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Afghanistan; Are Terrorists Planning an Attack on Lady Liberty?; Battle in Afghanistan is Long from Over; Some U.S. Special Forces on a Very Special Mission
Aired May 21, 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: Are terrorists planning an attack on Lady Liberty? The FBI issues a new warning for New York City landmarks.
New alarms from the secretaries of defense and state on just how far terrorists will go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We have to recognize that terrorist networks have relationships with terrorist states that have weapons of mass destruction. And that they inevitably are going to get their hands on them and they would not hesitate one minute in using them.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: Terrorists are trying every way they can to get their hands on weapons of mass destruction, whether radiological, chemical, biological or nuclear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Word that the battle in Afghanistan is far from over.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. TOMMY FRANKS, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: The general stability in Afghanistan continues to improve. But I'll be also quick to point out that the situation there remains very fragile.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: LIVE FROM AFGHANISTAN: THE WAR ON TERROR. Here's Anderson Cooper.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: Good evening. It is dawn here in Afghanistan just outside Kabul where Operation Enduring Freedom is now in its eighth month, still very active, still very deadly. We join you tonight from a very special vantage point to say the least. This is a former military base, formerly built by the Soviets, once occupied by the Taliban, even used by al Qaeda. It is now home to a battalion of U.S. Special Forces, very special men here on a very special mission. You will meet some of them later on tonight. First, though, we go to the war on terror in the United States. New fears about new terrorist attacks in New York. For that we go now to Maria Hinojosa -- Maria.
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, a difficult day for New Yorkers as we try to understand so much information about another round of possible attacks. First, information that there might be an attack against the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty itself, the island remains open. The statue itself is closed, though, to visitors.
Then information about a specific attack against the Brooklyn Bridge. Of course, the Brooklyn Bridge used by thousands upon thousands of commuters to get in and out of Manhattan every day. And much more confusion about these threats and how serious that we should take them.
The FBI now releasing a statement perhaps trying to clarify this. In that statement, the FBI saying, "The U.S. government has received unsubstantiated and uncorroborated information that terrorists are considering attacks against landmarks in New York City." While the FBI has no information as to date or the method of attack, out of an abundance of caution, the information has been transmitted to law enforcement officials in New York City. The threat level of the city, state and nation remains unchanged. All of this coming at the same time when FBI director Robert Mueller saying that an attack against the United States is inevitable. New York City's police commissioner Raymond Kelly saying that he would not have chosen to use the word inevitable, but they are doing everything possible. The NYPD saying that they are coordinating with state and federal officials, but that at this point, the city remains on a heightened state of alert but no change in the state of alert because of this information.
What is the city doing now? We have been told that the NYPD has increased its vigilance on the bridges. The tunnels have remained at a heightened state of alert since 9/11. And all of this, Anderson, coming just a few days before a holiday weekend and just a day before 6,000 military officials are expected to arrive in New York City as part of the annual Fleet Week, a parade of ships and planes in New York City. Many people here just trying to understand how they can continue to live their lives day by day and at the same time process this information about another possible attack -- Anderson.
COOPER: Thanks, Maria. That is scary stuff. We're going to talk a little bit to former DCI Robert Gates about whether these warnings are actually doing us any good in terms of our national security. Thanks very much Maria Hinojosa.
We go now to Washington. There was another warning from there today, from U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While the U.S. government has no new terrorist threats that are both credible and specific, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is the latest Bush administration official to issue an ominous warning.
RUMSFELD: Terrorist networks have relationships with terrorist states that have weapons of mass destruction and that they inevitably are going to get their hands on them and they would not hesitate one minute in using them.
MCINTYRE: This week, officials have warned about everything from Palestinian style suicide bombings to the possibility al Qaeda might rent apartments to blow them up, but the national terrorism alert status remains in the yellow or elevated because all of the intelligence is vague.
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY DIRECTOR: When we get specific information with regard to a terrorist threat, we will share it. It may not be actionable. And again, this is a very difficult environment for Americans to accept.
