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CNN Saturday Morning News

Special Operations Troops Attacked Site in Kandahar Friday

Aired October 20, 2001 - 10:10   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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: We have some more specifics on the U.S.-led military action in Afghanistan. We go now to CNN's Sheilah Kast. She is at the Pentagon. Good morning to you again, Sheilah.

SHEILAH KAST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Martin. About 100 U.S. Special Operations combat troops went into Afghanistan on Friday night to attack a target at Kandahar, which is a military stronghold of the ruling Taliban government.

And we're told this was what's called a "liaison operation" -- in other words, U.S. troops working along with the Northern Alliance, the main military opposition to the Taliban. One report said the target was at the Kandahar Airport. The Pentagon has not specified what the objective of the raid was or whether that objective was met. The Pentagon has said that all U.S. helicopters and troops, which went into Afghanistan, came out again.

Moving the war into a ground phase was a development that many people had been expecting. Just hours before it happened, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld told reporters that the U.S. has very clear objectives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: The military role will be over there when the Taliban and the al Qaeda are gone.

QUESTION: Gone?

RUMSFELD: Gone.

QUESTION: You spoke...

RUMSFELD: And that's what is about. The United States has said that it's going to take the effort to the terrorists. And the terrorists are in, among other places -- are in Afghanistan. And that is what this is about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAST: There is clearly U.S. resolve to keep the pressure on the Taliban. But there is an almost equally firm resolve here in this building not to speak publicly about what the next step will be -- Martin. SAVIDGE: All right, Sheilah Kast joining us from the Pentagon with an update.

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