Rice: 'No silver bullet' for al Qaeda
| Condoleezza Rice |
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| ON CNN TV | Stay with CNN for ongoing updates and analysis of reactions to President Bush's speech marking the anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. |
VIDEO |
The U.S. is downplaying the possibility of the capture of Ayman al-Zawahiri.
A swift interrogation would follow if al-Zawahiri is caught.
CNN's exclusive video of al-Zawahiri, some of it never before shown.
The Pakistan border is akin to the 'Wild West.'
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FACT BOX |
Nationality: Egyptian
Position: Osama bin Laden's closest adviser
Status: Wanted, $25 million reward
Background: Medical doctor; founder of Egyptian Islamic Jihad; referred to as the "brains of al Qaeda"
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pakistani officials say their troops are engaged in a fierce battle with al Qaeda forces, who they believe are protecting Ayman al-Zawahiri, the No. 2 man in the terrorist network.
U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice discussed the situation this morning with CNN's Bill Hemmer.
RICE: We really only have the reports that I think everyone has seen that there is indeed a fierce battle going on up in these territories on the Afghan-Pakistan border. It is a difficult area, in fact an area that has been largely ungovernable for more than 100 years and so it's a fierce battle. We don't know who is there, but we will soon see.
HEMMER: Why do you think the speculation is so strong it's al-Zawahri.
RICE: Well, I suspect because people are fighting very fiercely and the Pakistanis seem to believe they have a high-value target surrounded. They do these operations quite frequently, and they know that territory. But we don't have any confirmation that he is, indeed there.
HEMMER: Are you dismissing the Pakistani claim, then?
RICE: No, not at all. I think that the Pakistanis know their business, but I think we have to wait and see precisely who is there and to see when we will find that out. I assume later on today and tomorrow we will. But it's a fierce battle -- there's no doubt about that.
HEMMER: Dr. Rice, there's a suggestion this might be Pakistani hype, to show that they are a partner in the war on terror.
RICE: The Pakistanis have been terrific, many of the al Qaeda leaders that we have rounded up, it's thanks to the Pakistanis. They are not hyping their activities. They have been one of the best of our allies in the war on terrorism. It's just this situation is, of course, uncertain because there's no way to verify precisely who they have pinned down.
HEMMER: If you get him, the war continues, the war on terror, you said that yesterday. But what would a capture or kill mean to that current war?
RICE: Obviously, if you can take out one of the most important leaders in al Qaeda, that's an important step, a really important step. But as we've said, al Qaeda is a network, and you have to break up the network.
We've already captured or killed two-thirds of their known leadership. That has been a blow against the organization, and the capture of a major al Qaeda figure would also be a major blow. But we have to do this systematically over time. In is no silver bullet to disbanding al Qaeda.
HEMMER: American help and involvement in Pakistan today -- I understand there is aerial help. Are Americans on the ground?
RICE: Bill, I can't comment on any operational matters here, but to say we obviously would help the Pakistanis in any way they deem necessary, but the Pakistanis are the ones who have been really involved in that area, and they are the ones who are putting in the fight.
HEMMER: If I could shift our focus to Iraq quickly, a year ago today, March 19th, the war began over Baghdad. There's a piece on the front page of the "Washington Post" today, suggesting that commanders on the ground now believe that the Islamic extremists are the ones throwing the punches today throughout Iraq and not the former Baath party leaders.
Do you think the suggestion that Iraq has given more birth to terrorists, as opposed to cutting it off -- how would the White House defend itself on that claim?
RICE: Well, first of all, these are hardened terrorists, they are not drinking tea some place. They were fighting the jihad some place in the world, and many were of them fighting in Iraq. Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the battle leader for al Qaeda in Iraq, was there before the war. He was in and out of Baghdad, he had operatives in Baghdad, who ordered the hit on the American diplomat in Jordan.
Iraq was an important supporter of terrorist activities. The al Qaeda are coming into Iraq, or the al Qaeda affiliates are coming into Iraq because they know that Iraq is a central front in the war on terrorism, and they know that when Iraq is peaceful and democratic and more stable and no longer in the hands of a brutal dictator like Saddam Hussein, that their evil designs are going to be seriously harmed by the emergence of a different kind of Iraq and ultimately a different kind of Middle East.
Zarqawi knows why he's in Iraq and he's there because he knows he cannot afford to lose. He, in fact, said we are running out of time in the famous letter that was found of his. He said we are running out of time, because when the Iraqis take this over, it will be much more difficult to do what we are doing.