MCINTYRE: One problem is there are hundreds of nightmare scenarios for which the U.S. is unprepared.
SEN. HERB KOHL (D) WISCONSIN: No security whatsoever takes place on chartered aircraft, which would allow a terrorist to charter a large aircraft, board with his friends, carry on luggage with explosives and use that aircraft as a weapon against innocent civilians, exactly as what happened on 9/11.
MCINTYRE: But even if security is tightened, administration officials continue to warn it will never be enough.
RUMSFELD: And it is physically impossible to defend at every time in every place against every conceivable technique. There is no way to do it.
MCINTYRE: The White House insists the recent spate of official warnings is not intended to deflect criticism of the handling of pre- September 11 intelligence.
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: There has been a recent increase in the chatter that we've heard in the system. That was reflected in what they said. So I think they're doing their level best to answer questions that people have.
MCINTYRE (on-camera): While the administration officials said while some in government may be speaking out now to avoid being criticized later, Pentagon officials insist Defense Secretary Rumsfeld has been saying pretty much the same things since the beginning of the war on terrorism.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: So how does the U.S. government think it is doing in its war on terror? For that we go to Andrea Koppel in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You got to get out of the middle of the street.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the first global report on terrorism since September 11, the State Department warns future attacks against Americans could be even more deadly.
POWELL: Terrorists are trying every way they can to get their hands on weapons of mass destruction, whether radiological, chemical, biological or nuclear.
KOPPEL: Osama bin Laden made no secret of his desire to use such weapons, calling it a religious duty. In fact, earlier this year, the head of al Qaeda operations in Italy, Sami Ben Khartaus Essid was arrested for plotting attacks using poison gas against the U.S. Embassy in Rome. Italian authorities recorded Essid saying, "The product is better. It's more efficient because this liquid, as soon as you open it, it suffocates people."
AMB. FRANCIS X. TAYLOR, COORDINATOR FOR COUNTERTERRORISM: We are very much concerned about another attack against America from al Qaeda or al Qaeda related elements and that's what we're working our darnedest on trying to preclude.
KOPPEL: Besides military action, the State Department points out the war on terrorism also involves diplomacy, sharing intelligence, freezing assets and unprecedented law enforcement cooperation from countries around the world. In Singapore, for example, last December, authorities uncovered a terrorist plot by al Qaeda supporters to attack several U.S. Navy vessels, the U.S. Embassy, as well as other embassies.
CHAN HENG CHEE, SINGAPORE AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: It's not just Singapore. The point about the war on terrorism is that the United States has found many friends and allies around the world because we all see this as a scourge of the 21st century, terrorism.
KOPPEL (on-camera): There is no question the State Department believes it's essential, this type of close cooperation continue, because officials say despite early success, this campaign is just beginning.
Andrea Koppel, CNN, at the State Department.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: So did the federal government miss clues that could have prevented the terrorist attacks of 9/11? That is the question being raised on Capitol Hill. Kelli Arena filed this report for us about an FBI agent who is testifying about a report he wrote last summer raising some concerns about Arab students and flight schools in the United States. Here's Kelli.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Accompanied by FBI director Robert Mueller, FBI agent Kenneth Williams, author of the now famous "Phoenix Memo," came to Capitol Hill to provide context for senators, who are upset they weren't told earlier about it.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R) PENNSYLVANIA: I believe that he's a very capable agent. I believe that he thought he was investigating a matter of significance and that he prepared a memorandum to be submitted to appropriate authorities above his pay rate for appropriate responses.
ARENA: That memo, parts of which remain classified, was read to a reporter at CNN's sister publication, "Fortune" magazine. It clearly raised the issue about whether al Qaeda was sending terrorists to flight schools, saying -- quote -- "Usama effort to send students to U.S. to attend civil aviation universities and colleges."
