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American Morning

America Strikes Back: Taliban Calls for U.S. to Stop Military Campaign; Taliban's Previous Restrictions on Bin Laden Lifted

Aired October 10, 2001 - 11:33   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 ANCHOR: Let's pick up with CNN's Christiane Amanpour at her post in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital -- Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, in the last 15 minutes, the Al-Jazeera network has shown pictures, and also CNN's nightscope camera based on a hilltop overlooking the northern outskirts of Kabul show pictures of what appear to be big flashes on the horizon, which may indicate bombs falling again there.

We know that there has been aircraft fire directed upwards. Our sources, in Kandahar, in the Southern city, have reported no activity over there at this precise point. Now, we are also hearing wire reports, suggesting that some of those explosions are to west of the city of Kabul, the capital, which where there are some of these training camps used by the Al Qaeda network.

We also heard from the Taliban ambassador here earlier this morning, who retained very defiant rhetoric, called again for the United States to stop the military campaign, and as you mentioned, said that Taliban's previous so-called restrictions on Osama bin Laden had now been lifted and that he was free to go about his business of calling a holy war, which of course has not resonated at all yet in this part of the world. There have been demonstrations, but not of the feared mass demonstrations that have been called for really sense this crisis began.

Now in a very worrying development, the United Nation is expressing extreme concern for its demining workers inside Afghanistan. These are local demining workers, Afghans who work in a very, very difficult and complex operation to try to remove these mines that have been sewn over two decades of war around major cities and around the countryside. Afghanistan, one of the most heavily mined areas in the world.

Now the U.N. is saying it has had word from Kabul that some of its demining workers are attacked and beaten up by Taliban in various cities around Afghanistan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANIE BUNKER, U.N. SPOKESMAN: The NGOs working with the United Nations mining programs are increasingly 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 mine action NGOs by the Taliban.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: So not only are they very, very concerned about what happened two nights ago when a missile did strike a compound and the U.N. confirmed four of its local demining staff there had been killed, now they are facing, as they have just mentioned, these attacks on their local Afghan civilian staff there by the Taliban -- Paula.

ZAHN: I wanted to fast forward several days here when Secretary Powell's expected to come to the region, Pakistan and India. Any expectations being expressed from you're end?

AMANPOUR: Well, clearly, this will be a very high level visit, the highest level from the United States since this crisis. And obviously, as you heard Secretary Powell say on your air earlier, they are coming here to support and thank Pakistan for taking this decision, which was a difficult decision, to stand with the international community.

But of course there is this more serious concern as well, and that is the potential for tension and even conflict between India and Pakistan, the two nuclear rivals, in this area. We understand that Americans have expressed concern about India, and to India, and also to Pakistan about this situation. And we know that over the last couple of days, the president of Pakistan has called the prime minister of India, asking to restart peace negotiations and talks over the Kashmir, the disputed region of Kashmir, that is the center and focal point of the differences of these two countries. And of course this has got to be something the Americans and everyone else must be worried about, because it involves this nuclear component that exist here on this subcontinent -- Paula.

ZAHN: Christiane, thanks so much. We will see you later on today.

Back here in this country, it is an historic day for women in the House of Representatives. CNN congressional correspondent Kate Snow is standing by on Capitol Hill this morning with this report.

Good morning, Kate.

KATE SNOW, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Well, the highest post ever for a woman in the U.S. Congress -- let me back up for a second. On September 11th, a day we all remember now, there was another announcement that has since been very much superseded by events. But that announcement was that David Bonior, who is the number two Democrat in the House of Representatives, was going to step down, was going to run for governor of Michigan. That in fact happened, and this morning, they voted on who should replace him as the number two person.

And winning the vote this morning, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California. Her only rival was Steny Hoyer of Maryland, and it was a closed-door ballot, a secret ballot, and she was able to win it. She is already the highest ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, and as such, we have heard a lot about her lately. Yesterday you will recall we talked about the president saying he would only be briefing a certain number of members of Congress on matters of extreme confidentiality, classified information. She is one of those people who will be getting those briefings from the administration. She also, as we have said, now holds the highest position that any woman has ever held in the U.S. Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY WHIP-ELECT: I never asked anyone to vote for me because I was a woman, but I would hope that no one would vote against me because I was a woman. I presented my credentials as a legislator, as an organizer, as a politician, to help win back the House for the Democrats. But there is no question, that outside the Congress, there is a great deal of interest, in the fact that a woman could win on this very difficult turf.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: Pelosi will be the right hand woman, if you will, to Dick Gephardt, who was at the White House this morning, the minority leader. This election is little known outside of Washington. It has been going on, Paula, for about three years now. It was a rather intense race. And we expect to see Ms. Pelosi quite a bit on the campaign trail, trying to help the Democrats win back control of the House in 2002 -- Paula.

ZAHN: And I know you've lots of other activity to report about from there. Do you want to quickly bring us up to date on some other things that will catch our attention later today?

SNOW: Absolutely. There is a lot going on. Even as we speak, Paula, three are different hearings on the subjects of safety, generally. subject of whether Americans are safe in various areas in terms of security. One is bus transportation and hazardous materials, and truckers getting licensees to carry hazmat. Senators raising a lot of concern about that, saying that if you are an airline person, you need to have a background check, but not if you are going to drive a truck full of hazardous materials.

At another hearing, they are exploring bioterrorism, whether hospitals are prepared to deal with that threat. And finally, at a third hearing, they're dealing with water issues. Is the drinking water at America's reservoirs safe, and could it be susceptible to terrorism? They heard a short time ago from someone from the FBI's Infrastructure Protection Center who said, yes, it is safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Based on available intelligence and investigative information, there are currently no specific credible threats to any water distribution networks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: On the issue of bioterrorism, Paula, one bit of news from that. The chairman at that hearing saying that he has heard from Secretary Tommy Thompson of Health and Human Services that the U.S. is actively increasing its reserves of vaccines -- Paula.

ZAHN: All right, Kate Snow, thank you. Got a lot to share with us there. Appreciate your insights.

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