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Iraqis: Send U.S. Troops to Anbar; New York Hospital Prepping for Ebola

Aired October 11, 2014 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ana Cabrera. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with us.

Let's get right to what's happening in Iraq this weekend. Some government officials there are desperately asking for something the U.S. president says will not happen -- U.S. combat troops fighting ISIS on the ground. Officials in Anbar province west of Baghdad say ISIS militants are close to controlling this entire territory and show no signs of stopping.

Now, here is their warning: without U.S. military help, ISIS will rule a huge, unbroken portion of Iraq and Syria.

Now, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel speaking in Chile just moments ago agreed that Anbar province is in trouble. But he says the city of Baghdad is not. Now, Hagel specifically said that Baghdad is in full control with the Iraqi forces, despite many reports that ISIS militants are just eight miles from some parts of the city.

Let's go live now to CNN's Ben Wedeman.

Now, Ben, you are there in Baghdad. Chuck Hagel says that the city is fully in Iraqi military control right now.

Do you see anything there that might suggest otherwise?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it does seem to be fully in Iraqi military control to the extent that that's possible. But what we did see this evening is two car bombs going off in two Baghdad neighborhoods which left more than 40 people dead, many more wounded.

So, yes, at the moment, it appears that the defenses of Baghdad are working, that Iraqi forces are able to defend the capital. But there's the threat from within, which is really the primary and major concern of Iraqi security officials at the moment.

As far as the threat to Baghdad -- no, it's not imminent. The threat really is to the entire Anbar province, which is the biggest province in Iraq. And Iraqi officials tell us provincial officials from Anbar tell us that at this point, ISIS controls 80 percent of that territory. They also told us today that according to their intelligence, which obviously we can't check, they believe as many as 10,000 is fighters have been dispatched to Anbar from Syria and northern Iraq.

And those fighters are definitely threatening the few remaining towns and areas in Anbar that are currently under the control of the Iraqi government. Today, for instance, the town of Haditha, really the last town that's fully under government control, we've been told has been fully surrounded by ISIS and cut off from any means of resupply.

So, yes, Baghdad is secure. But right next door in Anbar province, not such a clear picture. Not such a good picture -- Ana.

CABRERA: Ben, are you hearing from Iraqi officials any reaction to how quickly ISIS is advancing there in the Anbar province? I mean, does this come as a surprise, especially given the air strikes that the U.S. and other coalition members have been doing there?

WEDEMAN: Does it come as a surprise? Not really. Because this has been a gradual advance by ISIS, gradually taking certain areas, coming closer to the capital itself. The U.S. airstrikes, coalition airstrikes, certainly have been targeting on a regular basis, those ISIS targets that they can find. But as one Iraqi told me, they think that the airstrikes are having the same effect on ISIS as a tickle.

CABRERA: All right. A tickle. That doesn't sound good.

Ben Wedeman, thank you so much.

And joining me on the phone from Santiago, Chile, is CNN Espanol's Juan Carlos Lopez.

Juan Carlos, I know you were in the room when Chuck Hagel made the assurance that Baghdad is not in danger of falling to ISIS. How does he support that statement given the reports we hear about ISIS's position near the city, given the weaknesses Iraqi security forces have previously shown?

JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN ESPANOL (via telephone): Well, I'm part of the delegation traveling with secretary of defense through South America and he's been very consistent since Thursday on this point. Now, the point they make is to differentiate Baghdad from Anbar province, even though Baghdad is next to Anbar province. And he did answer to my question that the Iraqi forces are in full control. He says that there has been up to 300 airstrikes from the U.S. in coalition attacks and that the situation in Anbar is very troubling and difficult. But that Baghdad is fully controlled by the Iraqi forces.

He also said on the request of council leaders from Anbar for ground troops, U.S. ground troops, to stop ISIS. He said that the U.S. is already helping the Iraqi forces, and that's as far as he went.

CABRERA: We know that they are there, supposedly in an advisory role, at the very least. Tell us about what Hagel said about Kobani, Syria, and how he characterizes the security situation there.

LOPEZ: He says that Kobani is in trouble, that it's a very different problem, and he says he has told us, and he did say this several times on this visit to Latin America, that it's a very complex situation that they knew from the beginning that, it was going to be a long operation that eventually they will need ground forces, that they will probably look for that in the coalition partners and a stable Iraqi government. So, they are aware of the risk of Kobani, of what can happen in that city. And they will keep supporting with the airstrikes, but understanding that in his words, it's a very difficult, complex situation.