The memo talks about a probe beginning in 2000. It was sent to two FBI terrorism task forces at headquarters and to the New York field office last summer, but no action was taken. Members of Congress are calling for the memo's public release, knowing parts may have to be redacted to protect an ongoing investigation.
REP. PORTER GOSS (R) FLORIDA: In my view, I think we should throw it out the door and let the American public see it in some kind of an organized fashion.
ARENA: Some lawmakers are peeved that both the FBI director and attorney general knew about the Phoenix investigation for months, but did not share that information with Congress. Members of a joint committee investigating 9/11 met with the attorney general to tell him they want more cooperation.
SEN. RICHARD SHELBY (R) ALABAMA: We made perfectly clear to the administration that to do this investigation, we had to have their cooperation. Now, we've had a good meeting today, but the proof of cooperation will come as the investigation unfolds.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: But top Democrats are not willing to wait and see and are calling for an independent commission to investigate how and why clues may have been missed before 9/11. Now, the White House and Congressional Republicans are opposed to an independent review insisting that a Congressional review is the only and best way to save the classified material that is involved -- Anderson.
COOPER: Well, Kelli, it doesn't sound like this controversy is going to be ending any time soon, does it?
ARENA: No, it doesn't. This memo is going to be fodder for the Washington mill for some time. And right now, the blame game is in high gear and people are looking for something to point to, to say look, if we had only acted on this. Unfortunately, though, I don't think we'll ever see a conclusion that satisfies everyone, Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Kelli Arena, thank you for joining us tonight.
ARENA: You're welcome.
COOPER: Coming up after the break, former deputy director of Central Intelligence, Robert Gates, will join us from Seattle, Washington, talking about the war on terror. That's coming up.
ANNOUNCER: Last October, the White House released a list of 22 most wanted suspected terrorists. As of today, 21 of those 22 have not been caught. One of the 22 may have been killed in Afghanistan, but his name remains on the list awaiting proof of his death.
Coming up later on LIVE FROM AFGHANISTAN, dealing with death on the frontlines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We all understand this is a dangerous business. This is a war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Gunning for peace in Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER (on-camera): Even if a peon hands over one weapon, in Afghanistan, it is not uncommon for them to have several more weapons hidden at home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Taking away guns in a country loaded with them, is disarmingly difficult.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: The Central Intelligence Agency was created in 1947 by President Harry Truman and Congress. It's headquartered in Langley, Virginia. The CIA's budget and number of employees are classified.
COOPER: And welcome back to LIVE FROM AFGHANISTAN, reporting from Kabul. We have all of course heard the warnings by now. We are all familiar with the dangers. We have also known fear. But the question we want to ask now is do all the warnings actually do us any good in terms of national security? Joining us now from Seattle, Washington, former deputy director of Central Intelligence Robert Gates. Thanks very much for being with us, Director Gates. What do you think? Does this constant barrage of warnings and vague warnings really improve our national security?
ROBERT GATES, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: The administration faces several dilemmas. One is how in the absence of further attacks, at least to date, does it keep the American people vigilant and aware that we continue to be under threat from the terrorists. These warnings serve to remind people of that fact.
Another dilemma that we face, that the government faces, is how much information to release, how many of these warnings to give out, because it may be that people will become inured to them and not pay any attention. And it's a constant balancing act on the part of the administration. And frankly, the fuhrerer of the last week or two has shifted the balance, I think, in that calculation to provide more information. The danger there is as they provide more uncorroborated information, people won't pay any attention.
COOPER: You've certainly been in that hot seat answering those questions. I mean do you think right now too much information is being released?
GATES: I think that's impossible for anyone on the outside to tell. When I was director of the agency under former President Bush and deputy director under President Reagan, we always were wrestling with the issue of how much information -- how much threat information to release to the public. And without knowing the volume of information they have and its provenance, its authoritativeness, it's very difficult for anyone on the outside to appreciate the dilemma and the balancing act they're going through in terms of whether -- what they're releasing is too much.
