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CNN Live Sunday

New Evidence Found in Investigation of Unmanned Drone Strike

Aired February 10, 2002 - 18:02   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the U.S. Central Command says that a military investigative team has found new evidence that could help determine if a recent U.S. air strike that took place in Afghanistan killed any top al Qaeda officials. Bob Constantini is at the Pentagon now with the very latest.

Hello, Bob.

BOB CONSTANTINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Catherine. Sources tell CNN there is no overt evidence that Osama bin Laden was among those killed in this attack. There just isn't enough evidence at the scene. That is what we are being told at this point.

More than 50 U.S. soldiers, including military forensic experts are searching the scene and they are looking for some of this evidence and they have found human remains, we are told, that officials are officially classifying as forensic evidence. That means they could be used to positively identify someone who was killed in the attack almost a week ago.

An unmanned U.S. predator drone was used in the -- was on reconnaissance mission near the town of Zawar Kili. It was a CIA operation and officials say they had reason to fire two missiles from the drone toward a group of men, some armed out in the open, near a truck. Now, three men were said to be wearing white robes, dressed typical of al Qaeda leaders and one of them was described as "unusually tall."

CIA director George Tenet, in testimony to Congress this week, helps start speculation that 6 foot 4 Osama bin Laden might have been one of the group, but there are plenty of words of caution against making too much of the circumstances.

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SEN. RICHARD SHELBY (R), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: There's always a remote possibility he could be dead. But I don't want to be the one to announce that because I have the feeling he will reappear.

SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: But that doesn't mean we don't keep trying. That information could be made available to us the next day, the next week, the next month. But unless we keep trying, we won't be successful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONSTANTINI: U.S. sources are also telling CNN that Washington officials have been assured they could get DNA samples presumably from some members of bin Laden's family and some of them, as you may know, have been living in this country. Presumably, those samples could be taken for comparison if needed.

Now, there has been widespread speculation about Osama bin Laden's whereabouts. In the four months since the U.S. first launched its attacks in Afghanistan -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, thank you. Bob Constantini at the Pentagon. Thanks Bob.

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