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American Morning

Review of the First Month of Bombing Campaign

Aired November 07, 2001 - 09:45   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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Back to the war front. Witnesses say today's bombing over Afghanistan was intense. The Taliban stronghold of Kandahar was among the targets. Elsewhere, explosions went off near the Bagram air base, that is north of Kabul. The blasts were near the front-line positions, as the Taliban face off with the Northern Alliance. Alliance forces say they've made some advances, but the reports can not be independently confirmed.

The U.S.-led military operation in Afghanistan began a month ago. CNN's Kyra Phillips is in Atlanta with a status report. Good morning, Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Miles. Gosh, it seems so much longer than a month, doesn't it?

O'BRIEN: Yes it does.

PHILLIPS: Well, we're going to get to that. We're going to talk about that in just a moment. But first, we want to bring you up to date. We've received this report from the Pentagon. We're told one gunman, not sure who the gunman is, what nationality, opened fire at a Qatari air base, that is an air base that is used by U.S. warplanes and U.S. forces. Now, the guard at the gate, we are told, did open fire and, according to Tory Clark, the press secretary to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the gunman was killed. No Americans, though, we are told, were hurt or killed. And our State Department Correspondent Andrea Koppel is working on this story for us.

Now, back to that month, miles mentioned, it has been a month since the war on terrorism began, actually, with airstrikes. And we're going to talk first about the first week, and the opening moves. The attacks began Sunday, October 7th. I'm sure you remember that day with a familiar gambit. Cruise missile launches and and air strikes against air defense targets, air ports in Kabul, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and Herat were hit.

Second week. Digging in. Almost all the airstrikes reported this week were against targets in and around Kabul and Kandahar. The the U.S. Air Force ACU -- or AC-130, rather, gun ship was used for the first time here. And another first. U.S. Special Operations troops conducted an overnight raid around Kandahar.

Moving into the third week. Major attacks opened the third week of the war. The focus of the bombing shifted to the Shamali plains. That's north of Kabul, otherwise known as the no-man's land between the Taliban and Northern Alliance troops. Airstrikes are also reported in support of the Northern Alliance's battle with Taliban forces for control of Mazar-e-Sharif.

Fourth week. B-52 bombers dropped carpet bombs on Taliban lines near Bagram Air Base, just north of Kabul. Tactical aircraft dropped controversial cluster bombs on Taliban forces whose responded with shoulder-launched infrared missiles. U.S. airstrikes also supported Northern Alliance forces in the war to the north. With little movement reported on either front. Joining me now to talk about this progress is Retired Major General Donald Shepperd. Good morning, General.

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about this progress first. How do you judge progress in a situation like this?

SHEPPERD: Well, if you look at Secretary Rumsfeld's original objectives that he laid out, which were very major, and very carefully worded. Basically, if you boil them all down, it was put pressure on the Taliban, and pressure is being put big time on the Taliban. I am really impressed. We've gone halfway around the world in a month and put together a military campaign whose effects are now starting to be felt. We all want instant gratification. We want, if not revenge, at least we are certainly mad from the United States side. But the U.S. and coalition is putting military pressure and strikes halfway around the world. Being very effective, and it's not a question of if the Taliban and the al Qaeda are going to go, it's when.

PHILLIPS: And Don, I just gave an overview of the various tactics, from the warplanes to the various bombs, but a huge part of this progress is due to intelligence, correct?

SHEPPERD: It absolutely is. One of the things we've invested a lot of money in is intelligence assets. All the way from troops on the ground to satellites in outer space, to things such as the Global Hawk, the Rivet Joint, the JSTARS, the AWACS. Of course, aircraft and the Predator AC-130U gunships, all tied together with the idea of sensor to shooter. A sensor being able to find something and getting a shooter's eyes and ordinance on it in a timely manner. We've spent billions on this, and it is going to pay off. It's already paying off, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, finally, where do we go from here? What kind of campaign are we going to see at this point?

SHEPPERD: Well, I tell you. Again, we're all impatient. But as I look at the list here, I am impressed. NATO deploys, the United States -- to help us. A worldwide coalition is formed. Bases encircling the Taliban. Uzbekistan, Pakistan, airspace, looking at other bases in Kazakstan, Tajikistan, Kirgistan. Northern Alliance being resupplied. Intelligence assets in place. Special forces raids in the stronghold. The Northern Alliance reportedly now beginning to move, and activity by the opposition forming in the cell. I would really rather be on the U.S. and coalition side, and I would hate to be a Taliban right now. This is going to get serious for them. Can't say when, it's going to all come to an end, but it's going to come to an end. And it's going to be on the U.S. and coalition terms.

PHILLIPS: Understood. Retired Major General Donald Shepperd. Thank you so much. We'll talk to you again, later in the morning.

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