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Al Qaeda No. 2 Cornered?; President Bush Marks One Year in Iraq

Aired March 19, 2004 - 15:00   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Welcome back to more of LIVE FROM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Miles O'Brien and Kyra Phillips today.
Here's what is making news at this hour.

A firefight continues at this hour in Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. Thousands of Pakistani troops have cordoned off a 19-square-mile area and are battling suspected al Qaeda fighters. Pakistan's information minister says Osama bin Laden's right-hand man, Ayman al-Zawahri, may be among them, but he can't confirm that.

Unease in Baghdad one year after the U.S. led invasion. Explosions could be heard in the city a few hours ago. The apparent insurgent strike came not long after President Bush delivered a speech noting the first anniversary of the Iraq war. There are no initial reports of casualties or damage.

In his speech at the White House, President Bush defended the war in Iraq, and he called upon other nations to stand with the United States in the fight against terrorism. He said no nation is safe from terrorist violence and that there's no neutral ground in the fight against it.

It's being called the worst ethnic violence in Kosovo since the war ended there in 1999. Serbia's foreign minister is meeting with U.S. officials in Washington and has asked for their help in ending the bloodshed. NATO is deploying more peacekeepers to stem three days of fighting that has claimed at least 31 lives and injured hundreds.

We begin this hour with more high drama surrounding that reported high-value target in Northeast Pakistan. Pakistani soldiers are still engaged in a violent standoff with al Qaeda fighters and local tribesmen who are thought to be defending al Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahri.

CNN's Nic Robertson brings us up to speed through this videophone from Islamabad -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, Pakistani military officials -- well, Pakistani military advisers and intelligence officials here behind the scenes saying that they are certain that it's Ayman al-Zawahri who's holed up in this area. They say they believe that because they found it out through interrogation of some of the people they captured in that area. However, officials here not confirming that it's Ayman al- Zawahri, saying they do believe it's a high-value target. The resistance from these al Qaeda members -- they believe there could be 400 of them -- they say the resistance has been very stiff. Now, the way they characterize the battle in that area today, they say they have two cordons around that area, 19-square-mile area approximately. They say they have the area contained, that they have been flying heavy artillery, flying Cobra attack helicopters and engaging in gun battles with the al Qaeda members, who they say have been firing mortars back at them, firing rockets back at them.

They say that they've given these al Qaeda members, extended to them an opportunity to surrender. They haven't taken that opportunity. The option is still there for them, but, so far, none of them appear to be giving in. And the Pakistani officials today saying they have captured another eight of those al Qaeda members today. Three of them they say are Pakistanis. The other five they describe as being foreigners -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Nic, have there been any casualties on either side?

ROBERTSON: Very difficult for us to get really an accurate picture of what's happening there, Fredricka.

This area, the tribal area of Waziristan, very close to the border with Afghanistan and not an area that journalists can go to, not an area that outsiders can go to, an area very much that the Pakistani army has only just gone into. So very difficult to get a clear picture. We were told earlier in the week there were a number of casualties. Newspapers here have reported some, a few civilian casualties, but we're not getting exact numbers on the death count, on the injury count for the al Qaeda members and neither on the number of Pakistani troops who have been injured today.

There have been figures earlier in the week, perhaps a little more than a dozen Pakistani troops killed and at least 24 of the al Qaeda members, according to Pakistani officials, killed so far -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Nic Robertson via videophone from Islamabad, thank you.

The Egyptian-born physician who many consider al Qaeda's top strategist has a long history in Osama bin Laden's inner circle.

CNN's Jonathan Mann looks at al-Zawahri's ascension into infamy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ayman al-Zawahri first met Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan during the late '80s.

AYMAN AL-ZAWAHRI: Working with Brother bin Laden. We know him since more than ten years. We have fought with him here in Afghanistan. We are working with him in Sudan and many other places. MANN: Al-Zawahri and bin Laden went public with their terrorist alliance in May of that year. The two men issued a fatwa, a declaration, declaring war on them and told Muslims that it was their duty to kill Americans anywhere they found them.

