Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

Captured al Qaeda Fighters Say They Had Planned to Travel to U.S.

Aired January 13, 2002 - 09:02   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Back now to Afghanistan where military sources say some captured al Qaeda fighters are providing some scary insight into terrorism.

CNN's Bill Hemmer joins us live from Kandahar with the details -- Bill.

BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, good evening again. You just mentioned a short time ago military sources do indicate to us here on the ground that there are suspected al Qaeda terrorists right now in detention who had "plans to travel to the U.S. someday very soon and kill Americans."

In addition to that, they also indicate that those planned events did not come off for whatever reason, possibly the events of September 11 and the aftermath thereof in New York and Washington and western Pennsylvania.

Also, Baghram north of Kabul continues to look like a centerpiece for interrogations of high-level Taliban and al Qaeda members. We now know that Ibn Al-Shaykh al-Libi, he is the man who ran the terrorist training camps in Afghanistan, was traveled there from the USS Bataan a few days ago, and also Abdul Salam Zaeef, the former Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan we know a week ago also was transported to Baghram as well. One source indicating here "there are a lot of bad boys in Baghram, but some are lost in the sauce" indicating some detainees not giving quite the information that others are certainly throughout this region here in Afghanistan.

And as for that investigation, we're now told through one again that it's going to take a long time, one says, to complete this process but we're making progress every day. As for the detainees themselves, we are told some of them simply are breaking down given the detention and the apprehension, and others simply do not know where they are unless they have contact with other detainees, 391 right now in Kandahar. It's quite likely another group's going to go out quite soon to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and possibly more than the number originally, 20, that went out on Thursday evening.

I quickly want to show you a scene we saw about an hour ago here in Kandahar. The most amazing air show we have seen to date. There were numerous aircraft out on the airstrip here. We counted at least two Chinooks from the Army, a C-130 from the Air Force, two other C- 130s from the Marines. We saw four Super Stallions, a few Sea Knights, both from the Marines as well, and two Cobra helicopters overhead. It was an awesome display of air power here in Kandahar, another indication of just how strong the U.S. military has gotten thus far here in southern Afghanistan. Kyra, it was something to watch, that's for sure. No ticket needed here. Back to you.

PHILLIPS: I can just imagine. Bill Hemmer live in Kandahar, thanks Bill.

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