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America Strikes Back: Airstrikes Hit Military and Civilian Positions

Aired October 18, 2001 - 06:36   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now let's get the latest right now on those strikes north of Kabul. That's where Chris Burns is. He's been traveling with Afghanistan -- I'm sorry, Northern Alliance troops there for the last few days, and he checks in now with the very latest.

Chris, what have you been seeing and hearing lately?

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well that's right. Leon, the airstrikes over Kabul began again (UNINTELLIGIBLE) before -- before sunrise this morning and has hit a number of positions -- military as well as apparently civilian.

Military include what is believed to be around the presidential palace, also a tank unit, a military base, as well as air defenses and air defenses seem to have been hit fairly considerably because there are much less firing up in the air against those airplanes.

There -- at the last report -- latest report from one of the news agencies is that six residents were killed in a recent attack today. That would not be the first. There was also evidence -- yesterday we saw -- one of the agencies filmed 10 people who were injured in one of the hospitals in Kabul. So apparently both, unfortunately civil and military positions being hit at the same time.

Up in the north the fighting rages on around Mazar-e-Sharif -- very strategic, very key town. The Taliban continue to hold onto despite the airstrikes that have hit at that airport just outside. The Northern Alliance says that they're encountering very, very fierce resistance from the Taliban, but they are still remaining about three kilometers, about two miles outside of the airport.

The Northern Alliance still claims to have the heights, but the Taliban are not giving up that airport quite yet. Also fighting reported in Urizghan (ph) province. Also Herat province out in the west -- that's where U.S. airstrikes struck as well in recent days.

Northern Alliance claiming advances there. Also in Fhakar (ph) province, also in the north, the Northern Alliance claims that U.S. airstrikes struck at Taliban troop positions. This all works in that scheme that we've seen in the last couple of days where President Bush is now saying that the friendly forces on the ground should begin attacking Taliban in areas where the airstrikes have weakened the Taliban positions.

It seems as though there's cooperation there on that front. Leon.

HARRIS: Well Chris, what's the latest word on whether or not there have been any defections? That was one of the things that had been speculated on going into this -- into these attacks in Afghanistan, that perhaps after a few days of pounding, there would be massive Taliban defections.

But there have been very few reports of that sort of thing so far. Have you heard anything new on that front?

BURNS: Well very little evidence, but we have reports -- continuous reports of hundreds of defections in different places from the Northern Alliance, saying that the Taliban have crossed over by the hundreds in certain places.

However, they're not coming up with these defections -- defectors, they give a -- they'll show a handful to the press here and there. But there really isn't that evidence quite yet. They do say that they seized a key north-south (ph) supply line without firing a shot just by getting troops and commanders to defect.

However, we're not seeing those defectors yet. That is something that also is very difficult to confirm, along with the claims of advances by the Northern Alliance. We don't quite see that concretely yet.

HARRIS: Yes.

BURNS: Leon.

HARRIS: Speaking Chris, of airstrikes. You've got a lot of air striking your microphone right now. Let me ask you before we let you go.

Any sense of how long this weather is going to hold out? We know that there's going to be a change of season that may change tactics there dramatically soon.

BURNS: Well absolutely, tactics on a number of fronts. One is yes, you can see, in fact, there are more clouds today or there were a few minutes ago. It is getting colder. It is getting windier. That is a factor not only for the forces on the ground, the Northern Alliance, the Taliban, possible any U.S. commando action, airstrikes. But also the refugees and people displaced within Afghanistan.

The aid groups are saying that if there isn't some kind of a cease fire, a halt to the airstrikes, any time -- some time soon within the next few days or few short weeks, that there could be a serious humanitarian disaster up in the north with hundreds of thousands of people dependent on food aid. If they don't get it, they'll starve to death. Leon.

HARRIS: All right. Thank you very much. Chris Burns reporting live from northern Afghanistan. You be well and be safe, and we'll talk with you later on.

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