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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Where is Osama bin Laden Hiding Now?; When Will the Skies Be Safer?
Aired November 27, 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)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Our efforts, of course, will be shifting from cities at some point, to hunting down and rooting out terrorists, where they hide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Where is Osama bin Laden hiding now? Has he left behind a chemical weapons operation?
A looming deadline for screening all airline baggage. Why the government may not need it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out you're not going to get from here to there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: When will the skies be safer? I'll ask aviation analyst, Michael Boyd.
We'll go to northern Afghanistan, where U.S. troops are helping to mop up after a Taliban revolt. And to eastern Afghanistan, where a Taliban force has given up, as "America Strikes Back."
Hello from Washington, where new information is coming out on the number of people the U.S. government has detained in its terror investigation. Today we've learned they may include members of al Qaeda.
This hour, we'll explore why the U.S. attorney general is being a bit more forthcoming about what's going on. We'll also get the latest on the war in Afghanistan, and the possibility that Iraq might be the next U.S. target. But first, a quick check on the latest developments. Here is CNN's Daryn Kagan in Atlanta -- Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf, always good to see you. Starting with our latest developments, U.S. officials saying that Osama bin Laden's terror network may have carried out research on weapons of mass destruction in Afghanistan. The commander of the U.S. central command, General Tommy Franks, says more than 40 such sites have been identified. We're going to have more on this important story in just a moment.
The Pentagon says there are now 600 U.S. Marines in southern Afghanistan. Their numbers are to grow to just over 1,000 by the end of today. The Marines are within striking distance of the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.
A bloody prison uprising in northern Afghanistan has not quite been snuffed out just yet. Hundreds of Taliban and Northern Alliance fighters have been killed since the revolt broke out more than two days ago. U.S. and British special forces troops are helping the Northern Alliance in the battle to regain control of the prison.
U.S. officials say that Osama bin Laden and top Taliban leaders may be in areas not under the control of anti-Taliban forces. U.S. forces are focussing their search in the southern Kandahar area, and also the area around the eastern city of Jalalabad.
And talks are under way in Germany on the political future of Afghanistan. Taking part in the U.N.-sponsored meeting are four Afghan faction groups, including the Northern Alliance. The goal there is to set up a two-year transitional government. More from Germany a little bit later in the show.
Attorney General John Ashcroft says that a number of suspected al Qaeda members are in custody in the U.S. He says the move is part of the sweeping investigation into the September terror attacks. Ashcroft says federal charges have been filed against 104 people, and 55 of those are in custody.
And with that, we teased a quite a few stories there. Let's toss it back to Wolf, let you do the heavy lifting this hour -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Daryn.
New revealing information today on the possible scope of Osama bin Laden's efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. commander of the war in Afghanistan says more than 40 sites in the country have now been identified as possible research centers for chemical, biological and even nuclear weapons.
CNN's military affairs correspondent Jamie McIntyre is at the Pentagon. He has all the details -- Jamie.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, even as the United States is finishing up its deployment of about 1,100 Marines in the southern Afghanistan -- that to kick the search for Osama bin Laden into high gear -- the U.S. is also inspecting the so- called dual-use facilities, factories that could be used for legitimate purposes, but may also have been used for research into chemical, biological or even nuclear weapons. The U.S. Central Commander General Tommy Franks said today that there had been more than 40 sites that had been identified. These are places where the United States has taken samples from. They haven't found anything yet, but he talked about it today at the briefing he gave at the U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENERAL TOM FRANKS, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND COMMANDER: We have identified more than 40 places which represent potential for WMD research, or things of that sort. Of those, a great many are currently under opposition leadership control.
And we're very systematically going about our way of visiting each one of those, I think, as the secretary has said. And we'll continue to visit them until we've gone through all of them, and performed the analyses that we need to perform to assure ourselves that we do not have evidence of WMD.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCINTYRE: Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence, including overhead imagery, indicates that the most likely place to find Osama bin Laden or Taliban leader Mohammed Omar, are in two parts of Afghanistan where opposition forces are not in control. That is, Kandahar, and the surrounding area, and the area south of Kabul, to the Khyber Pass, including all the way to the south to Tora Bora. Those are the areas where the United States is concentrating its searches.
Meanwhile, within a day or so, the rest of those Marines should be on the ground. And General Tommy Franks, the central commander, said today that those Marines are not there to attack the last Taliban stronghold in Kandahar. He said that's not why they're there. But they will be used to set up a forward operating base, as the U.S. expands its effort to find Osama bin Laden -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jamie, I understand why they're looking around Kandahar for Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar, because that area is still under the control, largely, of the Taliban. But the other area, Tora Bora, near Jalalabad in the northern part of Afghanistan, that's actually rather close to the border with Pakistan.
Why haven't the U.S. coalition forces and the Northern Alliance rebels been in control of that area as effectively as elsewhere in the north?
