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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

September 11 Remembered With Silence, Ceremony; Where Did Terrorists Go After 9/11?

Aired March 11, 2002 - 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: A day remembered with silence and ceremony.

(BELL TOLLING)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY: The real memorial will be in our hearts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: From an Italian journalist who barely escaped with his own life...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I remember perfectly this image. People leaving, and this woman was scared. She turns her head back and looked at the towers. when you see the face of this lady, you understand what means, terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: We'll show the horror and heroism of September 11th in a way you've never seen before.

Where did the terrorists go after 9/11? An exclusive report on how many of them escaped, and how some are now feeling the fury of the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The terrorists will remember September 11th as the day their reckoning began.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The sites of impact will not be as you remember them. For the first time since September 11th, the void will be filled tonight at New York's ground zero. In a barren Pennsylvania field near Shanksville, a temporary memorial pays tribute to the passengers who tried to take back their plane. And at the Pentagon, there is no visible cavity.

But don't be fooled by the cosmetic changes. Those touched by this tragedy find it difficult to move on.

Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting from just outside the Pentagon, one of the targets of al Qaeda's terror campaign. This is the six- month mark of the September 11th attacks.

In that time, there has been considerable progress in rebuilding the Pentagon. You will remember the two outer corridors collapsed on the building's west side. A third was damaged by fire. Today, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld toured the site, which officials say will be completely repaired by next September 11th. In this hour you'll see how this section is rising from the ashes.

You'll also learn about a disturbing escape by al Qaeda in the days before and after the attacks. First, how America is coping with a changed world.

In New York's Battery Park, officials dedicated a 45,000-pound steel and bronze sculpture as a temporary memorial to the victims of the attack. The sphere, as it's called, stood in the World Trade Center. It was partially crushed by falling debris. The sphere was created by the artist Fritz Koenig as a monument to world peace through international trade.

Here at the Pentagon, a presentation of 184 roses in memory of those killed in the attack when the building was hit by a hijacked American Airlines jetliner. Each rose represents those who died inside the Pentagon, as well as the passengers and crew on the plane, with the exception of the five hijackers. The roses were presented by 50 mayors of the National League of Cities.

And in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, church bells rang out...

(VIDEO GAP)

David Mattingly is at the crash site just outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania. He'll join us with a live report in just a moment. But first, we're going to CNN's Deborah Feyerick. She's at ground zero in New York for a preview of the "Tribute of Light," a memorial event set to begin in about 90 minutes from now -- Deborah.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, two tours of light will be shooting up into the sky. They're shining as brightly as two million light bulbs. They will be visible from about two miles away. And while they're not exactly at ground zero, they're certainly very close to ground zero. And you have to understand the mentality of New Yorkers. Everyone uses the buildings as a compass. If they're on your right, you're heading south. If they're on your left, you're heading north.

Those towers clearly ripped away from all New Yorkers. But perhaps these towers of light will fill the void and help people reorient themselves once again. While people have been getting busy, getting on with their normal routine, things are certainly far from normal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): The thirteenth precinct, Sergeant Christopher Brown beginning his day. An ordinary day, and then it comes -- the lump in the throat, the fight to choke back tears.

SGT. CHRISTOPHER BROWN, NYPD: Hearing everyone talk about this this morning when you come in, it just took you right back there.

FEYERICK: Ordinary days don't really exist anymore -- not for many New Yorkers. Not for many rescue workers, so busy with memories so fresh they haven't had time to fully grieve.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We think about it every day. You can't come through the firehouse without seeing a photo or a name. And invariably, it conjures back up again.

FEYERICK: The flames of tragedy still burn brightly for firefighters of squad 252. Six friends and colleagues died on September 11th.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had a lot of guilt, like why were these guys taken? Why weren't others, why wasn't I? Why wasn't, you know -- I don't know.

FEYERICK: Six months and a big hole, at ground zero and in people's hearts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is something that's going to be with us forever.