A few weeks later, the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were attacked by suicide bombers driving trucks. Ayman al-Zawahri and Osama bin Laden would both be indicted charged with masterminding those attacks.

U.S. government sources believe that Ayman al-Zawahri was a key player in the attacks on Washington and New York. Since September 11th, Ayman al-Zawahri raised his public profile appearing at bin Laden's side in several videos.

AL-Zawahri (through translator): And, people, you must ask yourselves why all this hate against America?

MANN: He issued this audio tape in October, 2002 threatening new attacks against the west.

AL-Zawahri (through translator): America and its deputies should know that their crimes will not go unpunished. We advise them to make a hasty retreat from Palestine, the Arabian Gulf, Afghanistan and the rest of the Muslim states before they lose everything.

MANN: A series of audio messages followed and these pictures of al-Zawahri and bin Laden released on the second anniversary of 9/11, actual date unknown.

AL-Zawahri: We want to say to the whole world who are we.

MANN: It has been almost two decades since Ayman al-Zawahri said he wanted the whole world to hear his message. The world heard.

Jonathan Mann, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Later this hour, we'll look at al Qaeda's problems and prospects with London-based investigative journalist Paul Eedle.

Well, the capture of al-Zawahri could be a major boon for America's war on terror, especially today as the president marks the first anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq.

Our Kathleen Koch comes to us now from the White House -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, this is a tough anniversary for this president, who had hoped for more international support for the war in Iraq, had hoped to find those elusive weapons of mass destruction, and of course had hoped the U.S. forces would see less resistance on the ground in the months after major combat ended there. But the president, in a major East Room address this morning, looked beyond Iraq to the broader war on terrorism, which the president said is the -- quote -- "inescapable calling of our generation." Mr. Bush insisted that there was no neutral ground in that war, warning that countries who retreat and try to make a separate peace with terrorists only invite more violence for all nations. And Mr. Bush also tried to mend fences with allies alienated by the U.S. decision to go to war in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There have been disagreements in this matter among old and valued for friends. Those differences belong to the past. All of us can now agree that the fall of the Iraqi dictator has removed a source of violence, aggression, and instability in the Middle East. It's a good thing that the demands of the United Nations weren't were enforced, not ignored with impunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: President Bush said that the U.S.-led invasion a year ago was Iraq's day of deliverance, calling the liberation of Iraq a turning point and a crucial advance for human liberty. And the only time that President Bush mentioned weapons of mass destruction was when he insisted it was -- quote -- "a good thing that years of illicit weapons developed by the dictator have come to an end."

And President Bush is at this hour wrapping up this anniversary observance by visiting with wounded soldiers and their families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda. This marks his third visit there in the last six months. And, Fredricka, this is a visit he and the first lady generally make in private, no cameras allowed.

WHITFIELD: Kathleen Koch at the White House, thanks very much.

News across America now.

Saying he gave Americans a better appreciation of the military, the Army today named a building at Fort Lee, Virginia, after the late NBC correspondent David Bloom. Bloom was embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq when he died of a pulmonary embolism one year ago.

Is contaminated water pushing up lead levels in children in the nation's capital? "The Washington Post" reports hundreds of children have a higher blood lead levels than the national average. The city has been grappling with elevated lead in the water system, but some experts say this may not be the cause.

And the man accused of shooting at cars in a Columbus, Ohio, freeway could be returned home today. Charles McCoy Jr. waived extradition this morning in Nevada. He was captured in Las Vegas and was accused of two dozen shootings, one of which killed a driver.