MCINTYRE: Well, it's been sort of a no-man's land. That is, it's not really under Taliban control, but it's not also under opposition control. These are also areas where there are many of these caves and tunnels that we've heard so much about during this campaign. That's where some of the U.S. bombing has been concentrated in recent days.
And its an area simply where they don't have a good idea of what's going on on the ground there. And so they're considered to be a likely spot. Or, as General Franks said today, an area that the U.S. has high interest in.
BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon, thank you very much.
Meanwhile, President Bush's tough talk on Iraq has stirred up a hornet's nest. Yesterday the president strongly hinted Iraq could be the next in the war against terrorism. Among other things, the president's comments highlighted the debate within the Bush administration over what to do about Iraq.
CNN senior White House correspondent John King joins us now with fresh details of what's going on -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, also some angry reaction today, cautious reaction, from Arab diplomats who say they could not support any U.S. military strikes against Iraq unless there was firm and compelling evidence linking Saddam Hussein to the September 11 attacks. And the White House concedes, it has no such evidence.
White House officials cautioning us today -- some even lecturing us -- not to draw a direct line. Do not expect the U.S. military campaign to go from a war in Afghanistan to military strikes on Iraq. They say the president is very sensitive to trying to maintain the international coalition, and that if -- emphasis on "if" -- Iraq became a future front in this war, he would try first to work through the international community.
That means new sanctions in the United Nations. A new press, as the president made yesterday, to get weapons inspectors back into Iraq, after three years. The Hussein government, though, saying no to that. U.S. officials concede the president may be laying the table for military action down the road, trying to set the table for military action down the road.
But they say, Wolf, don't expect anything in the near future. The president wants to try to keep this coalition together, and he wants to focus on Afghanistan first.
BLITZER: And, John, the president, as you well know, has a visitor over at the White House right now, the leader of Yemen. What's going on?
KING: Another key indicator of potential future fronts in this war. President Ali Abdullah Saleh just left that meeting, an Oval Office meeting, at the White House. In the past, U.S. officials quite critical of the president and his government. The U.S. investigation of the USS Cole, obviously taking place in Yemen. That is where that explosion occurred.
Since September 11, they say Yemen has been quite cooperate. But they also list Yemen, Somalia and Sudan as three countries where there continue to exist active al Qaeda cells. Those countries would be priorities once the war moves outside of Afghanistan.
No one saying the military would be the lead option -- they want to explore other options first. But certainly, Yemen, Somalia and Sudan, other potential future fronts beyond the recent conversations about Iraq.. But again, everyone today saying the campaign in Afghanistan still has some ways to go -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, John King at the White House. Shortly in our program, we'll talk with an expert about the situation in Yemen right now.
But first we want to talk a little more about the next potential target in the U.S. war against terrorism. James Steinberg was the former deputy national security adviser during the Clinton administration. He joins us now live.
Mr. Steinberg, how serious do you think all this talk of striking Iraq really is?
JAMES STEINBERG, FMR. DEP. NATL. SECURITY ADVISER: I think what we heard today, and from John King's report, is a very welcome sign that the administration recognizes that we've got a priority right now to deal with al Qaeda, the terrorist groups that are threatening us. And that's what we ought to focus on -- and that we need support of others to do that.
BLITZER: There's no smoking gun, apparently, no hard evidence directly linking Iraq's Saddam Hussein to the September 11 attacks. But some of those who are saying the U.S. should strike anyhow say it's been three years since there have been any U.N. weapons inspection teams inside Iraq, and that, by itself, is enough justification to slam the Iraqis.
STEINBERG: Well, I think we have to look at what our priorities are here. If the goal is to try to limit the effect that Saddam can have, in terms of developing weapons of mass destruction, we need to start by making sure that we're not isolated in this effort.
We have an opportunity now, with our new relationship with Russia and others, to try to toughen the sanctions to make them more effective, to reduce the humanitarian impact, but have a bigger impact on Saddam. And if we try to do that, I think we're going to have a much more effective effort in trying to mobilize others, if we need to use force in the future.
BLITZER: You remember, right after the Gulf War, as part of the cease-fire agreement, Saddam Hussein agreed to open up Iraq to U.N. weapons inspection teams. It was an agreement on his part that he unilaterally abrogated during the Clinton administration. Remind our viewers, why did President Clinton allow him to get away with that?
STEINBERG: It's not a question of allowing him to get away with it, Wolf. It's a question of, what are the options if Saddam is not prepared to do that? We can bomb him, but if he declines to accept inspectors, that doesn't leave us many other options. So what we chose to do was to strike at his facilities, and I that's an option that the administration has to retain.
If they see facilities that are being used to develop WMD, then I think a case can be made to use force. But if we say we're going to bomb you until he accepts the inspectors, what we'll find is, we can cause a lot of damage, but that won't necessarily compel him to do it.
And it will look like a victory for Saddam. We need to do this in a way that's going to be a victory for us.