FEYERICK: The sphere of peace, once standing between the towers of the World Trade Center, is bruised and dented. It's been patched up as a memorial, but it will never be the same.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And, Wolf, that sphere really symbolic of how New Yorkers are feeling. Everyone is a bit emotionally vulnerable, a bit bruised, a bit dented. But certainly, that memorial is temporary. There will be a stronger one, a bigger one, the mayor said, put in its place. One that will symbolize the rebirth, the regeneration. That's exactly what those two towers of light are going to represent, according to the artist. And perhaps it will get us a little further in the healing progress -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Deborah Feyerick at ground zero in New York, thanks for that report.

And here in Washington, the Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld took part in an event over at the Pentagon welcoming military leaders from the international coalition involved in the war against terrorism. Said the world now has the opportunity to tear terrorism out by the roots. Rumsfeld also toured the reconstruction site. We get more on that now from our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Six months after the horror. After the symbol of American military power became the front line, after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld assisted with the wounded, the sound of determination echoes around the Pentagon.

LEE EVEY, PENTAGON RENOVATION MGR: This is called the Phoenix project, because we're literally rising from the ashes.

STARR: Lee Evey runs the $700 million rebuilding effort.

EVEY: This building is remarkably tough. And it showed just how tough it is that day. This building stayed up and running, as I am sure you're well aware. The next day everyone reported for work. We were all here. We were open for business, and we were doing our job.

STARR: To be on site is to relive September 11th. One-hundred and twenty-five people inside were killed. More than 100 others were pulled from the flames. This historic building became seen as heroic. The side struck by the hijacked jetliner had recently been renovated, reinforced with steel and 2,000-pound blast-resistant windows. Even so, 400,000 square feet had to be demolished. Rebuilding goes on 24/7.

(on camera): The troops in Afghanistan are sending one message to the terrorists. But this army of construction workers is sending their own message to Osama bin Laden: You brought down part of the Pentagon. It's going right back up.

(voice-over): When the site shut down for two days at Christmas, the workers did not want to stop.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The job is basically the same. The feeling is what is different. We want to get this done.

STARR: Talk among the construction workers is that they can finish the whole job by September 11th, healing a building and closing a national wound.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And earlier I spoke with Lee Evey -- he's the manager of the Pentagon reconstruction project -- and asked him how the work is going.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

Mr. Evey, thanks so much for joining us. How difficult of a project has this been for you personally, to oversee the reconstruction of the Pentagon?

EVEY: Actually, this project has not been nearly as difficult as one might think. The commitment by the people on this project -- it starts at the very top and goes down all the way to the very bottom -- has been incredible. You know, we have managers and leaders in this program that arrive here at 3:00 in the morning.

We're conducting meetings here at 3:00 and 4:00 in morning. They're here at 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning to make sure that when workers arrive on site, that the work is prepared for them, the plans are in place, and that they don't lose effort. There's no unproductive work effort on this job.

Everything they do counts toward bringing this plan building back as quickly as possible, as effectively as possible, and as economically as possible.

BLITZER: Your people here, the workers, they have to get emotional, just knowing what happened here on September 11th.

EVEY: Well, I think at first they did, because it was very much in the forefront of everyone's mind here in the project. But in fact, at this point in the program, September 11th is in the past. And everyone's focus is what happens in the future. Everyone knows that we want to have people back in this building sitting at their desks, at the point where the aircraft hit, by September 11th of this year.

And we're not talking about a showpiece. We're not talking about slamming some chairs in there and having people sit on them so it looks like they're there. We're talking about having people sitting at their desks, doing real work, performing their mission by September 11th of this year. We're talking about really bringing this building back.

BLITZER: It's amazing how fast you've done this -- so much faster than anyone anticipated.

EVEY: Well, what we committed to, to the American people back on September 11, is we would do our best to bring this building back faster than anyone had a right to expect. And we have committed every inch of our capability and our commitment to making sure that that happens.

BLITZER: Is this -- when you look at this now, obviously, it's totally different than September 11th. You were here since day one. What was the single moment where you began to recognize the Pentagon is going to come back?

EVEY: Mr. Blitzer, I'd like to be able to say that the managers got together and we were very insightful, and we could see the ability was inherent. Unfortunately, I can't say that. It was the workers who came to us. And they said, hey, we can build this back. We can get people sitting at their desks by September 11th, and you're going to take that on as a goal.

