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CNN Saturday Morning News

U.S. Focuses Attacks on Tora Bora

Aired December 15, 2001 - 09:21   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We heard from President Bush yesterday saying he still vows to get him, Osama bin Laden meaning "him," and there have been reports that bin Laden is cornered near Tora Bora. But all allied forces really, are they only nipping at Osama bin Laden's heels, or is there more to this right now on the ground?

Our military expert, retired general Don Shepperd, back with us again live in Tucson. You're a frequent flyer, general, good morning again to you.

Let's talk about this reward money, $25 million out there, which is an absolute fortune for anyone living in Afghanistan, anyone around the world, basically, for that matter. Why do you believe at this point nothing has shaken down on this front?

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, the reason is very simple, Bill. Bin Laden is in hiding, he's surrounded by al Qaeda forces, and even though you want $25 million, you got a lot of al Qaeda to play through -- to plow through to get there. It's very, very difficult, and I suspect that the Eastern Alliance really wants to capture this $25 million as well as bin Laden.

It's a very good carrot out there for people across the world. And of course other rewards are being put on Omar's head, Mullah Omar's head, as well as other top al Qaeda and Taliban leaders. Money causes lots of things to happen across the world.

HEMMER: Listen, you've given this a lot of thought. What comes to mind when you think about the hunt for him right now? If it's not U.S. commandos, if it is the Eastern Alliance troops who find him eventually, how much of a scrum could this be?

SHEPPERD: This could be a real scrum. I -- the worst fear is that we're left with a murky ending, and we're pretty sure we got him, we're pretty sure he's dead, we're pretty sure he's under that rubble, that collapsed cave, but we don't know for certain.

I hope that in the end he surrenders or we know that he is killed either by us or by Eastern Alliance forces. The best thing that could happen would be that he would surrender and we would capture him. If he flees and leaves his al Qaeda fighters on the field and escapes somewhere, we will hunt him to the end of the earth. We will eventually get him. But this end game is very dicey, it's very, very dangerous, and an uncertain outcome. I hope we're not left with a murky outcome here.

HEMMER: General, have you heard these reports about DNA being extracted from some of his family members who used to live here in the U.S.?

SHEPPERD: Yes, that would be logical, again, if you end up with a body or body parts, you're going to want to know for sure if it's him. And that's one way you could find out, through DNA, just like normal crime here in the United States. It's the same process, Bill.

HEMMER: Got it. What do you think -- make of John Walker right now, the American being held on the Peleliu out there in the sea there? What's ultimately to come of his case?

SHEPPERD: Ultimately, I believe he will be tried in the United States civil system, not subjected to any of the tribunals. That's not for certain, and I'm sure all that's being debated by hundreds of lawyers in the Department of Defense and also within the civil system there. But my guess is he's going to be subjected to civil justice.

HEMMER: Why is that? Why not a military tribunal? What makes the distinction here?

SHEPPERD: Well, again, he's a United States citizen. The military tribunals were designed...

HEMMER: That's right.

SHEPPERD: ... supposedly for people that are not United States citizens. That's the first thing. And then the other thing is, it makes sense because of the murkiness of his situation, the unavailability of witnesses, probably, to put him in the civil system.

HEMMER: All right, want to go to Kandahar right now. The Marines are trying to secure that air strip just outside of town there, that airport there. What will be done here in terms of the military operation first, what the U.S. would like to do and carry out from this part of Afghanistan?

SHEPPERD: You can be sure that the Marines are securing that airport for humanitarian operations. Also, it's reported that hundreds of other Marines are coming off the ships in the Arabian Sea, both the Peleliu and the Bataan, the 15th and 26th MEU being brought into that area. And they are now available, as General Franks has said before, for a variety of missions.

Obviously the search for Mullah Omar, they can be used for that, and also for picking out pockets of remaining Taliban and al Qaeda in the Kandahar area. So it gives him flexibility, and all sorts of humanitarian aid is being brought in to Kandahar airport.

HEMMER: Now, you mentioned Omar about two hours ago in reference to the Marines and their work there in Kandahar, and you say the action is already being carried out. What do you know that you can tell us about that operation in the southern part of the country?

Oh, that's a shame. That is a satellite that went down before it was supposed to. Don Shepperd, do we get him back or not? All right, Major General Don Shepperd live in Tucson, Arizona, with us, and certainly we'll try to get an answer to that last question there a bit later today. Don Shepperd, if you can hear me at this point, thanks, pal. We'll talk to you a little later this morning.

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