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American Morning

Bill Delaney Reports from Islamabad

Aired October 29, 2001 - 09:00   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Now, Washington's point man in the military operation in Islamabad at this hour, trying to keep up and shore up all important Pakistani support. The Commander-in-chief of the U.S. Central Command, General Tommy Franks met with Pakistan's president. And Pervez Musharraf faces growing domestic pressure about his government's role in the mission, CNN's Bill Delaney in Islamabad with more on that now.

BILL DELANEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The panorama of protest and violence here still very much limited to a minority in this country of 140 million. But the potency of it nowhere reflected more horrifically than at St. Dominick's Roman Catholic church in Southern Pakistan. Christians here reeling from the massacre of 16 Sunday in the middle of a Protestant church service. Men, women and children machine gunned by suspected Islamic militants who bolted themselves in the church began shooting, then escaping. The government of Pakistan and Muslim religious leaders have strongly condemned the attack, the government vowing to find the killers and already arresting hundreds.

But in another sign of the unrest here, thousands of Pakistani tribesman gather, eager to cross into Afghanistan to help militarily the Taliban. Now, the Pakistani government says they won't let them cross, but interestingly, the Taliban ambassador to Pakistan here in Islamabad also discouraged them, saying they just weren't needed right now.

ABDUL SALAM ZAEEF, TALIBAN AMBASSADOR TO PAKISTAN (through translator): To answer your first question about the mujahideen going to Afghanistan, they are going there voluntarily, and upon their own free will. We have, although, requested that since at this stage that there are only air assaults in Afghanistan, there is no need and there is a great danger for them to be in Afghanistan-- so we have not requested for their entry to Afghanistan at this stage.

BILL DELANEY: Observers here finding it interesting that though this is now the fourth week of bombing in Afghanistan, the Taliban apparently comfortable enough with its position not to call for reinforcements willing to cross the border to help them from Pakistan. Bill Delaney, CNN, Islamabad.

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