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CNN Sunday Morning

Battle for Marjah

Aired February 14, 2010 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, everybody. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING on the day of love.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

HOLMES: February 14th, Valentine's Day. I hope you spent a lot, fellas?

NGUYEN: Did you spend a lot?

HOLMES: Actually, yes.

NGUYEN: OK.

HOLMES: I did. I'm OK now because I spend a lot. Oh my goodness.

NGUYEN: Well, according to statistics, men spend more. So, you're right in line with it.

We are talking about Valentine's Day, everybody. Hopefully, you're all set for the big day. A lot of people excited about it.

Good morning. Thanks for being with us, spending a little time with us this morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.

OK. From Valentine's Day to something that perhaps a little more important, especially for those in Afghanistan. It's second day of the largest offensive in that area. Our U.S. and coalition forces are making some progress there. We get the latest details from the battleground.

HOLMES: Also, we're not done with winter storms just yet, we got another to tell you about. It's taking aim at the mid-south, the Mid- Atlantic as well. We'll tell you how much, how big, and how much of a problem this one could be for us this time around.

But we do want to go back to a story we've been following pretty heavily this weekend. We're in the second day now of this big offensive there in Afghanistan. NATO and Afghan forces continue to push into the last major stronghold of the Taliban in Helmand Province.

Hidden explosives have slowed the second day of the fighting there in the city of Marjah. Afghan official says 27 Taliban fighters have been killed. More than 5,500 pounds of explosives have been found. A combined NATO and Afghan forces, some 15,000, taking part in this operation, supporting it or doing the direct fighting in some way.

So far, at least two civilians have been injured as well. Also, one U.S. Marine and one British soldier have been killed in the fighting.

Embedded with the Marines for this fight is our own Atia Abawi. She has been with them since this offensive started. We want to bring her back in on the phone for us here.

Atia, how was day two compared to day one? Still a lot of slow- going, I imagine?

ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, T.J., it's still been a pretty eventful day, I would say, on both days of fighting here in Marjah. There have been sporadic battles throughout the city, including of Alpha Company from Unit 1/6 imbedded with the Taliban.

They're not too far off from the area that we are at. We did get some kind of gunfire that was only about 100 meters away from us. The Taliban -- they're not backing down. And there are sporadic little areas throughout the city of Marjah. There are still booby-trapped areas as well, IEDs.

They have had plenty of time to plant these IEDs throughout the last three months where it was made public by the military itself that they were coming to Marjah. Marjah was the next battleground because it was the only one really last within Helmand Province.

The Marines right now are trying to spread out their area of influence. They're trying to push more and more into the city, throughout the city, to try to gain certain areas. But the Taliban, they're not backing down.

I'll tell you right now, the area of Marjah that where we are is basically a ghost town at the moment. The civilians are trying to hide in their homes. The shops are closed. Cars are spread out throughout the city, that's just abandoned and empty.

And right now, it is frightening when people -- out on the streets, because you don't know where there are IEDs. Right now, they are using IEDs detected dogs to locate these IEDs and other Marines coming in from outside of this city using Assault Breacher vehicles to push the IEDs out of the way. I'm hearing that they were able to detonate over 100 IEDs in the areas that the vehicles were coming into and those aren't even all the IEDs that have been spread out and what's known as the IED belt around the city.

So, right now, the Taliban are still showing some sort of resistance. It's expected to continue throughout the next few days as well -- T.J.

HOLMES: You said they are still showing resistance. You reported yesterday that when the sun came up, that's when the Taliban really started firing, started attacking, and you kind of describing it as sporadic today. That's still kind of the case and more so the Taliban is waiting so they can actually see things a little better before they start attacking?

ABAWI: Absolutely. Absolutely. It is suspected that they might have some sort of night vision. But even last night, when we expected the fighting to ramp up at nighttime, the Taliban in different parts of Afghanistan usually wait until the night to come out and launch attacks. And last night was fairly quiet, but again, during the daytime, daylight hours, that's when we saw much of the engagement happening. And they were coming closer and closer to the area that we were in.

But right now, it seems that they don't know exactly how to target their weapons precisely in the compound area that we're in. They are trying to find a better strategic location. But the Marines themselves are making sure that they can't get to those locations and actually target them.

At the moment, we are hearing of two civilian casualties yesterday -- sorry -- two civilian deaths and two civilians wounded as well, all in the same family. Those civilians actually came to the Marines asking for help with their wounded, a 16-year-old boy and 18- year-old boy who were medevaced out to the nearest hospital on base in Helmand Province.

And those civilians also told the Marines where the Taliban were located as opposed to the civilians, because they were afraid of more civilian casualties. Today, the Marines in Alpha Company tell us that they were able to situate themselves, have a group of men situate themselves between the Taliban and civilians to actually curve back on civilian casualties.

Obviously, civilian support is very important when it comes to the NATO mission in Afghanistan, because it's really -- it's really known that no war in Afghanistan has ever been won without the support of the Afghan people -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Atia Abawi, again, imbedded with Marines in this major offensive there in Afghanistan -- Atia, we appreciate your reporting. Thank you so much. We'll talk to you soon.