We thought if the workers are committed to making this happen -- and they seem to be thoroughly convinced that they can make it happen -- then maybe we should take that on as a goal for our program. And that's the way it really happened. BLITZER: Show me what -- if we look over here, this whole area was where the plane, that American Airplanes flight 57 went in. Where did it impact exactly? Just point it out.

EVEY: Actually, you're standing over the route that the aircraft took into the building. It passed over this very spot. And the aircraft impacted right in front of this construction thing, right there. That was the point of impact into the building. The airplane then traveled through the building at about a 45-degree angle.

It happened to hit at the edge of wedge one, which was the first one million feet of renovation that we did on the building. Then went through a portion of wedge two, which was unrenovated.

BLITZER: Where were you that day?

EVEY: At the point in time of the impact, I was in Tennessee. As soon as I heard about it I jumped into my car and drove back as quickly as possible.

BLITZER: You've been here ever since, basically.

EVEY: Been here ever since.

BLITZER: Mr. Evey, thanks for joining us.

EVEY: Mr. Blitzer, it's a pleasure. Thanks for showing an interest in our program.

BLITZER: Thanks for the good work.

EVEY: Thank you, sir.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Six months ago another hijacked jetliner failed at its attempt to strike a target. Some of the passengers on United Airlines flight 93 tried to retake control of the plane, and the struggle apparently brought the aircraft down.

Today memorials in Shanksville, Pennsylvania honored the passengers and the crew on that flight. CNN's David Mattingly joins us now live from Shanksville -- David.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is about as close as the public can get to Shanksville's ground zero. We're about a quarter of a mile away here at the temporary memorial site. We're going to zoom in so you can get at least a little bit of a closer look. You might notice that the impact crater and the scorched trees we saw six months are now gone. In fact, there is almost nothing down there to tell you there was ever a plane crash.

But for the families and the people who live here, memories remain as vivid and painful as they did six months ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) (voice-over): Difficult moments in an emotionally-charged day. Families of United flight 93 victims placing flowers near Shanksville's ground zero, the place where the plane crashed September 11th and killed all on board, after passengers attacked their hijackers.

LILLIAN NACKIE, VICTIM'S MOTHER: It's a gorgeous day and you stand here and you think, six months ago, this area was a burial ground.

(BELLS RINGING)

MATTINGLY: In Shanksville, church bells tolled 40 times in the morning, once for each of the passengers and crew. In the afternoon, the families are escorted privately to the edge of ground zero. This land and this small town of about 240 in the last six months, growing very dear to the hearts of victims' families.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love them dearly. There are no words for me to express my thanks and gratitude to these people. They have been a great emotional support.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: And volunteers from the town of Shanksville reach out to all who come here, and that is a very big task indeed, because every weekend you can expect to see hundreds of people driving the country roads out here to get a look. Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, David Mattingly, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Here at the Pentagon and in New York -- that's where the first strike occurred. I want to go back to New York now and join the governor of New York to talk about the incredible determination to recover in that city.

Governor George Pataki, thanks for joining us. How difficult has it been for you today to meet with some of the families from those who died on September 11th?

GOV. GEORGE PATAKI, NEW YORK: Wolf, the sorrow and the sense of loss will never go away. It's six months later, and yet today, we had a funeral for another firefighter whose body was recovered a few days ago. The pain and suffering is very real. But so is the determination and the confidence, that we are going to not just rebuild, we're going to come through this stronger than we were on 8:46 in the morning on September 11th.

BLITZER: And I know you were there in New York City on that day. We all remember those pictures. But when you meet with these family members who lost sons and daughters and husbands and wives and children, how do you avoid not just breaking down yourself? We saw President Bush last week choking back tears. How do you do that?

PATAKI: Well, Wolf, sometimes you can't. And that's why it's important to have so many private moments with the families, because it is very emotional. And for all of the sense of loss that we feel, we can only imagine what it's like if you lost your son or your mother or father or sister or brother, as so many New Yorkers, so many Americans have.

