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American Morning

CIA Missile Hits Yemen

Aired November 05, 2002 - 09:15   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A high ranking al Qaeda operative was among the six men killed yesterday by an apparent CIA missile in Yemen.
Here with more on that missile strike is national security correspondent David Ensor.

Good morning -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, as you say, this report that we first had that a car had blown up and there were originally suggestions it might have been a bomb in the car, but now we know from knowledgeable sources that it was hellfire missiles fired from a CIA-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle. One of those drone aircraft they used over Afghanistan to quite successful effect.

It -- the hellfire missiles were fired in the desert of Yemen killing six people, including Abu Ali Al-Harifi (ph), who's also known as Kahid Sinon Al-Harifi (ph). This is him. He was a senior bodyguard for Osama bin Laden. H's one of the top 15 al Qaeda leaders, according to U.S. officials. He's suspected of involvement in the USS Cole matter, and he was considered the head of al Qaeda in Yemen.

Now President Bush did not comment directly on this incident in Yemen, but he did have something to say about the matter in a more general term.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: See this is a different kind of war. It's the kind of war where instead of trying to knock down airplanes and sink ships, we're looking in caves. We're putting a spotlight on some of the dark corners of the world. Their leaders kind of hide and then they send youngsters to their suicidal deaths. That's the way they do it. And the only way to treat them is what they are, international killers. And the only way to find them is to be patient and steadfast and hunt them down, and the United States of America is doing just that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENSOR: Now spokesmen for the CIA and the Pentagon are unwilling to discuss any U.S. involvement in this attack, although knowledgeable sources confirm it. It is a delicate matter since this took place on Yemeni soil and some of those killed were Yemenis, but it was a U.S. missile. Still, you can look for this technique to be used more in the future as the U.S. expands its war on terrorism. This is the first time that this technique has been used outside of Afghanistan -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So why doesn't the United States just come out and confirm it -- David?

ENSOR: Because that would be an embarrassment for Yemen, which is cooperating against the war on -- in the war on terrorism. But inside Yemen are a lot of people, some anyway, in the tribal areas where the bin Laden family comes from that are quite angry with their government for cooperating in this matter. So it's safer for Yemen not to be -- not to have to acknowledge that U.S. force is being permitted to be used on Yemeni soil against Yemenis.

COSTELLO: Understand. Understand. Just one more question.

ENSOR: Yes.

COSTELLO: If the United States does this in other countries, how does that work, do they get together with the leaders of that country and talk about it or does the United States act on its own?

ENSOR: Generally speaking, the U.S. prefers to work cooperatively with other nations. And wherever possible, it would clearly seek approval from the government there. There might be cases that they might do otherwise, but I don't know about them -- Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. David Ensor, thank you very much for bringing us up to date.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired November 5, 2002 - 09:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A high ranking al Qaeda operative was among the six men killed yesterday by an apparent CIA missile in Yemen.
Here with more on that missile strike is national security correspondent David Ensor.

Good morning -- David.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, as you say, this report that we first had that a car had blown up and there were originally suggestions it might have been a bomb in the car, but now we know from knowledgeable sources that it was hellfire missiles fired from a CIA-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle. One of those drone aircraft they used over Afghanistan to quite successful effect.

It -- the hellfire missiles were fired in the desert of Yemen killing six people, including Abu Ali Al-Harifi (ph), who's also known as Kahid Sinon Al-Harifi (ph). This is him. He was a senior bodyguard for Osama bin Laden. H's one of the top 15 al Qaeda leaders, according to U.S. officials. He's suspected of involvement in the USS Cole matter, and he was considered the head of al Qaeda in Yemen.

Now President Bush did not comment directly on this incident in Yemen, but he did have something to say about the matter in a more general term.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: See this is a different kind of war. It's the kind of war where instead of trying to knock down airplanes and sink ships, we're looking in caves. We're putting a spotlight on some of the dark corners of the world. Their leaders kind of hide and then they send youngsters to their suicidal deaths. That's the way they do it. And the only way to treat them is what they are, international killers. And the only way to find them is to be patient and steadfast and hunt them down, and the United States of America is doing just that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENSOR: Now spokesmen for the CIA and the Pentagon are unwilling to discuss any U.S. involvement in this attack, although knowledgeable sources confirm it. It is a delicate matter since this took place on Yemeni soil and some of those killed were Yemenis, but it was a U.S. missile. Still, you can look for this technique to be used more in the future as the U.S. expands its war on terrorism. This is the first time that this technique has been used outside of Afghanistan -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So why doesn't the United States just come out and confirm it -- David?

ENSOR: Because that would be an embarrassment for Yemen, which is cooperating against the war on -- in the war on terrorism. But inside Yemen are a lot of people, some anyway, in the tribal areas where the bin Laden family comes from that are quite angry with their government for cooperating in this matter. So it's safer for Yemen not to be -- not to have to acknowledge that U.S. force is being permitted to be used on Yemeni soil against Yemenis.

COSTELLO: Understand. Understand. Just one more question.

ENSOR: Yes.

COSTELLO: If the United States does this in other countries, how does that work, do they get together with the leaders of that country and talk about it or does the United States act on its own?

ENSOR: Generally speaking, the U.S. prefers to work cooperatively with other nations. And wherever possible, it would clearly seek approval from the government there. There might be cases that they might do otherwise, but I don't know about them -- Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. David Ensor, thank you very much for bringing us up to date.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com