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American Morning

America Strikes Back: Pentagon Says U.S. Warplanes Control Skies Over Afghanistan; Investigators Believe Anthrax Strain Manmade

Aired October 10, 2001 - 10:02   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Pentagon says U.S. warplanes control the skies over Afghanistan.

Let's begin this hour across the Afghan border in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. That's exactly where we find CNN's Christiane Amanpour, who remains at her post with a view of the region -- Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, the Taliban ambassador here, who is basically the only Taliban official that we have actual live access to, has been giving yet another defiant speech here today, claiming that in fact their air defenses have not been closed down, although the U.S. is now operating with impunity above the skies of Afghanistan. Also claiming that the Taliban regime has lifted its so-called restrictions on Osama bin Laden since these airstrikes, allowing him to conduct what he has called for holy war, or jihad. Of course that hasn't had much resonance either here in Pakistan or across the Islamic world for the moment.

The Taliban ambassador went on to accuse the United States of acting like a bully and purging Afghan civilians. But we have heard from the United Nations this afternoon in their press conference that in fact Taliban officials have been beating up local Afghans working in very precarious demining operations for the U.N. and other nongovernmental organizations. These people have been beaten up, according to the U.N., in various cities around Afghanistan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE BUNKER, U.N. SPOKESWOMAN: The NGOs working with the United Nations programs are increasingly being targeted by Taliban authorities. Staff have been beaten in Kabul, in Kandahar, and in Jalalabad. a significant number, not yet specified, of vehicles have been taken by the Taliban in Kandahar. This is in addition to yesterday's report about the taking over of three ambulances and one pickup in Kandahar belonging to NGOs by the Taliban.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: So as those mine workers are under threat now, local Afghan mine workers in Afghanistan under threat. There are also new details coming out from what we reported last night about a border clash over the last couple of days between Taliban armed militias and Pakistani border guards. We are now getting confirmation from military sources that there was indeed confrontation and a gun battle that lasted about two and a half hours, ended in the Taliban being sent back across the border and with four Pakistanis being wounded. They believe that these people were coming over to try to stir up trouble over the Pakistani border along the groups of people over there who support the Taliban.

In addition, we are being told that the Taliban tried to fly out some of its helicopter gunships to Pakistan, but the Pakistanis turned them around and refused to allow them to land -- Paula.

ZAHN: Christiane, I wanted to bring up another issue now, and that is the subject of the videotaped message from the Al Qaeda network yesterday, that the U.S. administration has advised networks not to use. They feel it is inflammatory. They even feel it might have coded messages for some Islamic fundamentalists out there. How is that tape playing there? I know Al-Jazeera, the Arab satellite network, has also aired it -- or has aired it; we used small portions of it.

AMANPOUR: Well, I mean, the reason the world has aired it, is because Al-Jazeera put it out, and it wasn't just fear to be inflammatory, it was inflammatory, and it was designed to be inflammatory. It was an appeal to the Islamic world to get up and do what it hasn't done yet, which is mass protest, as well as promoting these acts of terrorism.

But here is what we know from the Taliban. Basically, what they are saying is that they have no evidence that Al Qaeda is involved in terrorism, nor do they believe they can call it a terrorist organizations. They also say they oppose terrorism. But on the other side of their mouth, they are allowing Al Qaeda to take these tapes to the Al-Jazeera satellite facility, broadcast them, feed them out of Kabul, and then around the world, tapes that contain messages supporting terrorism and promoting terrorism.

So from the Taliban, entirely mixed messages about the whole issue of Al Qaeda and terrorism, but certainly promoting the facilitation of these tapes getting out to the rest of the world.

ZAHN: We had an expert on in our last hour who says he doesn't believe these tapes will have much impact on grassroots -- we actually we just lost Christiane from the satellite. We will try to ask her that question a little bit later on.

Let's go back to Bill now, who rejoins us from Atlanta. I am going to hold that question.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: You got it. We will talk with Christiane again, I'm sure of that, Paula. Thank you.

Some developing news to talk about. CNN learned that investigators now believe that the anthrax strain that killed a Florida man last week is indeed manmade. If such a finding, if confirmed, could make that death and potential exposures of hundreds of coworkers a criminal matter, and possibly a bioterrorist incident. CNN's Mark Potter watching this and more from West Palm Beach this morning.

Mark, good morning to you.

MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again, Bill.

Well, law enforcement sources tells CNN that while scientists are still testing the anthrax organism found here in South Florida, they now believe it may, and I stress the word may, match anthrax manufactured in an Iowa lab in the 1950s. Sources say the two seem to have some similar characteristics. Sources say that anthrax was harvested in that lab 50 years ago for research, and that it may have been widely distributed over the years for that purpose. Now if that is true, it would mean that the anthrax found here did not come from natural origins and it would help to further define this investigation as a criminal case. Already the FBI is the lead agency here.

But again, officials warn that these tests are very complex, they are still under way, and they may or may not exactly pinpoint from where the anthrax came.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. STEVEN WIERSMA, STATE EPIDEMIOLOGIST: It's possible, it may give us some clues to its origin. So we can't really predict how much information we will gain. Again, there is very little variability. There are only two labs in the entire U.S. that do this kind of analysis, and they compared it to all the known strains, and can give us limited information on what that means.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POTTER: Now meanwhile, investigators today are expected to continue their work in Boca Raton, inside the headquarters of America Media Inc., the tabloid publishing company. They have been gathering swabs and talking samples from the building, trying to determine how and where anthrax came to be found there. A trace element of anthrax was found on a computer keyboard on a workspace inside the building.

Now a photo editor there, 63-year-old Robert Stevens, died from anthrax last week. It was on his computer keyboard that that trace element was found. Another man, 73-year-old Ernesto Blanco, who working in the mailroom, was exposed to the disease, but so far, appears not to have been infected.

Now yesterday, health officials said at the home of Robert Stevens. That's in Lantana, Florida, where they took samples last week, they have now determined by lab tests that there are no traces of anthrax there. Tests from other places where he frequented, restaurants, grocery stores and the like, parks, have also turned up negative. And that means that his family will no longer have to take antibiotics.

Now later today, we are told by health officials that we may hear some test results from the building itself, American Media Incorporated. And this is very interesting, although preliminary, and I stress it again, preliminary tests results returned so far have shown negative results for anthrax within the building, American Media Incorporated, and nobody knows exactly what to make out of that. But again, I stress that it is preliminary, further tests are still being done. And that's also the case involving the story that have been reporting from Iowa. All this is preliminary. This is by no means, Bill, a done deal. They're still working on it.

Back to you.

HEMMER: A lot to track, and you will. Mark, thanks to you.

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