Well, here's a story you've got to see to believe. In Michigan, trooper Keith Carlson was approaching a stranded driver Tuesday night when -- there -- an out-of-control hit him, pushing him 20 feet. The whole thing was caught by his dashboard camera. Appearances to the contrary, however, Carlson suffered only bumps and bruises.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH CARLSON, MICHIGAN STATE TROOPER: I walked away from this accident where I was struck really hard by this vehicle. And some bruising, some strained muscles, real sore on my left side where I took the blunt of the impact, but, overall, I feel pretty good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Police didn't identify the 18-year-old driver, but said she'll probably face charges.

Next, how the news of al Qaeda's No. 2 man possibly being surrounded is playing out on Arabic Web sites. I'll talk with a terrorism expert who's monitoring some of the biggest sites.

That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Is Osama bin Laden's right-hand man cornered? Pakistani forces are pounding a target on their border where they suspect Ayman al-Zawahri may be hiding. There's a lot of buzz on the Web, especially on Islamic message boards, denying al Qaeda's leadership is in any danger. Al-Zawahri's considered the brains of the outfit. But would catching him prove fatal for al Qaeda altogether?

Paul Eedle is an al Qaeda expert. He's joining us from London. And he's an investigative journalist and he has studied the group for years.

Paul, good to see you.

PAUL EEDLE, TERRORISM ANALYST: Good morning, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, are you noticing in just recent days, maybe even recent hours, there's a lot more activity on some of these Web sites talking about al Qaeda?

EEDLE: Yes.

I'm not sure that al Qaeda sympathizers have any more information than we do. The message boards are posting up information from Arab media and reacting to it, some, by saying that the Pakistani government must be lying, that it's just black propaganda that Zawahri is surrounded. Others saying the militants are in trouble; we must pray for them.

WHITFIELD: So the message boards, such as Global Islamic Media or Ansar message board, are really trying to kind of calm some of their followers down, aren't they? EEDLE: Yes, to some extent.

You must distinguish between the message boards and the e-mail lists. The message board, like this Ansar message board, is a place where all sorts of al Qaeda sympathizers would meet and congregate. The Global Islamic Media list is much closer I think to al Qaeda's leadership, and it puts out a stream of statements, 30 to 50 a month, explaining the group's strategy and claiming responsibility for its actions, including the Madrid bombings a week ago.

WHITFIELD: And I understand just a few weeks ago, actually, there was some sort of early warning that went out on at least one particular Web site. Do you know which Web site that is, and exactly what does this early warning mean?

EEDLE: The reference to the Madrid bombings -- this was a strategy document published in December by the Global Islamic Media list which described in enormous detail a strategy for driving America out of Iraq by attacking what al Qaeda thinks is the weakest link in the coalition, that is, Spain. So it prefigured the Madrid bombings.

I think that shows us just how, even though there are semi- independent cells of al Qaeda around the world, it's the strategy coming from the center, from particularly Ayman al-Zawahri, that is really keeping the whole group on course.

WHITFIELD: So in addition to those Web sites that are appealing to al Qaeda sympathizers, al Qaeda itself has its own Web site. How are they able to keep that up and running? What kind of information do you find on that? And how much support are they getting to actually have this information on the air without any intelligence officials infiltrating them?

EEDLE: The Web site itself has been up and down. The first six months of its life in 2002, there seemed to be no interruption to it at all. After that, in fact, after CNN reported its existence, the site was frequently taken down and moved from ISP to ISP and even squatted for a while on the Web site of a Dutch football team.

But, in recent weeks, it's returned. I think there are indications that it's largely representing the al Qaeda groups in Saudi Arabia. Islamists now refer openly to the original al Qaeda Web site as having been run by a leading Saudi militant in Saudi Arabia who was killed in a shoot-out last June.

WHITFIELD: Any idea who is -- from where any of this new information is being drafted on this al Qaeda Web site?

EEDLE: No. I think the power of the Net is that material can come from all sorts of the sources. The Net creates a virtual meeting place, a glue that holds together al Qaeda, even though its leadership has been holed up in the mountains and is now surrounded.

