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American Morning

Rumsfeld Issues Memo Calling for Deaths of al Qaeda Figures

Aired August 02, 2002 - 08:30   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime, though, there is new information this morning about the war on terrorism. The defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld apparently wants special ops to pick up the pace of their covert missions against al Qaeda.

At the pentagon, Barbara Starr tracking this -- Barbara, what do we know?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Bill, this is an extraordinary development here at the Pentagon this morning. What CNN has learned is Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has issued a highly classified memo to his Special Operations Command, and he is being brutal. He has told them -- we are told the language is target and kill the top leaders of the al Qaeda. Rumsfeld is said to be extraordinarily unhappy with the lack of progress in this.

Later today he is going to meet in his office with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the head of Special Operations Command to discuss very detailed planning for covert missions to go around the world, wherever it takes special operations to find and target the very top leadership of al Qaeda, perhaps as few as half a dozen men that they have earmarked as being the most serious threat. This new mission for the Special Operation Command, this stepped up activity, we are told could involve Navy SEALS, Army green berets, and, of course, the super-secret Delta Force.

They will go wherever they need to. This could take them into countries where special operations has not operated before. A very key thing they are worried about is getting the precise intelligence to find these people where they believe they may be hiding. Those who have seen Rumsfeld's memo say it is extraordinarily detailed. It is very blunt to the military. Time to get busy, he says -- Bill.

HEMMER: Also in that report, Barbara, a suggestion that it might be a bit of a slap in the face to Tommy Franks who is running the war in Afghanistan. Does it seem that way there at the Pentagon?

STARR: Well, the fact is, you might ask yourself, what has everybody been doing since September 11? How is it the top leadership of al Qaeda is still on the run, is still loose, and still posing a threat? Those are the questions that Rumsfeld and other top leaders in the administration have been asking themselves.

They think this new plan, very focused, special operations, covert action, wherever it takes them, will be one of the answers to solving the problem of why they haven't been able to get the al Qaeda. They think there are still specific people out there that pose a clear threat to the United States. The mission is known as direct action by the military, and that means taking a gun and finding these people and killing them.

HEMMER: Fascinating story there, Barbara. Quickly, when the war was beginning back in mid-October, it's now August. Why take this long to have such strong words to take this offensive action around the world?

STARR: Well, what we are told is that U.S. intelligence, of course, has been trying to find these people. It has been very, very tough. This is somewhat of a refocus, a re-energizing of the process. The war on terrorism, we are told of course, is global. It's looking everywhere for where a threat might be, but they do feel that they really need to start focusing, according to Rumsfeld's memo, on the very top leadership of the al Qaeda, even the Taliban. We are told, you know, this war is not about bin Laden, not about a man -- any one person in particular. But they want to get rid of this top leadership capability in the al Qaeda. They think it's really the only way to solve the problem now, as opposed to more of this broad approach that they've been taking over the last several months.

HEMMER: Barbara, thank you. Barbara Starr. Again, that report from the Pentagon.

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