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CNN Live Sunday

Bush Expresses Outrage at Terrorist Attack in Pakistan

Aired March 17, 2002 - 17:04   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: President Bush has strongly condemned today's attack on the church, and let's go now to CNN's Major Garrett, who is joining us from the White House. Major, any word yet, more details on who these gunmen were?

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, that's still at the top of the U.S. agenda as it deals with the aftermath of this terrorist attack. President Bush was woken up very early this morning at Camp David, the presidential retreat, by his National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, who explained the details of the situation. The White House then formulated the statement that the president released this morning.

Let me read a part of that statement from President Bush himself: "I'm outraged by the terrorist attack that took place today in Islamabad, Pakistan against innocent civilians. I strongly condemn them as acts of murder that cannot be tolerated by any person of conscience, nor justified by any cause."

But even before President Bush and first lady Laura Bush returned to the White House this afternoon, senior administration officials had concluded that in all likelihood this terrorist attack was designed by Islamic militants as a way to try to drive a wedge between the United States and the Pakistani government, led by President Pervez Musharraf.

Mr. Musharraf has purged from the senior ranks of his military and intelligence services known al Qaeda and Taliban sympathizers, and as a result has encountered tremendous resistance internally to those moves. The White House has long feared that there would be reprisals against the Musharraf government, and are beginning to wonder if this attack against the Americans and others at that Protestant church are part of the new degree of Islamic militancy designed to disrupt what has become a very close relationship in the war on terrorism -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right. Thank you, Major. Major Garrett at the White House.

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