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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
America Strikes Back
Aired October 08, 2001 - 17:00 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.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Today on Wolf Blitzer reports: "America Strikes Back."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Make no mistake about it. They've roused a mighty giant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: A second wave of attacks is launched against targets in Afghanistan. The U.S. and Britain claim successful strikes against Osama bin Laden's training camps and Taliban military installations
A new leader for a new mission: guarding the home front.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We must detect, prepare for, prevent, protect against, respond to and recover from terrorists attacks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: As security is stepped up around the country, there are also new concerns about deadly anthrax.
What's going through Osama bin Laden's mind? We'll ask a former CIA analyst who's profiled him.
And we'll hear from our correspondents in Washington, across the U.S., inside Afghanistan and in Pakistan, as "America Strikes Back."
You're looking at a live night scope picture from inside Afghanistan, as the United States and Britain conduct day two of their air strikes.
Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting today from Washington. The United States is formally putting the world on notice that military action may go beyond the borders of Afghanistan. We'll have more on that in just a few moments.
But first we're going to check on the day's latest developments from Joie Chen. She's in Atlanta -- Joie.
(AUDIO GAP)
BLITZER: We're obviously having some problems with Joie Chen. Let me update you on the latest developments in this story. U.S. warplanes and Tomahawk missiles hit targets, air defense targets in Afghanistan. Pakistan says the targets included command-and-control sites in and around Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan; the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar and other locations, as well.
Pentagon officials are also telling CNN 31 targets were struck on Sunday, the first attack in America's war against the Taliban militia and the support system of suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden.
Officials say the attacks were successful. The Taliban and their supporters in neighboring Pakistan denounced the attacks as acts of terrorism aimed at Islam. In Quetta, Pakistan, along the border, one pro-Taliban demonstrator was killed and several were injured in an exchange of gunfire with police.
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft says Americans should have a heightened sense of awareness now that military action is under way. Law enforcement nationwide has been put on the highest state of alert. Ashcroft says Americans should carry on with their routines and not yield to fear.
So far officials say there is no link between the anthrax case in Florida and terrorism, but Attorney General Ashcroft insists it's a possibility that's being checked. The anthrax bacteria that killed a Florida man last week has now been found in the nasal passages of a coworker.
Both men worked at the "Sun" tabloid. The FBI has sealed off that building in Boca Raton, and employees with flu-like symptoms are being tested for the bacteria. Anthrax cannot be spread person-to- person.
There's news that's coming out of the White House at this hour. President Bush is described as "upset" over news media leaks, and is restriction the flow of information between his administration and the Congress. For that story, let's turn to our CNN senior White House correspondent John King for details -- John
JOHN KING, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, CNN is told that last Friday the president called the four leaders of the Congress, the speaker of the House, the House minority leader, the Senate majority leader and the Senate minority leader, and complained angrily to them that many members of Congress, in his view, were leaking sensitive and classified information after they were briefed about the military planning and about the criminal investigation under way.
Just after those conversations, the president sent this strongly- worded, hand-signed memo to top administration officials, lecturing his own cabinet, if you will -- the secretary of state, the secretary of the treasury, the secretary of defense, the attorney general, the director of the CIA and the FBI, telling them he wanted them to immediately crack down and limit the briefings of members of Congress only to the four top leaders, plus the chairman and the ranking members of each the House and the Senate intelligence committee.
The president saying in this memo -- quote -- "We have an obligation to protect military operational security, intelligence sources and methods and sensitive law enforcement investigations. Accordingly, your department should adhere to the following procedures."
The president went on to say then he wanted the briefings limited, no classified or sensitive information outside that small circle of top members of Congress. And the president, just before signing this memo by hand writes -- quote -- "I informed the House and senate leadership of this policy this morning. It shall remain in effect until you receive further notice from me."
We are told the president was quite upset reading media reports that had sensitive and what he viewed as classified information in them about the operations overseas -- obviously, a very sensitive subject for the president. This, an extraordinary memo to members of his own cabinet -- Wolf.
BLITZER: John, I know you're getting some specific details on the minutes, in fact, the events leading up to the decision to launch the airstrikes yesterday. What are some of the headlines?
KING: Karen Hughes, the president's top counselor and communications adviser and Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, telling reporters earlier in the day it was a week ago tomorrow, Tuesday, October 2nd, that the president, at the close of his national security meeting, decided to go ahead and authorize a military campaign.
Then, as the preparations were being made, the president turned on Friday, last Friday here at the White House, to General Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And we're told he turned to him and said, "Dick, is Tommy Franks ready to go?" Tommy Franks, the commander, the general in charge of the troops in the region.
