Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

U.S. Warplanes Bombard Tora Bora

Aired December 09, 2001 - 09:04   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: U.S. military leaders say that they are, quote, "tightening the noose" on bin Laden and all of his al Qaeda cohorts. Pentagon strategy focuses first on blocking the possibility of escape, and then on stepping up on trying to capture him. Their campaign focuses on bin Laden's mountainous hideout in eastern Afghanistan.

CNN's Brent Sadler is there, and joins us with the latest from Tora Bora.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The military pressure on Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda fighters in the White Mountains shows no sign of letting up. But the action is not taking place here on the ground, where the tank barrels of anti-Taliban forces have remained silent.

Instead, the thrust of attacks comes from the air, the vapor trails of high altitude American bombers moving over al Qaeda targets in the caves and forests of valleys leading up to Tora Bora. Wave after wave of attacks by U.S. warplanes, dropping bombs across a wide area, where it's thought al Qaeda defenders are concentrated. Valleys echoed to the rumble of distant explosions as the bombers came in.

The strikes lasted several hours. U.S. surveillance planes worked on bomb damage assessments in between the air sorties. The unrelenting bombardments are seen as an attempt to pave the way for anti-Taliban Eastern Alliance forces to push forward. Their commanders claim they've killed eight al Qaeda terrorists Saturday, and have lost three of their own fighters -- casualties, it's claimed here, of aerial bombardments.

Pakistan, meanwhile, has sent helicopter gun ships and troop reinforcements to the mountain border behind me to insure that any possible al Qaeda escape routes are blocked.

Brent Sadler, CNN, near Tora Bora in the White Mountains of eastern Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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