BLITZER: How quickly would the international coalition that President Bush has assembled, crumble if the U.S. began to hit the Iraqi targets?
STEINBERG: I think that the coalition would be with us, if we could show a real reason for using force, because Saddam is connected to September 11 attacks, or if he's developing weapons and giving them to terrorist groups.
But absent that, I think we've seen very clearly today that our coalition won't support us. And we still need that coalition.
BLITZER: So you think it's more likely that other targets, in Somalia, perhaps even the Philippines or Indonesia, might be more realistic targets?
STEINBERG: I think they're both more realistic, and they're more appropriate. Because if we can show the link to the al Qaeda network, then I think the world will support us in taking action, and we can work with friendly governments, in the Philippines and Yemen, to go after them.
BLITZER: OK, Jim Steinberg, former deputy national security adviser under President Clinton, thanks very much for joining us.
And we'll have much more assessment on how to handle Iraq at 7:00 p.m. Eastern here in the CNN war room. Among my guests, the former CIA director James Woolsey, and the investigative journalist, Seymour Hersh. You can participate, by the way, by going to my Web site, cnn.com/wolf. Click on "Send Questions," and my panel will try to answer as many as we can. You can also check out my daily column. Today's focus is on Iraq.
As we just mentioned, President Bush held talks today with the president of Yemen. As you recall, Yemen was the site of last year's attack on the Navy warship, USS Cole. The U.S. blames the Cole attack on Osama bin Laden. Some U.S. officials have suggested that Yemen could be a future front in the war on terrorism.
But today the White House said President Bush is pleased with Yemen's help. Joining us now for more on this is Marta Colburn. She's the former director of the American Institute of Yemeni Studies.
Marta, thank you so much for joining us. A lot of people have compared the situation in Afghanistan, with warlords, a lot of different tribes, to what is happening inside Yemen. Is that a fair comparison?
MARTA COLBURN, YEMENI EXPERT: Yes, there are similarities, definitely. Yemeni tribes are an isolated communities, heavily armed. But you know, there are also a lot of differences, as well. Yemen takes very seriously the security, its own internal security, and has really increased its crackdown on terrorism in recent years.
BLITZER: Do you have reason to believe that al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden's organization, still has a foothold, training bases, inside Yemen?
COLBURN: You know, I'm not sure if I feel qualified to answer that question. Of course, rumor has it that there are terrorists bases still, some very small and minor ones. The Yemeni government has closed down three major al Qaeda bases in recent years, since 1998.
It is rumored that there is still some presence of al Qaeda. But the Yemenis are taking this very serious at this point. They are increasing their internal security with visa and immigration regulations. They have deported over 14,000 illegal immigrants, and they are stepping up their own security, training, et cetera, hopefully with U.S. support, for their security officials on borders, and et cetera.
BLITZER: Many of us who have -- are familiar with Yemen know that Westerners have been kidnapped repeatedly over the years, including you at one point, in 1999. Is it any safer today for a westerner to show up in Yemen, than it was a year or two ago?
COLBURN: I would say that the -- I have no qualms about traveling to Yemen at this point. However, as you know, tourism has been, or probably have heard, tourism has been deeply affected in the whole region as a result of 9-11. And certainly, Yemen has felt that as well. Many, many cancellations of tourists that had planned to come to Yemen, will no longer be coming.
Again, kidnapping is a problem in Yemen, and does affect the impact of Yemen's economy and the security there. But the government is becoming much more serious about controlling kidnapping, as well as other forms of terrorism.
BLITZER: Yemen's relationship with the Bush administration, with the U.S., clearly has improved. Witness the fact that Yemen's president is over at the White House today.
But there have been complaints, as you well know, that the Yemeni government is not fully cooperating with the FBI and other U.S. law enforcement investigators, into the investigation of the bombing of the USS Cole. What's your take on that?
COLBURN: I think it depends upon who you talk to. There are those in the State Department, U.S. State Department, that have felt the Yemenis have cooperated sufficiently and adequately. However, there are others inside the U.S. government, and other branches of government, that have felt that lack of cooperation, or have let their dissatisfaction be known.
I think it really does depend upon who you're talking about. The Yemenis have cooperated, and I think are increasing their cooperation, as we speak. And certainly, since 9-11. BLITZER: OK, Marta Colburn, thanks for your insight on Yemen -- potentially another target in the U.S. war on terrorism. We shall see, of course. Thank you for joining us.
COLBURN: Thank you.
BLITZER: Thank you.
Meanwhile in Afghanistan, a key surrender of a Taliban commander just might be a signal that the Taliban are losing their grip on the border city of Spin Boldak. A commander spoke with CNN's Nic Robertson. Here is Nic's report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just before sunset, a Taliban commander crossed into Pakistan. He told us that the 25 soldiers under his command have been stood down. He told us they no longer wanted to fight. He told us the administrator of Spin Boldak had told him to stand his fighters down.