NGUYEN: Well, we do want you to keep in mind that Marjah is Afghanistan's most violent province and the hub of the country's opium industry. The military operation underway is unique in many ways.

So, let's go over some of that with Christine Fair. She's an assistant professor at Georgetown University. And she actually spent some time working with the U.N. in Afghanistan.

And, Christine, let's talk a little about what Atia was mentioning there, the fighting that is taking place. Do you have feeling that this might take quite a while in order for these coalition forces to get into that town, get around all these landmines, these bobby traps and really root out the Taliban? CHRISTINE FAIR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Well, I don't think anyone think that this is going to wrap soon. I mean, I think most of the people on the ground are saying, probably two weeks.

But what makes this particular operation distinctive is that unlike operations, this is huge. This has got about 15,000 people in total. The Afghan involvement is significant, as reflected in the name, Operation Moshtarak, which means "together" in Dari. And that's coming from the fact that in past operations, there would be one Afghan soldier for 10 internationals, and now, that ratio is really one to two.

This was also blest, more or less, by a shura (ph) of 400 elders that were consulted before. And then, unlike previous operations, Karzai was also briefed, because everybody was briefed well in advance about these operations, as we know, and despite some initial hesitant also initially blest this operation.

So, there has been a lot more Afghan buy in that we've seen in previous operations. That coupled with the size suggest that once the soldiers clear the area and they probably will, that there should also be substantial forces to actually hold it and then build it, which brings in the idea of bringing in the Afghan government to try to fortify the area once the Taliban have been cleared.

NGUYEN: Yes. And if the Afghan government cannot create a relationship with the locals there, I mean, who's to say the Taliban will not come back and get a foothold in the city again?

FAIR: Well, you know, that's a really good point. I mean, McChrystal says that he has a government in a box. So, a government that's ready to be rolled out. So, a government that's ready to be rolled out can also be rolled over.

So, I think a lot of people are waiting to see what kind of government comes into this district once the Taliban have been cleared. This is part of the strategy that I am most dubious about. You know, there's never been a case when the Taliban have defeated the international soldiers. It's always been in the initial weeks after the Taliban have been cleared where the Taliban regain their position. The Taliban are very good at providing a few things at the sub- district level, and oddly enough, that security, because they do have the homogeny of force, and the second thing is justice.

So, if the Afghan government can't get down there, at the district level and the sub-district level, then these gains could very easily be reversed.

But who's to say you could ever clear out the Taliban from Marjah, because many of the civilians have stayed behind. It's a town of, what, about 80,000 people, and the Taliban really blend in with the locals there and some of the locals perhaps could be helping them and aiding them.

FAIR: You know -- I mean, that's really true. And this is where I get somewhat frustrated with all of the Iraq analogies that sometimes get tossed around. Al Qaeda in Iraqi were foreign, and so, the Iraqis got exhausted with the al Qaeda elements and began tossing them out.

And as you rightly know, the Taliban are not foreign. They're indigenous. In fact, 80 percent or so of the fighters in an area are in fact local to that area. So, this comes in -- this brings into the picture this notion of reintegration which is the U.S.-supported policy that hopefully by knocking the Taliban around in operations like Marjah, that those fighters that are simply in it for the money -- how so ever many there may be, we don't really know -- could be brought back into the fold, accept the Afghan Constitution, put down their guns with financial incentives.

Now, again, there's not a lot of evidence that says most of these people are fighting for money, but that's an important assumption that's going to be tested after this Marjah offensive wraps up.

NGUYEN: All right. And we will be watching very closely.

Christine Fair with Georgetown University -- always appreciate your insight. Thank you so much.

FAIR: Thank you. Thanks for having me. Have a good morning.

NGUYEN: You, too.

HOLMES: Well, say it ain't snow. Bonnie Schneider says it is. She'll tell us where it's headed. That's coming up.

And also, we'll tell you what a couple did that may be just about every mother's worse nightmare, but it might be a financial planner's greatest dream. The wedding in the living room -- coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERRANCE WILSON, U.S. ARMY: Hi. My name is Terrance Wilson in Basra, Iraq. My unit is (INAUDIBLE). I want to say Happy Valentine's Day to my daughter, Jasmine Robertson in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Love you, sweetie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I am CNN meteorologist, Bonnie Schneider, tracking severe weather at the CNN weather center.

We are watching for yet another winter storm. This February does not want to stop with these storms. Here are the advisories already in place for St. Louis, Louisville, Chattanooga, Charlotte, and even in Atlanta, we are expecting wintry weather for Valentine's Day and into Presidents Day tomorrow.

Right now, we do have snow across parts of the south. It is snowing into places like Tennessee. And that snow is working its way further to the east. You can see, some of these are coming down pretty lightly. That's the main to note with the storm. It's a clipper system, meaning, it's a fast-mover and it will only come with several inches snow.