General Myers responded, "Yes, sir," he was ready to go. At that point we are told the president gave the initial orders. Then on Saturday, with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld back in this country from his trip to the region, the president convened one last national security meeting. And he went around the table, we are told, asking the secretary of state: Any reason diplomatically not to go forward?
Secretary Powell said no. A firsthand reassurance from Secretary Rumsfeld that the military planning was done. At that point, the president gave the orders allowing those bombers to leave their bases from Diego Garcia and from here in the United States. Aides say the president had quite a heavy burden on him that day, realizing as commander in chief what he was doing, sending troops into harm's way, but that he was quite comfortable with his decision.
BLITZER: John, and on this day the president began by swearing in his new homeland defense aide, the former Pennsylvania governor, Tom Ridge. An emotional ceremony. KING: An emotional ceremony. The president promising Governor Ridge would have a broad mandate to end the turf battles between the many agencies -- 40 federal agencies involved in the war on terrorism. Some in Congress say the governor doesn't have the power, but he does have his proximity -- a new office in the West Wing very close to the Oval Office, very close to the vice president. President Bush making clear today Tom Ridge can walk in his office any time if he's having any problems.
BLITZER: OK, John King at the White House, thank you very much.
And for the latest on what's going on at the Pentagon and what the Pentagon is saying about today's airstrikes, we turn to our military affairs correspondent Jamie McIntyre. A lengthy briefing at the Pentagon earlier today. What were the headlines?
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, it looks like today's strikes in Afghanistan are not quite as heavy as yesterday. And there's no British presence, it's all an American show. According to the latest figures we've assembled, some 15 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from two surface ships and one American submarine in the Arabian Sea.
Also, a pair of B-2 stealth bombers, also participated in today's strike. Each one of those can drop 16 precision-guided munitions and then 10 carrier-based aircraft also participated in today's strike, along with some B-1 bombers that flew out of the base at Diego Garcia. The Pentagon has had not much to say in the way of how effective yesterday's strikes were, except to generally say they thought they were a success. But the chairman of the joint chiefs, General Richard Myers, insisted that counting up how many things were broken on the ground is the wrong measure of success.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENERAL RICHARD MYERS, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS: Regardless of the pounds of munitions or the scope of the targets, yesterday's strikes began setting the conditions, setting the conditions for future operations. We did destroy some of the terrorist infrastructure, and we did begin feeding and assisting the victims of the Taliban regime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCINTYRE: Again, the Pentagon is signaling that this is not going to be any kind of a quick strike or quick victory. You heard General Myers say "setting the conditions for future operations." That includes both humanitarian relief and a concerted anti-terrorist effort.
And again, the strong hint seemed to be that at some point in the future the United States would have to put troops on the ground in order to continue, to prosecute its campaign against the Taliban and Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon, thank you very much. And for more military insight on the U.S.-led strikes against the Afghan targets, we turn now to CNN military analyst, Major General Don Shepperd.
General Shepperd, thanks for joining us. The bomb damage assessment that the Pentagon is reviewing -- what takes so long in determining whether the initial airstrike yesterday were successful?
MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, two things, Wolf. Actually, three things. First of all, the satellites have to be in place to take the pictures. The weather has to be right so they can get the pictures. Then it has to be developed, and then analyzed by specialists.
And then third, you don't want to throw an airplane back into harm's way just because you might have missed something. You want to be very, very sure and precise. It just take a long time to do this.
BLITZER: The Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that the initial strikes, in his words, did have an impact on military air bases in Afghanistan, as some would call them, primitive as they are. These are delicate strikes because the U.S. may have some other mission in mind here, aren't they?
SHEPPERD: Yes, a couple things about those airstrikes. First of all, there's a lot of dummy aircraft out there to draw us off. Some of the aircraft may be in revetments and/or buildings that you can't see, so we want to be very careful.
And we don't want to tear the airport apart, in case we ever have to use it. That's one of the major considerations in attacking these airports down there.
BLITZER: The Pentagon also saying today that all military personnel, U.S. military personnel, all U.S. military aircraft equipment returned safely to the bases. How dangerous are these missions, these airstrikes, for the flyers who are engaged in them right now over Afghanistan?
SHEPPERD: Well, Wolf, when you're being shot at personally, it's dangerous. There can always be a lucky shot, no matter how good they are, now matter how well the equipment is maintained. There are missiles there that can get the high-flying aircrafts, so those missiles have to be jammed and we have to have suppression of enemy air defense airplanes with homing anti-radiation missiles that able to lob them into radar beams, if we're targeted.
