Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

U.S. Troops Target al Qaeda Caves in Afghanistan

Aired June 02, 2002 - 10:02   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: Now to the war on terror. In eastern Afghanistan today, U.S. troops targeted caves they believed once housed by al Qaeda fighters. CNN's Mike Boettcher now joins us with his exclusive report -- Mike.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): (UNINTELLIGIBLE) approximately Afghanistan time, 177 U.S. airborne soldiers -- they are from Bravo company of the 182nd Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, and they launched an air assault into this area in eastern Afghanistan. We cannot be anymore exact about the location, because the operation is under way.

It is felt by intelligence officials from the coalition that al Qaeda and Taliban will try to infiltrate into Afghanistan in the coming days to disrupt the political process here, that being the loya jirga, which is the counsel of tribal elders who will elect new leadership in this country on June 10.

So these operations are being launched. It was a lightning (ph) raid. They thought that there would be as many as 16 al Qaeda or Taliban here, but they had all gone from the location.

What they did find were a series of caves. And you saw the explosion as the Army EOD (ph) teams here, Bravo Company, blew those three caves. Now there are two more.

I walked through the caves today, and there was not much of significance in terms of evidence. There was some burnt papers. And one of the caves actually looked to be a hospital for the mujahideen during the old Soviet-Afghan war. But this is a well known, well used infiltration route in eastern Afghanistan. It is one of the gateways which was used by al Qaeda during their years of operation in Afghanistan from 1996 on. It is the way people came in from Pakistan to go to training camps here.

So, the operations continue by Bravo Company here, somewhere in eastern Afghanistan, and we'll keep you updated along the way as they progress.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right, that was a report from our Mike Boettcher. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com