But we shouldn't underestimate the damage that would be caused to this network if its top leaders were removed. The network could be more dangerous in the short term, as these semi-autonomous cells strike out on their own. But, in the longer term, it's the inventive, creative, detailed strategy of Zawahri which has directed the group.

WHITFIELD: All right, Paul Eedle, thank you very much for joining us from London. Appreciate it.

EEDLE: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Coming up next, we'll check the markets for you this Friday.

You're fired. Careful how you say it. The Donald wants it trademarked.

And far from fired, he's hired. It looks like Jon Stewart and "The Daily Show" will be around for many days to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, talking about saving a piece of history, something for political junkies now. Bill Clinton's boyhood home is on the block at eBay. He was only 4 years old when his family moved into his humble bungalow in Hope, Arkansas. They moved two years later.

Well, bidding for the 1,000-square-foot home opened at $45,000. Guess what? As of a few minutes ago, it has topped $435,000. The auction ends April 7.

(FINANCIAL UPDATE)

WHITFIELD: Well, checking entertainment headlines this Friday, March 19th, no employment worries for Jon Stewart. The host of "The Daily Show" has signed a new contract. You'll be able to feast on his wit and charm on Comedy Central for four more years.

Striking a pose on the talk show couch, Janet Jackson is scheduled to appear on "The Late Show With David Letterman" on March 29. It's her first TV appearance since her now infamous wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl. Well, don't look for the elusive singer to bare anything this time, except maybe her soul and a new cut from her album.

Well, Morgan Freeman is getting back behind the wheel, but this time, he won't be "Driving Miss Daisy." Freeman will be handling a Corvette pace car to start the Indianapolis 500., And that's on May 30.

Well, in the business of reality TV, Donald Trump is the boss, and now he wants to own this phrase.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE APPRENTICE")

DONALD TRUMP, DEVELOPER/BUSINESSMAN: This is a tough one. You're fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: The real estate mogul has filed a U.S. patent and trademark application for the phrase "You're fired." Trump says those words to losers on hit reality TV show "The Apprentice" every week.

Well, that wraps up this Friday edition of LIVE FROM.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




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Aired March 19, 2004 - 15:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Welcome back to more of LIVE FROM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Miles O'Brien and Kyra Phillips today.
Here's what is making news at this hour.

A firefight continues at this hour in Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. Thousands of Pakistani troops have cordoned off a 19-square-mile area and are battling suspected al Qaeda fighters. Pakistan's information minister says Osama bin Laden's right-hand man, Ayman al-Zawahri, may be among them, but he can't confirm that.

Unease in Baghdad one year after the U.S. led invasion. Explosions could be heard in the city a few hours ago. The apparent insurgent strike came not long after President Bush delivered a speech noting the first anniversary of the Iraq war. There are no initial reports of casualties or damage.

In his speech at the White House, President Bush defended the war in Iraq, and he called upon other nations to stand with the United States in the fight against terrorism. He said no nation is safe from terrorist violence and that there's no neutral ground in the fight against it.

It's being called the worst ethnic violence in Kosovo since the war ended there in 1999. Serbia's foreign minister is meeting with U.S. officials in Washington and has asked for their help in ending the bloodshed. NATO is deploying more peacekeepers to stem three days of fighting that has claimed at least 31 lives and injured hundreds.

We begin this hour with more high drama surrounding that reported high-value target in Northeast Pakistan. Pakistani soldiers are still engaged in a violent standoff with al Qaeda fighters and local tribesmen who are thought to be defending al Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahri.

CNN's Nic Robertson brings us up to speed through this videophone from Islamabad -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, Pakistani military officials -- well, Pakistani military advisers and intelligence officials here behind the scenes saying that they are certain that it's Ayman al-Zawahri who's holed up in this area. They say they believe that because they found it out through interrogation of some of the people they captured in that area. However, officials here not confirming that it's Ayman al- Zawahri, saying they do believe it's a high-value target. The resistance from these al Qaeda members -- they believe there could be 400 of them -- they say the resistance has been very stiff. Now, the way they characterize the battle in that area today, they say they have two cordons around that area, 19-square-mile area approximately. They say they have the area contained, that they have been flying heavy artillery, flying Cobra attack helicopters and engaging in gun battles with the al Qaeda members, who they say have been firing mortars back at them, firing rockets back at them.

