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CNN Live Sunday

How did Bin Laden Escape?

Aired December 30, 2001 - 17:07   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: As the fighting winds down on ground in Afghanistan a new debate heats up. Should U.S. forces have been more directly involved in the search for Osama bin Laden?

CNN's Kathleen Koch has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It has been a new way to wage war deploying small numbers of U.S. forces to coordinate ground fighting, cave searches, and aerial support for anti-Taliban troops. As incentives the Pentagon has given Afghans weapons, ammunition, food, clothing, blankets and money. Still, control and motivation have been difficult.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: This is a relationship and it's multiple relationships. It isn't something where someone says do this or don't do that or I will do this or I won't do that. It is a discussion. They are not our forces.

KOCH: But lawmakers and others are wondering whether the use of proxy forces may have let Osama bin Laden and as Qaeda fighters slip out of Afghanistan.

SEN. RICHARD LUGAR (R), INDIANA: We are attempting, through money, through clothing and what have you to get Afghans to do this work. Now that makes sense in terms of our potential casualties, and I have no quarrel with that, but it means that if Afghans are less and less motivated to do that, the trail may get colder.

MIKE O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Just as the Clinton Administration is criticized for not having used commandos against bin Laden back in '98, and using cruise missiles instead, the Bush Administration may ultimately be second guessed force not having used American forces in a greater way.

KOCH: The Pentagon admitted earlier this month, that it suspected some Afghan forces were selling freedom to Taliban fighters.

REAR ADM. JOHN STUFFLEBEEM, PENTAGON SPOKESMAN: I think that we have seen anecdotally, the instances where there were a lot of Taliban forces in Kandahar, and when they actually capitulated control of Kandahar there weren't that many forces to be found. And so you can make a pretty good assumption there that there was some coordination done with individuals who would pay for their escape.

KOCH: Others say even if top al Qaeda fighters got away, the overall U.S. strategy has worked, limiting combat fatalities to three.

JEFFREY SMITH, FMR. CIA GENERAL COUNSEL: Even if we had put in substantial U.S. ground forces, it's not clear to me that we could have successfully prevented the escape. So I don't think we should necessarily conclude that just because they have escaped, that it is a failure of our activity on the ground.

KOCH (on camera): And as long as public support for the campaign is high, and loss of U.S. military lives low, it is unlikely the Pentagon will rewrite its play book.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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