The problem is that it will bring snow to places like the Mid- Atlantic, where we don't need anymore snow. There's so much on the ground already. And then, even the northeast is likely to get clipped by this system Monday into Tuesday. So, be prepared for the snow.

And also, watch out for the airport delays. And that holds true for today and into tomorrow in the cities that you see here.

Well, I mention the snow coming to the Carolinas, and that's where we have our latest iReport. And because it's Valentine's Day, it's a romantic one.

Cedric, the music?

(MUSIC)

SCHNEIDER: That's right. If that's a story of two snowmen, but it's a story of a romantic couple celebrating their wedding anniversary from Rebekah Owen. And she sent us lovely snowman picture. Oh, that's cute. Congratulations to them.

They met two years ago, but got engaged last March, got married just not too long after that, and they decided to build two snowmen. They live in the tiny town of Willard, North Carolina. That's in Pender County.

Happy Anniversary and thanks for showing us your snowman pictures.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone out there celebrating. And if you want to make a snowman for Valentine's Day, you have another opportunity with the snow that's in the forecast today.

That is a look at your weather. I'm meteorologist Bonnie Schneider.

Stay tuned. We have more coming up on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

HOLMES: All right. That's one thing, people spending no money on Valentine's Day.

NGUYEN: Yes.

HOLMES: It's another if you don't spend any money on your wedding.

NGUYEN: What? HOLMES: Yes. You got the ring, you got the soul mate, you got all that stuff, but what you don't have is your family there, and what you don't have is church, you don't have a venue, you have your living room instead.

NGUYEN: No flowers, no music.

HOLMES: I think there might have been flowers.

NGUYEN: You think? OK. All right.

HOLMES: There might have been some flowers here.

We got some guests coming up here who did this. The only, I think the best man was one dog and the bride's maid was another dog. Yes, but let's meet the guest here. We're going to show you some of this video in a second. But Christen (ph) and Adam, there they are, the Siegels now, after their wedding.

Let's flashback first and let's show you this happy occasion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADAM SIEGEL, HUSBAND: In 30 minutes we have somebody coming to the house and we are going to tie the knot.

CHRISTEN SIEGEL, WIFE: So, this is it. So, we are sharing with everybody, once we -- once we do this, you guys are going to see the whole event. Wish you were all here, but we are doing it privately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Yes, you wish they were all there. Well, why weren't they there? Come on, guys! What happened here? Why did you decide to do it on the cheap?

A. SIEGEL: Not the cheap, we don't prefer to say the cheap.

NGUYEN: Well, what is it?

A. SIEGEL: We were responsible for a number of reasons. We -- all of our family and friends live all over the country.

NGUYEN: OK.

A. SIEGEL: So, it made just for a logistical nightmare to bring everybody to one spot. And weddings, apparently, cost a lot of money. And we decided based on our financial situation, it was more responsible to put that potential money that we could have used for a wedding and use it to start our life.

HOLMES: You spent 300 bucks.

NGUYEN: Three hundred dollars.

A. SIEGEL: Three hundred dollars, yes. NGUYEN: And you say you did it for financial reasons. But you're going to a fabulous for your honeymoon. So, apparently, you're taking cash somewhere, right?

A. SIEGEL: Well, well, yes and no. Chris is a flight attendant.

NGUYEN: Little contradiction to everybody.

A. SIEGEL: Chris is a flight attendant.

C. SIEGEL: (INAUDIBLE) you keep that mind.

NGUYEN: All right.

C. SIEGEL: The honeymoon is on the budget, too.

NGUYEN: OK.

C. SIEGEL: But the tickets are free and I got a great deal on the hotel.

NGUYEN: But here's the deal, right? It's one thing to save a little money, and we all get that, with economy. Hut how did your mom feel about this, Chris?

C. SIEGEL: She was the person I was the most afraid to tell.

NGUYEN: Yes.

C. SIEGEL: You know, we didn't tell anybody until the next day.

NGUYEN: Oh my goodness.

C. SIEGEL: We just kind o did it. And everybody welcomed it with open arms, actually.

NGUYEN: Except for dear old mom?

C. SIEGEL: No, mom was wonderful. I think it took her back, you know, took a few minutes for her to get used to it. But she was great with it.

I think once people see the video and see how happy we were. And, you know, we're just kind of home buddies, we liked being home with our dogs, and we're simple like that. And we did have music, it was an iPod, and we had a champagne toast, but it was $9 champagne.

(CROSSTALK)

HOLMES: In some way, now, everybody tells us about the bride, but were you never that girl growing up thinking about the white dress?

C. SIEGEL: I really wasn't that girl. I really wasn't that girl. I'm also 35. I met my prince a little later in life. So, I just wasn't that girl. I'm kind of a tom girl, and you know, a little -- just a tom girl.

NGUYEN: No regrets about it at all that you did not have that day where you just get all dressed up?

C. SIEGEL: None. It took -- immediately afterwards, I felt like the weight of the world stress-wise just came off.

NGUYEN: It was more about the relationship than anything?

