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American Morning
Secretary of State Colin Powell Visits India
Aired October 16, 2001 - 09:17 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: We're going to move on to what is happening in the region that senator -- excuse me -- that Secretary of State Colin Powell is visiting. He has flown on to India after wrapping up talks in Pakistan with President Musharraf. Musharraf says the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan should be short and targeted. However, he did go on to express support for the anti- terror coalition as long as it lasts. Powell again stressed the United States position that the fight is against terrorism not against Islam.
During his trip to India, Powell is expected to discuss the very tricky issue of Kashmir, the area long disputed between Pakistan and India. Powell's visit in Pakistan sparked a new round of anti- American protests across that nation. This, as the air strikes continue in Afghanistan for a ninth straight day.
CNN's Walter Rodgers is in Islamabad, Pakistan with the very latest from there -- Walter.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Paula.
The United States military continued its attacks on Taliban targets in Afghanistan with unabated fury. Day and night around the clock they have been attacking suspected Taliban targets in Kabul, the capital, and in Kandahar, which had been a major Taliban stronghold in southeastern Afghanistan.
Kabul took a number of bombs. The International Committee on the Red Cross said that one of its warehouses was struck by one of the U.S. dropped bombs. It is not at all clear, however, whether that was an accidental bombing or whether perhaps military planners thought that the Taliban might have taken refuge there or whether it was a legitimate military target. In any event, we're given to believe by the International Committee on the Red Cross that there was one fatality in that bombing attack on the ICRC warehouse in Kabul.
Kandahar took an even more serious beating. CNN sources in that southeastern city of Afghanistan said that the U.S. jets attacked a major military outpost -- a major military command center of the Taliban there, nearly demolishing it. Also they say that a formerly elite Taliban commando base also leveled by the U.S. military air strikes. Those air strikes are coming from U.S. Air Force jets based in the area, the U.S. Navy carrier planes, F-18 Hornets, F-14 Tomcats launched from the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Enterprise in the Arabian Sea flew 50 strikes against Afghanistan today. That may be a record in this campaign. Those jets refuel five times from their carrier deck to the target and back. Again, it is unabated fury being unleashed upon the suspected Taliban targets, the suspected Osama bin Laden targets in Afghanistan -- Paula.
ZAHN: Walter, what is the expectation of the Pakistanis of what Secretary Powell will accomplish in India?
RODGERS: It's a -- it's a twofold mission. Certainly what the Pakistanis are hoping for is that Secretary Powell will take the message to India and say this is not the time to deal with Kashmir as an issue. Kashmir is the disputed territory between India and Pakistan. Remember these two countries, India and Pakistan, have gone to war over that territory three times since 1947.
Pakistan has signed up with the United States in this coalition against Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. And last night, the Indians fired shells -- mortar shells across the border into Pakistan. That's the last thing the United States wanted. Pakistan has protested bitterly about that shelling because there had been a cease-fire line in effect.
What both sides, that is to say the United States and Pakistan, want at this point is for India to not make an issue of this -- of Kashmir at this time. Of course the Indians are presumably, at least according to diplomatic analysts in this area, trying to raise Kashmir on the agenda, making it equal or nearly equal with the U.S. fight against bin Laden. That's why Secretary Powell is in India, he does not want Kashmir to become an issue at this time -- Paula.
ZAHN: OK, Walter, thanks so much. We had a lot of territory to cover in that live shot, appreciate it very much.
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