COOPER: The Office of Homeland Security has certainly come under a lot of criticism of late. Do you think they're doing their job correctly and if not, exactly what do you think they should be doing better?
GATES: My concern is I think that they're doing everything they possibly can. I worry that they may not be winning enough turf battles and enough battles for authority in terms of developing strategy and control over budgets and all of the other aspects of homeland defense that was the original intent of creating the office.
COOPER: You know, we heard these new threats or alleged threats against New York today. You know, someone living in New York, when they hear this, it's sort of a catch-22. I mean there's nothing specifically you can really do. All it really does is really make you more scared. What should anyone sitting at home in New York City or anywhere in the United States think of every time they hear one of these warnings? What, if anything, should they be doing?
GATES: I think the only thing that people really can do is have a heightened sense of what we would call situational awareness. The one thing they can do -- it's a little bit like neighborhood watch in many of our towns and cities -- the one thing they can do is pay attention to what's going on around them and see if they see things that are out of place, see people who don't belong, see people doing things that look suspicious and try and take that into account.
Now, we don't want everybody, obviously, turning into a vigilante or turning into the -- turning every person they see that they think is suspicious into the police. But it's just a matter of trying to look for patterns around them and so on. And I think this is something that every person who grows up in a big city has this kind of situational awareness and they have to continue that. But it is a worry in terms of continuing threats that you scare people and then eventually when nothing happens, that they then begin to ignore the warnings.
COOPER: All right. Former DCI Robert Gates, thanks very much for joining us this evening from Seattle.
GATES: Thank you.
COOPER: Coming up next, we'll going to talk to Mike Boettcher who is up at Bagram Air Base here in Afghanistan. Mike was just out on Operation Condor. He's going to be talking about that. He's also going to be talking about chatter, exactly what is it and why has there been an increase in chatter among alleged operatives of al Qaeda? That coming up after the break.
ANNOUNCER: Time for your opinion. Can the U.S. stop pedestrian suicide bombings? To take the quick vote, head to CNN.com. The AOL keyword is CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Welcome back to LIVE FROM AFGHANISTAN. We join you from Kabul, from a base used by U.S. Special Forces. We'll have more on that in a while.
We were getting reports that U.S. intelligence officials are saying that there has been a significant increase in the communications between suspected members of the al Qaeda network. Exactly -- they call it chatter. We're going to find out exactly what chatter is right now. Joining us from Bagram Air Base is Mike Boettcher.
Mike, exactly what does chatter entail?
MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, if you see this hand up to my ear, we have a helicopter taking off, so it's very loud. It's hard to hear chatter in my ear.
Chatter is electronic communication used by al Qaeda to communicate throughout the world. In the old days, World War II, it was radio communication. Now, it's Internet communication. And when you're hearing the term "chatter," that's what they're talking about.
Al Qaeda, over the years, has become very, very sophisticated in using the Internet to communicate. They've become sophisticated at encryption and we have formed forces, the coalition, the United States and others, have formed entire computer Internet corps in order to try to listen to that chatter -- Anderson.
COOPER: Well, Mike, if you can hear me above the helicopters, exactly how do we go about monitoring this chatter? I mean how sophisticated are our abilities to hear what other people are talking about?
BOETTCHER: Well, as I was mentioning, we have a very sophisticated corps of cyber warriors. And after 9/11, we began working with our coalition partners all the time in order to intercept communications.
Now, these methods of doing this are some of the most closely held secrets by the coalition and especially the United States. It's fair to say that in the world of coding and decoding, ever since there were people who used code to communicate, there were people who have been trying to break that code. And there has been a very broad operation since 9/11 by the U.S. and its coalition partners working together in order to break those codes, so to speak and also, to hear the various communications of al Qaeda throughout the world.
And there's also a part of this, the human element, chatter is person to person. When al Qaeda really wants to communicate, they do it and communicate very secretly. They will communicate person to person. When that occurs, you also need human intelligence on the ground in order to have an idea of the messages being passed as people fly across the world to deliver orders, so to speak.
