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Afghanistan: A Deadly Day for U.S. Soldiers

Aired March 04, 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.
ANNOUNCER: Casualties of war.

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GEN. TOMMY FRANKS, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: The total number killed in actions as it stands right now is eight or nine.

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ANNOUNCER: A deadly day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, but a pledge from the Pentagon.

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DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We intend to continue the operation until those al Qaeda and Taliban who remain are either surrendered or killed.

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ANNOUNCER: And word from President Bush that this fight is far from over.

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GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's going to take a while to route out al Qaeda wherever it tries to hide. The American people understand that.

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ANNOUNCER: LIVE FROM AFGHANISTAN, Nic Robertson.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, I'm Jeanne Meserve in Washington. We are having some technical problems. We will get to Nic Robertson, we hope, very shortly when our satellite problems are corrected.

The big story tonight, of course, casualties in Afghanistan, the result of chopper accidents. Let's get to CNN's Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon for the very latest -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jeanne, the Pentagon is still sorting out exactly what happed, but we are getting thousande following version of events now -- it now appears that the worst combat deaths in the war so far resulted when a U.S. special operations helicopter returned to a hostile landing zone where it was believed earlier in the day a U.S. soldier had been killed. They were attempting to recover his body or perhaps see if he had miraculously survived a fall out of the helicopter.

At that point, when the helicopter landed down -- it landed in the hostile area, it immediately came under heavy fire. The U.S. Central Command telling us tonight that six people were killed in that firefight, 11 others wounded, according to Pentagon officials, and are being treating in a hospital in Afghanistan.

What happened was the first helicopter was flying in the area low, got hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, which apparently didn't go off, but did cause damage to the helicopter's hydraulic system. It was able to limp about a half mile away and crash land. Then it was discovered that one crewmember was missing.

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FRANKS: The helicopter was in fact struck, but was still flyable. As the pilot lifted the helicopter off, I believe one crewmember may have fallen from the helicopter. I do not believe that that was recognized immediately.

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MCINTYRE: Now eventually U.S. troops did go back and rescue the people on the ground. They secured the area around where that second helicopter went down. They evacuated the 11 wounded. They are, as I said, in a hospital in Afghanistan. But U.S. officials are warning that the number of casualties, which now stands at eight over a -- since this operation began could rise, especially as U.S. pilots are flying Apache assault helicopters in risky, low-level missions.

Now, this mission in the snowy mountains of Afghanistan has been dubbed "Operation Anaconda" because it's named after the tropical snake that kills its prey by crushing it and surrounding it. There are about 2,000 troops involved in this operation; about 1,000 of them are U.S., 800 or so Afghan fighters, and 200 coalition forces. They are surrounding an area, which is between 60 and 70 square miles. They are trying -- some of the troops are involved in what's called a blocking action. Others are involved in offensive actions against the al Qaeda forces. At this point, the U.S. believes that as many as 200 may have been killed, and there's very little sign that they're going to flee.

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GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: At the beginning of this operation, we knew that the al Qaeda and their supporters there would have two choices -- to run or to stay and fight. It seems they have chosen to stay and to fight until the last. And we hope to accommodate them.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MCINTYRE: Again, there may be as many 400 al Qaeda in this area, maybe half have been killed. The punishing air strikes will continue along with U.S. and coalition forces on the ground. Pentagon officials indicate here this whole operation could take as long as another week to wrap up -- Jeanne.

MESERVE: Jamie, had Pentagon officials anticipated fighting of this intensity?

MCINTYRE: Well, they say they did. There's been some suggestion that they were taken aback somewhat by the ferocity of the al Qaeda resistance, especially as they were landing, for instance, in this area to put a reconnaissance team in. But Pentagon officials say that they did anticipate that these forces were dig in and would possibly fight to the death, although they thought some number might flee.

A senior Pentagon official told me tonight that -- insisted that they we not surprised by the ferocity of the resistance. And two senior officials, including the chairman of the joint chiefs, made a point of saying that would be inappropriate for them to second-guess the commander on the scene, which would be General Tommy Franks and noting that they had been full briefed on this plan. General Myers was briefed on it when he was in Afghanistan just a week or so -- a week or two ago. And they had signed off on it; they thought it was a good plan. So no one here is second-guessing whenever the U.S. was adequately prepared for this operation.

MESERVE: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon, thank you.

President Bush says he saddened by the loss of American lives in the fighting in Afghanistan, but he says he is determined to defeat the al Qaeda network. We get more on the president's reaction from CNN senior White House correspondent John King.

