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American Morning

Where in the World is Osama Bin laden and His Chief Lieutenants?

Aired December 13, 2001 - 07:17   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: As the attacks intensify around Tora Bora both from the air and on the ground, one question that continues to be asked, is it possible the key leaders of al Qaeda have already gotten out?

Well, let's check in with Miles O'Brien, who's standing by in the map room in Atlanta -- good morning, Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Where in the world is Osama bin Laden and his chief lieutenants? Well, a lot of people have been talking about Pakistan as a likely first place to look above and beyond this Tora Bora cave complex that we've been hearing so much about.

Joining me now to talk a little bit about this and some of the implications of this is General George Harrison, one of our military analysts. Good to have you with us, General.

GEN. GEORGE HARRISON, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): A pleasure.

O'BRIEN: Is it possible that Pakistan to Afghanistan is becoming what Laos was to Vietnam, the place where the enemy is headed?

HARRISON: Well, it could be. But there's a significant difference. We didn't control the, in Laos we didn't control any of the forces, essentially, that were there, except for some of the indigenous forces that were working for the embassy.

But in this case we have the Pakistani army on our side. This is a very long border. Clearly the U.S. forces that are in the area can't secure that border, nor would they even try. So we're relying on the Pakistani army, the Pakistani forces to provide us with information and to secure the border for us.

O'BRIEN: But a couple of things that mitigate against that, first of all, the Pakistani army typically has stayed away from these regions. They're controlled by tribal sort of arrangements.

HARRISON: That's right.

O'BRIEN: And secondly, it's just the terrain is so rough and there are so many opportunities for... HARRISON: That's right.

O'BRIEN: ... ability to hide there. Is it something that, is there enough forces there, given all of that, to stop the potential flow of al Qaeda?

HARRISON: Probably not. Probably not. It depends on how uncomfortable they want to be, and I mean really uncomfortable in terms of going through snow, going through very steep cliffs, escarpments and all those kinds of things, and how well trained and equipped they are. If they are really determined they can probably get through that border, just like a really determined person can get through the southern border of the United States.

O'BRIEN: All right, well, let's take the next step, then, because when we consider the border with Mexico, for example...

HARRISON: That's right.

O'BRIEN: ... all the fortifications that are there and all the people that still are able to cross that border, there are reports this morning, the "Christian Science Monitor" has a report that Osama bin Laden actually fled across that border some time ago. Once that occurs, that opens up a whole different plane of possibilities. What is the next step, then?

HARRISON: Sure it does. Obviously, he needs to get to the sea so that he can make a sea transit and go to one of the places that have traditionally harbored him.

O'BRIEN: Now, and we should point out that, you know, we've got a flotilla of U.S. Navy ships out there watching for potential vessels that are under the control of al Qaeda.

HARRISON: Exactly. Exactly.

O'BRIEN: Or might have some link to it. Nevertheless, it's a big ocean so...

HARRISON: It is a big ocean. He might find his way to Yemen or Somalia. Those are two, in my mind, likely places that he might want to go. Now, that opens up a whole new set of issues because the president has said if nations either sponsor terrorism or harbor terrorists, they are going to be subject to considerable sanctions.

So we might, if he finds his way to Yemen, I'm confident that we'll have the same kind of campaign in Yemen or Somalia that we've seen in Afghanistan, which is another long-term process.

O'BRIEN: Well, so when people say is the war coming to a conclusion, this possibility certainly changes the picture dramatically.

HARRISON: Well, it does in my mind. Certainly the war in Afghanistan is approaching a conclusion but that's not the, that's not going to be the long-term issue. The long-term issue is going to be what happens in one of these countries and worse yet, what happens in some of the island nations in the Pacific if he should find his way there.

O'BRIEN: And briefly, Yemen and Somalia, why those two countries?

HARRISON: Well, because they've been hospitable to him in the past. They have supported him in the past. He has found refuge there and those are relatively, you can see the huge mountain areas here in Yemen, big mountain areas in Somalia, those kinds of places are good hiding places. And if he has a hospitable government and a place to hide, he might really well go there.

O'BRIEN: All right, General George Harrison, one of our military analysts here in the map room, thank you very much for giving us literally the big picture. We appreciate it -- Paula.

ZAHN: Thanks, Miles.

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