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CNN Saturday Morning News

U.S. Air Strikes Again Pound Eastern Afghanistan

Aired March 02, 2002 - 07:02   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: After a lull of several weeks, U.S. air strikes are once again pounding parts of eastern Afghanistan. U.S. and Afghan officials say they have joined in an effort to break up enemy forces suspected of regrouping near Gardez.

For the latest on the new offensive, we go live to CNN's Brian Palmer in Kabul. Hi, Brian.

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra.

The Afghan defense ministry here in Kabul is telling us that U.S. aircraft are bombing targets in the Gardez region, the Shah-e-Kot region of Paktia Province, which is in eastern Afghanistan. Now, the same official tells us that about 500 to 600 Afghan ground troops are going after al Qaeda and Taliban remnants. He says that no U.S. ground troops are participating in this operation.

We haven't been able to get confirmation of that from the Pentagon or from Central Command. But yesterday the Pentagon did say that there are al Qaeda and Taliban forces operating in this very mountainous region of Afghanistan.

Now, the wire services are reporting that aircraft are taking off from air bases south of Kabul in support of this operation. We here at CNN, our people in other parts of the city, have indeed seen aircraft, helicopters taking off, but we can't confirm exactly where they're going, whether they're supporting this operation -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Brian, meanwhile, what's security like in the region?

PAUL STEIGER, "WALL STREET JOURNAL": Well, generally speaking, this is a rather fractured and conflicted region. There have been skirmishes, battles, all-out fights between various warlords, some of whom were actually placed into power. There's a very, very unstable situation there. And that has really nothing to do with the al Qaeda and Taliban forces.

So you have two sources of instability in the same region in Paktia Province -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, our Brian Palmer, live in Kabul, thank you so much.

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