|
Barbara Starr: Bombs fall on al Qaeda camp
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States stepped up efforts to snuff out any remaining al Qaeda terrorists on Friday. A U.S. B-52 dropped a second set of bombs on a suspected al Qaeda training camp in eastern Afghanistan, following up on a raid a day earlier. CNN Correspondent Barbara Starr provided more details on the new bombing runs from her post in the Pentagon on Friday. BARBARA STARR: The U.S. has struck that same terrorist training camp in eastern Afghanistan for the second time in two days. The first strike involved more than 150 bombs yesterday. The strike overnight at 1 a.m. this morning Eastern time was smaller, but just as significant, because U.S. intelligence had again observed possible al Qaeda movements at the camp. The U.S. has been monitoring this camp through aerial surveillance for some days. They have continuously noted al Qaeda troops, vehicles, convoys, personnel moving through the camp. They have been particularly concerned that al Qaeda [members were] using the camp as a jumping-off point to possibly try and escape across the border into nearby Pakistan. Some intelligence officials have indicated that there were intercepts monitored -- signals intelligence -- that indicated Osama bin Laden might have plans to try and travel to that camp. But Pentagon officials tell us this morning that they really still have absolutely no idea where Osama bin Laden is, and that frustration of not being able to catch bin Laden after three months of the war has led to a new effort. The Pentagon is turning to another propaganda tool, leaflets this time, to try and convince al Qaeda troops and other Afghans on the ground to turn over bin Laden. This new leaflet is possibly quite provocative. On one side it shows a dead Afghan and it has language that says, "Bin Laden abandoned you, he is a coward, he has run away. Do not die needlessly, give him up." The other side of the leaflet is perhaps even more provocative. There is a doctored photograph of bin Laden in Western clothes, without his beard, and the clear message is that he is somewhere leading a happy life while the Afghan people are still leading a very difficult existence -- so the message is, "Give him up." No word on whether this is going to be successful. And in one other development, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is now said to be very close to recommending that the American Taliban fighter, John Walker Lindh, be turned over to the U.S. Justice Department. Rumsfeld is said to believe that there is really no other option, that those military tribunals should be reserved only for non-U.S. citizens, and that John Walker Lindh should face the U.S. justice system. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
RELATED SITES:
WORLD TOP STORIES:
Blix: 'Iraq could do more' N. Korea warns of nuclear conflict Serb hardliner refuses to plead NASA: Flight-deck video found Caracas tense after bombs (More) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back to the top |
© 2003 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. |