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American Morning

Marines Now Joining Search of Tora Bora Cave Network for Bin Laden

Aired December 21, 2001 - 08:22   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: Going cave to cave, the Marines are now joining the search of the Tora Bora cave network for bin Laden -- it goes on and on and on -- while defeated al Qaeda fighters are fleeing for the Pakistan border trying to escape. Pakistani authorities there are on high alert, and joining us now from Little Rock, CNN military analyst, General Wesley Clark -- happy Friday -- happy first day of winter.

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FMR. NATO SUPREME COMMANDER: Well, thanks, Paula.

ZAHN: Let's talk a little bit about Pakistani authorities. They are now confirming that they have arrested 189 people in the last two days as they try to catch al Qaeda members fleeing across the border. What does that say to you?

CLARK: That says there are 300 or 400 people at the minimum unaccounted for, maybe more. They can be in the caves, but it also says that there is an effective net out there. They caught some people, and now we'll have to wait and see. This is the hard, slow part of this.

ZAHN: Describe to us what type of intelligence sharing is going on now between U.S. forces and those Pakistani forces along the border.

CLARK: Well, the Pakistanis are going to be telling us who they have picked up and where they are. And they're going to be interrogating them, hopefully, and telling -- they're going to be asking where they came from. The U.S. forces, in turn, are going to be reporting who they see moving, if they see any movement, and they'll be calling in airstrikes on anybody they can identify that's still offering resistance up there. So there will be a lot of talk back and forth across that border as the U.S. troops get closer to it.

ZAHN: Of course, as you know, General, there is already a concern a number of al Qaeda members have successfully fled into Pakistan, and they've already been absorbed into Pashtun tribes. How concerned are you about that possibility?

CLARK: I am concerned about this. It's part of the long-term problem in the region. And this is one reason why it's very important that the Marines go through Tora Bora and the Army troops that are there with them, and go through Tora Bora and really root that complex out, find out what's in there, destroy the facilities. It's very important.

ZAHN: All right, General Wesley Clark, thanks so much for that update -- have a good weekend.

CLARK: Thank you.

ZAHN: Appreciate your time this morning.

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