C. SIEGEL: Absolutely. And just starting our life, we were planning a wedding but it was not going to be until May. So, we were ready to get it done, and it was perfect for us. Look at that.

NGUYEN: You were enjoying yourselves.

HOLMES: And you got to tell me, what was wedding night like? I mean, because you do the same thing -- you watch the same shows. I mean, your wedding night was in the same place you spent every night?

(CROSSTALK)

HOLMES: Wedding night any different? Any more special than --

C. SIEGEL: It was special.

A. SIEGEL: Yes, it was special, obviously. We had our wedding. You can see us dancing there in the P.J.s.

(INAUDIBLE)

A. SIEGEL: I think we were in bed by 11:30. So, that's kind of pathetic.

NGUYEN: So, you guys were some wild and crazy, let me tell you.

(LAUGHTER)

A.SIEGEL: We were wild and crazy. We were saving it for the honeymoon.

But, you know, to us, we had been living together for 10 months. As far as we were concerned, we were already married and this was just a way to make it legal.

C. SIEGEL: Make it official.

NGUYEN: But, OK, hold up. We're saying all this, but I know this for a fact, you actually did have a wedding dress, right?

C. SIEGEL: Yes, I did have a beautiful wedding dress.

NGUYEN: What happened?

C. SIEGEL: We just kind of aborted the whole wedding idea. My wedding dress is in my mother's closet in Houston, and we went to get our license that day, and before we knew it, we were getting married in front of the mantle of our fireplace. It happened pretty quick. And so, the wedding dress maybe all donated to a charity.

Maybe I'll -- I think I'll wear -- I think I'll wear at my wedding party.

(CROSSTALK)

A. SIEGEL: Yes, we're still going to have a wedding party. We're doing everything backgrounds. She still has the wedding dress on at the reception party. And we'll spend a lot of money --

(CROSSTALK)

C. SIEGEL: We just like to do it different. I remember when we were planning the wedding, Adam said, you know, we can do it our way. Just because you're reading these books doesn't mean that you have to follow rules.

A. SIEGEL: There's no rule.

NGUYEN: So, you did. You did the research.

C. SIEGEL: I did.

NGUYEN: I mean, you wanted the traditional wedding?

C. SIEGEL: I thought that I wanted it. A lot of people think they want it and so they start really finding out what goes into it.

NGUYEN: So, was it more of the stress or was it more the money?

A. SIEGEL: It was a combination of both. It was really a combination of both.

C. SIEGEL: Definitely, financial first, and stress was a close second.

A. SIEGEL: Yes.

NGUYEN: OK.

A. SIEGEL: And we're not advocating this for everybody. But we're just -- what we are here to say and to anyone thinking about this is, just really be honest with yourselves and be honest with your friends and family, and there's no law or rule that said you have to have the traditional, you now, $30,000 wedding.

NGUYEN: Of course, not.

A. SIEGEL: So, we're happy.

C. SIEGEL: Our parents just want us to be happy, and surely, they could see in the video, our love. And, you know, that it made happy -- we were happy as could be.

HOLMES: Well, congratulations.

C. SIEGEL: Thank you guys.

HOLMES: No matter what, the couple just got married.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: Congratulations to you both, really.

A. SIEGEL: T.J., if you need any advice, seriously.

HOLMES: Not with you two.

C. SIEGEL: Or a bridesmaid or groomsmen.

NGUYEN: Maybe you need dress. She's got one on the closet.

C. SIEGEL: Yes. What size is she?

A. SIEGEL: T.J. in the dress. That would look good. I'd love to see that.

HOLMES: Really, guys, congratulations.

C. SIEGEL: Thank you so much.

HOLMES: We're taking a quick break and be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Some of the top stories we are keeping an eye on.

A train fire sending several people to the hospital with minor injuries. The train was headed from New Jersey to Atlantic City to New York when it caught fire in the engine. The train made an emergency stop in Pennsylvania, where some nearby power lines were damaged by the flames.

Also, two avalanches in Alaska have left two people dead, a third missing. The first one happened near Spencer Glacier. You see it spotted down there on the southern part of the state there.

Officials say one the two snowmobilers swept away by the avalanche was killed. Rescuers hope to start searching again this morning for the person who's still missing. Another avalanche hit a suburb of Anchorage yesterday and killed one cross-country skier.

NGUYEN: We want to give you a quick medal update from the Winter Olympics. Team USA has won its first gold. Hannah Kearney -- that's her in the middle right there, number three -- she took home the women's mogul free style competition gold medal.

And Apolo Ohno won silver in the men's 1,500 speed skating. No, that's not him in the picture. But the silver does give Ohno six medals for his career, tying him for the most by an American athlete in the Winter Games. HOLMES: Also coming up, we'll take you to a sorority house that's really probably not like the ones you saw on your college campus.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Hey, good morning, everybody, on this Valentine's Day. Welcome back. We appreciate you being here. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HOLMES: And hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.