It's our obligation to stand with them, to give them the support and the help that they need. And also to make sure that right here at ground zero, we have an appropriate, lasting memorial that is befitting of their sacrifice, and befitting of the courage of so many thousands of New Yorkers, who responded so heroically, really, on September 11th, and since then.

BLITZER: Well, I know that former Mayor Giuliani proposed that half of the area that used to be the World Trade Center be a memorial, the other half be buildings, office space, hotels -- rebuild that area. What do you think should be done there?

PATAKI: Wolf, clearly the most important thing at this site is the memorial. Now, what form or what scale that takes I think is just too soon. What we've done is put in place a process where we're reaching out to family members, to firefighters, to those heroes who were here, to the neighbors and business leaders. We will make sure that what happens here at ground zero is appropriate.

I think it's too soon to have any final determination. We do need to have input from so many different groups. But this is sacred ground, unlike the Pentagon. And we're pleased to see how quickly that is coming back. The removal here is not just to clean up the site. It's still to hope to find some additional bodies of those who lost their lives on September 11th, so the families can bring their loved ones home.

So, it is still very emotional. It is still something that, in my view, is very sacred, and will be for -- not just years, but for generations to come.

BLITZER: Governor, can you assure the people of New York City, indeed, the people of New York state, that they are safer today than they were on September 11th?

PATAKI: Well, Wolf, I can tell you that no state, no city is doing more and no one is working more cooperatively than we are -- city, state and federal officials together -- to put in place the best possible programs. We have not just the normal, National Guard at the bridges and tunnels and airports, We have major efforts to share intelligence, gather intelligence, and take whatever steps we can to protect the people of New York.

But having said that, I think that President Bush is absolutely right in saying that this war against terror is a long war. And it's one that we don't just fight here in America. It's one we have to fight around the world. And until when that time comes, when these terrorist networks have been rooted out across the world, we can sleep safely.

Until then, whether you're in New York or Iowa or California or anywhere, we have to be vigilant, we have to be prepared, and we have to be aware that behind me is the site where almost 3,000 victims -- innocent victims, of a war they didn't even know existed -- fell prey to horrible evil. And that evil is still out there.

BLITZER: Governor George Pataki of New York, my home state, thanks so much for joining us on a -- it must be a very difficult day for you and for everyone in that entire area at ground zero. Thank you so much.

PATAKI: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Our Web question of the day is this: how often do you think about September 11th? Vote your opinion at cnn.com/wolf. While you're there, let me know what you're thinking. There's a "click here" icon on the left side of my web page. Send me your comments. I'll read some of them on the air each day. That's also, by the way, where you can read my daily on-line column, cnn.com/wolf.

And this programming note: tonight at 7:00 Eastern in the CNN "WAR ROOM," we'll tell you about the future obstacles in America's war on terror. I'll speak with the former CIA director, James Woolsey, and the former NATO supreme allied commander, General George Joulwan.

I'll return at 8:00 p.m. Eastern for "LIVE FROM THE PENTAGON." You'll meet a man who thought he worked in the safest place in the world. He was the only survivor in his office at the Pentagon.

But first, where is al Qaeda hiding? A CNN exclusive on those that got away in the days before and after September 11th.

A hint of the next terror battleground: President Bush offering threatening words to Iraq.

And later...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was a moment I was so strongly hurt, that I started to cry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: September 11th, told like you've never seen it before. Meet the journalist who owes his life to a dying battery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, FMR. MAYOR OF NEW YORK: The tragedy that we're all undergoing right now is something that I've had nightmares about. Probably thought it wouldn't happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There has been a dramatic military development in the Middle East between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Let's go live to Jerusalem right away. Our correspondent, Michael Holmes, is standing by with details -- Michael. MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf. I can tell you that a massive Israeli military operation is under way at this moment in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian security forces have told us up to 50 tanks, and significantly, up to 2,000 troops -- that's a large number for an incursion like this -- have entered the Jabaliya refugee camp. That's the largest refugee camp in either the Gaza Strip or the West Bank. And it's known as a hotbed, if you like, of nationalism. It's where the '87 intifada began.