Now, what you see in a lot of the shots that you're showing over Kabul and those targets is you see large explosions. That's probably the Tomahawks and the J-DAM, or Joint Direct Attack Munitions, hitting targets. You also see flashes in the air. That's the antiaircraft that's being fired, probably blindly, into the air. And those shells explode so they don't fall back onto your surrounding area. They're not designed to explode and hit the aircraft. They try to hit the aircraft with a bullet, which then explodes. The idea is, the shells explode and then fall to the ground, not on you as the gunners. BLITZER: Our CNN military analyst, retired Major General Don Shepperd. Thank you very much.
Meanwhile, CNN's Kamal Hyder is covering the war. He's in eastern Afghanistan. He joins us now live over the phone.
Now, Kamal, first of all, give us the latest from your vantage point. What are you seeing and hearing?
KAMAL HYDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, Wolf, we are not able to hear the explosions because we are a little distance away from Jalalabad. But our contact in Jalalabad, who is at a vantage point, is keeping us informed about any attacks when they take place.
He told us about couple of hours ago, that the attack on Jalalabad today was more explosions than yesterday. And -- almost 10 explosions, compared to yesterday, five or six. He said that this evening the Taliban antiaircraft batteries were firing into the air. I mean, a few blasts every now and then, just to tell the population that the anti-aircraft defenses were ready to face any challenge -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Kamal Hyder, thank you very much. Stand by.
I want to go right now to Chicago. Our CNN Chicago bureau chief Jeff Flock is standing by with some breaking news. Jeff, tell our viewers what's going on.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, what we have just learned is this. Out of O'Hare Airport today, within the hour now, two F-16s escorted an American Airlines flight, we believe, 1238 L.A. to Chicago. We believe it was a 767. Two F-16s escorting that aircraft into the airport today, the plane landing safely.
Based on interviews just a short time ago with the FBI, here, apparently is what happened, according to Ross Rice, spokesman for the FBI here in Chicago. What he described as a mentally-challenged boy flying with his father, apparently wanted to see the cockpit, broke away from his father and knocked on the cockpit door. That door was locked, but the pilots inside that American Airlines flight, apparently not knowing what was going on back there but knowing that there was some sort of commotion outside the cockpit door, either pushed what is described as the hijack alert button or they radioed in that there was a problem.
At that point, two F-16s scrambled -- we're not sure exactly where they came from. But we can report that people have been calling us here at CNN, hearing sonic booms as far north as the Wisconsin border. Another man called us to say that he saw two F-16s escorting this American Airlines flight in. They apparently went on either wing of this aircraft, brought the plane in to O'Hare. As we said, it did land safely and there were no arrests at this point, according to the city Department of Aviation.
That's where it stands right now. Obviously, Wolf, some indication just how hair-trigger this nation's air traffic control system is right now. Apparently, though, no connection to terrorism.
BLITZER: And, Jeff, just to nail down that point, obviously, a very jittery nation right now. Tomorrow will be four weeks since the September 11th attacks. Just to nail it down, there's absolutely no indication whatsoever this is anything beyond obviously what it was, some sort of misunderstanding.
FLOCK: It does appear to be just that. Again, the plane has landed. No arrests, according to the FBI. Again, their words, a mentally-challenged boy. Not clear on his age, but traveling with his father. It appears there's no connection at all to terrorism, Wolf.
BLITZER: Jeff Flock, thank you very much. And if Kamal Hyder is still, in eastern Afghanistan, available to us on the telephone, give us a sense, Kamal, the difference between today and yesterday, the reaction from where you are to these -- the second wave of U.S. airstrikes.
HYDER: Well, Wolf, you must realize that these people have been used to war. Most have gone (UNINTELLIGIBLE) so to speak. Here in the east, for example, not too long ago there was a fire fight in which rockets and mortars were being used by rival sides and children were just sitting there and watching the show, oblivious to the dangers of projectiles flying all over.
These people have been used to war for 23 years now. And these people here are in a defiant mood. Every day, as the attacks come in, Radio Sharia beams its programs every evening, announcing the names of commanders who are switching over to the Taliban.
There are reports coming out from the foreign media about defection of Taliban to Northern Alliance, but we can see evidence of loyalists of the Northern Alliance joining sides with the Taliban. It seems that the nation is now being divided more and more between tribes, between one's friends. We saw Commander Janda, he was in (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I believe he switched sides this morning to the Taliban.