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JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): It was early Monday here at the White House when National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice brought President Bush the news no commander-in-chief wants to hear, more American fatalities in that fierce U.S. led offensive in eastern Afghanistan. Mr. Bush was kept up to speed on the continued fighting as he made his way to Minnesota later in the day for an education event, and he took time while there not only to offer his condolences to those killed in the fighting, but also to explain why from the White House stand point this particular operation is critical.

BUSH: These are people that if they were to escape could conceivably harm the United States again. And therefore, we're going to hunt them down wherever they try to hide. And I am so proud of the men and women who wear our uniform. I appreciate the efforts of our coalition to chase down al Qaeda, to bring them to justice. I'm obviously saddened by the loss of life. All America is saddened when one of our soldiers loses his life. On the other hand, I think most Americans, and I hope these parents and loved ones understand the cause is important, and the cause is just. KING: In those remarks, the president also made clear yet again that not only is the fighting in Afghanistan far from over, but that the war against terrorism will continue to expand outside of Afghanistan as well.

BUSH: Sometimes the American people will see us, see our military in action, sometimes they won't. But we will keep the pressure on al Qaeda. Our country is still under threat, and so long as our country is under threat, this great nation will hunt do those who want to harm innocent Americans.

KING: The president says the hunt for al Qaeda mastermind, Osama bin Laden continues. And in Mr. Bush's words, "there is no cave deep enough for him to hide in." Even tougher talk from National Security Adviser Rice. In an interview with Egyptian TV, she said -- quote -- "While his followers die, he has decided to run for his life, not a very brave thing to do."

John King, CNN, the White House.

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MESERVE: We now have Nic Robertson on the phone from Ghazni in Afghanistan near the fighting.

Nic, give us an update on what's happening there.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jeanne, overnight, we've been able to hear aircraft flying overhead. They sound like reconnaissance aircraft. They sound as if they're flying relatively low. As we drove into the region, we could see AWACs and B-52 bombers flying sorties over the mountain range that is visible across the mountain plains. We're about 7,000 feet up here.

In the mountains, we can see the snow capped peeks just to the south of Gardez, about 50 miles -- somewhat less than 50 miles away. We could see yesterday, Monday, plumes of smoke coming up from those mountains. It is just daybreak here, now. And at the moment, we can, again, hear the sound of drone aircraft.

The concern of politicians in this region here is the province that neighbors the province where the offensive is going -- is under way at the moment. They say that are al Qaeda groups regrouping inside their province, in Ghazni Province. They say that they've been keeping under surveillance these groups, along with the CIA. They also say that Australian Special Forces have been in this region to check up on those al Qaeda groups and they are expecting an offensive in this area, in the coming days -- Jeanne.

MESERVE: Nic Robertson joining us on the phone from Ghazni, thank you.

And we'll be back in just a moment to bring you more on the war in Afghanistan, also an update on a shooting tonight in Tel Aviv. CNN has been told that 13 were wounded at least at a restaurant shooting in that city. We'll bring you the latest when we return. ANNOUNCER: Coming up, he's an officer in the U.S. Special Forces on a different kind of mission.

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CAPT. CURTIS ANDERSON, 96TH CIVIL AFFAIRS BATTALION: Your Excellency, it's always nice to meet you again.

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ANNOUNCER: Helping people knocked down by war get back on their feet.

LIVE FROM AFGHANISTAN is back in two minutes, but first, time for you to get involved. Is Afghanistan more or less dangerous for U.S. forces now compared to when they first arrived? To take the quick vote, head to CNN.com. The AOL keyword is CNN. A reminder, this poll is not scientific.

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ANNOUNCER: The main task of the Chinook helicopter is to move artillery, personnel, and supplies. They were first used by the U.S. Army in 1962. Chinooks saw combat in the Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, and now Afghanistan.

MESERVE: We will have more on the war in Afghanistan in just a moment, but first we'd like to bring you up to date on another story that's breaking at this hour. A gunman has opened fire in a restaurant in Tel Aviv. Thirteen people are wounded. Right now, Jerrold Kessel is on the telephone with us.

Jerrold, what can you tell us?

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jeanne, it's the latest attack now by a Palestinian gunman, terror attack in the heart of Tel Aviv, Israeli police are saying. Two people reported dead, two Israelis shot dead, 13 wounded and a policeman who stormed the gunman, who began opening fire at random people who were in the small late night supermarket cum restaurant in the southern part of the city -- policemen stormed the gunman and he was shot dead. There were reports of people in the area. It is now some 3:00 in the morning here, and there were some people on the streets of this late night supermarket, and there were reports of their seeing another man in the area, perhaps another gunman and there is a search underway to make sure that that is not the case.

But for the moment, what the Palestinian gunman shot dead after he had killed two Israelis and wounded 13 others. This is the latest in the series of attacks and counterattacks. It has been really battling going on between the two sides over the last few days.

