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CNN Saturday Morning News

Pentagon Denies Reports That U.S. Forces Have Been Captured

Aired September 29, 2001 - 08:06   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.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: The Pentagon strongly denies Arabic media reports that three U.S. special operations commandos have been captured in Afghanistan. Al-Jazeera TV reported overnight that three Americans and two Afghans working with them had been arrested. Taliban officials say they have no knowledge of any arrests and a Pentagon official tells CNN he is convinced there's nothing to the report. But we do know from our sources that U.S. and British special operations forces have conducted operations in the regions in recent days.

And Kyra Phillips joins us now from the CNN Center in Atlanta with a look at one of the U.S. Army's most elite special forces units -- Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

The Delta Force is what we're talking about. It was conceived and created 23 years ago as the U.S. Army's counter-terrorism unit. The unit specializes in missions outside the U.S. Delta Force was created in response to hostage situations and airliner hijackings in the 1970s. The unit is headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Remember the Iranian hostage crisis? Well, that was the unit's very first mission.

Retired Command Sergeant Major Eric Haney was one of Delta Force's first members and he's our guest this morning. Sergeant Major, thanks for being with us.

COM. SGT. MAJ. ERIC HANEY, U.S. ARMY (RET.): It's a pleasure.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about the counter-terrorism unit and give us sort of an inside look of what it is and what it's about.

HANEY: Well, Delta Force was created, as you know, in response to the terrorism worldwide that was just beating the U.S. about the head and shoulders during the 1970s. And its principal thrust was hostage rescue, and that's still one of the principal missions of the organization. But in counter-terrorism work, essentially, they are man hunters.

PHILLIPS: Man hunters as in, I mean let's be really direct here, they're sent in on a mission. For example, if the mission is to get Osama bin Laden, it's to take him and not take him alive?

HANEY: That's correct.

PHILLIPS: Will Delta Force definitely be brought into this situation?

HANEY: Yes, they will. And in various fashions they will come in. They're one of the tools that are in the toolbox to use in eliminating terrorism.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about the training that a Delta Force operator goes through.

HANEY: Well, first of all, the selection process is what's so important because we're looking for a very particular kind of individual, a man with great tenacity that's intelligent, that has an ability to learn. He's curious. He operates alone. He likes himself but he also likes other people and though he enjoys being by himself he's not alone and he works well with other teams and other members of the organization. And just a real mental toughness and a mind set that he won't quit no matter what. He's just not going to quit. He's going to prevail and he knows he'll prevail.

PHILLIPS: What happens if a Delta Force operator is captured? There's a code of conduct here, isn't there?

HANEY: There is, and that's something for all American soldiers who go into combat. And the code of conduct is the guideline in how you comport yourself should you become a POW. And I think the first line of that is just so important. It's important for all American citizens. And that says, "I'm an American fighting man. I serve in the forces which guard our country and our way of life. I'm prepared to give my life in their defense."

PHILLIPS: That's something that you've said quite a bit.

HANEY: Every soldier has, yes.

PHILLIPS: You were involved in the seize of Manual Noriega. Take us back and tell us how you were an operator in that element and how it went down and basically put us in the mind set of that time.

HANEY: Well, it was an interesting time and actually we had been in conflict with the Panamanian defense forces and the regime of Noriega for about a year and a half prior to the war that struck on the 20th of December, 1989. At that time actually I was the command sergeant major of one of the infantry battalions stationed in Panama. And it was part of our objective to break the back of the Panamanian defense forces.

However, Delta was involved in the hunt for Noriega. In fact, they were not involved, they were conducting the hunt for Noriega. And Noriega knew he was fleeing for his life. And as the last refuge, sometimes it's said politics is the last refuge. With a scoundrel, actually it's probably the church because the church was Noriega's greatest enemy in Panama and he fled to the papal nuncio to save his own life.

PHILLIPS: Are you seeing similarities between that manhunt and the manhunt that's going on right now for bin Laden?

HANEY: There are similarities. Obviously it's different conditions. It's a different terrain. It's a different people and different problems. But the similarities are great.

PHILLIPS: What about mountain warfare training? Delta Force goes through intense mountain warfare training.

HANEY: It's a standard skill and that's a standard skill also for the special forces, for the Green Berets. It's a standard skill for the Rangers. So, yes, all climactic conditions, all geographical conditions on the earth, Delta Force are expert in -- desert, jungle, arctic.

PHILLIPS: There are many, a lot of differences going on here. There hasn't had to be a group of military personnel defending the U.S. since 1945.

HANEY: That's correct.

PHILLIPS: How does this change, how does this sort of mix up the scenario now?

HANEY: I think it's greatly helpful in the mind set of the combatants because you realize this is absolutely utterly totally for the defense of our people and for our nation rather than to prop up a corrupt regime somewhere or to keep an allied power stable. This one is for us. It's for our people. That makes a world of difference.

PHILLIPS: Put me in the mind set of a Delta Force operator right now. Let's say they're in the area. They have their mission. What is the daily routine from when you wake up and go into the day? What is one thinking?

HANEY: He's like the dog that's chasing the cat now. He's utterly focused on his mission. Nothing else matters in his life. And it's preparation and getting ready for that mission. He's studying exactly what he's going to have to do, organizing the teams, the elements, the individuals and their capacities and their missions. And that's going to change and evolve right until the time they launch to the target.

PHILLIPS: You've been involved, my final question, you know what's going through the minds of this element right now. Do you have any doubts or any fears for those men?

HANEY: Oh, none whatsoever. They're going to prevail. We're going to prevail and this is going to be all right. We're going to take care of terrorism worldwide. It's finally going to happen. The strategically most stupid thing that could have happened from the Osama bin Ladens of the world and his subordinate organizations was that attack on September the 11th.

PHILLIPS: And none of us will ever forget that.

Sergeant Major Eric Haney, thank you so much, sir. HANEY: It's a pleasure.

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