I can tell you that 13 people, Palestinians, have been confirmed dead so far. More than 80 wounded, according to hospital sources. I spoke with a very senior Palestinian source just a moment ago, an official. He said if this continues, it's going to be a bloodbath. There is shooting continuing as we speak. And this is obviously a major incursion by Israeli forces.

The Israel military tells us that they do have a ground operation against terrorist targets under way. That's all we have for you at the moment, Wolf.

BLITZER: Michael, give us some perspective. There have been Israeli military incursions against other Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza in recent days and weeks. How significantly different, if these initial reports are accurate, would this one be?

HOLMES: The main difference, Wolf, is the number of troops involved. Normally you may get a couple of hundred troops involved in an incursion like this. And what's been happening is they've been going in and rounding up young Palestinians, up to the age of 45, sometimes up to 60 -- rounding up hundreds at a time for questioning. This seems to be the first one where we've seen major violence, obviously, involved. How the violence began, we don't know.

Also, the number of troops involved. If the Palestinian sources are correct and 2,000 troops are involved, that's a large number. And obviously there has been some resistance involved if we have 13 dead and more than 80 wounded. As I said, Jubaliya is the largest refugee camp, 150,000 people. This is obviously a much bigger incursion going on right now.

BLITZER: And we have some new pictures that are just arriving in the CNN center. We're showing them now, Michael. Obviously wounded Palestinians from this latest incident, being brought to hospitals in Gaza and the West Bank.

One additional note. This comes, Michael, just as the prime minister of Israel seemed to be reversing himself in a couple of fronts, including a diplomatic decision to allow the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, to leave his compound in Ramallah. How do they balance tough military action on the one hand and diplomatic gestures, perhaps, on the other?

HOLMES: Yes, Ariel Sharon has seized the lifting of the restrictions of movement on Yasser Arafat as a promise fulfilled. He was initially confined to Ramallah because the Israelis wanted four people arrested for the murder of the tourism minister last October. The fourth person was arrested and that was announced last week.

And Ariel Sharon basically told his cabinet he was keeping his promise to allow Yasser Arafat now to move around just the West Bank and the Gaza Strip where of course, he can visit his now ruined headquarters, which were destroyed a couple of nights ago. He isn't allowed to leave the country without specific Israeli permission. But that's pretty much always been the case.

I was at a demonstration in Tel Aviv earlier this evening, where there were several thousand Israelis calling on Mr. Sharon to not turn to the left and to stay strong. Certainly, even if his actions have been moderate, if you like, in terms of Yasser Arafat and the like, the military action certainly has not abated.

BLITZER: CNN's Michael Holmes reporting live from Jerusalem on the latest developments. Israeli tanks moving against the Palestinian refugee camp in Gaza. We'll be back to you as developments occur. Thank you very much, Michael.

Let's turn back to the events here in the United States on this six-month mark going back to the September 11th terror attacks.

President Bush looked back on those attacks today, and he's also looking ahead at the White House this morning. The president led a memorial for the victims of the attacks, and he vowed to keep up the fight against terrorism. Our White House correspondent, Kelly Wallace, joins us live with details -- Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, aides say the symbolism and substance of today's events really designed to send a message that the United States and the entire global coalition stands united as the war, in Mr. Bush's words, enters the second stage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(AUDIO GAP)

(voice-over): ... as a symbolic show of unity. President Bush told the gathering of ambassadors, lawmakers and family members of victims the coalition must not lose its resolve as the war moves beyond Afghanistan.

BUSH: We've entered the second stage of the war on terror. A sustained campaign to deny sanctuary to terrorists who would threaten our citizens from anywhere in the world.

WALLACE: That campaign already under way, Mr. Bush said, with the U.S. sending military advisers to the Philippines, and soon to the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. And also helping Yemen from becoming, in the president's words, another Afghanistan.