Another military commander who was a loyalist of the opposition. also joining the Taliban. So, that sort of thing is going on, and the mood here is becoming more and more difficult -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Kamal Hyder, doing some excellent reporting for us in eastern Afghanistan. Thank you once again for that report.
And only a tiny fraction of Afghanistan is under the control of the so-called Northern Alliance, a rebel group fighting to overthrow the Taliban.
CNN's Matthew Chance is in the Northern Alliance territory.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ... second night of airstrikes confirmed to us by the Pentagon. But also, of course, by officials of the Northern Alliance, the anti-Taliban group here in north Afghanistan. They say, according to their intelligence sources, a number of strategic targets have been attacked by U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles. They say an airport in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, as well as Kabul airport, has been attacked for second night running.
We have our own tangible confirmation as well: a videophoned mounted in a strategic height near Kabul, about 30 kilometers away from it, looking down onto the front lines that separate the Taliban and the forces of the Northern Alliance. There, we've been seeing big flashes, a testament to the magnitude of the attacks being carried out by the U.S., United States, against the Afghan capital, Kabul, or against the installations there at least.
You can't see Kabul itself. That's blocked from our line of vision by a mountain. That mountain, of course, also blocks the routes of the forces of the Northern Alliance into Kabul. Commanders of the Northern Alliance say that their forces have been given the order to sustain a bombardment of Taliban positions across the front line, but they've also been told, they say, to stay in their defensive positions, not to move into territory currently controlled by the Taliban until they have seen exactly what the United States intends to do over the days ahead.
Matthew Chance, CNN, northern Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And next here, live to the United Nations for a reaction to the U.S. strikes and their possible expansion.
Later, the anthrax scare inside Florida's second case, and whether there's any connection to terrorism. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. The United States and Britain notified the United Nations Security Council today why they launched strikes against Afghanistan. The U.S. also hinted it might take its war against terrorism to other countries.
CNN senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth joins now live with more -- Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf. The United States told the U.N. Security Council that it might have to act against -- quote -- "other organizations or other states," should its current inquiry on terrorism and the investigation lead in that direction.
U.S. officials were saying they're keeping their options open, but this was in no way a warning to the full United Nations system that bombing is imminent against some other country. Certain nations would certainly have a problem with that.
For now, though, there's a lot of support inside the U.N. building, especially among U.S. friends and allies, to the bombing campaign in Afghanistan.
There were also these words of concern.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WANG YINGFAN, CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: While we have military strikes, is the position of the Chinese government, caution should be taken, because we do not want to see a lot of casualties.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: A lot would depend on how the operation is handled and whether there would be civilian casualties.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELFATIH MOHAMMED ERWA, SUDANESE AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: The U.S. has the right to defend themselves, but they have to choose the right targets, and not to make it on civilians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: The U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan did not offer his own view -- that's not surprising. However, he did ask for humanitarian aid to get into Afghanistan, and he also calls for a political solution to the problems there. Elsewhere in the United Nations system today, one country that the United States has on its list of sponsors of terrorism made it onto the U.N. Security Congressman for a two-year nonpermanent term starting in January.
Inside the U.N. General Assembly, the nation of Syria received 160 votes out of a possible 177 -- overwhelming support for that country. It was a secret ballot. Syria was the only candidate out of a so-called Asia group, which places an Arab country on the Security Council. Syria denies it sponsors terrorism. It said that Israel practices terrorism in the Middle East -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Richard Roth, thank you very much.
And that second case of anthrax we told you about is getting a lot of attention. We'll have a report from Florida, when "America Strikes Back" continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. It's almost half past the hour, and it's time to check in for the latest developments with CNN's Joie Chen in Atlanta -- Joie.
JOIE CHEN, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, we want to bring our viewers up to date on the latest developments. For the second day in a row, the United States is bombing Afghanistan. The strikes began after dark, local time. After assessing yesterday's initial attacks, the Pentagon says it hit 31 targets and says enemy ground troops were among the targets selected for attack.
Also today, the Pentagon says it dropped some 37,000 food and medicine packets to Afghan civilians overnight. The number of Afghan citizens feared to face starvation is in the hundreds of thousands.
In south Florida, more than 300 people are being tested today for exposure to anthrax. A second man has been exposed to the poison in Boca Raton. He is a co-worker of a man who died of anthrax on Friday. Anthrax spores were at the office of a newspaper where both men of the men worked. We'll get more on this story in just a few moments.
Attorney General John Ashcroft says security is tighter today along the nation's borders, and said federal law enforcement is at its highest state of alert. Ashcroft asked that civilians remain vigilant and report suspicious behavior. He said that since the attacks on September 11th, authorities have arrested 614 people as part of the biggest investigation in U.S. history.
