Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
America Strikes Back: Ground Troops in Afghanistan; Two Anthrax-Tainted Letters Were Postmarked in New Jersey
Aired October 19, 2001 - 09:05 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: Today, we have confirmation that U.S. troops are on the ground there, American warplanes pounded the capital Kabul and the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar again today, and once again, the Taliban ambassador to Pakistan says Afghan rulers will not happened over suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour is live from Pakistan with the very latest now -- Christiane.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, as we tried to piece together a puzzle that is difficult to get to grips with at this long distance, we have had today the first independent eyewitness reports of casualties inside Afghanistan, and they are less than is being claimed by the Taliban.
According to aid agency workers who have come out of Kabul and who have briefed a group of reporters, they say that having visited all the sites where civilian casualties were claimed in the capital of Kabul, they have been able to list confirm only 10 dead. They say that this is in the two weeks of bombing that has been under way. When we say "only," anybody dead is a problem, obviously, but they say that it is not the 70 people who are dead claimed by the Taliban.
We have also had a press conference in the last hour from the Taliban ambassador here, and they have admitted that they have suffered military casualties in this campaign. However, the Taliban ambassador insists that it would be wrong to assume he said that the Taliban military had been significantly degraded. He said that the Taliban is husbanding its military assets, preparing to hunker down for what he said would be a long war.
Also, denied again rumors and reports of a split within the Taliban, said that he had gone to Kandahar, the capital of the Taliban ruling militia, because he couldn't talk by satellite phone, because he was afraid that conversations would be listened to. So that's from the Taliban.
In terms of the political situation, we are hearing from the same aid sources, who say that they detected amongst the majority of residents of Kabul at the beginning of the war support for the air campaign and the international efforts, because they hoped it would lead to a change in government, but they said that hope is beginning to dim, because they have heard no public statements, no ideas about what a future political solution would look like, or if one is indeed ready to go.
So today in Pakistan, there was the German foreign minister. He was talking to his Pakistani counterparts, and everybody of course now is talking about a political future, but nobody has yet come out and said precisely what it might be, what it might look like, is it ready to go. So definitely there are concerns not only amongst people we are being followed inside Afghanistan, but also amongst political observers in this region who are concerned that there is at the moment a vacuum and an inability to match the military strategy with A political strategy -- Paula.
ZAHN: OK, Christiane, thank you for bringing that all into perspective this morning. Appreciate it.
Now moving on to the anthrax attacks. Investigators are following a mail carrier's route through New Jersey neighborhood in hopes that it will actually lead them to a suspect. We have two reports for you now.
CNN's Susan Candiotti is following the latest developments from our Washington bureau, and Brian Palmer is in New Jersey, where two of the tainted letters were postmarked, and where there is one confirmed anthrax case and another possible case being investigated.
Let's start with Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
A key focus today is in New Jersey, where two letters postmarked Trenton might lead authorities to an anthrax source. More on that coming up a live report. A senior law enforcement official says the FBI now believes the same source is behind all three anthrax cases in Florida, New York and Washington. The Centers for Disease Control has already confirmed samples from the New York NBC letter are similar to those from American Media in Florida, and Washington may fit the same pattern.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM WINKENWERDER, ASST. DEFENSE SECY. DESIGNATE: It looked to be run-of-the mill. They are sensitive to all antibiotics. There was no evidence based on what we know thus far that it was any different from other samples at this time. Now more comparative work may need to be done to confirm that. There was some suggestion that there was less debris in this specimen, which could suggest that it may have been processed in some way, but again, I wouldn't even put that forward -- as not confirmed at this point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: The Trenton-postmarked letters, one sent to NBC's Tom Brokaw, and the other mailed to Senate majority leader Tom Daschle, are being checked for fingerprints and DNA. The handwriting is similar, but a little harder to analyze because of the printing style used. Still, investigators hope the letters will yield more clues. So much so, the FBI went back a second time this week to the American Media offices in Florida, armed with copies of those letters. Authorities are picking through the office, searching for anything that appears similar to the Trenton envelopes. The FBI suggested the public may also recognize something.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: By putting out those two envelopes, we are getting a number of leads. We put those envelopes out there for two reasons. One for leads, put also some persons would look at those envelopes, and if they saw an envelope with similar writing, or a similar return address, they would let us know. So I think there were over 300,000 leads since September 11 to now. Many of those in last few days have been related to anthrax, and every one of them is being pursued.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: CDC tests show the anthrax found does not appear to be genetically engineered. That means it is responding to antibiotics. That's good news. The particles were also apparently ground finely you have no be inhaled, at least in two cases in Florida -- Paula.
ZAHN: Thank you, Susan.
Appreciate your help all morning long.
Now we are going to turn our attention to regional mail center in Hamilton township. It happens to be closed. That is in New Jersey of course. While officials decide whether to test more employees for anthrax.
CNN's Brian Palmer now joins us with the very latest from there.
Brian, good morning.
BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Teams of investigators are converging here in the Trenton, New Jersey area. Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control, FBI, and U.S. Postal Service inspectors, they are trying to just determine how a postal -- a letter carrier contracted anthrax in September.
Now the letter carrier apparently, there is -- her case is confirmed. It is cutaneous anthrax, a less severe form of the disease. She delivered mail to roughly 250 homes and businesses in the area. Postal officials tell us she didn't actually service mailboxes on the street. It is also not known whether she came into contact with the anthrax-tainted letters sent to Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle in Washington, and NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw in New York. That's one of the things Susan told us they are going to be looking into today. Now another postal employee from this facility here in Hamilton township may have been exposed to anthrax, he is being tested, but those tests have not been -- test results have not been made available yet. Both the letter carrier and the employee from this facility here are receiving medical treatment as we speak.
Now yesterday, acting New Jersey Governor Donald Difrancesco outlined the first steps in the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD DIFRANCESCO, ACTING NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR: As a result of the positive test results, we are collecting additional environmental samples, as we speak, from within the facility, to further test for presence of anthrax. Representatives from the Department of Health are meeting with employees, and working with the union leadership to provide information and collect samples from the employees. We are working with the CDC, who are en route to New Jersey, to develop recommendations as to whom may need other immediate or preventative treatment.
At this point, we are aware of no other cases at the facility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PALMER: Now, yesterday, the Postal Service also announced a very substantial incentive for people to come forward with information about these anthrax incidents, a $1 million reward -- Paula.
ZAHN: OK, Brian Palmer, thank you for that report.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