CABRERA: Complex, but it doesn't sound like the administration at this point is planning any changes to the current strategy.

Curious to know what the mood was in the room or the tone, given that you were there in Chile. What were the Chilean press people interested in?

LOPEZ: Well, the first question had to do with recent terror attacks in Chile, and the help the U.S. could provide to investigate and to combat these -- this issue in Chile. There was also a question on Ebola and how the U.S. could help Chile and other countries prevent the spread of the disease. And Secretary Hagel did speak about almost $1 billion that Congress appropriated for reprogramming to help in the fight against Ebola, and mentioned the upcoming conference of ministers of defense in Peru this Monday, where the ministers of defense from around the world will be discussing issues such as Ebola and also climate change.

CABRERA: All right. Ebola really the headliner, it sounds like there.

But, Juan Carlos Lopez, thanks for the update as well on ISIS.

CNN's military analyst, Retired Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona, is with me.

Great to have you with us. I know it's been a long day.

But this has been a delicate and interesting situation unfolding in Iraq and Syria. We know ISIS might be just a few miles now from Baghdad, taking over most of Anbar province.

But Chuck Hagel -- he still says that rest assured, Baghdad is going to hold strong, and the Iraqi security forces are in control. What are your thoughts?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: They're in control right now. And I agree with Ben. I don't really see Baghdad as in that much trouble in the near future.

But there are some problems on the perimeter there. Baghdad airport, of course, is just outside the city to the west. And it's about eight miles from the line of advance of ISIS. And ISIS has been further south and west of the airport. They have been to the north of the airport.

So, Baghdad airport is very important to the United States. It's where any evacuation of U.S. citizens and any of the contractors would come from. It's also where we have a detachment of Apache helicopters and a couple hundred American troops there.

So, it's very important that that airport be secure. We see ISIS moving day by day, and I would think that eventually, they're going to try for the airport and then we'll see if the Iraqis can really defend it.

So far, we have been very disappointed with the performance of the Iraqi military.

CABRERA: Right.

FRANCONA: The leadership has just evaporated, according to one of the Iraqi officials I talked to. And he said it's just not there. And we need time. And hopefully, the airstrikes will buy us that. But it hasn't worked.

CABRERA: Some people have said the time line in training some of the boots on the ground, particularly in Syria, could be years.

FRANCONA: Yes, now, the Syria piece of this is a lot different when you try to create something from nothing. At least with the Iraqi military, we've got an army. We've got soldiers, we've got weapons. It's the leadership that needs to be reinvigorated.

In Syria, we're trying to start with nothing. And that's going to take a much longer time.

So, if you look at the Iraq situation, there's a framework there. It hasn't worked so far, though. I have to tell you that all of the military observers that I talk to, we're all very disappointed, because we remember the Iraqi army that we left in 2011. It was much better shape than it is now.

CABRERA: And back in June, we talked about the Iraqi army and folks just running away from ISIS.

FRANCONA: And leaving a lot of American-made equipment to fall into the hands of ISIS.

CABRERA: Just now using it against us and the rest of the forces there on the ground.

Colonel Rick Francona, thank you so much.

FRANCONA: Sure.

CABRERA: The other big international story we continue to follow is Ebola, and are hospitals ready for people infected with Ebola? New drills could help doctors and nurses pick out patients infected with Ebola before they can spread the virus.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: The first stop for many travelers arriving from overseas is in New York, and as fears spread over the chances of Ebola coming with them, New York hospitals are getting ready so they're not caught off guard if an Ebola patient lands at their doors.

Rosa Flores went to New York's Mt. Sinai Hospital to see how they're preparing by holding some Ebola drills. She's joining me now.

Rosa, Mt. Sinai just had this drill. Tell us about it.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, medical experts will tell you that sometimes, it's a split-second decision that saves lives and that's why it's so important to have these drills. And like you mentioned, Mt. Sinai just had one. So, what do they do? They look for best practices, lessons learned and how they can go beyond what the CDC is requiring.

So, one really interesting thing, Ana, actually, is that they have negative pressure isolation rooms. So, what does that mean? You open and close these doors, and it's fascinating, because nothing comes in, nothing goes out. They gave me a quick sneak peek. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FLORES: Hospitals around the country are preparing for Ebola patients. So what are hospitals ready to do? And what can patients expect?

Let me show you.

At Mt. Sinai, all a patient would have to do is walk in and say "I have a fever" and Dr. Shearer from Mt. Sinai tells us that begins the entire process.