They say that they've given these al Qaeda members, extended to them an opportunity to surrender. They haven't taken that opportunity. The option is still there for them, but, so far, none of them appear to be giving in. And the Pakistani officials today saying they have captured another eight of those al Qaeda members today. Three of them they say are Pakistanis. The other five they describe as being foreigners -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Nic, have there been any casualties on either side?

ROBERTSON: Very difficult for us to get really an accurate picture of what's happening there, Fredricka.

This area, the tribal area of Waziristan, very close to the border with Afghanistan and not an area that journalists can go to, not an area that outsiders can go to, an area very much that the Pakistani army has only just gone into. So very difficult to get a clear picture. We were told earlier in the week there were a number of casualties. Newspapers here have reported some, a few civilian casualties, but we're not getting exact numbers on the death count, on the injury count for the al Qaeda members and neither on the number of Pakistani troops who have been injured today.

There have been figures earlier in the week, perhaps a little more than a dozen Pakistani troops killed and at least 24 of the al Qaeda members, according to Pakistani officials, killed so far -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Nic Robertson via videophone from Islamabad, thank you.

The Egyptian-born physician who many consider al Qaeda's top strategist has a long history in Osama bin Laden's inner circle.

CNN's Jonathan Mann looks at al-Zawahri's ascension into infamy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ayman al-Zawahri first met Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan during the late '80s.

AYMAN AL-ZAWAHRI: Working with Brother bin Laden. We know him since more than ten years. We have fought with him here in Afghanistan. We are working with him in Sudan and many other places. MANN: Al-Zawahri and bin Laden went public with their terrorist alliance in May of that year. The two men issued a fatwa, a declaration, declaring war on them and told Muslims that it was their duty to kill Americans anywhere they found them.

A few weeks later, the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were attacked by suicide bombers driving trucks. Ayman al-Zawahri and Osama bin Laden would both be indicted charged with masterminding those attacks.

U.S. government sources believe that Ayman al-Zawahri was a key player in the attacks on Washington and New York. Since September 11th, Ayman al-Zawahri raised his public profile appearing at bin Laden's side in several videos.

AL-Zawahri (through translator): And, people, you must ask yourselves why all this hate against America?

MANN: He issued this audio tape in October, 2002 threatening new attacks against the west.

AL-Zawahri (through translator): America and its deputies should know that their crimes will not go unpunished. We advise them to make a hasty retreat from Palestine, the Arabian Gulf, Afghanistan and the rest of the Muslim states before they lose everything.

MANN: A series of audio messages followed and these pictures of al-Zawahri and bin Laden released on the second anniversary of 9/11, actual date unknown.

AL-Zawahri: We want to say to the whole world who are we.

MANN: It has been almost two decades since Ayman al-Zawahri said he wanted the whole world to hear his message. The world heard.

Jonathan Mann, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Later this hour, we'll look at al Qaeda's problems and prospects with London-based investigative journalist Paul Eedle.

Well, the capture of al-Zawahri could be a major boon for America's war on terror, especially today as the president marks the first anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq.