In Washington, former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge was sworn in this morning as the nation's first director of homeland security. Ridge compared the size of his task to that of winning World War II.
Now return to Washington -- just a moment, here. In Pakistan, a second Taliban supporter was arrested today, and anti-western protests turned violent in several of Pakistan's cities. In one, a demonstrator was killed and seven were wounded in exchange of gunfire with police. By and large, demonstrations in other Muslim countries have remained peaceful.
Now let's go back to Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Joie. New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is holding a news conference in New York. Let's check in with the mayor, see what's on his mind.
MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI (R), NEW YORK: There are really few announcements. We have -- the numbers have changed just a little bit. We now have 417 bodies that we have recovered. We have identified 366. We have 4,815 missing persons. And the uniformed total now is 77, 69 fire, two civilian EMT, two Port Authority, one New Jersey firefighter.
And tomorrow the traffic situation will be the same that it has been for the last several days, with the exception that -- again, I remind people that the restriction single-occupancy vehicles below 63rd street lasting until 11:00 in the morning. From 6:00 until 11:00 in the morning.
Again, I recommend that people use public transportation. It probably will be easier than trying to use your automobile. Today, after all, was a holiday, so traffic problems weren't so great today, but some of that is attributable to the fact that today was a holiday. Tomorrow is not a holiday, and therefore it would probably make an awful lot of sense if you used public transportation.
I think we covered everything. Questions?
QUESTION: Mayor, in light of anthrax found in Florida, people are concerned here about the buses, subways and bridges. Is there any way measures being taken?
GIULIANI: It's a very intense program that we've had for several years. So this is not -- this program is about three years old. We monitor on an ongoing basis, the hospitals and the 911 and the pharmacies. And we have a formula that we use, so that if we have anywhere near anything that would be a suspicious number of symptoms that are be reported, we then will react to that. So that we can try to get as early warning as possible, that we may be dealing with anthrax or some other form of chemical or biological agent.
And obviously, given the events of the last four weeks, we now monitor that even more carefully and have set the formula at even a lower level, the trigger point, at even a lower level. And at this point, we have no indication of any suspicious symptoms of any kind in the hospital system of New York City or in the 911 system or among doctors or pharmacies.
QUESTION: Does the city have an evacuation plan, in the event of a major attack? And can we have some details on that? Is that possible?
(LAUGHTER)
GIULIANI: No. Why do we want to frighten people that much? I mean, we really -- the city has all kinds of plans, all different kinds for every imaginable emergency. But why we want to spend our time just constantly telling people about that now, to make them even more frightened, I don't really understand why we want to do that.
QUESTION: Tomorrow, you were expecting...
GIULIANI: Talking about the trigger. It's a -- during the year, you have a certain number of influenza cases. If we have more symptoms, let's say, of influenza, more cases presenting of influenza, then that's going to have us go to that hospital and find out why is that the case.
Are people testing positive of influenza? Could is be something else? That's essentially the way it works. There are norms for diseases that exist. And then if we're above that norm, we'll go check. And we've been doing that for three or four years. So it's not something new. We're just doing it more intensely now and more carefully and checking more and calling hospitals up, and not just waiting for them on report to us.
QUESTION: Tomorrow, you're expected to give an address on the budget.
BLITZER: Mayor Giuliani, urging New Yorkers not to be overly concerned about the latest anthrax scare in Florida. As the mayor discussed in response to a question and as our Joie Chen just reported, health officials in Florida are concerned about a second case involving anthrax. The FBI continues to play -- to look into this investigation. And for the very latest, we turn to CNN's Mark Potter. He's in Palm Beach county.
Mark, give us the latest on what's going on.
MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, state and county officials, as you can imagine, have their hands full now. They're trying to aggressively to figure out how anthrax killed one man, how another man was exposed to the disease, and how anthrax got into the building that they shared.
Investigators say a man identified by his family as 73-year-old Ernesto Blanco from North Miami, Florida was found to have anthrax spores in his nasal passages, meaning he was exposed. As yet, we are told, he actually has not contracted the disease.
Blanco worked in the mailroom at American Media Incorporated in Boca Raton, Florida, a company that publishes tabloid newspapers. That building has become very important, because it also is the building which employed Robert Stevens, 63-year-old Robert Stevens, a photographer, the man who died last week of anthrax.
The building has been shut down as FBI agents and investigators from the CDC pour through the facility. So far, we have been told that a trace element of anthrax has been found in Robert Stevens workplace. Coworkers told us that it was found on his computer keyboard.