COOPER: All right, Mike Boettcher joining us live from Bagram Air Base, just north of where we are in Kabul. Mike will be coming back a little bit later on in the program. He just returned from Operation Condor, that a British led operation in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan. He got a rare look on a patrol and will give us a report coming up.
We will also be hearing from General Tommy Franks and -- who gave a press conference just a few hours ago. We will have his comments after this break.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up, always on alert in Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: You can't get complacence. I mean if you think there's no enemy around here and then you act like there's no enemy there...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: We'll head to the frontlines in the war on terror. And later, the difficult task of disarming Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: The interim administration here says they've disarmed the population in at least seven of Afghanistan's 30 provinces. Exactly what that means however is very difficult to deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Head of U.S. central command General Tommy Franks says the mission here is far from over. We'll have his comments when we return.
ANNOUNCER: Also ahead: Why is Canada pulling its troops out of Afghanistan?
And later...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The machine gunner below me is looking out over an area that has been strategic during all Afghan wars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: We'll go to the battle front in the War Against Terror.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Welcome back to live from Afghanistan. I'm Anderson Cooper. I'm joining you from the outskirts of Kabul from a military base where U.S. special forces have a very important mission: training a new Afghan national army. We'll have more on that coming up in a few minutes.
The U.S.-led forces here say they are out to finish the job. That, of course, is the word from head of the U.S. -- from the head of the central command, General Tommy Franks. He gave a press conference a little bit earlier in the day. He said the ground war here is far from over and that U.S.-led troops will be going back to those caves in eastern Afghanistan and that mountainous region to try to finish the job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENERAL TOMMY FRANKS, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: We also, though, have to be very careful and recognize that given the opportunity, given the right kind of target, they probably would try to bring themselves back together in larger groups. As to whether we're talking about groups of five to ten or whether we're talking about groups of 20 to 25, honestly, we don't know. And so that is one of the reasons that we conduct these sweep operations and that we conduct these exploitations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: The war against terror will soon be fought without Canadian government troops. Canada says it plans to pull out the troops this summer. They might return next year. The Canadian defense minister says the war and other operations have just simply stretched the Canadian troops too far.
We go back now to Bagram Air Base where Mike Boettcher has recently returned from a patrol on Operation Condor, that's a British- led operation in eastern Afghanistan. He joins us with that report -- Mike. MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, U.S. special forces, we learned yesterday, had conducted a raid in southeast Afghanistan against a suspected al-Qaeda compound. They found almost no members but did gain human intelligence, they said. They've been tracking the killers of that U.S. special forces soldier and they will continue to track him, they say. Operating in that same area are British Royal Marines of Operation Condor, also trying to track al- Qaeda and Taliban operatives.
Earlier this week, we had the opportunity to travel with the patrol of Operation Condor in the mountains of southeast Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Over southeast Afghanistan a British helicopter door gunner keeps his eyes fixed on the dry mountains below. A short distance away, a U.S. special forces soldier was shot and killed in a gun battle with what American commanders believe were elements of al- Qaeda or Taliban.
MAJ. BRIAN HILFERTY, U.S. ARMY: I think all the soldiers here and even the civilians who are supporting us, we all understand this is a dangerous business. This is a war.
BOETTCHER: The British commandos on the ground in southeast Afghanistan have heard about the death of the American, but they have been searching this rugged terrain for days as part of Operation Condor and have yet to catch a glimpse of their enemy.
(on camera): Just because these commandos didn't make contact with al-Qaeda or Taliban during Operation Condor does not mean that those two groups have not used this place before. The machine gunner below me is looking out over an area that has been strategic during all Afghan wars.
As a matter of fact, during Operation Anaconda last winter, it is believed that retreating al-Qaeda and Taliban used this route to evacuate their positions perhaps towards Pakistan.
(voice-over): Now, there is no movement at all -- nothing. If the coalition's enemies are here, they're not showing their faces. A victory of sorts, say the Royal Marines.