He said that he had paid his fighters off, and they had gone back to their families. This is perhaps an indication of the deals that we understand are possibly being struck between tribal commanders and the Taliban at this stage, that the Taliban should surrender control of Spin Boldak.
Deeper inside Afghanistan, in Kandahar itself, the situation there, tense. Truck drivers who left there today told us that the road appears to be under Taliban control. However, there are detours on that road to avoid sections that the Taliban -- sections of the road the Taliban have now lost control of.
Controversy over who controls those sections of road. Possibly, according to Taliban officials, U.S. forces. According to tribal commanders here, tribal commanders now control sections of that highway. Certainly, the truck drivers telling us there are growing concerns inside Kandahar province, inside the city of Kandahar, about what it means to have U.S. troops on the ground so close to the spiritual capital of the Taliban.
Nic Robertson, CNN, on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We believe the uprising of the fortress may be over because almost all of the 400 Taliban prisoners inside are now dead. We have witnessed another intense day of fighting between Northern Alliance soldiers and Taliban prisoners, held up inside a basement and sniping at Northern Alliance soldiers.
The fighting was at times extremely intense. We saw one Northern Alliance tank getting involved, but no U.S. bombing campaign today. We managed to enter the fortress and we have seen the evidence of the intensity of the fighting. Dozens and dozens of bodies lay on the ground, there -- some of them mutilated. Most of them have been there since the beginning of the fighting on Sunday.
Casualties among the Northern Alliance, we have counted six dead and two wounded today. Although we know the Northern Alliance has lost more than 100 soldiers since the beginning of the fight. We also saw U.S. and British military soldiers, special forces, arriving here at the fortress earlier today.
They are helping coordinate the military operation inside the compound, but also perhaps, retrieving the body of one CIA operative, who was killed the first day of the fighting on Sunday.
I'm Alessio Vinci, CNN, reporting from Mazar-e Sharif in Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And our thinks to Alessio and Nic Robertson. Later this hour, we'll check in, by the way, with Nic once again, and talk to him about the dangers of covering the war. His insights come after yet another journalist has been killed in Afghanistan.
First, a tour of terror.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm taken to what they fear most of all, a non-targeted building made of brick and wood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: CNN's Brent Sadler, on what is left inside this Afghan building.
And, airliners often run late. How about the government plans for airline security? Are they running late as well?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Attorney General John Ashcroft says suspected members of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network are in custody as part of the investigation into the September 11 attacks on the U.S. He also says the U.S. had filed federal charges against 104 people, as part of the investigation.
With a look now at some of the legal issues involved, I'm joined by CNN legal analyst Roger Cossack. Roger, thanks for joining us. Let's get right to what the attorney general said. At one point, in explaining the very controversial actions he and the Justice Department have taken, he put it this way.
Listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: The Department of Justice is waging a deliberate campaign of arrest and detention, to protect American lives. We are removing suspected terrorists who violate the law from our streets, to prevent further terrorist attack. We believe we have al Qaeda membership in custody, and we will use every constitutional tool to keep suspected terrorists locked up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: He is not obviously spelling out all of the details, but he really doesn't have to, does he?
ROGER COSSACK, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: No, he really does not have to. What he said is that we are arresting people who have violated the law. And some of those people may also be suspected terrorists.
What it appears to have happened in this situation, is that there are people who have actually violated the criminal law, by doing something, for example, assisting someone in getting an identification. Those people have been locked up for criminal law violations, and other violations.
And then there are people here with immigration violations. The law is different for both of those kinds of things. So he has more of an ability to keep people detained under immigration violations. And some of them are the kinds of immigration violations that maybe two, three years ago, would have been handled by paperwork: people who came over here on a student visa and got a job. They weren't supposed to do that. That is technically a violation. A couple years ago...
BLITZER: Not even a couple years ago. Probably September 10.
COSSACK: Yeah, a lot of those violations would have been, "don't do this anymore." Now some of those people are detained, and at the very least, being sent home.
BLITZER: Many of the names are not being released, of the people who are detained. And he explained that decision in this way. I want you to listen to what the attorney general said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASHCROFT: For those detained by the INS, I do not think it is responsible for us, in a time of war, when our objective is to save American lives, to advertise to the opposing side that we have al Qaeda membership in custody.
When the United States is at war, I will not share valuable intelligence with our enemies. We might as well mail this list to the Osama bin Laden al Qaeda network, as to release it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSSACK: Well, there's two sides to this, and I can understand his position. And there's another position. His position is obviously, as he states: I'm not going to help out al Qaeda by telling them the names of the people that we have in custody that could give them help.
On the other side, there is a little bit of Kafka-esque in there in that story, when there was a knock on the door and he says: Someone must have done something very bad, because they came and took him away.
We have seen, too many times in the past, in totalitarian governments, where there's the knock on the door and someone gets taken away, and you don't know who they and you don't know what they've done. So there is both sides of that story.