Meanwhile, all workers and visitors to the building are being urged to show up for testing, to test for whether they were exposed to anthrax. And they are also being given antibiotics.
Health officials hope to test and give antibiotics to at least 500 people. The workers, were told today to come to a county health facility in Delray Beach, Florida, where they stood in long lines throughout the day, waiting their time to be tested. Many of them that we talked to said that they were very concerned about all of this.
The investigation continues into how anthrax got into the building. And also the search continues for others, who may have been exposed to this disease.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As we move forward, continuing this investigation, our focus currently is once again, looking at potential cases admitted to the ICU. So prospectively, we're going to continue this investigation ongoing until we are all satisfied that we have covered all bases and uncovered all stones.
Also we'll continue to monitor laboratory results coming into our hospital setting. And most importantly right now, is to continue the monitoring of the employees of American Media Incorporated. As you know today, we do massive an evaluation, not just employees, but some visitors, too, who attended that building.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POTTER: Now we're told that the results from those nasal swab tests that were given today are at least days away. The workers will also be asked to take a blood test, to check for anthrax antibodies. So far though, no real answers on how all this happened. Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: Mark Potter on the scene in Palm Beach County. Thank you very much.
And joining us now for more here in Washington, the former assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Issues, Dr. Sue Bailey. Dr. Bailey, thanks for joining us. What do you make of this second anthrax, apparent anthrax case in what two weeks?
SUE BAILEY, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR HEALTH ISSUES: Well, it's certainly more suspicious than one. One could have been a kind of fluke, even though we haven't had pulmonary anthrax since the 1970s. This second incident and victim apparently, this is a real concern that possibly now, we're looking at a terrorist attack.
BLITZER: That's pretty alarming. On the basis of what? There are natural ways for this anthrax to develop, right?
BAILEY: Exactly, but it's mostly in farm animals. So you would not expect to find the spores of anthrax in an office.
BLITZER: But there are farm animals in Boca Raton, outside of Boca Raton, Florida as well.
BAILEY: Well, that's true, but remember, anthrax is not contagious. Even though spores last for a long time, the fact that it was found in an office setting, and that there was a second person who had spores in the nasal passages, I think that's certainly more alarming than the first case.
BLITZER: So when the Attorney General John Ashcroft says that the FBI is now investigating, they don't know what cause is. Your immediate suspicion is the worst-case scenario?
BAILEY: Well, I think we have to go there. I don't want people to be alarmed. I think that the government is now ratcheting up its ability to detect these attacks, putting medications where they need to be. But one thing I think we need to do, is make sure we've got vaccine on hand. And at this point unfortunately, we're not where we need to be with anthrax.
BLITZER: Is there enough vaccine on hand for civilians? We know the military is vaccinated, but what about civilians?
BAILEY: Well, that's one of issues. The military's in control of our anthrax stockpile, rightfully so. But I think, looking at this particular incident, if it's possible that a citizen of this country was in fact exposed to weaponized anthrax, I think it's certainly time for to us to think about how do we quickly get that vaccine there, because you really only got 24 to 36 hours.
BLITZER: And finally, how concerned do you think our viewers should be when they're hearing all this information?
BAILEY: Well, I think, again, there's not anything they can do. They should not run out to get Cipro and think about masks. What I think we should be doing is not to fall into complacency. We'd be encouraging our public health officials to get the vaccines going, to get it into place, in case we need it.
BLITZER: Dr. Sue Bailey, thank you very much.
BAILEY: Thank you.
BLITZER: Appreciate it very much. And we'll see how Osama bin -- excuse me, fear of additional terror attacks is leading to tighter security measures in many American cities. We have reports coming up now from Dallas and Chicago.
But first, CNN national correspondent Martin Savidge joins us from New York City's Times Square -- Marty.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The mayor of New York says that security has been beefed up somewhat, although the city was already at a heightened state of alert after the attacks of September 11. There are 40,000 members that are part of the New York police force. And there were some 4500 members of the New York National Guard that have been brought into assist them.
New Yorkers say that they are not living in fear, but they have some very strong concerns about the prospect that renewed military action in Afghanistan could renew the terrorist threat back at home.
Martin Savidge, CNN, New York.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jeff Flock at America's tallest billing, the Sears Tower in a breezy Chicago. We just got back from a tour inside of the new security measures in place here. This is what they look like.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, ma'am.
