back by deterrence, nor reasoned with through diplomacy.

For this reason, the war against terror will not end in a treaty. There will be no summit meeting, no negotiations with terrorists. This conflict can only end in their complete and utter destruction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GARRETT: As the White House and the Pentagon and allies of the United States in the war on terrorism plot means to achieve that utter destruction a sign here, Marty, today that a bit of normalcy has returned to Washington since 9/11.

The White House today was reopened for the very first time to tours, public tours. The first visitors, 370 students drawn from elementary, high school, and junior high schools around the country. Among them, an elementary school here in D.C., which lost a student and a teacher in the Pentagon crash on 9/11.

Laura Bush, the first lady, was there to greet them and she said it was an important day for American, an important symbol that things have begun, at least in some small ways, to return to normal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I hope that especially children and especially youth groups realize how important our freedoms are, and I think what happened on September 11th taught us all how precious our freedoms are, the freedoms that we might have taken for granted before that.

So I hope they get a real sense of American history as they tour the White House again, and that's why I want them to also come from around the country on school tours to Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GARRETT: Three hundred and seventy students today, Marty, 800 in the days to come. One of them we interviewed today said, "it was really cool." It filled her with a great sense of pride to see the White House, and be one of the first students to do so again, after 9/11. Marty.

SAVIDGE: I bet it was for them. Major Garrett at the White House, thanks very much. We're going to take a break, but don't go far. LIVE FROM AFGHANISTAN continues right after this.

ANNOUNCER: It's got a lot of power, and as much firepower to match. We'll meet the man behind the controls, when we return. And later, on the road with the 101st Airborne.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: The children beyond the column, is one of the few breaks for the Afghan monotony. The shout and chase in the patrol's wake, a few manage to jump on for a ride.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: The AH-64, known as the Apache Helicopter, can fly as fast as 189 miles per hour. It has a range of 300 miles, and its arsenal of weapons include the Hellfire anti-tank missile.

SAVIDGE: Welcome back. Now we bring you the story of a former American Airlines pilot. As he calls himself, a former bus driver in the sky. Now he's traded in that pilot seat for the most sophisticated and deadliest war bird in the air. His mission here is part military and part personal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE (voice over): The flight line at Kandahar Airport, for Chief Warrant Officer Seth Verbel, is another day on the job.

SETH VERBEL, CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER, APACHE PILOT: Basically, I'm making sure what the burst limit is on my gun.

SAVIDGE: Several years ago, he sat in the pilot's seat of an American Airlines jet. Now he flies one of the most lethal war birds in the air, an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.

VERBEL: It delivers about, I think it's 1680 horsepower ejection. That's a lot of lift. But around here with the high temperatures, you need it.

SAVIDGE: That's good. It can fly at 200 miles per hour and comes armed at the chief.

VERBEL: You really don't need a chain gun to make sure its bow doesn't fall off.

SAVIDGE: The gun fires more than 600 rounds a minute, each one high explosive. Then there are the Hellfire laser-guided missiles, nothing else with rotors comes close.

ROUSH: As far as helicopters go, this is the most powerful attack helicopter probably in the world.

SAVIDGE: The Apache can see in total darkness, making it perfect for the job of QRF, or Quick Reaction Force.

When the firefight broke out at the Kandahar Base perimeter earlier this week, Apache helicopters roared into the air. But for Verbel, there is a personal aspect to this mission.

The American Airlines crewmembers who died when their hijacked plane struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, are never far from his thoughts or side. He's written their names on the missiles that rest two feet from his controls.

Verbel plans to go back to his cockpit at American Airlines soon. Until then, his business is flying, and making sure that potential enemies of the United States find the skies anything but friendly.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: He may be familiar, that is, with the Hellfire missile. That was the same missile that was launched from a Predator aircraft controlled by the CIA against al Qaeda members suspected to be on the ground.

When we come back, we'll take you on patrol. You never know what you'll find when you leave the perimeter line.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: The Army's 101st Airborne Division controls the base at Kandahar Airport. It was formed in 1942, and its paratroopers have seen action in World War II, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf War.

SAVIDGE: Members of the 101st aren't the only soldiers here. Canadian soldiers are here in large numbers, almost 750 of them, part of the international coalition that is building here at the Kandahar Military Base.

They bring with them an unusual weapon. It's called a Coyote, a light armored vehicle, high tech, high surveillance. But the patrols right now, out beyond the perimeter, are now conducted by the U.S. members of the 101st, and they move out with military might. Once they leave the gate, they never really know what they'll find.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE (voice over): We're in the Army now, joining a routine military patrol heading out into the Afghan countryside. The assembled media get a briefing on dos and don'ts, including what if the convoy is attacked.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the event of an altercation or an incident, we need you all to get clear of the gunner and make sure he's got a good clear path.

SAVIDGE: The patrol head out on what will be a four or five hour mission. There will be no stops. It's the old, it's harder to hit a moving target, adage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No potty breaks, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably not, sir. You all need to go before we go. It might be a long ride.

SAVIDGE: The war ravaged Afghan landscape jostles past, vacant dwellings raising questions about who lived here? Where have they gone? Who may be lurking there still?

The questions are shared by journalists and soldiers alike, guns pointing out, hands near the trigger, eyes ever watchful. The patrol passes the shattered remains of aircraft. Whose planes? How did they get here? From what war? The scenery offers no answers. We keep rolling on.

Passing villages are the only oases of life. People watch the soldiers go by. The children in the armored column, is one of the few breaks for the Afghan monotony. They shout and chase in the patrol's wake. Few manage to jump on for a ride.

It is the highlight of the journey. Peace" some of them shout, the only incoming the patrol faces is a friendly wave. Eventually, the children tire. The soldiers keep moving, always moving.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: You know, there are a lot of stories that could be told from here in Afghanistan, not all of them though can necessarily be told on the air. That's why you can turn to the CNN web site at cnn.com, and look at the "On the Scene" reports.

Each day, I file a different story about sometimes the weird, the strange, the funny, or even the serious events that happen in Afghanistan.

You know, it's very easy to become complacent about Afghanistan, very easy to take it for granted. But as this past week alone has shown with the firefight that left two U.S. soldiers wounded, with flares now going up around the perimeter, almost on a nightly basis here, and with the base standing at full alert, not the mention the developments taking place in Kabul, Afghanistan is still very much potentially violent, not a nation to be taken for granted. Other nations have made that mistake in the past, and lived to regret it.

Coming up for our domestic viewers, it will be "THE POINT." Coming up for international viewers, regular programming will resume. I'm Martin Savidge, thanks for joining. We'll see you again next time LIVE FROM AFGHANISTAN.

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