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Wolf

Fierce Fight Rages for Control of Kobani; Turkey under Pressure to Join ISIS Fight; Reports of British Man Dying of Ebola; Liberia Hard Hit by Ebola.

Aired October 09, 2014 - 13:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting from Washington.

Just a brutal day on Wall Street right now. The Dow Jones Industrials down about 275 points. There's concern over European economies driving investors into the sell mode today. Earlier today, the Dow was down more than 300 points. We'll continue to watch what's happening in the markets in the United States.

Other news we're following, Kurdish fighters are calling for more U.S. air strikes in the fierce battle underway right now for control of Kobani. ISIS is fighting to take over the Syria border town and that would give the terrorist group control of a huge swath of land from Raqqa in Syria to the Turkish border.

CNN's Phil Black has the latest on the latest on Kurdish fighters trying to stop the ISIS advance.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, once again, a B-1 bomber has been circling this city through the day. Again, we've witnessed a number of large explosions around the perimeter of Kobani. If you look back towards the southwest, you'll see smoke rising dramatically from the city. We've seen a number of large explosions coming from that region today, but fewer air strikes than we've seen in recent days. The Kurdish fighters in the city report a tougher day of fighting because of fewer of air strikes but also because they say ISIS has received reinforcements, which means those Kurdish fighters haven't been able to hold on to the ground in Kobani that they had taken over the previous 24 hours. They had to fall back again. They don't have the numbers. They don't have the fire power. What they want is more air strikes. They say if that happens, they can take care of the street fighting themselves.

The other country under pressure to act is Turkey. The Turkish government has reiterated it's not prepared to launch a ground operation on its own. It's in favor of a ground operation but that has to be an international effort. Turkey wants what it calls a safety zone to be carved out of Syrian territory but, again, it's not prepared to do so without international support or first implementing a no-fly zone so the air force of the Syrian regime of Bashar al Assad is not able to strike Turkish or international forces. The Kurdish troops fighting for the city don't want Turkey to come to their rescue. What they want is for Turkey to open up the barrier at the border crossing to allow in new supplies, ammunition and reinforcements. They believe if that assistance comes, in coordination with ongoing air strikes, there's a chance they could hold out for some time yet.

Back to you, Wolf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: All right. Phil, thank you.

Phil Black on the border between Turkey and Syria.

As Phil just reported, Turkey under pressure right now to join this fight against ISIS. Turkish tanks are lined up on their border on their side, from Kobani. Last week, the Turkish parliament did pass a resolution authorizing actions against ISIS. Protesters have called for the government to act and demonstrations have turned ugly. Turkey's semi-official news agency says at least 24 people have died in those protests.

Let's bring in CNN's global affairs analyst, Bobby Ghosh, the managing editor of "Quartz."

What will it take, Bobby, to get Turkey off the sidelines and into this fight? They have a huge military. They're more than capable of destroying ISIS in Kobani if they wanted to send a division of troops or more in.

BOBBY GHOSH, MANAGING EDITOR, QUARTZ & CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, several different calculations, and Phil laid out some of them. The crucial thing is for Turkey to decide whether who represents a greater danger to Turkey, ISIS or the Assad regime. Until now, it would seem Turkey thinks the Assad regime is the one that represents the greater danger, and a lot of the rhetoric in Turkey has been directed against Assad, not so much against ISIS. But if ISIS crosses the border at Kobani, Turkey seems to be prepared to let Kobani fall, but it has moved a lot of armor right up to the boarder, a lot of the tanks we saw in that video. If ISIS crosses over the border into Turkey, that would be a red line. There's also a little Turkish enclave, a shrine to the founder of the Ottoman Empire, that is inside Syrian territory. It's a little bit like the Vatican City. It's really small and a small number of Turkish forces guarding that. If ISIS attacks that, that would amount to attacking Turkish territory and that might be another trigger. But Turkey seems to be hesitant to do anything by itself, as we've just said. It wants a global coalition. It does not want to commit to anything unilaterally.