We are keeping an eye on what is the largest military offensive in the Afghan war. We're on our day two now. Our correspondents in Kabul tell us the attack on the city of Marjah is going to slower today.

The hold up: hidden explosives, and assault with limited air power. More than 100 found in just two days. An Afghan official says 27 Taliban fighters have been killed in the southern city of Marjah. More than 5,500 pounds of explosives also have been found.

Marjah is considered the Taliban's last major stronghold in Helmand Province.

Fifteen thousand NATO and Afghan forces are part of this whole operation, 5,000 directly involved in that fighting. A U.S. Marine and a British soldier have been killed in the fighting so far.

NGUYEN: Well, we do want to take you now to the Afghan capital.

And CNN's Frederik Pleitgen, he's in Kabul for us.

Fred, those NATO and Afghan troops are limiting the use of air power in the offensive. What kind of affect is that having?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's certainly slowing everything down. That's one thing that we've been hearing from the Afghan government, who, of course, is keeping a very close on that operation, because this is the first time actually that Afghan army has played a major role in one of these offensives.

And they say it's a major issue moving forward, because what they're saying is that the Taliban fighters who are still in Marjah -- they say it's about several hundred of them -- they changed their strategy somewhat or their tactics somewhat. It was -- yesterday, when they appeared to have been caught off-guard, they were doing mostly hit-and-run operations against the coalition forces.

And now they say some of those fighters have actually taken up defensive positions. They've actually dug in and are looking for a fight with the coalition forces there. And they say the major issue they have is they can't call in an air strike or anything on those positions simply because it could harm the civilian population. Of course, as you know Betty, the main objective of this operation is to keep the civilians in that area safe. So the one thing that the coalition forces are doing is they are moving forward slower just to keep the population that much safer -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, Fred, there has been some talk that this could last anywhere between two weeks perhaps even longer than that. What are you hearing on the ground there?

PLEITGEN: Well, I'm hearing that it's going to -- it's going to last for a very long time. And one thing that the commanders have been saying is that the combat operations themselves probably won't take very long. You are looking at maybe another couple of days to at least get most of that area under the control of the Afghan Army and the U.S. and its allies.

But what's going to happen then is that they want to get government institutions, Afghan government institutions there up and running. And of course, in the initial stages of that, those government institutions need to be protected by a pretty large military force there on the ground. Because it has been such a long time since the Afghan government has had even a foothold in that area.

That place has been under Taliban control for a very, very long time. And right now, of course, what they want to show the people in that area is that the Afghan government is a better alternative than a government by a shadow government by the Taliban, if you will.

However, those institutions of course, in the initial stages are still going to be fairly weak, are going to have to be built-up over the course of several weeks. So could be looking at the U.S. Marines being on the ground and setting up a foothold there and staying there for quite some time -- Betty.

NGUYEN: And it could only just be the beginning of all of this.

Ok, Frederik Pleitgen, joining us live from Kabul. Fred, thank you.

Well, thousands of Lebanese rallied in downtown Beirut today. I want you to check this out. The people gathering marked the 5th anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The Lebanese leader was killed in a car bombing back in 2005 and many people blamed Syria for the bombing. A UN investigation found a link between the Syrian government and the assassination and that led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.

HOLMES: Well, in today's "Faces of Faith", we are looking at a sorority with a unique sisterhood. And it's the first Muslim sorority in the United States. Now, if you're signing up for a sorority because you think you want to go to parties, you want to meet guys, this isn't the sorority for you.

Our Fredricka Whitfield with today's "Face of Faith."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are the sisters of Gamma Gamma Chi, the first Islamic based sorority in the country, the women come together to support one another and do service projects in their communities, but there is no casual socializing with men and drinking alcohol is not allowed.

ALTHIA ALI, PRESIDENT, GAMMA GAMMA CHI: For much like any other sorority except that a big difference for us that we do base it on Islamic principles and beliefs in all that we do in the organization.

WHITFIELD: Educational consultant Althia Ali founded Gamma Gamma Chi in 2005 to provide an alternative from traditional sororities for Muslim women in search of a sisterhood. Part of the sorority's mission is to provide a positive image of Muslim women and Islam in general by being visible in their communities, holding food drives, marching in peace walks and offering educational sessions about Islam.

ALI: And in many cases, people don't have the opportunity to interact with Muslim women. They see us as women who have on scarves who usually are voiceless. I think the best way for you to defy a stereotype is to show what you really are about and by interacting with people rather than closing yourself up, you allow people to see that you have the same values that they do.

And Salaam aleikum, it's good to see you.

WHITFIELD: At this cafe in Maryland, perspective members socialize with current Gamma sisters from the Washington, D.C. chapter. The sorority has 50 members so far and five regional chapters; in Virginia, Philadelphia, Chicago, North Carolina and Washington D.C.

There are Hispanic, African-American and Jewish sororities across the country. The sisters say, there's a real need for a sorority for Muslims.