MAJOR RICHARD KING, BRITISH ROYAL MARINE: In the history, the A.Q. And Taliban have drawn their enemy on to ground of their choosing, which is the ground we're standing on at the moment. Obviously they feel at the moment that we are a force that this is no longer the ground of their choosing. Therefore, they've moved to other pastures. If we've achieved that, that is clearly a success.
BOETTCHER: But it is becoming clear that in mountainous eastern Afghanistan al-Qaeda and Taliban holdouts are adopting hit and run guerrilla tactics.
JOSEPH DOYLE, BRITISH ROYAL MARINES: You can't get complacent. If you think there's no enemy around here, then you act like there's no enemy.
BOETTCHER: Aware complacency can lead to casualties, coalition commanders have ordered regular patrols of villages adjacent to their headquarters at Bagram Air Base. During this patrol, they investigate a report someone had fired a rocket propelled grenade toward the base.
But Afghanistan is huge, its terrain forbidding. Even a million- man army would have trouble stopping hit-and-run attacks against it. The old Soviet army learned that the hard way during the 1980s.
Still, this 500-man force of Royal Marines believes their enemy is out there. They continue the hunt even if they cannot see them. The death of another American soldier is proof that their job is far from over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(on camera): Operation Condor and operations like it do not occur without intelligence. A few hours ago, we were given the unique opportunity to sit down and talk to the chief intelligence officer here for Task Force Mountain at Bagram Air Base to sort of give you, the public, an intelligence briefing, not the same top secret one the generals get here, but to give you an idea of what is going on.
We spoke to Lieutenant Colonel Jasey Riley, and we first asked him how al Qaeda is operating right now in Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. COL. JASEY RILEY, CHIEF INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: We feel that there's still some small cells that exist in Afghanistan. They will not concentrate in large numbers like they once did during Operation Anaconda because of the threat that they perceive by us, by the coalition forces.
And we will continue to pursue those small cells, no matter how large or how small.
BOETTCHER: Are these cells operating independent, do you believe, of any command structure out there, in terms of a sleeper cell, for example, operating on their own, or is there coordination, do you think?
RILEY: I think there is some type of coordination. To what level, I do not know, but I think there is some type of small coordination that is going on, again, to facilitate their guerrilla or terrorist type tactics, but I don't think it's a coherent type of coordination that is going on, again because it has been disrupted and we continue to pursue them with our strategic reconnaissance throughout the country.
BOETTCHER: Are they still here? The British have been out on two operations -- Snipe, and the most recent Operation Condor -- we had a special forces soldier killed in an ambush. Are they here and are they here in numbers still -- al Qaeda, specifically, right now? RILEY: Well, we have a term, what we refer to as confirm-and- deny, and we have to go there to confirm whether they are there or not, and fortunately, some of the places we do go, they're not there, and that's a good sign, because that means if we're there and they're not there, that means that terrorism is not existing in that particular area.
BOETTCHER: Do you believe that many of the Arabs who made up al Qaeda, not the Afghans, but the Arabs, have left or have they gone to ground, do you believe?
RILEY: I think it is a combination of both. I think some of the Arabs have gone to ground and some of them have left. They know the threat that we pose to them and we are a major threat to the al Qaeda network and the Arabs that coexist in the al Qaeda network, and as long as we are here along with our coalition partners including the Afghanis, I don't think they will want to go head-to-head with us.
BOETTCHER: Colonel, where are they? Where are they hiding?
RILEY: I think they are hiding all over, and that is why our hunt continues for them. There's probably some here in Afghanistan and probably in the surrounding countries, but this is only a start, and terrorism needs to be destroyed.
BOETTCHER: Are they hiding in the mountain regions on each border, the Pakistan border and the Iranian border. Is that a natural place for them to be because it offers them escape?
RILEY: Well, we have known that has been their natural sanctuary, and so we've had very good cooperation with the Pakistanian government and they've been doing all they can to help get rid of al Qaeda in their country also.