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FLOCK: You need a building ID to get through security. A guard takes it from you and runs it through a card reader to make sure it's valid. Purses and parcels are all searched. As soon as they got word of the U.S. counterattack, Chicago Police were dispatched to the building and remain. Concrete barricades put up last week to keep cars and trucks away remain, too. The famed sky deck still closed probably until the end of the month. And a source at the building says the new tighter security is permanent. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, have a good day.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm CNN's Ed Lavandera.
Dallas-Fort Worth International airport, despite warnings from President Bush that there's still a possibility of more terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, airline passengers continue returning to the skies.
Here at DFW, we have seen a steady line of passengers at security checkpoints throughout the morning. Airport officials say the airport remains on a heightened state of alert. National Guard troops are stationed throughout the airport. They're armed with M-16 machine guns. But despite all this, passengers say that they welcome the extra security in the identification checkpoints. And they also that even though Osama bin Laden has renewed his threats of more attacks on Americans, that that won't keep them from flying either.
BLITZER: We'll see how Osama bin Laden's taped message might affect the allied military mission against Afghanistan when we come back. Stay with us.
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BLITZER: Welcome back. The U.S. and British airstrikes against targets in Afghanistan today triggered widespread demonstrations in neighboring Pakistan. CNN's Christiane Amanpour is in the Pakistani capital Islamabad.
Christiane, what's going on in Pakistan?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, they expected to have some demonstrations once the airstrikes happened. And indeed, there were some earlier today. They were not as widespread as the organizers had called for. There was one particularly ugly one in Quetta, in the western part of Pakistan, in which some 10 to 15,000 people, according to organizers, came onto the street.
There was violence. They did burn some businesses and buildings and a U.N. office. Police were there in big numbers. They used tear gas. And at one point apparently, fired and one person was killed. Several others were wounded.
On the other hand, there were protests in other parts, including Islamabad, that were much, much more muted, much less violent and much smaller and that ended fairly quickly. There have been almost no protests throughout the rest of the Islamic world, except for a couple in Gaza, in the Gaza strip inside the occupied territories of Israel.
We have spoken to the President here today, who hoped that this would be a short, sharp military action carefully targeted. He talked about the absolute necessity of combining a political solution for Afghanistan and a rehabilitation situation after the military campaign was over -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Christiane, is there a sense of any imminent threat, if you will, in Pakistan to the government as a result of its support for the U.S. and British strikes?
AMANPOUR: Well, there isn't. I mean the president of Pakistan held a long one hour press conference today in which he answered every question that was posed to him very frankly and very bluntly, including that question. And he again maintained, and he always has done, that the vast majority of this country supports him.
He said from the beginning that perhaps 10 to 15% of the country people here were pro-Taliban, certainly on the extremist Islamic fringe of the political spectrum here. But remember, this is a country of 145 million people. And given the numbers that could have come out on the street, the government here is saying that so far, it feels quite confident that the situation is under control.
BLITZER: Christiane Amanpour in Islamabad. Once again, thank you very much. And within hours of the first strikes on Sunday, the world received a response of sorts from Osama bin Laden. An Arabic language network based in Qatar broadcast a tape of bin Laden that was recorded apparently in advance.
In it, bin laden seemed to taunt the United States. He said the American people are living in fear and will continue to do so until U.S. forces leave Saudi Arabia and until the question of Palestine is resolved.
Bin Laden has often filtered his message through al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based station that broadcast the tape to the Arab world yesterday.
Joining us now, Dr. Jerrold Post of George Washington University. He's a former CIA analyst, who's profiled Osama bin Laden.
What's your take Dr. Post of the way Osama bin Laden's message, which is widely played throughout the Islamic and Arab world, how it's resonating out there, his message?
JERROLD POST, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Well, I think there are several things. In one sense, Osama bin Laden is, sounds strange to your audience, just where he wants to be. The last lines in particular, where he speaks about there really are only two camps, the believers and the unbelievers. And it's almost a parallel to George Bush's draw a line in the sand kind of comment.
And he is now the commander-in-chief of the Islamic world in its holy war against the West, which he is trying to do.
BLITZER: Well, let's look at an excerpt from what Osama bin Laden said speaking through a translator. Let's listen to what he said on that specific issue of two worlds out there.
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OSAMA BIN LADEN (through translator): I say these events have split the whole world into two camps, camp of belief, and a camp of disbelief. So that every Muslim should come out to fight for his religion.
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BLITZER: So he's saying this is a religious war, a holy war, a jihad, if you will. Is that going to score points with massive numbers out there?
POST: It is scoring points with some. And apparently, it is resonating positively with some of the already radical youth in that part of the world.
