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U.S. Troops in Afghanistan Celebrate Independence Day

Aired July 04, 2002 - 14:07   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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: On guard and far from home. Nonetheless, U.S. troops in Afghanistan are enjoying a festive Fourth. Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is with them at Bagram Air Base. Hi there, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Fredricka. Well, it's been a day of tight security around Bagram Air Base. But as the holiday draws to a close, just an hour and a half away from the midnight here, no big incidents appeared to have happened. But for all those enjoying the holiday here, it has been a very different sort of Fourth of July.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Fourth of July on the frontlines in the fight against terrorism. Soldiers celebrate playing basketball only yards from A10 Warthog tank buster planes awaiting their next call. On this holiday, the order for those not working seems to be "break out of your routine and have some fun."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I was back home, either I'd be shopping or at the beach or something, or with my girlfriend hanging out, barbecuing, doing whatever. But you know, since we're down here, we are going to play basketball and have a good time.

ROBERTSON: No beach, no fireworks and no beer here, yet Independence Day most here say is no less meaningful.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are over here fighting for our country. It means a whole, whole lot to us. And I guess if we're not here taking care of home then we wouldn't have a Fourth of July.

ROBERTSON: Long lines at the barbecue, however, hint of what is missed back home. Tee-bone steaks proving far more popular than the normal lunchtime packs.

Not all this day upbeat, however. Military briefers still working hard to explain ongoing investigations into civilian deaths during a coalition operation.

ROGER KING, COALITION SPOKESMAN: It's a process of negotiations. And anytime you have a process of negotiation and cultural differences, and you have to work through that, and normally things don't happen with the immediacy that you might want. ROBERTSON: For all those at this hub in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, this July the 4th different from previous.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're putting up American flags. They're actually wearing Americana stuff out here. And in the military, I was never -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) you were supposed to be doing that. But now they do on their own. And there are more flags flying here today than I've seen since I've been here. It's amazing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: Well, it's been a patriotic day and it's been a fun day for most of the people here, but the base is still kept going. And everyone here really knows that the 5th of July, the 6th or the 7th are coming; they still have a job to do. They still have to hunt down Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda and protect the independence of the United States for another year -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, Nic, it's a day of patriotism there, as well as here. But it also was a day of protest, wasn't it, involving women this time who were protesting there.

ROBERTSON: Indeed, dozens of women came on the streets in Kabul and protested outside the office of the United Nations. Now, the women stressed that they weren't asking the United States and coalition forces to leave and that they are for stopping terrorism and they are against terrorists, but they did say -- they handed out pamphlets -- they said it was very important that the United States, that the coalition forces, that the officers who fight there understand that there can be no more civilian deaths. They say this could stress the relationship between the two governments, that of the United States and of Afghanistan.

And another note we hear from the Afghan leader Hamid Karzai that he is calling on coalition forces to look at the way that they use informants inside Afghanistan, and perhaps not use them, particularly around sensitive issues where civilians could be involved -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nic Robertson, thank you very much for that live report.

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