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CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL

America Strikes Back: Northern Alliance Wants Strikes Against Taliban Front Lines

Aired October 11, 2001 - 05:20   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's do some fact checking now about the Taliban news conference -- the Taliban making several claims on what's going on inside of Afghanistan.

Matthew Chance is in northern Afghanistan. He has been traveling with the opposition group, who has been fighting the Taliban.

Matthew, I'm not sure you had a chance to listen in on this news conference, but let me ask you about some specific claims being made by the Taliban. They are saying in this latest round of very intense airstrikes by the United States that perhaps more than 100 civilians have been killed in three different cities -- Kabul, Kandahar and Jalalabad.

What is the Northern Alliance telling you about civilian casualties on the ground as a result of these airstrikes?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Northern Alliance, Carol, have said that they've got no information regarding civilian casualties or any other kind of casualties inside that Taliban- controlled area of Afghanistan that's been subject to these U.S.-led attacks over the last four nights or so.

We did actually get down to the border area, though -- the front lines that divide the Taliban-controlled areas of Afghanistan and those controlled by the Northern Alliance. And there is a steady trickle of displaced people -- refugees moving out of Kabul since the beginning of those U.S.-led strikes coming to the relative safety of the north here, which, of course, has not been subject to U.S. military action.

But one of the refugees we spoke to today said that the vast majority of the targets were, in his words -- or those that have been hit rather, in his words were what he called "Taliban military installations." But even he acknowledged that there had been some civilian houses hit. He didn't have any indication, though, he said, about how many casualties there will be -- Carol.

LIN: From what the commanders on the front lines are saying about their conversations with the people who are fleeing these regions, according to the Taliban, they are saying that these people are being denied their right to the government that they have chosen, and that these people are fleeing in panic, and that they are suffering as a result of these U.S. airstrikes.

Is that the opinion of the people who are leaving these cities? Is that what they are telling the Northern Alliance?

CHANCE: No, it's certainly not the opinion of the people here, and it's certainly not the opinion of the official leadership of the Northern Alliance. They consider themselves, as does the United Nations, in fact, to be the legitimate government of Afghanistan. This is -- this group, the Northern Alliance -- the United Front as they call themselves -- hold the United Nations seat. They hold all of the ambassadorial posts -- ambassadorial posts around the world, and in the eyes of the vast majority of the international community, at least on paper, it's the Northern Alliance -- the United Front that represents the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

Now, publicly, officials of the Northern Alliance have been expressing their delight with the U.S. airstrikes, saying they welcome them, say they're willing to cooperate, et cetera. But officials -- rather commanders down on the front line are getting a bit more frustrated saying they want U.S. strikes against Taliban positions on the front line as well -- Carol.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much, Matthew Chance. We're going to get a full report about the front line from you later on, but we wanted to check in with you about your reactions to this latest news conference.

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