Now, to be fair to the attorney general, many of these people have lawyers, although they're not guaranteed free lawyers under immigration law, like they would be under traditional criminal law. And if they want their names made public, certainly their lawyers can do that.
The attorney general believes that it helps the other side by releasing their names, so be it. There are certain things you just have to give up to the attorney general.
BLITZER: And are there different rules that apply to American citizens, than non-American citizens?
COSSACK: Well, sure. American citizens always have certain guarantees under the Constitution, that non-American citizens simply do not have. The Constitution is set up for American citizens. However, historically, noncitizens have always enjoyed those rights under the Constitution that American citizens have. But that doesn't mean it has to be that way.
BLITZER: Roger Cossack, thanks for explaining a complicated situation.
COSSACK: OK.
BLITZER: I appreciate it.
And evidence left behind by the Taliban forces reveals some frightening future plans. Coming up, we will see what's been discovered. Plus, the dangers inside Afghanistan for reporters covering the war, and how the veterans are trying to stay safe. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. We're following a breaking news story that's moving now across the Associated Press wire. An 84-year-old man has been found dead in his home, and he could be -- the AP is suggesting he could be another victim of anthrax inhalation. He lived in the same area where the 94-year-old woman, Ottilie Lundgren, passed away last week from anthrax inhalation.
The governor's office in Connecticut is saying that an autopsy is being conducted this afternoon. The man died in his home earlier today. His body was not discovered, though, for several days. Once again, an 84-year-old man has been found dead in an area in Connecticut, and the suspicion is that it could have been anthrax inhalation. Once again, the Associated Press reporting this.
We're following this breaking story, expecting a news conference shortly. We'll have more details, of course, as they become available. Meantime, let's go back to Daryn Kagan in Atlanta for a quick check of the other late developments of today -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Yes, Wolf.
And while you get the latest on that story, I'll bring you the latest from the Pentagon and the latest on the Marines in Afghanistan -- the Pentagon saying it expects to have more than 1,000 Marines in Southern Afghanistan by the end of today. That's an increase of 400. The Marines are within striking distance of the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.
Fighting does continues in a prison in Northern Afghanistan. Hundreds of Taliban and Northern Alliance fighters have been killed since the revolt began more than two days ago. U.S. and British special forces troops are working with the Northern Alliance to regain control of that prison.
The search for Osama bin Laden and other top Taliban leaders is being focused in areas around the cities of Kandahar and Jalalabad. U.S. officials say that bin Laden and the others may be in areas not under the control of anti-Taliban forces.
Talks are under way in Germany on the political future of Afghanistan. Taking part in the U.N.-sponsored meeting are four Afghan faction groups, including the Northern Alliance -- the goal there to set up a two-year transitional government.
Attorney General John Ashcroft says a number of suspected al Qaeda members are in U.S. custody. He says the move is part of the sweeping investigation into the September terror attacks. Ashcroft says federal charges have been filed against 104 people and of those 55 are in custody.
The commander of the U.S. Central Command says the network tied to Osama bin Laden may have done research on weapons of mass destruction in Afghanistan. General Tommy Franks says more than 40 such research sites have been identified.
And with that, we go back up to Wolf in Washington -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you, Daryn.
Meanwhile, as anti-Taliban forces gain ground inside Afghanistan, more is being learned about the activities of al Qaeda terrorists inside the country.
CNN's Brent Sadler reports on the discovery of what's alleged to be a center for making and spreading the weapons of terror. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SADLER: Massive bomb craters, the aftermath of U.S. airstrikes more than a month ago. Hundreds of al Qaeda terror recruits were reportedly training here but have now scattered. According to the new authorities in the area though, they still pose a threat to security.
(voice-over): This former terror base, I'm told, partly explains why. It holds deadly secrets and is a dangerous place to be.
(GUNSHOTS)
I am taken to what they fear most of all, a non-targeted building, made of brick and wood, containing evidence which seems to support claims al Qaeda was developing, and spreading, chemical weapons know-how. An untidy collection of gas masks, rubber gloves, and toxic substances, haphazardly stored next to an antitank mine. A student textbook shows the chemical formula for sarin, a deadly nerve agent. A macabre hoard of terror training manuals. The camp is destroyed, but the knowledge learned here may still be intact, spread far and wide.
Brent Sadler, CNN, Jalalabad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Checking now some other international stories we are covering, the Russians have returned to Afghanistan, the country they left a dozen years ago in defeat and disgrace. Some 100 Russians are now in the Afghan capital of Kabul on a humanitarian mission that will include building a hospital.
Police in Belgium have detained two men in the investigation of the assassination of a top Afghan rebel leader. Ahmad Shah Massoud, military commander of the Northern Alliance, was fatally wounded two days before the September 11 terror attacks.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says he has no problem with the Northern Alliance taking part in a broad-based government in Afghanistan. But in an interview he stressed that any new government must be represented by all ethnic groups. The Northern Alliance has long been at odds with Pakistan for its former support of the Taliban.