Our Kathleen Koch comes to us now from the White House -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, this is a tough anniversary for this president, who had hoped for more international support for the war in Iraq, had hoped to find those elusive weapons of mass destruction, and of course had hoped the U.S. forces would see less resistance on the ground in the months after major combat ended there. But the president, in a major East Room address this morning, looked beyond Iraq to the broader war on terrorism, which the president said is the -- quote -- "inescapable calling of our generation." Mr. Bush insisted that there was no neutral ground in that war, warning that countries who retreat and try to make a separate peace with terrorists only invite more violence for all nations. And Mr. Bush also tried to mend fences with allies alienated by the U.S. decision to go to war in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There have been disagreements in this matter among old and valued for friends. Those differences belong to the past. All of us can now agree that the fall of the Iraqi dictator has removed a source of violence, aggression, and instability in the Middle East. It's a good thing that the demands of the United Nations weren't were enforced, not ignored with impunity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: President Bush said that the U.S.-led invasion a year ago was Iraq's day of deliverance, calling the liberation of Iraq a turning point and a crucial advance for human liberty. And the only time that President Bush mentioned weapons of mass destruction was when he insisted it was -- quote -- "a good thing that years of illicit weapons developed by the dictator have come to an end."

And President Bush is at this hour wrapping up this anniversary observance by visiting with wounded soldiers and their families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda. This marks his third visit there in the last six months. And, Fredricka, this is a visit he and the first lady generally make in private, no cameras allowed.

WHITFIELD: Kathleen Koch at the White House, thanks very much.

News across America now.

Saying he gave Americans a better appreciation of the military, the Army today named a building at Fort Lee, Virginia, after the late NBC correspondent David Bloom. Bloom was embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq when he died of a pulmonary embolism one year ago.

Is contaminated water pushing up lead levels in children in the nation's capital? "The Washington Post" reports hundreds of children have a higher blood lead levels than the national average. The city has been grappling with elevated lead in the water system, but some experts say this may not be the cause.

And the man accused of shooting at cars in a Columbus, Ohio, freeway could be returned home today. Charles McCoy Jr. waived extradition this morning in Nevada. He was captured in Las Vegas and was accused of two dozen shootings, one of which killed a driver.

Well, here's a story you've got to see to believe. In Michigan, trooper Keith Carlson was approaching a stranded driver Tuesday night when -- there -- an out-of-control hit him, pushing him 20 feet. The whole thing was caught by his dashboard camera. Appearances to the contrary, however, Carlson suffered only bumps and bruises.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH CARLSON, MICHIGAN STATE TROOPER: I walked away from this accident where I was struck really hard by this vehicle. And some bruising, some strained muscles, real sore on my left side where I took the blunt of the impact, but, overall, I feel pretty good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Police didn't identify the 18-year-old driver, but said she'll probably face charges.

Next, how the news of al Qaeda's No. 2 man possibly being surrounded is playing out on Arabic Web sites. I'll talk with a terrorism expert who's monitoring some of the biggest sites.

That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Is Osama bin Laden's right-hand man cornered? Pakistani forces are pounding a target on their border where they suspect Ayman al-Zawahri may be hiding. There's a lot of buzz on the Web, especially on Islamic message boards, denying al Qaeda's leadership is in any danger. Al-Zawahri's considered the brains of the outfit. But would catching him prove fatal for al Qaeda altogether?

Paul Eedle is an al Qaeda expert. He's joining us from London. And he's an investigative journalist and he has studied the group for years.

Paul, good to see you.

PAUL EEDLE, TERRORISM ANALYST: Good morning, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, are you noticing in just recent days, maybe even recent hours, there's a lot more activity on some of these Web sites talking about al Qaeda?

EEDLE: Yes.

I'm not sure that al Qaeda sympathizers have any more information than we do. The message boards are posting up information from Arab media and reacting to it, some, by saying that the Pakistani government must be lying, that it's just black propaganda that Zawahri is surrounded. Others saying the militants are in trouble; we must pray for them.

WHITFIELD: So the message boards, such as Global Islamic Media or Ansar message board, are really trying to kind of calm some of their followers down, aren't they? EEDLE: Yes, to some extent.

You must distinguish between the message boards and the e-mail lists. The message board, like this Ansar message board, is a place where all sorts of al Qaeda sympathizers would meet and congregate. The Global Islamic Media list is much closer I think to al Qaeda's leadership, and it puts out a stream of statements, 30 to 50 a month, explaining the group's strategy and claiming responsibility for its actions, including the Madrid bombings a week ago.