DR. PETER SHEARER, MEDICAL DIR. DEPT. OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE: Right. So, at that point, the staff member would go through a series of questions in our algorithm.

FLORES (voice-over): Some of the questions are basic and on signs that just went up on the wall. Like, did you travel internationally? And, do you have symptoms like cough, vomiting or diarrhea?

SHEARER: Security, we keep the hallway secure from any other patients and staff so that we can review the patient safely, down the hallway, to where we have identified a secure space.

FLORES (on camera): So, no touching anything.

SHEARER: No touching anything.

FLORES: No talking to anyone.

SHEARER: Right. And given a different clinic can scenario, you could be in a wheelchair, you could be in a stretcher.

FLORES: Depending on the conditions the patient.

SHEARER: Right. And if that was the case, we would say would have done more suiting up with protective equipment.

FLORES: Here is some of the protective gear. Gloves, plastic gowns, face shields.

SHEARER: And a surgical mask you would wear under that as well.

FLORES: And that's protecting your face, your eyes, your mouth, your nose.

SHEARER: Mucous membranes.

FLORES: Mucous membranes.

(voice-over): All the gear is impermeable, meaning fluids can't pass through.

(on camera): Once the patient is inside the isolation room, that's it. There is no contact with anyone, while doctors huddle outside and figure out next steps.

SHEARER: What kind of care you needed, blood to be drawn, and also escalating it to hospital leadership and for the infectious disease department to notify the department of health. In most of the care that's involved in treating these patients is supportive care.

As we know, there's no real proven therapy specifically for Ebola at this time. Good hydration, prevention of other infections, diagnosing other infections that may be going on, all that can be done here.

FLORES: While hospitals around the country have isolation rooms for possible Ebola patients ready to go, they're hoping they don't need to use them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FLORES: Now, of course, Ebola is deadly and it's also a very lonely disease, because you're so isolated.

Here's one of the things that really lightens up my day. Because these hospitals are thinking of creative ways to make sure that these patient have contact with their family, so Mt. Sinai is looking at iPads so that in the case of an Ebola patient, that patient would be able to communicate with their families.

CABRERA: So they aren't totally cut off. Thank you so much.

FLORES: You're welcome.

CABRERA: Of course, the CDC would like to catch Ebola patients arriving from overseas before they make it out of the airport. They hope some new screenings will help keep the virus out of the way. Will it work? We'll ask a former chief medical officer for the Department of Homeland Security if they'll do the job.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Drills at hospitals, screenings at the airport. Will all of this stop an Ebola outbreak before it starts? Joining us from St. Louis, Dr. Alexander Garza. He's the former

assistant secretary for health affairs and chief medical officer of the Department of Homeland Security.

Dr. Garza, thanks for joining me.

First, are the drills at hospitals enough to prepare them for Ebola?

DR. ALEXANDER GARZA, FORMER ASST. SECY. FOR HEALTH AFFAIRS, HOMELAND SECURITY DEPT: Well, it's a good first step. So, we have been dealing with Ebola for most of the year. It's only become much more important here recently with the case diagnosed in Dallas. And I think it was really a wake-up call for the rest of country that we need to take this disease seriously and be on alert for it. So, I think the U.S. hospitals are doing the best they can to be prepared for something that is very unusual.

CABRERA: Do you think the screenings at the airports will be effective, or is there something else that they should be doing instead?

GARZA: Well, the screening at the airports are, I think designed for a couple things. So, one is to catch any potential cases that may have gotten past the screening in the airports from Western Africa. But I think they provided another thing, which is another level of comfort for the American people that the U.S. government is taking this seriously, and is covering all of their tracks.

And this is what we call a low regret action, meaning it doesn't take a whole lot. There is not a whole lot of passengers to screen. We have the manpower in place, and these are relatively simple things we can do to just add another layer of security.

CABRERA: And as you mentioned, when you talk about these screenings, we're hearing from the CDC only about 150 travelers a day or so will receive the screenings. But I do know part of this screening involves a questionnaire.

Does the system depend on travelers' honesty and could that be a weak point?

GARZA: Well, it could be a weak point. But, you know, you have to understand that a lot of people that come into this country are not truthful on a lot of other things as well. And so, Customs and Border Protection, they have quite a bit of training in looking for people that are being evasive or being deceptive.

And so, that part of their training I think will come in as well. But you're absolutely correct, that if people are not being truthful, they can still slip through, and they can be asymptomatic and not have a temperature, as was the case with Mr. Duncan. Although he said he was very truthful when he answered the questions that he did not think he had been around anybody that had Ebola.