United Nations-sponsored talks on Afghanistan's future opened today in Germany . Taking part are four Afghan factions, including the Northern Alliance.
CNN's Jim Bittermann is covering the talks. And he joins us now live.
Jim, how did today's first round go?
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well pretty well, Wolf.
In fact, a lot of optimism here -- it's an indication of how well things are going: It's after 11:30 at night here and the talks are still going on at this hour. There's a bilateral meeting going on right now between the Northern Alliance and members of the former king's delegation from Rome.
That's just part of what has been a very positive day today. One person inside the talks said that, all day long, the atmosphere has been amiable and friendly, that beginning with the speeches this morning, which revealed that the four delegations to these talks basically share the same goal. Everyone talked about the same kind of thing: creating a broad-based government. And with that kind of commonality, it was easy for them to come to an agreement on an agenda. The United Nations spokesmen, Ahmad Fawzi, here, said in fact that they quickly came to an agreement on what they want to talk about.
One of the U.S. senior officials here said, at these international conferences, even agreeing on an agenda is something. So, in fact, they are off to a pretty good start. They are continuing this evening. One of the speeches that was most awaited here was the speech of the Northern Alliance delegate head, Younus Qanooni. And, in fact, he gave a very cooperative speech today talking about how the Northern Alliance was ready to transfer power to a legitimate representative government of the Afghan people, something that really struck a very high note with people at the table.
Afterwards, one of the members of the king's alliance said it was an exceptional speech and a very good day -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Jim Bittermann, near Bonn at those talks, thank you very much for joining us.
And, as the talks begin in Germany, some doubt about the intentions of the Northern Alliance surface, especially when it comes to sharing power.
CNN State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel looks at how some point to past actions of the Alliance as a warning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the Northern Alliance currently in control of much of Afghanistan, privately U.S. officials question whether it will agree to share power as part of a broad-based post-Taliban government, a concern echoed publicly by experts.
FREDERICK STARR, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: From the beginning, though, they have made promises that they had no intention of keeping. And they have broken them. And they have done this repeatedly. And their purpose has been to set up, de facto, a government that is ruling in Kabul.
KOPPEL: Despite warnings by the U.S. and others not to enter Kabul, Northern Alliance forces broke their promise and took the city. Northern Alliance President Rabbani ignored U.S. and international warnings not to return to Afghanistan. Rabbani also rejected calls for an international security force to secure Kabul. And Northern Alliance leaders had to be pushed to join other Afghan groups at this week's talks in Bonn, talks Rabbani has said are only symbolic.
But a spokesman for the Northern Alliance insists it is serious about eventually sharing power.
HARON AMIN, NORTHERN ALLIANCE: Our aim is not to monopolize power or hoard power, but to engage with others in establishing a broad-based government in Afghanistan.
KOPPEL: For its part, at least publicly, the Bush administration prefers to be optimistic.
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: They're there. They've been pledged to a broad-based government all along. They've maintained that commitment. They've shown up at the talks. They've participated. And we'll see what the Afghan parties produce.
KOPPEL (on camera): But being realistic, the Bush administration isn't taking any chances, telling the Northern Alliance and other Afghan opposition groups that U.S. aid to rebuild their country is linked to building a broad-based interim government. Said one senior administration official overseeing Afghan policy: "I don't want to be Pollyannaish. We recognize there may be resistance."
Andrea Koppel, CNN, at the State Department.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: And coming up, on the ground in Afghanistan, bringing the story home: As another journalist is killed, we'll look at the dangers facing reporters and get some unique insight from one of CNN's veteran war correspondents.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
We are following a developing story in Connecticut. An 84-year- old man has been found dead. And they're investigating whether this is another case of inhalation anthrax. The Associated Press is reporting this. We are standing by awaiting more information from a news conference.
But Susan Candiotti joins us now here in our CNN Washington bureau.
You have been speaking to officials. What have they been telling you about this latest case in Connecticut?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the FBI says that, as of a couple of hours ago, it was made aware of the situation in Connecticut, being advised by authorities there, including the governor's office, investigating the death of this man who lived in the same area as the 94-year-old woman who died. Now, the FBI will stay in touch with Connecticut authorities. As soon as the results of that autopsy are available and ready to be released, of course, they will be kept apprised of the situation.
Also, the postal inspectors, who are also part of this ongoing anthrax investigation, told us just a little while ago that, so far, they have no information about the case in Connecticut. So we know that the FBI is aware, is working with the Connecticut authorities regarding this. And we'll wait to hear what develops once the autopsy results are made available.
BLITZER: And we know from the Associated Press that Governor John Rowland's office in Connecticut, the Connecticut governor, says an autopsy on this 84-year-old man is being conducted this afternoon.
