US briefing at Bagram base on Operation Anaconda

(14 Mar 2002)

1. Helicopter flying over Bagram airbase
2. Chinook flying past mountains
3. Helicopters leaving for Gardez
4. Pallets holding supplies on runway
5. Soldier attachign pallet to helicopter
6. Transport helicopter flying off
7. Various news briefing
8. SOUNDBITE (English) General Frank Hagenbeck, Commander of US forces in Afghanistan:
"We are currently in contact with the enemy in smaller numbers. We still have the momentum and as far as we are concerned this is not going to end, even when they say Anaconda is over with. We are not going to let loose with these guys I have to tell you. We have good leads on them, we are tracking them 24 hours a day. We have got eyes on them, we have good leads, we know where they are going and we are going to stay on them. If I was an al-Qaida leader, I would sleep with one eye open."
9. Cutaway briefing
10. SOUNDBITE (English) General Frank Hagenbeck, Commander of US forces in Afghanistan:
"We are in this for the long haul and any loss of life is tragic and we are not going to throw our soldiers' lives away arbitrarily. We are going to take evey step that we can to protect them and win the fight. But I will tell you, we are not going to back away from any fight from these guys, we are going to go and do what we have to do and if you talk to these soldiers they will tell that. They haven't hestitated to close with the enemy and destroy them in close combat."
11. Cutaway map
12. SOUNDBITE (English) General Frank Hagenbeck, Commander of US forces in Afghanistan:
"We have trends, we have ideas, we information coming to us on places where these people - in patterns that they have developed over a long time - over where these people may be."
13. Canadian spokesman Lieutenant Luc Sharron
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant Luc Sharron, Canadian spokesman:
"We are going there to destroy and to kill any remaining pockets of Taliban and al-Qaida in the mountainous region of Paktia province."
15. Cutaway news brieifng
16. Canadian and US troops standing by helicopter
17. Various soldier checking for mines using sniffer dog
18. Various soldiers repairign holse in the runway
19. Plane taking off

STORYLINE:

American and Canadian troops attacked al-Qaida positions in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least three enemy fighters in the Canadian-led offensive that began a day earlier.

The assault raged for about 90 minutes before the area was secured.

There were no reports of Canadian or American casualties.

The battle came on the second day of Operation Harpoon, which military headquarters officials said involves 500 Canadian and 100 US troops in the mountainous areas south of Gardez in Paktia province.

It is believed to be one of the biggest ground offensives by the Canadian Forces in recent decades.

A US military official said that coalition troops were still tracking fleeing al-Qaida and Taliban forces.

General Frank Hagenbeck, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, expressed admiration for the way in which coalition forces had engaged their enemy and said that they would not back down from fights with al-Qaida or Taliban combattants.

Meanwhile, troops at Bagram airbase were continuing work on the runway, which is in serious disrepair.

Transport planes are limited to using half of its lenght for take off and mines continue to be a danger around the airfield.

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