But yes, they have known to be in the high ground. That is their natural habitat as far as their sanctuary and we'll continue to look for them and hunt them down.
BOETTCHER: And this is the question everyone out here who is following this war wants to know, do we believe that the top al Qaeda leadership, including Osama bin Laden, is still in this country or can you say?
RILEY: I cannot say where Osama bin Laden is located. However, we continue to pursue his network and once his network is totally destroyed, he will be no longer useful to anyone.
BOETTCHER: And just two other things and we'll wrap it up. You say when you do your briefing, you give a 24-hour brief and then a further outlook. Can you give me a 24-hour brief? Can you give the American public a 24-hour brief what to expect?
RILEY: I think what we can expect that is our strategic reconnaissance continues the hunt for al Qaeda. We'll continue to destroy that network.
BOETTCHER: And the longer outlook?
RILEY: The longer outlook, I think we'll find that the Afghani nation will stand strong once the interim government stands up and al Qaeda no longer exists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOETTCHER: A footnote about Colonel Riley. He is a man who has not been home for a long time. He was in Kosovo as the intelligence officer there, and came straight to Afghanistan when this operation geared up. Hopefully, he says, he will return home in June.
That's it from Bagram Air Base. Let's return a few miles to the south and Anderson Cooper at a base near Kabul.
COOPER: All right, Mike Boettcher, thanks very much. We wanted to find out what the Afghans are doing to try to improve the security and stability of this country.
What they're doing is they are trying to disarm the population, but after 23 years of war, that is a very difficult task indeed. We will have a report coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: If you spend any time at all in Afghanistan, you get very used very quickly to seeing men walking around with guns. That is about to change, or so hopes the Afghan government.
They are attempting to disarm the population. Will it work is anybody's guess. Here's this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): General Abdul-Rahman (ph), an Afghan commander, is about to ask a group of fighters to do what was once unthinkable here. He wants them to give up their guns.
"You rescued our country from invasion," he tells them. "First by Russians, then by terrorists. Now is it time to store away your weapons."
For four months now the interim administration of Afghanistan has been trying to ensure stability and security by disarming the heavily armed population of this nation.
After 23 years of bloodshed and bullets, garrisons and guns, no one can even guess how many weapons there are.
This gun looks small, this man says, but it's killed a lot of Taliban. It's a very good gun.
When you fire this rocket, he says, it shakes the world.
Many Afghans are proud of their guns, but weary of war; 33 year- old Abdul Kaleel says he's fought most of his life. Our country is secure, he says. What need do we now have of our weapons?
You see these Mujahadeen, General Rahman says? They are bringing they're bringing their weapons voluntarily. We hope that throughout all Afghanistan we can persuade and encourage all people to turn in their weapons.
Today some 300 weapons are taken, registered, then stored.
(on camera): The interim administration here says they've disarmed the population in at least 7 of Afghanistan's 30 provinces. Exactly what that means is very difficult to tell. Even if a person hands over one weapon in Afghanistan, it is not uncommon for them to have several more weapons hidden at home.
(voice-over): So the administration here says it's ready to take more drastic measures.
First, we voluntarily collect the guns, General Rahman says. After that, anyone found with a gun will be disarmed and that man will be punished.
There has already been bloodshed. This anti-aircraft missile was found buried in the ground. When its owners resisted its confiscation, one was killed, two others arrested. These men have an incentive to turn over their guns. They want to be part of Afghanistan's new army. Give up a gun, they hope to get a job. Besides, they say, in Afghanistan, more weapons can always be found.
Have you seen a knife? Give me a knife, this man says. At the beginning of our Jihad, we killed our enemies with this weapon and we captured their guns. Anyone who invades our country again, we'll kill them the same way.
