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CNN Live Sunday

War Detainees Head for Guantanamo Bay.

Aired January 13, 2002 - 15:35   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, 30 war detainees are on board an Air Force plane heading to the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay. Security was extremely tight at Kandahar Airport while the heavily guarded fighters walked single file to board that plane. They will join 20 other al Qaeda and Taliban fighters being housed outdoors in six by eight foot chained link cell.

Still there are hundreds of war prisoners waiting to be transferred at Kandahar Airport. Military sources say they now have evidence that these men were on a mission to kill Americans. CNN's Bill Hemmer is in Kandahar with the U.S. Marines.

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BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Military sources here in Kandahar indicate that some suspected al Qaeda terrorists held in detention, had, quote, "planned to travel to the U.S. sometime soon and kill Americans."

They also indicate, and quoting once again, "there were planned events that did not come off for whatever reason, possibly because of what happened on September 11."

We also know the man accused of running the terrorist camps in Afghanistan, Ibin al-Sheikg Ala Bi (ph) has been transported recently to Bagram, north of Kabul. He had been held on board the USS Bataan in the Arabian Sea. One source indicated, and here, quoting again, "there are a lot of bad boys in Bagram."

On the detainee front right now, we continue to learn more about what's happening behind the mud wall complex here in Kandahar. One source says, many are simply breaking down due to the detention time inside, and some simply do not know where they are unless they have contact with other detainees.

On deck right now in Kandahar, still 391. No new detainees were brought in last night. Bill Hemmer, CNN, Kandahar, Afghanistan.

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