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CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL

America's New War: Where Is Osama bin Laden

Aired October 1, 2001 - 05:14   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: Well, in the meantime the Taliban's supreme leader has entered a war of words against the U.S. Mullah Mohammad Omar says the U.S. should think and think again about attacking his country. Now, this comes at a time when the Taliban now is changing its story. For weeks they have been saying they had no idea where Osama bin Laden is. Well, now they say they know where he is and they are now willing to negotiate his release with the U.S.

Here's CNN's Tom Mintier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Call it a reversal or an admission. The Taliban are now saying they know where Osama bin Laden is.

ABDUL SALAM ZAEEF, TALIBAN AMBASSADOR TO PAKISTAN: He is at an undisclosed location and the location is shifting all the time. But we know where he is.

MINTIER: Not unknown, really, but not revealed. The Taliban had claimed in recent days they could not find bin Laden to deliver a suggestion he leave Afghanistan. Now they say they have not only delivered that message, but that he is under their control.

ZAEEF: He cannot move around freely. Wherever he goes, there are people assigned to him and he cannot move around without their permission.

MINTIER: The ambassador went even further, calling on the United States to do something they firmly said would not happen -- negotiate. The Taliban's ambassador is saying that they, the United States, are thinking of direct attack. We are thinking of negotiation.

The response to the apparent offer was swift and firm from Washington -- no.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: It was just a few days ago that they said they didn't know where he was. So, I have no reason to believe anything a Taliban representative would say.

MINTIER: The Taliban also resumed the trial of the eight international aid workers. They're accused of attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity. But the case has been in limbo since the attacks on the United States September 11.

Atif Ali Khan is the lawyer for all eight aid workers. In an interview with CNN from Kabul, he said the charges against the group was read out in court.

ATIF ALI KHAN, AID WORKERS ATTORNEY: The charge sheet was read out and the material that, the evidence and every other, all the other documentation should be provided to me today, and some would be probably given tomorrow.

MINTIER (on camera): So at this point you don't know the evidence, then, based on your answer. Is that accurate?

KHAN: Yes. I have had no access to the evidence yet.

MINTIER (voice-over): The Taliban have shown the evidence on TV. Some of the items are religious books for children, items the Taliban says are from the workers' homes and offices taken during the Taliban raid in August.

The parents of one of the detainees, Heather Mercer, also in an interview with CNN, said that the court has given another three to 15 days for attorneys to prepare the defense.

JOHN MERCER, HEATHER MERCER'S FATHER: It's encouraging from one aspect, that the lawyer will have plenty of time to talk with the detainees and advise them on the best course of action.

MINTIER (on camera): While the trial of the aid workers may be delayed by as much as two weeks, there are no assurances the United States military would wait that long to act. Despite the announcement by the Taliban that they have bin Laden, the word from Washington seems to indicate unless they hand him over now, the situation has changed little.

Tom Mintier, CNN, Islamabad, Pakistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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