The real question, and this is of course what President Bush and Tony Blair are trying to do, they are being very careful to say this is not against Islam. This is against the -- against terrorism, and working harder at not making that discrimination.
But at this point, he is riding high in some ways. He expected the attack. This was programmed before the attack. And he's using this to mobilize support.
BLITZER: He's also using the entire issue of Palestine to try to generate support. Here's another excerpt from his comments as broadcast to by Al-Jazeera, speaking through an interpreter.
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BIN LADEN (through translator): I say to America, I say to its people this, I swear by God the great, America will never be free nor people who live in America will never taste security and safety unless we feel security and safety in our land and in Palestine.
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BLITZER: Is that going to work, to try the linkage to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict? POST: Well, apparently they are already having some protests among Palestinian leadership that this is not our struggle. We don't like this being blamed on us. But it's the second part of that quote which fascinates me.
The trying to keep America in insecurity until this is resolved, which is never going to be resolved in his terms, that America's filled with fear from north to south, from east to west. And I must say with your previous guest, Sue Bailey, who I would concur, being somewhat alarmed at the prospect that a local tactical CBW, chemical, biological weapons attack is not beyond this man. And that would surely throw the nation into a panic.
BLITZER: Well, we're all investigating. We're watching. We're monitoring that second anthrax based in Florida. The FBI, of course, is on top of it. Thank you so much, Dr. Jerrold Post. POST: Right.
BLITZER: Appreciate it very much.
And how is Osama bin Laden's message affecting the U.S. military mission against Afghanistan?
Joie Chen rejoins us now to talk about that. Joie?
CHEN: Wolf, what has been emphasized, over and over, for the success of a U.S. strike back is coalition building. CNN military analyst and former supreme allied commander General Wesley Clark is here now.
General, I wish you could talk about support in the region, particularly in light of bin Laden's latest videotape message?
RET. GEN. WESLEY CLARK, FORMER SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: Well, we know Secretary Rumsfeld went to the region. He was well received by the rulers in the region. But we also know that these rulers have traditionally, privately given messages of support to the United States. But it's not easy for them to convey this and transfer this support to their public opinion.
And so, as we've heard, there is a certain resonance of what Osama bin Laden has said among the radical youth in some of the public opinion in these countries. It makes it hard.
CHEN: Yes, let's talk about particular countries that may be key players here. Pakistan, of course, as well as Saudi Arabia and Egypt. If you can talk...
CLARK: Well, let's look first at Pakistan, critical country. Been a big supporter of the Taliban. Pashtun tribesmen on both -- in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. And this is a particular problem for Musharraf.
He has to be able to deal and maintain the control of Pakistan and it's territorial sovereignty, control of the nuclear weapons, control of his armed forces, while we're going in and doing some work in Afghanistan.
So we've seen the first signs of significant disobedience and demonstrations in Quetta in this region. And we'll probably see more.
CHEN: Talk about Saudi Arabia a part of...
CLARK: Saudi Arabia is really the target of what Osama bin Laden wants to achieve. He'd like to take Saudi Arabia's ruling house of Saud and see it overturned and replaced by a much more fundamentalist radical regime. And so, what he hopes that strong U.S. action, response to terrorism here will translate into outrage here.
What the Saudi government has done is privately support the United States. They've maintained a very nuanced public position. They've made no announcement right now. And they know they're principle target of this campaign as it goes forward.
CHEN: It is very personal to Osama bin Laden what happens in Saudi Arabia because...
CLARK: It is very personal. He's lost his citizenship in Saudi Arabia. The rest of his family there. The family traditionally had a lot of wealth created by his father there. And of course, inside Saudi Arabia, you have the key cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina. And who controls those key cities in Islam has much greater spiritual authority over all of Islam. And as we know, Osama bin Laden is trying to create this conflict of civilizations.
CHEN: Let's talk about Egypt here quickly.
CLARK: Egypt, a great U.S. ally. We've been giving Egypt several billion dollars a year of aid ever since the 1978 treaties organized by Begin and Sadat. And yet, Egypt has a very strong radical element in there. They assassinated Anwar Sadat in the early 1980s.
Egypt is not exactly a Western style democracy. They've been very repressive. They do have problems with terrorism in Egypt. And Mubarak, as a consequence, has had to also nuance his support for the United States efforts.
Egypt is a critical country because Egypt is, in many ways, the cultural center of Islamic world, the arts and the style, and the culture center here in Egypt very important.
CHEN: General Clark, we appreciate your insights. Good countries to watch in the days to come. Thanks very much, General Wesley Clark.
We'll take a break here and return with more of Wolf after the break.
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