Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Strikes Intensify in Afghanistan
Aired November 08, 2001 - 11:04 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: Shifting, now, to the military campaign. The Northern Alliance claiming it gained more ground around the town of Mazar-e-Sharif, and if true, that would put the rebels just about four miles outside that rather strategic town. For what's going on, though, in the south of Afghanistan, CNN Correspondent Kamal Hyder, now, in Kandahar.
KAMAL HYDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thursday, again, Allied bombers appearing over the skies of Kandahar. This time, however, fighter bombers picking out targets to the north edge of the city. The northern edge of the city with lots of dust and smoke going up from targets being hit on the ground in the Kulay Urdu (ph) area, which translates into to corps commander's headquarter.
It was a severe strike last night and, of course, as a follow-up to that strike, these fighter bombers also picked targets to the west, which apparently they attacked last night. Now, there was quite a bit of activity over the edge of Kandahar today. Some explosions at around sunset as well. And, of course, in anticipation that tonight Allied gunships may appear once again over Kandahar skies. Kamal Hyder, CNN, Kandahar, Afghanistan.
HEMMER: That's the update from overseas, back in this country, the man charged with running the day-to-day military campaign avoiding the spotlight, however, at this hour, General Tommy Franks will be talking not only to the media, but about it. Bob Franken at the Pentagon watching this development and more now, from his post. Bob, good morning, again.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, and first of all, relating to what we just saw on CNN, there's been almost a daily intensification of the bombing across Afghanistan. U.S. officials have told us that it's part of a plan that has been refined, because of the -- the insertion of special operations people, a few dozen of them in Afghanistan, who are able to call in more accurate airstrikes, so there's been a more confident bombing campaign that is going after Taliban troop positions in preparation of the possibility that there could be some sort of ground campaign, either by U.S. forces who are stationed outside of Afghanistan for the most part now, or from the Northern Alliance troops, who might be in a position to run an attack officials here are hoping -- if -- if the Taliban positions are softened by the bombing.
Now, the man who is running all this is General Tommy Franks. He is the CINC of CETCOM -- CENTCOM. I thought I'd throw a couple of military terms at you. He's the Commander in Chief of the Central Command. Central Command is in charge of the military operations for the United States. In a 25-nation part of the world that includes Afghanistan.
General Franks has been something of a recluse. He has not really done much public interviewing, but he has now had a couple of dry runs and a couple of appearances on television, and now he comes to the Pentagon where he is right now.
He'll be appearing with the secretary of defense, be answering any number of questions about the conduct of the war, about his plans for the war, and about criticism of things that may have bogged down. That briefing is going to occur at noon eastern, less than an hour from now. It's considered quite an event here. An event to see somebody who has been -- just somebody we've known by name only who we're going to get a chance to question in just a short while. Bill?
HEMMER: Bob, on another front, a sailor overboard on the USS Kitty Hawk. Any progress there about the missing one?
FRANKEN: No word that they've found him. It has been over 24 hours since fell off the Kitty Hawk in the Arabian Sea, and the search has gone on since then. No word on why went overboard. No word on who he is because family, next of kin, have not been notified. The Kitty Hawk, of course, the big anti-aircraft -- the big aircraft carrier that's in the Arabian Sea. Not so much as an aircraft carrier, but as a floating base. It's decks are cleared of most it's planes. Instead, there are helicopters there, and special operations units, who will be ones who have and would run some of the military ground operations and close combat operations that would come from the Kitty Hawk. That's the ship from whence he fell.
HEMMER: If confirmed, the fatality would be the fourth since the military operation began. Bob Franken at the Pentagon. Bob, thanks. See you at noon Eastern Time, about 50 minutes from now.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
