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CNN Sunday Morning

U.S. Remains Focused on Tracking Down al Qaeda Members

Aired December 09, 2001 - 07:06   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.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. says it remains focused on its goals to track down Osama bin Laden and his former Afghan host, Mullah Mohammed Omar. Military officials are formulating their strategy to carry out that objective.

And CNN's Kathleen Koch joins us now live from the Pentagon with more on that -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jeanne, U.S. ground forces are patrolling the roads and desert areas around the city of Kandahar. They are on a very sharp lookout for fleeing Taliban or al Qaeda fighters and in particular, the Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar. And U.S. Special Forces have been seen in the city of Kandahar entering a building that was formerly occupied by Omar. There is no word yet on what they may have found there, but the Pentagon, at this point, does not believe he's gotten away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. TOMMY FRANKS, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: I do not have a reason to suspect that he has vanished. We continue to work on the area around Kandahar and we simply do not know where he is right now. But that does not lead me to believe that he's vanished.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: Meanwhile, there are reports that U.S. bombs have driven the very elusive Osama bin Laden from his cave and tunnel complex in the Tora Bora region and into the nearby woods. The Pentagon, at this point, cannot confirm those reports, but in the past top officials here have said that on a daily basis they read dozens of intelligence reports about his whereabouts, many of them conflicting. Now, the Pentagon does continue to believe that U.S. forces are tightening the noose, as they say, around bin Laden and really restricted his ability to move about the country.

They do believe that he does remain in Afghanistan. And they are hopeful that now they will receiving some help from the local population with interim leader Hamid Karzai calling on Afghans to help hunt down and arrest bin Laden, Omar and any foreign combatants who have been supporting them -- Jeanne.

Back to you, Jeanne.

(AUDIO GAP)

MESERVE: ... opened up between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. What are the implications of that, both in humanitarian terms, and also militarily?

KOCH: Jeanne, that bridge has been closed for nearly five years. It's very important, because it connects Uzbekistan to Afghanistan. The first thing to roll across it was a train loaded down with wheat for the starving people of Afghanistan. Estimates are that after three years of drought, about one quarter of the 24 million population of Afghanistan is threatened with starvation if they don't get such aid.

As you pointed out, it is also very important militarily, because some 1,000 forces with the 10th Mountain Division have, since October, been based in Uzbekistan to conduct search and rescue missions. They've only done that so far by air, but now it will possible by ground as well -- Jeanne.

MESERVE: Kathleen Koch at the Pentagon, thanks so much.

KOCH: You're welcome.

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