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American Morning

Is It Becoming Too Dangerous for Americans to Travel Abroad?

Aired March 21, 2002 - 07:30   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.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: As we reported earlier, a car bomb exploded outside the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru this morning, killing nine people. Last weekend, two Americans were among five who died in a terrorist bombing of church services inside the diplomatic compound in Pakistan's capital city.

We're joined now by "Time" magazine Editor At Large Michael Elliott. And I suppose we can begin with a rhetorical question about whether it's becoming too dangerous for Americans to think about traveling abroad here.

MICHAEL ELLIOTT, EDITOR AT LARGE, "TIME": Well, you know, wouldn't it be nice if one could say, "There's nothing to worry about." But, I mean, this has been a really bad week. I mean, I thought the -- we talked about this, I think, on Monday. I mean I thought the bombing of the church in Pakistan was really horrible.

CAFFERTY: That's as bad as it gets.

ELLIOTT: Yeah.

CAFFERTY: Church services on a guarded diplomatic compound...

(CROSS TALK)

ELLIOTT: Well, people feel their safe, you know, where people feel that they can -- that they can relax and just kind of...

CAFFERTY: Which I suppose that's the message they want to communicate...

ELLIOTT: Sure.

CAFFERTY: ... is that you're not safe anywhere.

ELLIOTT: Sure. Now this -- the bomb in Peru today -- I guess we don't have the full details of it yet...

CAFFERTY: Not yet.

ELLIOTT: ... but, you know, this looks pretty bad. And I think, you know, you have to say that with the events of the last six months, people, at the very least, have to take care when they travel. There's no point in saying anything else. CAFFERTY: And if it's, I suppose, not necessary, perhaps put it off for a while?

ELLIOTT: Maybe.

CAFFERTY: Let me ask you about the war. Operation Anaconda, which was arguably the largest and most intense ground fighting war in Afghanistan so far is apparently over now. However, there is word that the Taliban and al Qaeda fighters who remain in Afghanistan are regrouping. There's a possibility of some sort of spring offensive against American forces. And the more troubling report, perhaps, is that American troops may be contemplating moving into Pakistan in pursuit of these people.

ELLIOTT: I think about three things are going on here. First of all, we are realizing, if we did not know before, that these are very determined, very tough, guerrilla fighters who are going to be around for a long, long time. Secondly, the fighting in that area in the southeast where they can easily just kind of slip across over those kind of smugglers' trails back into Pakistan -- so the U.S. now wants to do two things. It needs to talk to the Pakistanis, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) joint security on the Pakistani side of the frontier, and maybe exercise what they call the right of hot pursuit to kind of chase them over the (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

CAFFERTY: As a practical matter, though, how much help is General Musharraf? And I couch that question in the following way: when Kanduz (ph) fell early in the fighting, and American forces and allies up there got control of the air field, Pakistan was airlifting its people, its Taliban sympathy fighters, out of that air base under cover of darkness. Everybody knew it was happening, nobody talked about it. Now these people have been flown back into Pakistan and we may have to send our men and women in there to go after them. I mean...

ELLIOTT: I think Musharraf is doing a lot, but there's a lot more that they can do.

CAFFERTY: Yeah.

ELLIOTT: And, you know, we'll see.

CAFFERTY: And whether or not he'll wind up doing it, I guess is an open question. It's good to see you.

ELLIOTT: All right, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Thanks for dropping by -- Michael Elliott, Editor at Large for "TIME" magazine.

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