BLITZER: We know ISIS regards Iraq, Syria, probably Lebanon, Jordan, as part of their Islamic State but is Turkey part of that caliphate they envision as well?

GHOSH: Yes, it is, because Turkey was where the caliphate -- was sort of the last phase of the caliphate when the caliph lived in what is Istanbul. And we've seen maps on-line and in these videos ISIS put out and those maps show the extent of the empire that they have in mind, and that certainly includes very large chunks of Turkey.

BLITZER: The retired U.S. general, John Allen, now the coordinator, the president asked him to coordinate this mission against is in Syria and Iraq. He's going to be meeting with Turkish officials. What do you anticipate his message to them will be?

GHOSH: Well, I think he will continue to put pressure on Turkey to basically get off the fence. If it won't commit ground troops, then perhaps it will allow the military bases there to be used for these bombing operations that we've seen over Kobani and other parts. But primarily, they'll be -- there will be a lot of pressure applied to the Turks to get much more involved. The Saudis have joined the bombing campaign, the Qataris, why not Turkey? That's a question being asked all over the Middle East and a question that General Allen will be putting to those in Istanbul.

BLITZER: How much of Turkey's reluctance because they don't want to support the Kurds?

GHOSH: That's a significant part of it. The people who are guarding Kobani, a lot of those fighters are from a group called the PKK. Turkey regards that as a separatist terrorist group. The United States, because we are a NATO ally of Turkey's, also think of the PKK as its -- as a terrorist group. This is -- this gives you a sense of the complexity of the problem in Syria. Your enemy's enemy is not automatically your enemy. Your enemy's enemy is also an enemy. Your friend's friend can be an enemy. It's a complex battlefield. And if it looks complex for us here in the U.S., it's equally complex for the Turks, Iranians, Syrians, Iraqis. Everyone, when they survey the battlefield, it's hard to tell friend from foe.

BLITZER: You know, the Turks make a fair point. They say they don't see a whole lot of other NATO allies -- there's 27 other members of NATO -- rushing to get involved on the ground in Syria. Why should Turkey be singled out for criticism? That's the argument you hear from Turkish officials. On the other hand, Turkey is the only NATO ally on the border with Syria right now. What do you say to that Turkish argument that they're being unfairly criticized?

GHOSH: Well, it is -- it does seem a little unfair. The other point that the Turks also make which is that it's not like we're just sitting around. We've got hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Syrian conflict going back three years who are in Turkey. Turkey is taking on a large part of the burden of looking out for those refugees. It's not like Turkey is doing nothing.

But the optics are terrible for Turkey. And in the rioting over the last few days, a lot of people of Kurdish origin in Turkey want their government to take action. It's not just foreigners. It's people in Turkey. More than 20 people killed in the rioting over the last few days, it's amazing. Over a year of protests in Istanbul, fewer than 10 people were killed. And in one weekend of rioting over what's going on in Kobani, more than 20, perhaps more than 25 people are killed. That tells you that this is something that people feel very passionately about in Turkey just as much as outside.

BLITZER: Yeah. At least 24 people killed, dead in those demonstrations. That's clearly a worrisome situation when the demonstrations become deadly, not only violent but deadly.

Bobby Ghosh, thanks very much. Always good to have you here with us.

Still come, one day before a major event in North Korea, the leader, Kim Jong-Un, still not seen in public. Has he been stripped of his power? What's going on? We'll have a report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: CNN has learned the U.K. is investigating reports of a British man dying of Ebola in Macedonia. That kind of threat has the government taking new precautions. Number 10 Downing Street announced it will introduce screenings at certain airports and train stations.

CNN's Max Foster joining us from London.

What is the U.K. planning on doing there?

MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT; I have to say, quite an about turn, Wolf, because the government was asked questions about yesterday whether they would be following the U.S. and introduce border screening and they absolutely said, no, we have no plans for that. Then this morning, "The Daily Mail" coming out with a big question on the front, lots of pressure today, and then it is a big change in policy. They are introducing screening. A lot of people saying it's a half-hearted effort. Initially, just Heathrow and Gatwick and the Euro Star Terminal, the train line that connects the U.K. and France. And there are basically questions of where people have traveled to, who they've been in contact with, possible medical screening as well, for example, testing temperature. And a lot of people saying well that isn't going to make any difference anyway. So some suspicion this is just really about increasing confidence amongst the British public as opposed to anything more substantial -- Wolf?

BLITZER: We know there are a lot of flight between those two airports, Heathrow and Gatwick in London to that so-called hot zone, Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone. A lot of flights between those three countries and the U.K.?

FOSTER: Well, Heathrow certainly is a big hub, one of the world's biggest hub airports, one of the busiest in the world. There are no direct flight between West Africa and the U.K. Another reason people are questioning this. It's really about screening people coming out of that region, in places like the airport in Brussels where there are lots of direct flights. Questions around this as well.

Wolf, there's a lot of fear here. This is what the government is trying to deal with. It's about group psychology. People worried about catching Ebola as much as anything else and feeling that the government is not doing enough. Not helped by reports from France in the last half hour, Wolf, media reports, saying 60 people are under lockdown inside a regional Health and Social Affairs building just outside Paris after a doctor raised an Ebola alert. We're checking that. But again, it feeds into all this fear in Europe as there is in the U.S.

BLITZER: I'm sure there is. A lot of fear there, a lot of fear here. I'm sure France, elsewhere as well. And we're learning about this British citizen apparently dying of Ebola in Macedonia. We'll continue to watch this story.

Max, thanks very much.

Max Foster in London.

Still ahead, in North Korea, with the country's leader still nowhere to be found, is it reasonable to think there's been a coup against Kim Jong-Un? We'll have the latest when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We're just one day from a major celebration in North Korea, the 69th anniversary of the founding of the country's Workers Party. The overwhelming question right now, and it's overriding a lot, will North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-Un, be there? The longer he goes without being seen in public, the more the speculation goes that he may no longer be in power.

Brian Todd has been following this story.

What's the latest?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The latest is, Wolf, we've gone about 37 days without seeing Kim Jong-Un in public. Of course, the longer this goes, the more concern there is about stability on the Korean Peninsula, especially in Pyongyang. Is he in control? A White House official told us today that rumors of a possible coup appear not to be true. But we don't know for sure. Intelligence officials, we're running by them, checking to see what signs they're seeing, any internal signs in North Korea that he may not be in full control.

Now, what we know is that he has again disappeared from public view. He may be ill. There are signs of weight gain. Possible gout. He has a limp. Gout, weight gain, diabetes run in his family. He could well be recuperating and they don't want to put him in public. That seems now to be the most likely explanation. But in North Korea, when someone is not seen for that long, it does raise concern.

BLITZER: You have been talking to intelligence officials trying to assess if anything unusual is going on within the North Korean military.

TODD: That' right. The military is key to just about everything going on there. And what I was told by a South Korean official not long ago, this morning, was they have seen no significant signs of military movement inside North Korea over the past several days. Military movement is a real indicator that something is amiss, if something was up in North Korea. A South Korean official told me today they have not seen any significant military movement inside the country in the last several days.

BLITZER: What's the analysis of that surprise visit by North Korean top officials, including one of the right-hand men of Kim Jong-Un to South Korea?

TODD: Very surprising to the South Koreans. It took them by surprise. It gave them less than a day's notice before this delegation came down there. That fueled speculation as to who sent them? Did Kim Jong-Un send them? He might have. Did they go on their own? Possibly. It appeared, from just all outward signs, they went down there and wanted to smooth over some relations and talk about starting dialogue on a more serious level, and they did that. It was a constructive visit overall. But again, given that it's in this climate of their leader not being seen for more than a month, there's a lot of speculation as to what that meant.

