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American Morning

Hunt for Al Qaeda

Aired September 09, 2003 - 07:07   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: More numbers now. More than 11 billion of the president's request would go toward operations in Afghanistan, where U.S. troops are fighting the remnants of the Taliban and al Qaeda. Along with Osama bin Laden, who are the al Qaeda leaders still at large? And if so, are they even in Afghanistan?
Mike Boettcher live at the CNN Center with this report this morning.

Mike -- good morning there.

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

Well, the bottom line in the war against terrorism: successes. The arrests of top al Qaeda leaders have and will lead to other successes. But the greatest danger is posed by the unknown.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOETTCHER (voice-over): Ramzi Binalshibh, nabbed after a shootout in Pakistan, a year to the day after 9/11. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, captured a few months later. Proof, says President Bush, that al Qaeda is on the run.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Nearly two- thirds of al Qaeda's known leaders have been captured or killed, and we continue on al Qaeda's trail.

BOETTCHER: Intelligence officials say al Qaeda's captured leaders are spilling big secrets about the group.

ROHAN GUNARATNA, AUTHOR, "INSIDE AL QAEDA": Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was called "Mokta (ph)," "the brain." And when he was detained, basically he wanted to prove himself again as a great man to his interrogators.

BOETTCHER: That information may have helped prevent new al Qaeda plots. But it's not clear that it's gotten America or Pakistan any closer to capturing Osama bin Laden or his No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

The U.S. and Pakistanis thought they had bin Laden in March, but that lead proved false. The search for al Qaeda's leader is now focused on an area along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, particularly on the Pakistan side.

PETER BERGEN, TERRORISM ANALYST: The United States doesn't appear to have a mole within al Qaeda that could give you real-time information about their whereabouts, and the people around them don't seem to be motivated by the cash rewards.

BOETTCHER: Two other al Qaeda leaders, Sudaman Abu Hite (ph) and military commander Saif al-Adel, are said to be in Iran, in custody, possibly with bin Laden's son.

Also thought to be in Iran, according to intelligence officials, Abu Masab al-Zarqawi (ph), head of an al Qaeda-affiliated group and seen as the key link to cells in Iraq.

Bin Laden may have fewer lieutenants, say terrorism experts, but the group is not out of business.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

One coalition official points to the cautionary tale of Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, one of the alleged masterminds of the 9/11 attacks. He wasn't even on the U.S. radar screen until months after the attacks.

The same official says the greatest threat is now posed by those leaders we do not know about -- Bill.

HEMMER: Mike, I know you've spent a lot of time in Afghanistan speaking with a number of U.S. members leading this search right now. Go to the very top. What are they saying about why it's so difficult two years later to track down Osama bin Laden? And if they have any hot leads at all, where are those leads taking them?

BOETTCHER: Well, they do have hot leads, and, as we reported several months, they had narrowed down the area where they believe he is. It's an area southwest of Peshawar, about 140 miles southeast of Kabul. The problem is he is believed to be there in Pakistan. Now, that's problem No. 1. No. 2, it's in an area where he is protected by a couple of tribes who are fiercely loyal to him. And No. 3, it's incredibly rugged terrain.

So, it's going to be difficult. They hope, though, that they are closing in, trying to pinpoint exactly the area he is at, and hopefully will launch some operations to try to get him. But it is a very difficult situation, as you well know -- Bill.

HEMMER: Yes. Good reporting. Mike, thanks. Mike Boettcher at the CNN Center.

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 September 9, 2003 - 07:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: More numbers now. More than 11 billion of the president's request would go toward operations in Afghanistan, where U.S. troops are fighting the remnants of the Taliban and al Qaeda. Along with Osama bin Laden, who are the al Qaeda leaders still at large? And if so, are they even in Afghanistan?
Mike Boettcher live at the CNN Center with this report this morning.

Mike -- good morning there.

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

Well, the bottom line in the war against terrorism: successes. The arrests of top al Qaeda leaders have and will lead to other successes. But the greatest danger is posed by the unknown.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOETTCHER (voice-over): Ramzi Binalshibh, nabbed after a shootout in Pakistan, a year to the day after 9/11. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, captured a few months later. Proof, says President Bush, that al Qaeda is on the run.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Nearly two- thirds of al Qaeda's known leaders have been captured or killed, and we continue on al Qaeda's trail.

BOETTCHER: Intelligence officials say al Qaeda's captured leaders are spilling big secrets about the group.

ROHAN GUNARATNA, AUTHOR, "INSIDE AL QAEDA": Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was called "Mokta (ph)," "the brain." And when he was detained, basically he wanted to prove himself again as a great man to his interrogators.

BOETTCHER: That information may have helped prevent new al Qaeda plots. But it's not clear that it's gotten America or Pakistan any closer to capturing Osama bin Laden or his No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

The U.S. and Pakistanis thought they had bin Laden in March, but that lead proved false. The search for al Qaeda's leader is now focused on an area along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, particularly on the Pakistan side.

PETER BERGEN, TERRORISM ANALYST: The United States doesn't appear to have a mole within al Qaeda that could give you real-time information about their whereabouts, and the people around them don't seem to be motivated by the cash rewards.

BOETTCHER: Two other al Qaeda leaders, Sudaman Abu Hite (ph) and military commander Saif al-Adel, are said to be in Iran, in custody, possibly with bin Laden's son.

Also thought to be in Iran, according to intelligence officials, Abu Masab al-Zarqawi (ph), head of an al Qaeda-affiliated group and seen as the key link to cells in Iraq.

Bin Laden may have fewer lieutenants, say terrorism experts, but the group is not out of business.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

One coalition official points to the cautionary tale of Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, one of the alleged masterminds of the 9/11 attacks. He wasn't even on the U.S. radar screen until months after the attacks.

The same official says the greatest threat is now posed by those leaders we do not know about -- Bill.

HEMMER: Mike, I know you've spent a lot of time in Afghanistan speaking with a number of U.S. members leading this search right now. Go to the very top. What are they saying about why it's so difficult two years later to track down Osama bin Laden? And if they have any hot leads at all, where are those leads taking them?

BOETTCHER: Well, they do have hot leads, and, as we reported several months, they had narrowed down the area where they believe he is. It's an area southwest of Peshawar, about 140 miles southeast of Kabul. The problem is he is believed to be there in Pakistan. Now, that's problem No. 1. No. 2, it's in an area where he is protected by a couple of tribes who are fiercely loyal to him. And No. 3, it's incredibly rugged terrain.

So, it's going to be difficult. They hope, though, that they are closing in, trying to pinpoint exactly the area he is at, and hopefully will launch some operations to try to get him. But it is a very difficult situation, as you well know -- Bill.

HEMMER: Yes. Good reporting. Mike, thanks. Mike Boettcher at the CNN Center.

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