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CNN Sunday Morning

Hunt for bin Laden Intensifies

Aired December 09, 2001 - 08:01   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: We begin this hour with a potential flight to freedom and an aerial bombardment designed to stop Osama bin Laden in his tracks. The U.S. and its anti-Taliban allies are racing to cut off bin Laden's suspected escape route into Pakistan. That plan now turns the focus on al Qaeda mountain hideouts in the Tora Bora region. CNN's Brent Sadler has that.

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Jeanne. Another onslaught by U.S. warplanes and the heavy bombardments into the White Mountains in the lower valley leading up to Tora Bora -- for several hours, waves upon waves of aircraft, starting out with B-52 or B-1 bombers, pounding this mountain peak, hitting the caves and forested areas in these valleys, hostile terrain, where it's thought the al Qaeda terrorists are hiding out.

Also, reports from commanders with the anti-Taliban forces on the ground that they believe Osama bin Laden himself may be heading up the defensive of Tora Bora with around 1,000 diehard fighters supporting him.

Now, as the heavy planes came in, the B-1s, we saw wave upon wave, again, of smaller ground strike aircraft pinpoint attacks against various positions across a wide area of the White Mountains. Also, we saw U.S. surveillance planes looking at bombs assessment, and perhaps picking out more potential targets for tomorrow, when it is expected more air activity and possibly greater ground defenses by the anti-Taliban forces against al Qaeda.

Also, Pakistan has sent helicopter gunships and troop reinforcements along the mountain area which borders Afghanistan, to try and (AUDIO GAP) any escape attempt (AUDIO GAP) for al Qaeda fighters under this heavy bombardment by coalition warplanes -- Jeanne.

MESERVE: Brent, how useful are those Pakistanis efforts likely to be? Is that border with Pakistan -- the terrain -- is it such that there still could be an escape route, despite those efforts by Pakistan to hem Osama bin Laden in?

SADLER: Well, that's the concern that there is now so much fire power being dropped on this area by the air -- nine days, I have counted now, sustained mostly day, but also nighttime raids against quite a confined lowland area. But the al Qaeda people have still been able to send mortar rounds against anti-Taliban forces. So they're still holding out up there. But surely, say the Taliban commanders, after all of this heavy pounding and more to come, it will weaken their defensive positions, and concern as they go higher -- al Qaeda moves higher into the mountains, towards the Pakistani border, they might somehow be able to slip out. This is why we see these military movements from Pakistan -- Jeanne.

MESERVE: Brent Sadler, thank you.

And now let's travel on to Kandahar, the last major Taliban stronghold to fall, and one that remains very much in limbo.

CNN's Nic Robertson joins us by videophone.

Nic, what is the situation there?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jeanne, that is exactly how it is. It is a city in limbo. It is waiting to have a centralized security force really guarantee security for the people in the city here. Widespread looting has been reported in the last few days, and there are two different tribal groups here, who want to have power over the city.

Now, today, negotiations, talks between those groups, and between tribal elders, have been shared by Afghanistan -- by the head of Afghanistan's new interim government, Hamid Karzai. He has been in Kandahar, and he has been chairing those meetings. He has talked with many tribal elders, and both of the leaders of those two groups, Gul Agha on one side and Mullah Naqib on the other side.

Now, when I asked Mr. Karzai exactly what was going to happen for Kandahar, he was a little bit evasive, and he said the more important issues at this time was for the whole of Afghanistan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMID KARZAI, INTERIM AFGHAN LEADER: We should talk about the immediate scenario for Afghanistan, sir. We are trying to bring peace to all of Afghanistan. We are trying to bring stability to all of Afghanistan. Kandahar is one city in Afghanistan and will be the same here. It's all good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, those talks took place in the compound of Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban leader, and this one is looking for an indication or a metaphor, if you will, of the end of the Taliban. One certainly finds it in Mullah Omar's compound. There is widespread destruction there. It is a large compound, and many of the buildings have been reduced to rubble; others torn apart by what appears to be some very, very heavy bombing raids over on his compound.

Also, on the streets of Kandahar today, a sense from the people there that all is still not well, but a level of calm as well, because in a moment, even though there is tension between these two different commanders, there is no fighting between their forces on the ground. We've also, today, seen U.S. Special Forces driving through the city on the way to one of the buildings that the Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, used to occupy in the city of Kandahar -- Jeanne.

MESERVE: Nic Robertson with the latest from Kandahar -- thank you.

Martin, to you.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Jeanne. Now let's get the view from the Pentagon as U.S. troops hunt for bin Laden.

Our CNN's Kathleen Koch following events there in the war on terrorism -- good morning to you, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Martin.

What is perhaps the toughest assignment for U.S. Marines and Special Forces on the ground in Afghanistan: find Osama bin Laden. Now, there are new developments -- two of them on that front today. In reports -- these are unconfirmed -- that the relentless U.S. bombing in the Tora Bora area, where Osama bin Laden was believed, perhaps, to have been hunkered down in his cave and tunnel complexes there, that the relentless bombing, they have forced him out of those complexes and into surrounding woods.

Other new news is that if British forces find him first, there could be problems. Great Britain's defense minister said this morning that if British troops find bin Laden, they would only turn him over to the U.S. on condition that he not face the death penalty. Now, we contacted the U.S. Central Command. They had no comment on that. And officials there are keeping a close watch on who controls critical areas of Afghanistan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. TOMMY FRANKS, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: One will read dozens and dozens of intelligence reports, and it would probably not surprise you that they don't all agree with respect to where the key leaders are. And so, we have said that we're tightening the noose, and I think I probably would describe it that way. Now, there are certain areas where we have opposition groups very much in control in Afghanistan, and of course, there are other areas, where we do not yet have opposition groups in control of territory. And so, I will tell you honestly, no, I'm not sure that I know where bin Laden is right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: And at this point, the situation remains the same for that 20-year-old American, John Walker, who is being held as a military detainee at Camp Rhino. The California resident fought alongside Taliban forces, surrendered and was hurt in that prison uprising several weeks ago at Mazar-e-Sharif. Walker, at Camp Rhino, is being given food, water, shelter and medical treatment. At last word, the plan was to eventually hand him over to civilian authorities, most likely the Pentagon, where -- I mean, excuse me -- the U.S. Justice Department, where he would face charges, including conspiracy, treason and murder.

Walker is being interrogated, and he has not spoken to journalists however, but prior to this detainment, he had told journalists that he had trained at two separate bin Laden training camps in Afghanistan. And officials -- top officials here at the U.S. Defense Department say that in those interrogations, he is providing what is called very helpful information -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: So, it would be an indication, Kathleen, he is apparently cooperating, then, with the authorities -- with the military there?

KOCH: Apparently so, Martin. And of course, one might perhaps, you know, assume that he is doing that, because of these charges that might be leveled against him -- very serious charges. No word on whether or not any cooperation that he gives now would lessen the seriousness of them -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Kathleen Koch at the Pentagon, thanks.

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