BUSH: Every terrorist must be made to live as an international fugitive with no place to settle or organize. No place to hide. No governments to hide behind. And not even a safe place to sleep. WALLACE: There was no mention of his now controversial term, "axis of evil," to describe Iraq, Iran and North Korea. But Mr. Bush did warn of terror on a catastrophic scale

BUSH: In preventing the weapons of mass destruction, there is no margin for error and no chance to learn from mistakes. Our coalition must act deliberately, but inaction is not an option.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And those words a message to Iraq in particular. But if the president decides to make that country the next military target beyond Afghanistan, he faces a huge diplomatic challenge, because already many Arab allies are publicly saying such a move would have devastating consequences for the region -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Kelly Wallace, our White House correspondent, thank you very much.

And after a lull in the action, Operation Anaconda resumed with a fury today in Eastern Afghanistan.

CNN's Martin Savidge, who is keeping track of the story at the Bagram Air Base, gives us a closer look at the fighting that's going on along the front lines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After nine days, Operation Anaconda appears to be moving into a new phase. Coalition and U.S. forces began pulling out of their positions in the high ground overlooking the valley in Eastern Afghanistan, and now it appears that Afghan military forces themselves are directly moving in to try clear up the remaining pockets of al Qaeda and Taliban fighters. Still, U.S. officials believe that it has been a victory in the valley, claiming that over 500 Taliban and al Qaeda troops were wiped out in the over week-long operation.

Many of the young soldiers that went into that valley had never been tested by combat. Now, they have emerge nine days later as being veterans, veterans that are now ready to push on to other pockets of resistance, still known to exist in other parts of Afghanistan.

And for many of those soldiers that left the front today, there was a certain significance arriving back, job done, on this, six months since the war on terrorism began.

Martin Savidge, CNN, Bagram, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And in a moment: the man who risked his life to bring you this side of the September 11th story. And, after the anthrax attacks, learn what is changing at the U.S. Post Office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BUSH: I can hear you.

(LAUGHTER)

BUSH: I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people...

(CHEERING)

BUSH: And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I now have images that will never leave my mind. We walked down from downtown up to Grand Central here. And I just keep seeing that airplane hitting. I saw also, prior to the second airplane hitting, while we were still standing there, I must have saw about seven or eight bodies flying through the air, coming from 80 floors up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

The United States moved on Afghanistan with the purpose of flushing out Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda terrorist network. Intelligence experts now say factions of al Qaeda have been pouring out of the Central Asian country for months and are on the run.

CNN national correspondent Mike Boettcher is following this story. He joins us now live -- Mike.

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, since September 11, evidence suggests that al Qaeda is reconstituting itself, replacing fallen leaders, and fragmenting into smaller groups that, frankly, will be harder to track.

Now, with evidence put together from sources from three separate intelligence agencies in the anti-terror coalition and a senior Afghan intelligence official, CNN has been able to put together the routes that some of these al Qaeda operative took into a world of potential targets.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Several hundred at least slipped through the most guarded and well known route: east towards Pakistan. But many fled through two secret backdoors: west to Iran, according to our sources, a transshipment point not condoned by the elected Iranian government, but facilitated by Iran's more radical Revolutionary Guard.

Some al Qaeda remain there. Others moved on to Lebanon. An unknown number remain there, according to intelligence sources, in areas controlled by the Hezbollah, a group the U.S. designates as terrorists. Others dispersed east and West, destinations unknown.

Another backdoor opens south. In the weeks before September 11, and for a few days immediately following, approximately 1,000 al Qaeda operatives, using false identification, made their way from Afghanistan to the tiny Indian Ocean islands of the Seychelles and the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros, where they again disbursed east and west.

One al Qaeda cell was broken up in Singapore when its surveillance video of potential U.S. targets there was found by U.S. forces in an abandoned house in Afghanistan. And, allegedly, suicide bomber Richard Reid was foiled in mid-flight. But many more cells remain hidden.

What are their capabilities? Extensive, according to terrorism analysts. Al Qaeda's 10-volume encyclopedia of jihad taught them assassination, bomb-making and surveillance techniques. And CNN has obtained portions of a recent edition to al Qaeda's body of knowledge: an 11th volume devoted solely to manufacturing chemical and biological weapons from ingredients readily available to the public.

In AN abandoned Kabul, Afghanistan home used by al Qaeda's top bomb-maker, CNN discovered more disturbing material: a document titled "Super Bomb," a discussion of the process of making of a nuclear device, but no evidence they ever succeeded.