KESHA ABDUL-MATEEN, GAMMA GAMMA CHI SISTER: I do have friends who are in -- I guess, traditional sororities or -- but being in an Islamic-based sorority, we are able to be Muslim and not be ashamed to have to hide the fact that we are Muslim. We continue our practices as usual, even when we are out in the community, we stop to pray, when we have the events we stop to pray.

WHITFIELD: Membership in this sorority is open to non-Muslims as well. And members have already started reaching out to others.

ALI: I came across a woman who told me that she is non-Muslim but she really liked what we were doing as an organization and that our mission resonated with her. And so she wanted to know how could she become a part of this organization because we are trying to bring together people of like mind who have the same goals and aspirations and this organization is a great way to help to do that.

WHITFIELD: Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: The weather is still severe? Are we going to keep using that graphic forever?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It gets your attention.

HOLMES: Yes, it does, does it?

SCHNEIDER: Well yes, it is, it is. And I hate to talk about severe weather on such a happy Valentine's Day. But we do have snow in the forecast. A lot of people like having snow on Valentine's Day; it makes it a little more cozy, right? Well, you're going to get plenty of it across many places that already have the snow on the grounds.

And here's a look at the advisories that just keeps expanding and growing. And we even have a threat for snow in the south again.

Sometimes in the south and to Georgia, into Mississippi, we only see snow once every few years and now we're going to see it several times all in the same -- a couple of weeks, really.

Here's a look at the advisories now, winter storm warnings posted for Louisville, that will begin today and then tonight the advisory is for wintry weather including the city of Atlanta that goes in effect later tonight into tomorrow morning. So this will be more of a Monday event as you head further to the east.

And I want to show you that the advisories go as far as south as South Carolina. We could even see snow into Hilton Head and Charleston. Watch out for wintry conditions there.

But mostly the main thing to know with the storm, we're not talking about a blizzard, it's not a major nor'easter, it's actually called the clipper system because of its fast movement, rapid movement. It doesn't have time to dump the heavy snow.

So we have it right now into places like Arvin Dale, Illinois. Watch the storm as it zips across the country. A fast-mover that will bring measurable snow to places that don't need any more and I'm talking about Washington and Baltimore and Philadelphia. A few inches are possible, but for Washington, I think that a lot of rain will mix in.

So you are not looking at heavy accumulations at all, it's just more of a nuisance as you continue to shovel out and to clean up. So that's what we're expecting but we're also watching out for more measurable snowfall depending on how close this low gets to the coastline, you could see more measurable snow fall into New York and then up into Connecticut and Rhode Island as well.

So these systems are so tricky because the path makes all the difference when you're talking about accumulations.

Well, that's what's going on in the east. I want to show you what's happening on the west. Incredible pictures from Half Moon Bay. And you've -- heard about this great surfing competition where everybody wants to check it out. This is extreme weather, a rogue, two rogue waves came over the seawall and people were injured. Incredible pictures coming to us from California in Half Moon Bay.

This is the maverick surf break and you can see the two big waves came through. Seven people were injured and 13 people were treated for various injuries for the surfing competition. So really, not expected, people got really close to the shoreline there. That's what officials are saying but still, it's not what you're expecting when you're going to watch surfing.

For those of you traveling we do have some cities that are facing airport delays that will be weather related, expect more of this for tomorrow, for president's day particularly cities in the mid-Atlantic and along the Eastern Seaboard. Back to both of you.

NGUYEN: All right Bonnie, we do appreciate it. Thank you.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

HOLMES: Well, some people are certainly guilty of looking for love in all the wrong places.

NGUYEN: Yes and warning signs is when you are looking online.

Stay with us for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. It's time for round two, weekend two, which -- many to come for our Candy Crowley. We're so delighted to have her as a new host --

NGUYEN: Yes.

HOLMES: -- of "State of the Union" I don't know how long we can't keep calling here "new".

NGUYEN: Well, yes, you know, Candy is just fitting into the role. She joins us now; we're looking forward to what's coming up. And I know you're going to be talking a lot about Afghanistan today.

CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, STATE OF THE UNION: Afghanistan obviously the talk of the day, Betty, right. We actually just got finished talking to General James Jones who is the president's national security adviser. He gave us an update on what's going on right now in Afghanistan.

But we talked about a lot of other things, too. I don't know if you recall but a couple of years ago, General Jones said that he didn't think "don't ask don't tell" should actually be lifted. He said if it isn't broke, don't fix it. We talked about that.

We talked about terrorism. We talked about the criticism the administration is getting. So lots of things. He is a gentlemen's gentleman as they say. We heard a lot. And he is just back from the region so he had some fresh and up-to-date information.

HOLMES: Well, that is one part of it. Also politics always plays into it, unfortunately some would say. It's just part of it, but what is the political side you're going to be looking at? What is at stake here for President Obama?

CROWLEY: Well, what's at stake for President Obama Afghanistan is now the Obama war. He has put more troops in Afghanistan than former President Bush did. This is very much the Obama war.

