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CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL

America Strikes Back: Bush Administration Warns Other Countries to Take Action Against Terrorists

Aired October 11, 2001 - 06:09   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: That's the focus inside of Afghanistan, but let's go to Major Garrett. He's at the White House this morning.

Major, are there any indications, any hints as to the Bush administration's plan to expand these air strikes outside of Afghanistan?

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well there are clues that the campaign against terrorism will be about more than Afghanistan, and the clues are the spoken word of the president of the United States and the written word of the U.S. government and they've been multiplying this week.

First and foremost, on Tuesday, the president said, when he was in the Rose Garden with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, that the United States will not tire if this campaign lasts a day, a month, a year or a decade. That's a rather long period of time for the United States to be involved in this. The president committed the nation to a campaign of that duration.

Also, the written word. The United States this week sent a letter to the United Nations reserving the right to carry its campaign against terrorism to other locations than Afghanistan. A letter was given to the Iraqi ambassador giving that country notice that if it in any way tried to interfere or tried to monopolize or take advantage of the situation, that is to say the United States being involved in Afghanistan, there would be a swift reprisal.

Also, when the United States government -- when the Bush administration, rather, notified Congress that it had in fact committed troops, they said there is no way of predicting how long this campaign will last and it left open where in fact the various fronts of that campaign would be waged. Here is yet another signal that the campaign will be on many different fronts.

Today, if not today at least by Friday, there will be a new list put out by the Treasury Department of organizations and individuals whose bank accounts will be frozen, not only in the United States, but the Bush administration hopes throughout the international community. These are individuals or groups that have bank accounts that funnel money to the al Qaeda terrorist organization. Again, multiple signals that this campaign will be fought on many fronts more so this week than ever before -- Carol. LIN: So, Major, what about more specifics about ground troops? Has the Bush administration been more specific about what their role would be inside of Afghanistan?

GARRETT: Not specific about the role but have been dropping rather heavy hints throughout the week that in fact ground troops would occupy the next stage of this campaign in Afghanistan. And what you gather when you talk to senior administration officials is that Afghanistan is in very many respects the test case for other nations to see because the administration has made it abundantly clear, you're going to have one chance and one chance only to come to reckoning with terrorists in your own borders. And if you don't by the time the United States prescribes, you may in fact encounter the kind of thing that the Taliban regime is encountering in Afghanistan. Not exactly the same type of military involvement, but a definite military campaign.

Bush administration has made it very clear, if you harbor, give succor, as the president likes to say, to terrorists, you will be held just as accountable as the terrorists themselves. Afghanistan is the test case. The Bush administration is hope other nations who may harbor terrorists are paying very close attention to what is happening there and make decisions that would be more cooperative than less cooperative in this campaign against terrorists -- Carol.

LIN: A war with many fronts. Thank you very much. Major Garrett reporting live at the White House.

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