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American Morning

Marines Expanding Detention Center at Kandahar Airport

Aired December 20, 2001 - 09:03   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: The Marines are expanding a detention center at Kandahar Airport to hold up to 500 prisoners, and more U.S. troops are taking up positions at the airport.

CNN's Mike Chinoy is there, and he filed this report just a short while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With each passing day, the American military presence here at Kandahar Airport grows. There are now approximately 1,500 Marines here, plus contingents from the U.S. Air Force, Navy CV construction teams, and some elements from the U.S. Army, including MPs who are guarding those 15 Al Qaeda and Taliban detainee being held at a detention center here. There is also a team from the FBI. They are preparing to interrogate those prisoners, but it's not an easy process. They face some questions about just how to approach it so as to elicit the most useful information in a way that serves the interest to both the American intelligence community, the military and the U.S. Justice Department.

Overnight, the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, James Jones, paid a surprise visit here. He visited men in the foxholes on the perimeter of the airport in the freezing cold to offer some moral support. He said the job here isn't going very well so far, but it is far from finished.

I'm Mike Chinoy with the U.S. Marines at Kandahar Airport.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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