Now they are staking so many things right now on the ability of the government in Kabul to put this together because the whole point of this operation in Marjah is to clear the field, move the Taliban out and move Afghan forces and Afghan police in there to steady the region, to give them help in putting together some economic help at the big illegal drug region.

So much right now is depending on A, the ability of U.S. troops to clear the region, which they seem to be doing quite handily but B, more importantly, the ability of the Afghan government to follow through.

So if this doesn't work, what's happened is, we have a president who has spent more money and sent more troops to Afghanistan and is sitting in a place is that a very unpopular place to be according to all U.S. polls, so there is a lot of politics stake here as the president tries by sort of upping the ante in the war to get U.S. troops out. So it's a long-term thing but there is certainly a lot politically risk for the president.

NGUYEN: Let's talk domestic right now; the economy, obviously, on the forefront of peoples' minds, and especially jobs. Senator Harry Reid's got a jobs bill. What kind of support is that going to get?

CROWLEY: We will see. It has been really interesting because what happened was Thursday, we got this announcement that there was a bipartisan jobs bill and it would have Republicans and Democrats and there's a lot of the kumbaya. And here's the first effort at a bipartisan bill.

And the next thing we knew, out came the Democratic leader going, "No, here is my bill, it's a lot less -- it doesn't cost as much. It does fewer things." And he took four kind of main items that he knew Republicans support and put them in a single bill and almost daring the Republicans to go ahead and come on and support this.

So we are going to be talking to Senator Jon Kyl who's the number 2 Republican in the Senate about that jobs bill, about the Republican view. But I think you are about to see the politics of bipartisanship at play coming up this week in Congress.

HOLMES: That sounds about right, doesn't it, Candy?

CROWLEY: Yes, that's right. We're going to have a partisan argument about bipartisanship.

NGUYEN: Got you.

HOLMES: That's perfect. Candy thank you so much. Good to see you.

We certainly will be tuned in, in just 15 minutes from now.

NGUYEN: Looking forward to that at the top of the hour. Don't miss it. And you can catch the entire interview with General James Jones on "STATE OF THE UNION", again, right here on CNN at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.

In the meantime though, millions of people try but often it doesn't work.

HOLMES: You hear some success stories out there about online dating, people end up marrying that person.

NGUYEN: I had a friend that married the man she met online.

HOLMES: You know several people but you need some tips on how to make sure that the person you are dating online maybe first, is not married, but also is not dangerous.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: No way. Fifteen percent of women in the U.S. send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day? I knew I should have done something last night. I should have sent myself flowers. I never knew that was the stat on that. That never crossed my mind, wow.

HOLMES: You know -- you get it. No woman wants to be the woman in the office without the flowers.

NGUYEN: I don't have flowers, and I am ok with it. I really am.

HOLMES: But it's different. You see how some people are laughing back there.

NGUYEN: They are laughing back there.

HOLMES: The women with flowers are laughing.

NGUYEN: At me for not having any. I better send myself some right now. Hold on.

HOLMES: No, it's not the same these days. Dating -- the whole flower -- the whole game is different because of online dating. You just don't go out and meet people anymore; you stay home and meet people.

NGUYEN: Yes, can you do that. And on Valentine's Day, what better topic is there than modern day matchmaking. So, the man who knows all about that, yes, Josh Levs. Hey, Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, it's true, a lot of people are reassessing their love lives today because it's Valentine's Day. Some of you out there are going to consider whether or not you should go to a Web site to kind of find the love of your life. There's a lot of them that promise to help you but do they work? How do you stay safe? There are things you need to know to reduce wasted time and protect yourself.

We're going to find out about them right now from Jim Houran who's a widely recognized expert in this field. He's joining us. He has a PhD in clinical psychology. He's from OnlineDatingMagazine.com. Jim, you can hear me, right?

JIM HOURAN, ONLINEDATINGMAGAZINE.COM: I can hear you. How are you?

LEVS: I'm great, thanks.

All right. So here's what I want to do. Start off with this -- you know I'm a numbers guy. Do we have any idea at all long term how often these relationships that begin through Web sites actually work out?

HOURAN: No. That's a short answer. No, we don't. Academics would love to study the long term affects of online dating. But it's hard, you have to get the dating sites involved and research, and that's a headache to many of them. But you know, we know from anecdotal reports that a lot of people do use it and are successful.

LEVS: A lot of people do use it. In fact, let's go to these couple of full screens. Our control room can show you because I was looking -- for any statistics. And you're right, we couldn't find any long-term success rates, but we do have this.

Ten million online Americans seek romantic partners. And you find 3.7 million Americans say they had used dating Web sites; that doesn't mean they worked out in all those cases but that's how many use.

Jim, let's just go right to this. Who succeeds? I know you have a background; you were at true.com for a while, you're no longer there. Who do you see succeed? What do they do to make it work?

HOURAN: Well, actually that's a good point. A lot about success with online dating has to do with the process. If you approach the process well you're going to be successful. You don't have to have a special charismatic personality to find love online.

