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CNN Live Sunday

Bloody Prison Uprising Takes Place in Mazar-e Sharif

Aired November 25, 2001 - 12:20   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.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. warplanes rushed into action over Mazar-e Sharif today to quell a bloody prison uprising. Taliban prisoners apparently choose to stage a deadly rebellion rather than to give in to their bitter enemies.

CNN's Alessio Vinci is in Mazar-e Sharif.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: According to some eyewitness accounts who (sic) were inside the compound during the revolt, the incident began as some Taliban prisoners blew themselves us with some hand grenades, creating a scene of panic and chaos, killing several Pakistani soldiers nearby, and some Northern Alliance security forces inside that compound.

After that, some of the Taliban fighters managed to seize some weapons from other soldiers -- off of the dead soldiers and start shooting all around them. Inside the compound at the time of the shoot out, we understand, there were several U.S. military personnel. We have been able to monitor a videotape that was filmed by a German television crew inside the compound during the uprising. And it shows one U.S. military person speaking on the phone with the outside, advising not to airstrike -- not to bring in the airstrikes to bring the revolt to an end.

However, eyewitness reports also say that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) strikes were launched against the compound during the attack in order to try to bring the revolt to an end.

Hundreds -- we understand hundreds of Taliban fighters were killed, many more, we understand, also were injured. We also understand from some eyewitness accounts that all the people who tried to escape from the compound -- that is, the Taliban fighters that tried to escape from the compound were either killed or executed before they could leave the area.

I'm Alessio Vinci, CNN, reporting from Mazar-e Sharif in Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KELLEY: As we were telling you earlier, there are conflicting reports about an American casualty during the revolt in Mazar-e Sharif. We want to turn in to CNN's Brian Nelson. He has a live report for us from the Pentagon, and more reaction -- Brian.

BRIAN NELSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello Donna. We've been getting some pretty consistent reports all day long from the U.S. central command, and we have just confirmed it once again.

The spokesman for central command saying that no U.S. military personnel -- and they stress "no U.S. military personnel" -- have been killed in that firefight outside that -- inside that POW camp in Mazar-e Sharif. The CentCom spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jim Yont (ph) said: "We have counted all of our noses, and they're all accounted for."

Now, CentCom is unable to rule out the possibility that some other groups on the ground may have lost personnel, and that includes, perhaps, CIA operatives who are there. The CIA, of course, has had a mission there, rather quietly, to conduct some surveillance missions in Afghanistan and to use some of those U.S. drones -- those unmanned planes, and they've been attacking tanks with them.

There have been some signs today that it is possible that the CIA has suffered a casualty, but CentCom and Pentagon personnel are unable to speak for that agency. However, once again, they stress that no member of the U.S. armed services was killed.

Now, about that firefight, the Pentagon's version is it began when a group of 300 non-Afghan soldiers from Konduz surrendered. They had been escorted in their vehicles by the Northern Alliance from Konduz to the POW camp at Mazar-e Sharif. They had been disarmed, but they had some weapons hidden in the vehicles that they were being carried in, and those were smuggled into the camp.

Now, the U.S. military believes this was an intentional suicide mission, not an intended surrender. And so they found those vehicles inside the vehicles, opened fire on their captors, and the firefight lasted about four hours. And it ended when U.S. air strikes were called in and the Northern Alliance Commander Dostum reinforced the POW camp with about 500 additional Northern Alliance fighters.

As for the situation in Konduz right now, the Pentagon is saying that the standoff is continuing there between hard-core Taliban elements in the city and the Northern Alliance outside of it. There was an estimated 800 to 2,000 Taliban fighters inside the city, according to the Pentagon, and a small number of Northern Alliance troops have entered the city right now. There are some skirmishes, but according to the Pentagon, there's no major effort right now to take that city, as had been forecast for today. That may take place on Monday, though. In the meantime, the commanders are trying, once again, to see if they can effect a cease-fire on the ground -- Donna.

KELLEY: Brian, take us a little south to Kandahar, if you can. We're hearing reports, and -- including from Reuters, that U.S. ground troops are there near Kandahar. Do we know anything more about that from the Pentagon?

NELSON: I have checked with the Pentagon, and there was a curt "no comment." U.S. central command is also checking. But this may not be surprising, because as of last week there were reports that as many as 1,600 Marines were ready to come on the ground in Afghanistan with the intention of putting them in around Kandahar.

They are from the 15th and the 26th Marine expeditionary units. The 15th aboard the USS Peleliu, and the 26th aboard the USS Bataan. They've been sitting out there in the Arabian Sea awaiting orders. It could be that they have now received those orders, and are being deployed around Kandahar. But at this point, no confirmation from either the Pentagon or central command.

KELLEY: OK, Brian Nelson at the Pentagon, thanks very much.

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