DAVID ALBRIGHT, NUCLEAR PHYSICIST: The program appears to have existed for a long time. And that is one of things that you have to give you pause, is that they have been thinking about this a long time.

BOETTCHER: The battle against al Qaeda still rages in Afghanistan. But the biggest threat lies elsewhere: virtually invisible opponents, well trained, well equipped and well motivated by a leader who himself has disappeared, Osama bin Laden, his face not seen since his last interview, when he vowed to press his battle inside America until victory or until death.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOETTCHER: U.S. officials agree that the attack in Afghanistan by coalition forces has taken away the main training center. But that was very difficult. What will come is even more difficult: trying to find these fragmented groups which, frankly, Wolf, are spread out around the world.

BLITZER: Well, Mike, that raises the question: How would they be able to -- these al Qaeda terrorists be able to operate after moving to a different country?

BOETTCHER: Well, because they have the infrastructure supplied by other terrorist groups. What we are seeing are new alliances. And we talked about that some -- infrastructure used by international organized crime, infrastructure used by international drug dealers and other like-minded terrorist groups.

There are alliances that are being formed. And many experts and intelligence officials now believe that al Qaeda will use mission- specific groups. For example, if it needs to conduct an operation in Asia, it will go to allied groups that may not be part of al Qaeda, but can help them. So that is a very difficult thing to put your finger on.

BLITZER: Mike Boettcher, excellent reporting. Thank you for that exclusive report.

And this note: Tonight at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, "THE POINT" with Anderson Cooper will focus on the investigation. There are still holes in America's case against al Qaeda. You can find out tonight.

And, throughout the day, we have shown you the images and the sounds from September 11. When we return, we will let you experience what it was like to have been at ground zero, another CNN exclusive: the faces, sounds and images seen through the eyes and camera of an international journalist caught in the New York attacks.

Stay with us.

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BUSH: We will rally the world to this cause by our efforts, by our courage. We will not tire. We will not falter. And we will not fail.

(APPLAUSE)

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The toughest thing for me right now is, I've got a 14-year-old daughter. And a lot of her friends have parents who work in the Pentagon. And I just talked to her on the phone. And those kids are going through agony. They don't know if they're OK. So it's tough. This really hits home.

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BLITZER: Welcome back.

In the face of terror, people living and working in Lower Manhattan responded in a variety of ways. Italian journalist Alberto Baudo picked up his video camera to document the events of September 11.

An exclusive look now at that man's work. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALBERTO BAUDO, ITALIAN JOURNALIST: That morning, I was having a coffee in my office when I heard the first explosion. I opened the door to my terrace. And what I saw was the north tower in flames, with a dark cloud of smoke. Instinctively, I grabbed my camera, my press I.D. And I rushed on the site. There was somebody who was crying. Somebody was just astonished. But all were confused like me.

The scene I saw as I got to the place was kind of a moon landscape: debris, silence, shoes, papers, historical memories of hundreds of corporations that were falling down. So, I see this unbelievable image of the two towers in flames, a picture that you used to see only in the Bruce Willis movies, maybe. And so I was without word. And all around me, there was silence. There was an almost unbearable silence.

When I was shooting, I was only concentrating on trying to cover the human side of the story. As I was at the entrance of the towers, there were people evacuating, hundreds, hundreds of people. And I remember perfectly this image of people leaving. And this woman was scared. She turns her head back and look at the towers. When you see the face of this lady, you understand what means terror, horror.

So, I look to the tower and there is people jumping. I didn't want to film, I tell you the truth, in the beginning. It was so horrible. But then I said: "I have to do it. I have to document." So I shoot it. That was a moment I was so strongly hurt that I started to cry.

This was a moment that helped us to understand what really was happening, in some way, the end of the myth of the invulnerability of America. A few minutes before the collapsing of the first tower, the battery of my camcorder was dying. So I decide to go back to my office. I started to run. And I was able to reach my place. I was still alive. And that battery saved my life.