All right, we will stand by. We'll get some more information. Susan, thank you very much.
And also here on the home front, the government will miss a 60- day deadline to begin screening all bags checked onto airliners. The new aviation security law requires the screening. But Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta says there won't be enough workers, bomb- sniffing dogs or explosive-detecting machines to do the job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORMAN MINETA, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: Essentially, right now, two companies that are certified in terms of bomb detection for explosive detection, EDS, one has the capability of about -- if they ramp up in the next couple months -- getting to nine machines a month -- maybe by the end of next year, 20 a month. Well, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out, you are not going to get from here to there given that kind of production scheme.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Joining us now, the aviation industry analyst Michael Boyd. He is in Denver.
Michael, thank you very much.
If you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know it now, why did they come up with this deadline earlier?
MICHAEL BOYD, THE BOYD GROUP: Good point.
Mr. Mineta knew full well while Washington people were talking about having a deadline. He never said anything. He full well knew those two companies couldn't do it. He knows we don't have the capability of doing it. But he kept quiet until now. I think gives you an indication of just exactly where our security oversight is headed.
BLITZER: Well, what is a realistic deadline? When will these procedures be in place, realistically? BOYD: Well, realistically, we should have looked at other technologies and other ways of addressing this. The FAA has adopted this computer tomography. And they have anointed just two companies to build the things.
This is information that Mr. Mineta and Jane Garvey at the FAA knew very well while Congress was deciding to put a 60-day deadline on this. We should have other technologies being pursued immediately and not just these two. And we need no open it up to just more than two companies who are politically connected.
BLITZER: It sounds, though, from what you're saying, is this could take quite a while before American flyers, travelers, really feel safe about their checked baggage.
BOYD: You're absolutely right. It is going to take a very long time. But we have known that and we haven't told the people that. And gives you an indication of just how much air is really contained in this new security act. Most of the stuff has been on the books for years. And the FAA and the DOT have done nothing about it. So this is just, I think, the first of a number of revelations we are going to have over the next several months that our security is not what that act is cracked up to be.
BLITZER: Are there shortages across the board? You heard Mr. Mineta say earlier today that there is not enough, for example, bomb- sniffing dogs. Is that a serious shortage out there as well?
BOYD: Oh yes. If you have a bomb-sniffing dog, you can make a lot of money today. Airports like Denver might need 200 or 300 of those dogs. So the dogs aren't the answer. Just think of the pooper- scooper issue there with all those dogs running around. What we really do need to recognize is, to do all this is going to change facilities, not just buying equipment or bringing in puppy dogs. It's going to be a major event to get it done.
But the point again is, we knew this going in and no one said anything.
BLITZER: I think the deadline for hiring those 28,000 federal employees who will be screening individuals at airports, that's a year. Is that a realistic deadline?
BOYD: It really isn't. First of all, the training is a joke. It's only 40 hours. They haven't even figured out what the training is going to be, even though they were mandated to do this several years ago. I think what they will end up doing is taking just about anything with a U.S. passport, a high school degree and a pulse. And I think that is going to be the problem, because these deadlines are totally unreasonable. And we won't have really professional security.
BLITZER: Michael Boyd, discouraging words, but probably realistic -- thanks for joining us.
BOYD: Thank you, sir.
BLITZER: And ahead, as America's strikes back, the dangers of covering the war in Afghanistan, a "Reporter's Notebook" on the risks when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
A new danger is facing journalists covering the war in Afghanistan. A Canadian freelance reporter has been kidnapped by the Taliban and is being held for ransom in Southeast Afghanistan. This is according to the reporter's editor in Montreal. And a Swedish journalist, Ulf Stroemberg, died while working in Afghanistan. Today, he was reportedly shot by robbers in the northern town of Taloqan. Stroemberg is the eighth journalist to die since the U.S.-led military campaign began in October.
Earlier, I spoke to CNN's Nic Robertson about the dangers faced by journalists in the region.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: Already it appears it is very dangerous. Eight journalists have been killed so far and several more injured. It's the unpredictability of Afghanistan since the Taliban relinquishing control throughout the country -- the flux of the moving front lines, other forces coming to play inside Afghanistan, other forces that are not under a central command -- appear at this time to be taking a toll on journalists. It is a situation in which we do have to be very careful. We do have to listen to the advise of local people on the ground here, our local staff. That is very important at this stage.
BLITZER: Is there a sense out there that journalists are deliberately being targeted by various factions or that those who have been killed or injured are just unlucky?
ROBERTSON: It's very hard to tell.
For the three journalists who were killed during a Northern Alliance offensive in the north of Afghanistan, that did appear to be a case of they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were with an advancing force. That force was attacked. They, unfortunately, were collateral damage. The most recent journalist to die appeared to die as a result of a robbery on his compound.