And there's a few pointers. First you have to know what you want in a partner. Online dating sites usually have a box you can check, one of three. You can say you're interested in short term romance, something more long term, or either or. You could do short term. You could do long term. Most people select both.

So, that gives you an indication that most people don't exactly know what they are looking for or they're open to just whatever.

(CROSSTALK)

LEVS: In other words (ph), have your agenda straight. That's what you're saying. Go into this knowing. Do you want something short term? Do you want something --

HOURAN: Absolutely.

LEVS: Don't try to run the gamut, but be pretty specific there.

HOURAN: Know what you want absolutely.

And second of all, human beings are visual creatures. So we shouldn't fight Mother Nature, and we need to work with Mother Nature. And what that means is post a recent photograph of your face and show people who you are today, not how you were ten years ago. Be honest in your approach. And dress in a way that shows you are looking for love. I am not saying to dress slinky or, you know, overly sexy but dress like you are on a date not like you're at work.

LEVS: Right.

HOURAN: And also -- no, go ahead.

LEVS: It's interesting. The way that you're posting all that, because some people think, "If I go take the sexiest picture possible, that's going to find me love." But you're saying dress like you are looking for love and not like you missed out (ph) or looking for something else?

HOURAN: Well, yes. You need to dress in a way that's consistent with your intentions. If you are looking just for a weekend date that's one thing, but if you are looking for a life-long partner, you need to dress in such a way that shows, "Hey, I don't just want anyone contacting me, I want the serious people contacting me.

LEVS: Listen, before we go, I want to touch on two points really quickly. You and I have talked about it.

HOURAN: Sure.

LEVS: You have to stay safe when you do this online. I know you have to protect your information but also -- this is really interesting -- talk about this quickly.

You told me, never, if you are a single parent, never post pictures of your kids on these sites -- what's that about?

HOURAN: Yes, predators are everywhere and they're also online. And so pedophiles, we know, have sometimes used online dating sites to get to children. So minimize that risk by just showing yourself, and protect your kids.

LEVS: Great, listen, this is really helpful information. I want to show at home where you can get more information and weigh in on this. We'll go to the screen. And here is what we have.

I've got Facebook and Twitter, joshlevscnn; I am posting links to your magazine and to some stories at (INAUDIBLE). Soon as I get off the air, I'll go post them on the blog to cnn.com/josh.

Jim Houran, excellent expertise today. Thank you so much for joining us.

HOURAN: Happy Valentine's Day.

LEVS: Happy Valentine's Day to you and to everybody including Betty and T.J. Come on, flowers, no flowers, it's still Valentine's Day.

NGUYEN: Absolutely. All right. Thank you guys.

LEVS: You got it. Thanks.

NGUYEN: A case that just really gets stranger by the day.

HOLMES: We've been following this for some time now. We have another twist to tell you about in the case of the ten Americans accused of child trafficking in Haiti.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: There is a new and very unusual twist in the case of the ten Americans accused of child trafficking in Haiti.

HOLMES: Yes. A man who said he was putting together their legal team may be a wanted man himself for trafficking young prostitutes. Our Karl Penhaul sorts out this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A strange development in the case of the American missionaries in jail in Port-au-Prince accused of trying to leave Haiti illegally with 33 children. The man on the left put together their legal defense team. He's from the Dominican Republic and his name is Jorge Puello. He says he is a lawyer.

Puello bears a striking resemblance to this man, who is wanted in El Salvador on charges of trafficking young prostitutes. His name is Jorge Torres Orellana and this photo was in a Salvadorian passport found during a raid last year.

The Salvadorian police tell us they think it's the same man, but they need to compare fingerprints to be sure. Salvadorian officials say Orellana's wife was arrested in May last year and is in jail on the same charges of trafficking young prostitutes.

When he turned up at the court in Port-au-Prince last Monday, Jorge Puello told me he'd come to organize a team of attorneys for the Americans. He'd approached their families back in Idaho and offered his help.

Can you give us a name of the person that appointed you at the church?

JORGE PUELLO, ATTORNEY FOR AMERICAN MISSIONARIES: Sean Langford (ph).

PENHAUL: On Friday, Jorge Puello said he would talk to CNN but then despite several attempts we were unable to reach him.

Puello reportedly told "The New York Times" earlier this week that he didn't have a passport and had never been to El Salvador and that all this was a case of mistaken identity. But it's another bizarre twist in a case that's already had surprising moments.

Karl Penhaul, CNN, Port-au-Prince.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: We're just a moment away from "STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY". That is coming your way at the top of the hour, but first let's check your headlines.

NGUYEN: Well, and it is day two in the largest military operation of the Afghan war. Our correspondent embedded with some of the U.S. Marines in the fight for Marjah tells us more than 100 hidden explosions have been found so far. An Afghan official says 27 Taliban fighters have been killed in this offensive. Marjah is considered the Taliban's last major strong hold in the Helmand province.

Of course, we will have live reports throughout the day on this for you.

But we do invite you to stick around. There is a lot coming up right here on CNN. "STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY" starts right now.