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CNN Sunday Morning

Demonstrations Take Place in Pakistan, Nigeria

Aired October 14, 2001 - 10:02   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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Now to those protests. In Pakistan, the anti-American demonstrators marched toward a Pakistani air base that is hosting U.S. forces.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour has been monitoring the situation from Islamabad, Pakistan, and she joins us now with the latest -- Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there've been demonstrations here in Islamabad today, and of course, this comes one day ahead of the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. The biggest demonstration was down in the Jacobabad, which is south of here. It's in the southern interior part of Pakistan, and it's near an air base that is being promised by the Pakistanis to the United States forces.

Although the Pakistanis say that there will be no combat operations launched from these bases, these are apparently going to be used for search and rescue. The Islamic parties who disagree with the decision of President Musharraf to stand with the United States have been calling these protests out for the last four weeks, and this is one that directly protests the use of that base.

According to military and their medical sources, CNN has learned that one person appears to be confirmed dead, several others injured. According to the Islamic parties that called out this demonstration, they say perhaps six people are dead.

We cannot at the moment confirm that. Just say that the hospital tells us there that one person is confirmed dead, and there had been other injuries. These protesters have been prevented so for from getting into Jacobabad, protest taking part on the outskirts of there, and they have not been able to get close to the military base.

Now, we just a few moments ago spoke to the Pakistani Foreign Minister, asking him what Pakistan expects to hear when Secretary Powell comes here tomorrow. And of course, they had said they expect to hear Mr. Powell's assessment of the 10-day, one-week military campaign. They want to know what will constitute bringing this to an end, whether there is light at the end of the tunnel, and how they will recognize that, and they want to also, he said, impress upon the United States that any kind of collateral damage is the kind of thing that will inflame our passions and rhetoric and public opinion in Pakistan and in other parts of the Islamic world -- Martin. SAVIDGE: Christiane, are there obvious signs of increased security with the anticipated visit of the United States secretary of state?

AMANPOUR: You know, there is increased security in the last week, and before that, there were, you know -- it's been stepping up and building up ever since this crisis began, and of course with the air strikes, it was stepped up even more. And with these protests, the Pakistanis are prepared to bring the army out, if they think that's necessary. So security here is, in any event, extremely tight and will be so for this highest-level visit of the U.S. officials since this crisis.

SAVIDGE: Thank you, Christiane. CNN's Christiane Amanpour reporting to us from Islamabad, Pakistan.

More protests this time in Africa's Nigeria, where hundreds are feared dead and dozens more injured after a peaceful protest turned violent. It happened in the city of Kano. A curfew has been put into effect, and police had now been ordered to shoot to kill.

CNN, Lagos bureau chief, Jeff Koinange, has this latest via telephone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are hearing now from officials on the ground that the death toll is in the hundreds, despite an overnight dusk-to-dawn curfew. Obviously, the people ignored it. They went out in this mostly Muslim town in the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Lagos, and they started slaughtering anyone who was non-Muslim.

We are also hearing that hundreds of non-Muslims are huddled in police stations, also in the military barracks seeking refuge, seeking protection. The Muslims are going about slaughtering at will, ignoring police, ignoring the military. The military is overwhelmed, despite the fact that the government is sending more troops. It doesn't look like they are being effective at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Besides the U.S.-led air strikes, some of the unrest in Nigeria is being attributed to traditional Muslim-Christian tensions.

Fourteen international journalists are being escorted into Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to have a firsthand look at the results of the U.S.-led attacks. One of those reporters is CNN's Nic Robertson. Now, we should let you know that he is free to report whatever he wishes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Small village in the mountains, called Koram. Now, this village is a small cluster of bricks, of locked houses high in the mountains, nestled in a very, very deep valley and gully in the mountains. And about 80 to 90 percent of all the buildings in that village were destroyed.

The Taliban say they were attacked four nights ago in two air attacks by the planes of the United States. They said lying very close to that village was a large unexploded bomb. There are also a many people in the village trying to get, what they said were relatives, out from underneath the rubble. Taliban officials and local leaders say that some 200 people died in that attack on that village.

It is impossible to verify those figures. However, there are many grave sites -- fresh grave sites now around that village totaling some about 30 people. Many people we talked to there spoke of having lost two or three loved ones in the houses.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Nic says it is not possible to corroborate or verify that the Taliban's claim of 200 people that were killed in the village after a U.S. air strike last week.

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