And then, from my window, I see this enormous cloud. A few minutes later, it was all dark. The cloud was so enormous, it covered everything. And, in the moment that everything was black around me and I couldn't see anything, it seemed to me like a hallucination, a psychotic break. And I thought maybe this is the end.

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BLITZER: Alberto Baudo, a fascinating report, thank you very much.

And when we come back, the vice president, Dick Cheney, meets with the British prime minister, Tony Blair. Our John King will have a report from London right after this.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We heard a bang. And then we saw smoke coming out. And everybody started running out. And we saw the plane on the other side of the building. And there was smoke everywhere.

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BLITZER: Welcome back.

In London today, Vice President Dick Cheney expressed gratitude to British Prime Minister Tony Blair for Britain's support in the war on terrorism. The two men also talked about a number of other issues, including Iraq and the spiraling violence in the Middle East.

Our senior White House correspondent John King is traveling with the vice president. He gives us a closer look at Cheney's first stop on his 12-nation tour.

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JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: This first stop of the vice president's 10-day, 12-nation trip is likely to be by far the most friendly. Mr. Cheney met for more than an hour at 10 Downing Street with the British prime minister, Tony Blair. And it was clear after those discussions that both men view Iraq as a future front in the war on terrorism.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We have said right from the very outset -- you have heard me say on many, many occasions no decisions have been taken on how we deal with this threat. But that there is a threat from Saddam Hussein and the weapons of mass destruction that he has acquired is not in doubt at all.

KING: That meeting came six months to the day after the September 11 strikes. Both U.S. and British officials say there is no evidence of any Iraqi involvement in those attacks on the World Trade Center and at the Pentagon, but Mr. Cheney says there is clear justification for diplomatic and perhaps, eventually, military pressure on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have to be concerned about the potential marriage, if you will, between a terrorist organization like al Qaeda and those who hold or are proliferating knowledge about weapons of mass destruction.

KING: The task of selling a potential military showdown with Iraq gets more complicated as Mr. Cheney's trip continues. Jordan is his destination on Tuesday, one of nine Arab nations the vice president visits over the next week. And Jordan's top diplomat in the United States says a military confrontation with Iraq will be a tough sell across the region.

JAFFA HASSAN, DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION, JORDANIAN EMBASSY TO UNITED STATES: We totally reject a military solution to that problem. We don't think it is the best way to deal with things. On the contrary, it is a nightmare for most of the countries in that region.

KING: The escalating violence between the Israelis and Palestinians also complicates the vice president's diplomatic challenge. He says there is no link between the war on terrorism and the Arab-Israeli conflict. But Arabs nations critical to the U.S.-led coalition against terrorism, they do make a linkage. And they want to see more consistent U.S. involvement in trying to end 18 months of deadly violence and an end to what they consider to be a U.S. policy tilted heavily in favor of Israel.

John King, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And let's go to New York now and get a preview of "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." That begins, of course, right at the top of the hour -- Lou.

LOU DOBBS, "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE": Wolf, thank you.

Former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volcker was hired by Andersen to reform that company's operations. Tonight, he joins us, calling for some very tough changes at Andersen. We will also be joined by the chairman of the Defense Policy Board, Richard Perle, and former Defense Secretary William Cohen. The issues: nuclear weapons, Iraq and the Middle East. And we will have live coverage of tonight's Tribute in Light ceremony in New York City, a memorial to the World Trade Center victims who died on September 11.

All of that and more coming up at the top of the hour -- please join us.

Now back to Wolf Blitzer -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Lou.

And, in a moment, a viewer's request to see a specific image on CNN: why she thought you would want it see it, too.

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BLITZER: Time now to hear from you.

Sharon has a request for us. Quote: "I wanted to tell you about a picture I saw on CNN this morning at about 11:00 during an interview with Bob Franken. He was at the Pentagon. While filming the damaged section of the building, what looked like a white dove flew into the picture, circled in front of the reconstruction site and flew off. This was so beautiful and peaceful, I really think you should show it again."

There you have it. We showed it again.

Certainly an emotional day here at the Pentagon, in New York, Pennsylvania, and beyond, but the nation's recovery also started six months ago at ground zero. We leave you now with a look.

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