Journalists there, because of their valuable equipment, because of the money they often travel with, are likely prey for people trying to make good out of the money that they have on them. Are journalists being targeted specifically? Perhaps it's a little early to say. But I think every journalist here knows that the equipment they travel with, the money that they have makes them vulnerable. The fact that they are going into volatile situations with moving front lines with people who don't know who is it that is driving down the road towards them makes their situation very, very precarious.
BLITZER: As many of our viewers noticed, a lot of journalists covering the front lines wear flak jackets. But take us behind the scenes. What other kinds of security precautions are the journalists covering this war normally taking?
ROBERTSON: Well, since 1992, CNN has been providing armored vehicles for its staff. We have now moved armored vehicles out into this region. They should provide some degree of protection against small-arms gunfire. However, the forces here in Afghanistan use rocket-propelled grenades...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: The governor of Connecticut is about to speak about the latest possible case of anthrax in Connecticut. Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
GOV. JOHN ROWLAND (R), CONNECTICUT: First, as you know, the FBI, the Centers for Disease Control, state police, and our Department of Public Health have been continuing their investigation, following numerous leads. Many of them I will not get into because they are still under investigation.
But you also know that we have ordered that the public health department work with all of our hospitals to look back over the last several months to see if there have been any deaths that have been due to respiratory problems or pneumonia to see if, indeed, they could have been similar to the anthrax symptoms or been a cause of anthrax.
The investigation and the contacts have resulted in two particular contacts. One was the death of an 84-year-old man in Seymour that occurred several weeks ago. He was found by a neighbor. He had been in his home for approximately four days. An autopsy was performed on the 84-year-old gentleman this morning. The autopsy showed that it was negative for anthrax.
We then took a tissue and worked with the Centers for Disease Control to determine if there was any anthrax there. And that was also proven to be negative. So the 84-year-old man from Seymour did not die from anthrax. And that report is conclusive from CDC and from our own public health officials.
The other family in Seymour has been interviewed and tested for anthrax. And those results at his home are negative. That was a family that may have received mail that may have been cross- contaminated. And that investigation continues. But, at this point, there is no symptoms and no indication to think that the family had been impacted by any anthrax.
Obviously, there's a lot of other rumors around, a lot of other stories that have been told. And I can just assure you that the FBI and the state police and CDC are working very closely with all the other agencies to track down any leads or other any information that has come about.
I also want to point out that, at UConn, there was a report. A tip was received by an outside law enforcement agency that there was material suspected to be anthrax found in an animal science building on the store's campus. The report was that there were sealed containers possibly producing cultures that were anthrax going back to the 1960s. That material is being tested to determine if it's anthrax. The CDC and the state police and university police are cooperating.
The building was evacuated at 3:30 as a precaution. No arrests have been made. The building will remain closed. And the CDC and the FBI will be transporting the material and testing it to see if indeed it contains any anthrax. Again, I want to point out that...
BLITZER: John Rowland, the governor of Connecticut, updating us now, confirming that the 84-year-old man -- the Associated Press had earlier reported that there were some suspicious indications he may have died of inhalation anthrax -- now shown conclusively that not to be case -- the governor saying that the autopsy, as well as subsequent tests conducted by the Centers for Disease Control show that the individual did not die from anthrax -- also a second case of an elderly individual, no indications at this point, according to the governor, that there was any cross-contamination -- no symptoms of anthrax as well -- both cases being investigated, of course -- this in the aftermath last week of an elderly women dying, indeed, from inhalation anthrax.
We are going to continue to follow this story throughout the evening.
In the meantime, let's go to Lou Dobbs -- he is standing by in New York -- for a quick preview of what's ahead on "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" -- Lou.
LOU DOBBS, "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE": Wolf, thank you.
U.S. air strikes continue against targets outside Kandahar, the last major Taliban stronghold. We will have a live report for you from Afghanistan -- in Germany, talks well under way now for building a post-Taliban government in Afghanistan. I will be joined tonight by former defense secretary, "MONEYLINE" regular contributor William Cohen, who will be discussing the future of Afghanistan and of course the progress in the war against terror worldwide.
And as major airlines are posting huge losses, one newcomer is actually turning a profit. I will be talking with the CEO of JetBlue, David Neeleman -- all of that, a lot more, coming up top at the of the hour. Please join us -- now back to Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Lou.
And coming up, the first lady's new cause: Afghan women facing unique struggle. Learn how Mrs. Bush is lending her support.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: First lady Laura Bush spoke out again today on the plight of women in Afghanistan. She met 11 Afghan women currently exiled from their homeland at the White House. The first lady says the future Afghan government being discussed now at talks in Germany should protect the rights of everyone, including women and children. Mrs. Bush says that the stability of Afghanistan depends on making human rights a very clear part of that new government.
I'll be back in one hour with more coverage from the CNN "War Room." Our focus tonight, Iraq: Will it become the next U.S. target for air strikes?
Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
CNN's coverage of America's new war continues with "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." That begins right now.
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