WHITFIELD: And I understand just a few weeks ago, actually, there was some sort of early warning that went out on at least one particular Web site. Do you know which Web site that is, and exactly what does this early warning mean?

EEDLE: The reference to the Madrid bombings -- this was a strategy document published in December by the Global Islamic Media list which described in enormous detail a strategy for driving America out of Iraq by attacking what al Qaeda thinks is the weakest link in the coalition, that is, Spain. So it prefigured the Madrid bombings.

I think that shows us just how, even though there are semi- independent cells of al Qaeda around the world, it's the strategy coming from the center, from particularly Ayman al-Zawahri, that is really keeping the whole group on course.

WHITFIELD: So in addition to those Web sites that are appealing to al Qaeda sympathizers, al Qaeda itself has its own Web site. How are they able to keep that up and running? What kind of information do you find on that? And how much support are they getting to actually have this information on the air without any intelligence officials infiltrating them?

EEDLE: The Web site itself has been up and down. The first six months of its life in 2002, there seemed to be no interruption to it at all. After that, in fact, after CNN reported its existence, the site was frequently taken down and moved from ISP to ISP and even squatted for a while on the Web site of a Dutch football team.

But, in recent weeks, it's returned. I think there are indications that it's largely representing the al Qaeda groups in Saudi Arabia. Islamists now refer openly to the original al Qaeda Web site as having been run by a leading Saudi militant in Saudi Arabia who was killed in a shoot-out last June.

WHITFIELD: Any idea who is -- from where any of this new information is being drafted on this al Qaeda Web site?

EEDLE: No. I think the power of the Net is that material can come from all sorts of the sources. The Net creates a virtual meeting place, a glue that holds together al Qaeda, even though its leadership has been holed up in the mountains and is now surrounded.

But we shouldn't underestimate the damage that would be caused to this network if its top leaders were removed. The network could be more dangerous in the short term, as these semi-autonomous cells strike out on their own. But, in the longer term, it's the inventive, creative, detailed strategy of Zawahri which has directed the group.

WHITFIELD: All right, Paul Eedle, thank you very much for joining us from London. Appreciate it.

EEDLE: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Coming up next, we'll check the markets for you this Friday.

You're fired. Careful how you say it. The Donald wants it trademarked.

And far from fired, he's hired. It looks like Jon Stewart and "The Daily Show" will be around for many days to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, talking about saving a piece of history, something for political junkies now. Bill Clinton's boyhood home is on the block at eBay. He was only 4 years old when his family moved into his humble bungalow in Hope, Arkansas. They moved two years later.

Well, bidding for the 1,000-square-foot home opened at $45,000. Guess what? As of a few minutes ago, it has topped $435,000. The auction ends April 7.

(FINANCIAL UPDATE)

WHITFIELD: Well, checking entertainment headlines this Friday, March 19th, no employment worries for Jon Stewart. The host of "The Daily Show" has signed a new contract. You'll be able to feast on his wit and charm on Comedy Central for four more years.

Striking a pose on the talk show couch, Janet Jackson is scheduled to appear on "The Late Show With David Letterman" on March 29. It's her first TV appearance since her now infamous wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl. Well, don't look for the elusive singer to bare anything this time, except maybe her soul and a new cut from her album.

Well, Morgan Freeman is getting back behind the wheel, but this time, he won't be "Driving Miss Daisy." Freeman will be handling a Corvette pace car to start the Indianapolis 500., And that's on May 30.

Well, in the business of reality TV, Donald Trump is the boss, and now he wants to own this phrase.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE APPRENTICE")

DONALD TRUMP, DEVELOPER/BUSINESSMAN: This is a tough one. You're fired.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: The real estate mogul has filed a U.S. patent and trademark application for the phrase "You're fired." Trump says those words to losers on hit reality TV show "The Apprentice" every week.

Well, that wraps up this Friday edition of LIVE FROM.

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