But there really is no full-proof system to keep somebody who had been exposed to Ebola from getting through these multiple screens.

CABRERA: Well, certainly seems like this couldn't hurt anything. Dr. Alexander Garza, thank you for your time.

GARZA: Absolutely. Thank you.

CABRERA: An al Qaeda operative believed to be responsible for the death of 200 people in several American embassy bombings is finally facing a judge. Not to answer for his crimes, though, but rather to complain about his treatment when he was captured. The details, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: U.S. Army Special Forces unit known as Delta Force doesn't mess around when on the hunt. Now, an alleged al Qaeda member on trial in New York civilian court is complaining about how he was treated when Delta Force captured him for his alleged role in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. But Abu Anas al-Libi's complaints might surprise you.

We spoke earlier with "Daily Beast" special correspondent Michael Daly who wrote the article about al-Libi, and former Delta Force army officer, Lieutenant Colonel James Reese.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: So, let's begin with you, Michael. Tell us more about these unusual complaints of al-Libi.

MICHAEL DALY, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, THE DAILY BEAST: Well, he's filed an affidavit in Manhattan federal court where he's presently facing charges of complicity in the embassy bombings in Africa, and he's basically saying that the poor guy, he didn't have a bed. He had to knock on the door to use the toilet. He didn't even have a dining nook. He had to like eat in cell.

They kept asking him questions. I've got to say, you read it, and the one thing that comes out to you is that -- and in court, the judge at one point said, as I understand no one laid a hand on this man from the time he got grabbed to the time he appeared in court and that's true.

CABRERA: So he's not complaining about excessive force being used.

DALY: Yes, he's basically saying, I didn't get the rights I thought I was supposed to get from America. This is a guy who declared us the Great Satan.

CABRERA: He thought if he was a U.S. citizen, he would be treated differently.

DALY: To me, it was a measure of where we are now. We were so enraged and hurt by what happened at the Trade Center that we kind of forgot ourselves for a while. And I think that, you know, this guy was not tortured, he was not abused, he was not waterboarded, he was not taken to some secret place. He was tried as a criminal. He's going to be tried as a criminal. He was treated as a guy who got arrested for a crime.

And the Delta guys, they grabbed him, one of them sat on him to keep him down and nobody hurt him.

CABRERA: Let's bring in Colonel Reese, who was a Delta Force member.

What is the protocol, Colonel Reese, for Delta Force when capturing a target like al-Libi?

LT. COL. JAMES REESE (RET), CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Sure. Just like Michael said, he wrote, delta is the masters and best at the world in doing this. Al-Libi should pray to God and thank God that he got captured by Delta, because if not, he probably would have been killed by any other force that came in.

CABRERA: Colonel Reese, you listen to what his complaints are, and some may think, gosh, he was treated pretty darn good, considering what he's accused of doing.

REESE: Yes, well, the Delta -- this is what they do. They do this around the world. They're the Jason Bournes of the U.S. they come in, snatch this guy, we call it a capture/kill mission.

We want to capture these guys for their intelligence. We know through the years of doing this now that these guys are trained al Qaeda, ISIS, any of these folks -- especially senior leadership, they are trained in deception. So, we don't want to make them comfortable. But at the same time, we -- it's our job now to work with the interrogators, with the FBI, with the CIA to, let them do their job and then our job is finished.

CABRERA: What happens next in the case of al-Libi?

DALY: You know, he will appear in court. He'll be tried. A jury will listen to the charges. And he will be treated just the way he should be treated in the -- it's America at its best. It really is. These Delta guys are America at its best when they do what they do. And the way the criminal justice system is going to handle him is America at its best.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: So, our thanks to Michael Daly and Colonel Reese.

We are keeping a close eye on Ferguson tonight, as well. Protesters marched from that city to St. Louis, Missouri, still demanding justice but without the violence. So far, today's demonstrations have been peaceful. They're part of what organizers label a Weekend of Resistance, calling for police restraint. We'll keep a close eye on these protests and let you know if anything erupts tonight. Thanks for joining me.

I'm Ana Cabrera.

A quick look ahead at 8:00 Eastern, Anthony Bourdain takes you to Shanghai in "PARTS UNKNOWN". Mike Rowe takes you backstage in Las Vegas at 9:00 on "SOMEBODY'S GOTTA DO IT". Now, followed by 10:00 Eastern, with "THIS IS LIFE" with Lisa Ling.