BLITZER: If he's seen Friday, in a few hours, at this event in North Korea, everybody will look closely, how does he look? Is he walking normally? Does he have health issues? If he's not seen, that would further fuel this mystery.

TODD: This event is more anticipated than the Super Bowl at this point. It's the celebration of the anniversary of the founding of the Workers Party. It's a big event every year. Kim went last year. If he shows up, everybody is going to be watching to see what he looks like, his body language, his appearance. Is he standing up? If he's not there, of course, the concern and speculation will only grow.

Now, one thing you have to keep in mind, Wolf, is experts tell us it's not all that unusual for a supreme leader of North Korea to disappear. His father, Kim Jong-Il disappeared for months at a time. We'll deal with this more in "The Situation Room."

BLITZER: We'll see if his younger sister shows up.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: She's only in her mid 20s.

Brian, I know you have more in "The Situation Room" later today. We'll see what happens in the next few hours.

We'll take a quick break. Much more news right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The family of the Ebola patient that died yesterday in a Dallas, Texas, hospital is raising important questions about how he was treated. The 42-year-old Liberia man was misdiagnosed when he went to the hospital with Ebola-like symptoms.

Joining us on the phone to talk about all of this is Mr. Duncan's half-brother, Wilfred Smallwood.

Mr. Smallwood, first of all, our deepest condolences to you and your family on the loss of your brother. What are you being told now about your brother's death?

WILFRED SMALLWOOD, HALF-BROTHER OF THOMAS ERIC DUNCAN (voice-over): Thank you so much. (INAUDIBLE)

BLITZER: Mr. Smallwood, we're having trouble hearing you and understanding what you're saying. Stand by for a moment. We'll continue this conversation and try to fix that audio.

As you and all of our viewers know, Liberia certainly has been very, very hard hit with the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. More than 2,000 people have died in that country alone.

Here's a special report now from our Nima Elbagir. She's on the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Blood spattered and limp, too weak to hold up his head. A nurse struggles under the weight of a desperately ill patient. The nurse agreeing to wear a camera of the bleak reality witnessed daily here at this government-run treatment center.

Today, the nurse managed to get the patient to drink water. It's a small victory.

For the last few months, Dr. Soka Moses and his team have worn protective suits in unbearable heat to tend to patients in their camp.

DR. SOKA MOSES, JFK EBOLA TREATMENT UNIT: Life is rough and then you die. What else can we do? If we don't do it, who will do it for us? We have to take the risk and care for the patients or our country will be wiped away.

To working in the zone is highly dangerous. You have so many patients dying in agony. They are dying. You watch them die and sometimes you pray for them and do the little and you just hope that something miraculous happens.

ELBAGIR: Dr. Moses got one day's training before going into these wards and says that is typical here in a healthcare system struggling to cope. You do what you need here to survive.

The nurse forgets the camera for a moment and begins to hum a hymn, a comfort amidst the grimness.

An ambulance has arrived bringing more patients. It begins again. There is no room. The stretcher goes on the floor for now, next to the mattress where another patient lies. There are two patients for every bed.

(SHOUTING)

ELBAGIR: More patients. It's unrelenting.

But there are the success stories. And that's what sustains the staff.

Around the back of the Ebola ward, patients spot the camera and begin to wave. They're recovering, maybe even going home soon. But for the staff there is no end in sight.

(on camera): What happens when you go home at the end of the day?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I get prepared for another day.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): And another day and another day until their prayers are finally answered.

Nima Elbagir, CNN, Monrovia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Such a sad story. That's it for me. I'll be back 5:00 p.m. Eastern in "The Situation Room." For our international viewers, "Amanpour" is next. For our viewers in North America, "Newsroom" with Brooke Baldwin starts right now.