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CNN Sunday Morning

U.S. Air Strikes Focus In, Around Khowst

Aired January 13, 2002 - 08:17   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Allied air strikes are once again pounding Eastern Afghanistan, trying to destroy suspected al Qaeda hideouts. The attacks are focusing on the region in and around the city of Khowst.

CNN's Kamal Hyder is on the videophone with more from his position along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Kamal, what can you tell us?

KAMAL HYDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, these bombings have continued for the last three consecutive days and they've been very heavy today, also. Some of our crew who were able to go to the high ground said that they saw two huge explosions from the bombs; that they landed in this area, and that they were secondary explosions. It is not clear, at this time, whether the secondary explosions were demolition teams working and this would mean special forces. Or, that these explosions were being caused by small artillery fire or something.

However, people do say that they did see special forces operating in this area. And the level of bombing here suggests that this is an extremely important area for the allied bombing; perhaps, for some reason, that al Qaeda terrorists may be hiding here or some high profile personality may be hiding here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Kamal, as these air strikes continue to pound this area, are you finding it there on the ground difficult for the new government and for the people of the area to start rebuilding their country?

HYDER: No. In fact, this is a very isolated area; it is not a populated area. There was some population there at Zawar Kili area. They left and there were initial casualties among the civilians. Now the mood in Afghanistan obviously is changing, and we're getting reports from the Khowst area -- from Khowst city, from Gardez -- that it is business as usual; there are no barricades. And that people want to give Mr. Hamid Karzai a chance and they want peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan. They have seen war for 23 years, and all signs indicate that there are positive developments on the ground -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Our Kamal Hyder, live along the Afghan-Pakistan border, thank you so much. Well, let's get some more perspective on these air strikes. Joining us now from Washington is Retired Major General Don Shepperd, one of CNN's military analysts. General, good to see you again this morning.

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, (RET.) CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So let's talk about these air strikes and sort of the mark that it's putting on this war. Is it -- when I talk with strike fighter pilots that are engaged in these air strikes, and they're saying that -- pretty much, the government has said until we find Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar that we have not won this war. But yet they're there saying we have won this war and knocked out the biggest threat in the area. How do you perceive that take?

SHEPPERD: Well, I think it's going to be one of the murky endings that the secretary of defense has talked about. He said it's a nasty business being conducted worldwide. There won't be any parades and flag waving at the end. And when he was asked when we will know if this war is over, he gave an answer that -- you know, he says, "Well, we'll know when we feel safer." And, basically, there's not going to be a surrender, a ceremony on the deck of a U.S. ship, that type of thing. And so we're going to continue to go after any al Qaeda cells that we see regrouping. Any Taliban cells that we see regrouping.

And also we're going to go after and destroy these tunnel and cave complexes so they cannot be used again. And, evidently, in Zawar Kili, south of Khowst, they are finding significant numbers of weapons and ammunition.

So, again, one of these murky endings. The Taliban is gone; the al Qaeda is on the run. On the other hand, Omar and bin Laden still haven't been found, and so there's a lot of perception that, well, the war isn't over until that happens.

PHILLIPS: Well, and you wonder, too, why the regrouping? How is it that these fighters think they can exist and continue to fight on when it is so obvious that -- that their goals or their mission has just been literally blown away by U.S. air strikes?

SHEPPERD: Well, I think we'll see regrouping for a long time; maybe even for years in guerrilla-type cells. But, again, they don't have any place to go. Pakistan is looking for them. When they try to get out of Pakistan into other countries, there's people looking for them at the -- at the ports where they're trying to get on ships and this type of thing. So it's really difficult, and so they're looking for places to get together and go. And at the same time, we're looking for them with our sensors and other countries are looking for them. They really are on the run, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about this aircraft, the C-130 that crashed. And now another body has been recovered. That is, six of the seven bodies. And you and I were talking about what an intense process that officials have to go through to train to do a recovery like this. Can we talk a little bit about that, just for the comfort of friends and family?

SHEPPERD: Of course. We want to be very sensitive about this, but we have people specially trained to go into remote areas and recover -- recover remains in the case of a traumatic crash. And this happens all over the world, all over the time. Military, all the time; military and civilian. These people go in and they basically recover the remains of those involved.

They basically treat them with honor and respect at every sense of the move, when they are put onto evacuation helicopters or vehicles. They're treated with great respect in a ceremony with salutes. They are, in this case, taken to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where there is processing and identification. And then they're taken to the mortuary facilities at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where, again, their remains are prepared for their families.

At every instance they're treated with military respect, military ceremony. And the families, although they, of course, have suffered terrible losses, can feel very good that we go to great efforts to return the remains of our soldiers, sailors and airmen worldwide, no matter the circumstance.

PHILLIPS: Major General Don Shepperd, always a pleasure. Thank you very much.

SHEPPERD: A pleasure.

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