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CNN Saturday Morning News

U.S. Marines Await Orders Outside Kandahar

Aired December 01, 2001 - 09:01   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: A battalion of U.S. Marines has set up a forward base in southern Afghanistan. In just a week, the 15th U.S. Marine Expeditionary Unit has dug in at an undisclosed location and is awaiting new orders.

Just moments ago, we learned from CNN correspondent Walter Rodgers that the Marines are already conducting reconnaissance patrols.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.S. Marine light armored vehicles are now fanning out across the deserts of southern Afghanistan, beginning their nightly patrols, looking for any last pockets of Taliban resistance in this area, or perhaps efforts by the Taliban to infiltrate and penetrate the perimeter of the air base they have now established here.

The Marines' actual contact with the Taliban has been very limited. The armored vehicles are supported by Cobra helicopters. Everyone will be wearing night vision goggles within the next hour when darkness falls here.

The problem for the Marines is determining which cars criss- crossing these desert roads are carrying civilians and which may be smuggling fuel or other supplies to the Taliban soldiers who are believed to still have some old Soviet-vintage tanks and other armor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: We will have more from Walter Rodgers in a live report from Afghanistan at the half hour -- Martin.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: As you just heard from Walter there, the war on terrorism in Afghanistan appears to be entering a more intimate and thereby a more dangerous phase for U.S. forces.

CNN's Jonathan Aiken is keeping an eye on military developments for us this morning from the Pentagon, and he joins us live with the latest -- Jonathan.

JONATHAN AIKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Marty.

The action this morning taking place over Kandahar and Jalalabad, and we'll get to some details on that in just a moment.

First, the U.S. quick to emphatically deny reports from the former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan that a U.S. plane was shot down during bombing activity near Kandahar's airport. That denial coming from the U.S. central command in Tampa, Florida, which is the headquarters for the U.S. operation in Afghanistan, and emphasized here at the Pentagon, where an official told me a short time ago not only no, but, pardon me, hell no.

So an emphatic denial of the claims made by Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, the former ambassador to Pakistan for the Taliban.

This is a gentleman you may have heard about a few weeks ago. He made quite a buzz in this building, elsewhere too, when he told reporters that Osama bin Laden and his entourage had left the country, a report that he later had to retract.

Now, getting back to and alluding to some of what Walter was talking about, the activity taking place in Kandahar -- and we'll get to the Marines in moment, but first let's talk about the air activity. There are two hot spots this morning to talk about in Afghanistan.

The first area, around Kandahar, where the U.S. is said to be hitting areas not far from the airport, and the second activity, area of activity, in the eastern part of the country, in Jalalabad, and in particular we're told the area around the White Mountains. This is an area where about 600 non-Afghan members of the Taliban are thought to be hiding out in caves and also joined by some al Qaeda forces. And the U.S. seems to be concentrating its efforts in that area.

There are also reports, Marty, of perhaps part of the U.S. bombing mission going awry. There are published reports that a village about 30 miles to the south of Jalalabad, a village by the name of Kama Ado (ph), may have been destroyed in a predawn raid. According to one survivor, between 100 and 200 civilians were killed. And this gentleman, a farmer, said that he saw anywhere from 25 to 50 bombs falling.

The U.S. military with no information on that claim, not surprising, claims like this have to be assessed. And once again, when the pilots return, they have to make their reports, and their reports have to be assessed by their commanding officers. So it may be a while before we get any real details as to whether or not this pans out to be true.

Now, to allude to what Walter was talking about, these Marines, part of the 15th Expeditionary Force, who are dug in not far from Kandahar, about 70 miles to the southwest, as Walter mentioned, they're on standby right now awaiting their orders. They are dug in, and predominantly there to interdict Taliban movements in the southern part of Afghanistan, especially the area around Kandahar, as the noose tightens around what's left of the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces who are patrolling in that area.

As one general told us that they have no orders yet. When they get them, they'll be carried out with a vengeance -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: I'm sure they will. Jonathan Aiken, joining us this morning live from the Pentagon, thank you.

Let's get an update now on today's bombing in Afghanistan. Much of the activity, as you just heard, focused in and around the area of Kandahar.

CNN's Nic Robertson joins us live along the Afghan-Pakistani border -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Martin, since the predawn hours this morning, we've been able to hear and see as the dawn light came up many bomber sorties going into Afghanistan from here. As daylight came up, we were able to see fighter aircraft refueling above our heads from the big flying tankers, the aircraft then going on into Afghanistan.

We've been talking today with our sources inside Kandahar. They're telling us that the bombing inside the city there not as intense today as it has been in the last few days. They say the targets, again, a military compound in the city, Mullah Mohammed Omar's compound, and they say also bombs targeted, they believe, at the Kandahar airport just east of the city.

Now, tribal forces, who say that they have some soldiers, fighters, very, very close to Kandahar, tell us that they will be making a push on the Kandahar airport in the coming days. However, at this time, the Taliban say that they still control the airport, still control Kandahar city.

We're also getting reports from the Taliban that in the neighboring province to Kandahar, going a little way west, that's in the direction of Iran, two main cities, the capital of that province, Lashkegar (ph), and another city there were attacked by anti-Taliban forces. One attack came from the south, and one attack, the Taliban say, came from the west.

The Taliban are saying that they were able to repulse these attacks on those cities. They say that they killed many, many of the anti-Taliban fighters. All these claims are very difficult to verify.

The picture that is emerging, however, Martin, is that there are growing anti-Taliban forces beginning to try and put pressure, in conjunction with the U.S. Marine force there, trying to put pressure on the Taliban in and around the city of Kandahar.

Certainly that's what we're being told here. Also Taliban officials telling us that the border town of Spin Boldak just behind me here, that border town is not going to change hands. They say that's not going to go to tribal forces. They say that will only happen if and when their spiritual capital of Kandahar falls -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Nic Robertson, thanks very much for that update on the situation in Afghanistan. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com