Even if individuals give up their guns, many warlords will not. They have private armies, personal agendas, a problem that's as complex, the equation simple. In a lawless land, a gun equals power. That's something that many Afghans are unwilling to surrender.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
We've all heard about U.S. Special Forces operating here in Afghanistan. Very rarely do we actually get to meet them. In a few minutes you'll get to do just that. You'll meet an A-team, a very special group of special forces soldiers here doing a very difficult mission. That coming up after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: The Pentagon says almost 70 nations are involved in Operation Enduring Freedom, the name for the war against terrorism.
COOPER: This is Anderson Cooper live in Afghanistan. We're in Kabul. We're on a base used by special forces to train a unit of the Afghan army. I'm joined by the commander, Lieutenant Colonel Kevin McDonnell. What is your mission here?
LIEUTENANT COLONEL KEVIN MCDONNELL: Our mission here is to train raw recruits from all across Afghanistan and form them into infantry battalions and security border battalions to re-establish the new Afghan national army.
COOPER: Why is that so important right now? Why is it so important to have a national army in Afghanistan?
MCDONNELL: It is absolutely critical for the national army of Afghanistan to be functional in order for them to provide security internal to the borders of Afghanistan to prevent the re-emergence of terrorism and the environment that would foster the re-emergence of terrorism in international criminal organizations.
COOPER: Now, we're joined here by an A-team. If you could stay here Colonel McDonnell as well, this is an A-team. Bob, if you'll come over here, we refer to Green Berets by their first names for security reasons. What exactly is an A-team?
BOB: Sir, an A-team is comprised of 12 men, 2 officers and 10 senior commissioned officers. They're comprised of five special MOS's, operations intelligence, weapons, demolitions, medical and communications.
COOPER: I worked with special forces in Haiti a little bit. What really struck me was all you guys are highly trained. All at the sergeant level or above. You speak a second language. You really have an amazing ability to blend into the local culture.
BOB: Yes, sir, we have -- the men have a high maturity level and have a lot of experience which makes it easy for them to blend in with the culture and the language also helps.
COOPER: A Special forces soldier was killed on Sunday. When you hear something like that, what goes through your mind?
BOB: The training has to kick in and I have to adapt to the situation.
COOPER: Now, the weapon you're holding here, what is this?
BOB: Sir, this is an M-4 carbine, a personal weapon that we carry.
COOPER: Now, each person in the A-team has a different role. But you're also cross-trained so that you all know each other's jobs.
BOB: Yes, sir. Each soldier receives cross-training in one or more MOSs. So if we need more communications sergeants we can step in and do that job also.
COOPER: How do special forces differ from conventional troops? Maybe you could answer that.
MCDONNELL: I would say probably the biggest difference is the level of maturity. All of my soldiers are -- none of my soldiers are on a first enlistment. In order to get here, you have to have been somewhere else first. One of the things the conventional army lends to our career field is all the combined experiences of the soldiers by the time they get here are a force multiplier for us.
The maturity level, the level of judgment and the entire training and recruiting pipeline that we go through identifies the cognitive skills of a soldier to be able to react and adapt to situations on the ground as they develop.
COOPER: Head of central command General Tommy Franks earlier today said that the mission here is far from over. How long do you expect to be here?
MCDONNELL: I don't really have any focus on that. We're here until this job gets done.
COOPER: And what is it like operating here? You've served a lot of places, overseas, you've trained a lot of different armies. What's different about operating in Afghanistan?
MCDONNELL: One thing that's different about operating here is this is a actual theater of war right now. The environment here is very volatile. It can change very rapidly. And because of the environment that we're operating in here, the threats are definitely out there.
We have to maintain security for ourselves, we have to maintain security for the soldiers that we're training. And at the same time we have to execute some very effective training in order to get them ready to fight.
COOPER: Colonel McDonnell, we thank you very much for talking with us and also for letting us use your base. Bob and the others in the A-team, Thanks very much for being with us.
MCDONNELL: Come back any time.
COOPER: That is about it from LIVE FROM AFGHANISTAN. I'm Anderson Cooper. Thank you for joining us from the outskirts of Kabul. Good night.
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