Yesterday, 16 Palestinians were killed in a variety of Israeli actions, which the Israeli government mounted with (UNINTELLIGIBLE), to exert enormous military pressure on the Palestinian Authority and against Palestinian terror organizations after they had launched a string of actions against Israelis over the weekend -- Jeanne.

MESERVE: Jerrold, you identifying that the Palestinian gunman -- have there been claims of responsibility as yet?

KESSEL: No, not yet. It really is still an even that is still unfolding. And as I say, police in that south Tel Aviv district, a business strict, normally would have been very, very crowded, but this is very late night and it's near one of the major newspapers and -- which had probably just been finishing its publication for the evening. And there were -- it was one place were there were people around, but until now, they can't ascertain exactly what happened -- whether there's another gunman in the area. And no yet -- no claim of responsibility yet for this action.

MESERVE: Jerrold Kessel, thank you for joining us on the phone. Once again, two dead and 13 wounded in a shooting at a Tel Aviv late night supermarket and restaurant.

In western Afghanistan and in a few key cities, U.S. Special Forces have been deployed to help fill a stopgap in the humanitarian effort. We went along with one team outside Herat, close to the Iranian border. Nic Robertson has the story.

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CAPT. CURTIS ANDERSON, 96TH CIVIL AFFAIRS BATTALION: Your Excellency, it's always nice to meet you again.

ROBERTSON: Captain Curtis Anderson's training with the Special Forces is being tested to the full.

ANDERSON: Well, what we would need to do is get a cost estimate of...

ROBERTSON: Here, negotiating a deal for U.S. tax dollars he is spending on aid projects. Out of uniform, but still in the Army, Anderson is on the cutting edge of a new U.S. government initiative.

ANDERSON: It's the first time that we've actually deployed a coalition joint civil military operations task force into country and worked as quickly as we have after a conflict.

ROBERTSON: So quickly, Anderson gets additional security from troops loyal to the Afghan government. But it is speed on projects such as this irrigation canal clearing that is the focus of the U.S. assistance.

HAJI AGA MOHAMMAD SEDDIQI, PRESIDENT, REHABILITATION AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (through translator): Sometimes it takes the U.N. three months to consider a project before they'll implement it, and sometimes people lose hope that they won't receive this help.

ROBERTSON: Fifteen thousand people will benefit when this irrigation canal is cleared in the next few day, just in time for crop planting. It is typical that the quick results projects Anderson says he is charged with implementing. ANDERSON: To coordinate with both the Afghan government and the U.N. agencies along with the international organizations and the non- governmental organizations to help with the emergency relief efforts here in Afghanistan.

ROBERTSON: The 500 Afghan workers on this project are paid about $1 a day by the U.S. government, and at the rate of half a mile a day, have cleared 10 miles with 1.5 to go. The whole project is expected to cost $17,000.

ABDUL LATIF, REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE (through translator): This very important, because people's lives depend on this project. If there is no water, people will starve. We appreciate the Americans' assistance.

ROBERTSON: Anderson and his civil military team, some of whom we didn't video for security reasons, are working on other projects, including equipping a girl's school and buying cloth for the hospital.

(on-camera): When this canal-clearing project is completed, local officials say they would like the Americans to help with another 150 miles of silted waterways. And while the civil military team says, they are not here to win hearts and minds, only help, they appear for now, at least, to be achieving positive results on both accounts.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Zinderjon (ph), Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: We will back in a moment with more on the two big stories we're following tonight -- U.S. casualties in Afghanistan, and Israeli casualties in Tel Aviv, where a gunman opened fire in a restaurant this evening. The latest toll -- three dead, 10 wounded. We'll be back in just a moment.

ANNOUNCER: It's homecoming today for the more than 1,80 sailors aboard the USS Peleliu, USS Chomstock (ph) and USS Dubuke (ph). The ships returned to their home base at the San Diego Naval station after spending seven months participating in Operation Enduring Freedom.

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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Anderson Cooper in New York. Tonight on "THE POINT," fighting terrorism with DNA. Samples have been collected from the Afghan detainees in Cuba. Fair use of technology or an invasion of privacy? Also, a judge charged with keeping child porn in his computer. He could get reelected. "THE POINT" begins in less than 10 minutes. Now, to Jeanne Meserve in Washington.

MESERVE: Anderson, thank you. And we're going to bring you up to date once again on a story we've been following this half hour -- a shooting in Israel. A gunman walked into a crowded restaurant and opened fire. Three people are dead, 10 are wounded, according to police in Tel Aviv. These are the first pictures we have seen of this episode.