Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Taliban: Bin Laden Whereabouts Unknown

Aired November 21, 2001 - 08:09   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, onto our other big story this morning, Afghanistan, where the Taliban say that they don't know where Osama bin Laden is, and that he is no longer a guest of their country.

CNN's Nic Robertson is standing by in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan. He's got the very latest on these developments -- hello, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon.

That spokesman today who addressed the press for an hour in the press briefing, was a very close associate of Osama bin Laden. He has been his official secretary for a number of years now, and an indication perhaps that the message being delivered today is coming directly from the top.

When he was asked about the whereabouts of Mullah Omar, the Taliban's leader, he said that Mullah Omar was being held at a secret location, for his safety. And when asked about al Qaeda members, and in particular Osama bin Laden, he said that the Taliban just don't know where he is and where the al Qaeda members are at this time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SYED TAYYAD AGHA, MULLAH OMAR SPOKESMAN: I have no information, and I have not seen that there are still al Qaeda members in Kandahar and provinces controlled by us.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

AGHA: I told you that there are not now in contact with us due to the communication problems. We have no information about their leader and its members.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: He said that the Taliban now controls about four or five provinces, and all of those provinces are around their spiritual capital, Kandahar, in the southeast of Afghanistan. He said that they were able to defend them militarily, and he said as well that the people in those provinces had requested that the Taliban do protect them. And he said that this was the Taliban's religious obligation to do this at this time.

During the press conference, he explained in the past how the Taliban had grown in power. He said that the Taliban had been requested by the people of Afghanistan to provide them security. He said at this time that he didn't believe that the Northern Alliance controls the majority of Afghanistan, he said that he didn't believe that they could bring peace and security as the Taliban had in the past.

He also said that he believed that foreign intervention at this time would also not lead to a stable future for the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AGHA: Foreign intervention and the foreign interference can never bring peace and stability in the country, and this is something that we are seeing nowadays in Afghanistan, that there is criticism and commanders ruling that are cruel to our people and our nation.

So any program or efforts taken by foreign forces for the stability in Afghanistan will not give any result, and this will lead Afghanistan to a Nazi internal fighting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: He described the Taliban's massive territorial losses in the north as being a withdrawal, and the indication coming across today that the Taliban is now drawing new front lines to defend its territory in the southeast of Afghanistan, and it says it will not stand by and see Afghanistan divided -- Leon.

HARRIS: Well, Nic, I want to ask you some more about this idea of a communications cut off between the Taliban and Osama bin Laden, and whether or not you can identify exactly which side did the cutting here, or if perhaps this was a result of the U.S. and coalition efforts to cut off communications between everyone there in that country -- and if there is any hint at all as to whether or now the Taliban is changing its position and will cooperate more in this particular case?

ROBERTSON: There's certainly no indication of any increased cooperation between the Taliban and the international community to hand over Osama bin Laden. The communications have been damaged in this country. The communications, however, were poor before the air campaign began inside Afghanistan. The telephone network here was very rudimentary and patchy. Satellite phone communications and radio communications are perhaps the only communication systems available to the Taliban at this time, and it is clear, just from our limited work and time spent in this country, that the Taliban are not able to easily communicate between cities.

However, the Taliban did describe today, the spokesman did describe, how through the movement of the front lines that they have lost touch with members of the al Qaeda, and it is perhaps through these changes in the front lines that the Taliban are indicating they have now lost communications with Osama bin Laden.

But it is not even clear to us, Leon, whether or not this is, in fact, the case, whether or not they have actually lost touch with Osama bin Laden, or this is just a public posture they are now taking -- Leon.

HARRIS: That is a very good point. Nic, I'm glad you brought that up. Thank you very much -- Nic Robertson, reporting live from Spin Boldak, Afghanistan. You be safe over there -- we'll talk with you in a bit, hopefully.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.