Taliban Vow Revenge Against Americans
BLITZER: To our viewers you're in THE SITUATION ROOM. Happening now -- it seems like an unlikely destination. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad heads to Saudi Arabia this weekend for talks with King Abdullah. The two nations, one Shiite, one Sunni, are regional rivals but the visit is scene as a sign that envoys have made progress in the weeks of talks on the conflicts in Iraq and Lebanon. Iraq's President Jalal Talabani has been in Jordanian hospital since collapsing at the start of the week. But he said today he's in good health and would be returning home soon. His physician says Mr. Talabani is expected to leave the hospital within days. And it is said to be the biggest insider trading scandal since the 1980s. The U.S. government filing charges against several Wall Street traders, two lawyers and three hedge funds today. They're accused of using secret codes, secret meetings, and kickbacks to profit by trading in advance of corporate announcements. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM. The Taliban are back with some chilling new vows of revenge against America. Their commander says a major offensive is now in the works, and in a stunning interview, this veteran of the terror wars say he's in regular touch with the top man of America's most wanted list. Let's get the latest now from CNN's Brian Todd. He's watching this story for us -- Brian.</s>BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this does not appear to be the usual bravado from a fanatical militant. This man's reputation alone is one reason U.S. officials believe Afghanistan is on the verge of another violent spring.</s>TODD (voice over): A man so feared, his presence even miles from the battlefield is said to unnerve the enemy, has a message for American troops and their allies in Afghanistan. The Taliban's top military commander, a fanatic known only as Mullah Dadullah, said suicide bombers at his command are countless and ready to strike this spring. And in an interview shown on Britain's channel 4, Dadullah says he keeps a line of communication with Osama bin Laden.</s>MULLAH DADULLAH, TALIBAN MILITARY COMMANDER (through translator): Only his comrades see him. We exchange messages with each other to share plans. We also go to battlefield together. We actually meet very rarely just for important consultations. It's hard for anyone to meet bin Laden himself now, but we know he's still alive. He's not yet martyred.</s>TODD: We asked CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen, could Dadullah really communicate with the al Qaeda leader?</s>PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Not directly, personally. It's only through intermediaries. Al Qaeda and the Taliban have increasingly morphed together ideologically and tactically, we've seen in the last few years.</s>TODD: Analysts say Dadullah is reminiscent of Abu Musab al- Zarqawi, al Qaeda's ruthless commander in Iraq known for his flamboyant videos and brazen public claims who was killed by U.S. forces last year. But unlike Zarqawi, who American commanders once mocked for his seeming inability to handle a weapon in one propaganda video, Bergen says Dadullah is a hands-on fighter.</s>BERGEN: Well, Dadullah is widely regarded as the most capable Taliban military commander, somebody who's been engaged in, you know, battles in Afghanistan for years. And his main area or focus right now is the south of Afghanistan, where much of the fighting has been taking place in the last six months.</s>TODD: And his viciousness may sometimes be too much, even for Taliban leader Mullah Omar, who once reportedly relieved Dadullah of his command after he allegedly slaughtered several innocent villagers -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: All right, Brian. Thanks very much. Brian Todd reporting for us. We want to update you on disturbing news we're getting in from Enterprise, Alabama, right now. Emergency officials there confirming at least -- at least eight deaths in that apparent tornado that hit Enterprise, Alabama, just a little while ago. We have been watching this story unfold. Tornadoes causing death now not only in Alabama, but earlier in the day in Missouri as well. You saw those live pictures from that high school. These are live picture coming in from Alabama as well, Enterprise. Our Jamie McIntyre has been reporting from the scene. We're going to go back to him shortly. But once again, at least eight deaths in Enterprise, Alabama. We know students included among those eight. We'll watch this story for you. In the meantime, let's get back to Taliban comeback. How big a threat do they really pose now? And are they working closely once again with Osama bin Laden? Joining us here in THE SITUATION ROOM, Cofer Black. He was the nation's point man for counterterrorism over at the State Department after a long career at the CIA. He's now chairman of Total Intelligence Solutions. Mr. Black, thanks very much for coming in.</s>COFER BLACK, CHAIRMAN, TOTAL INTELLIGENCE SOLUTIONS: Thank you, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: Is the Taliban seriously making a comeback, working together with al Qaeda right now?</s>BLACK: That's absolutely certain. There is a little bit of cyclical nature to this. Taliban have been conducting limited operations, probing NATO positions over the winter. Last year, in 2006, there were approximately 136 suicide attacks. These guys basically -- it's sort of like an equivalent of our Revolutionary War. They go to winter quarters, they get prepared, they come out</s>BLITZER: So we could brace for a lot more in the spring now, the so-called spring offensive that people are getting ready for?</s>BLACK: That's absolutely right. That's what we're getting ready for. We have 27,000 troops. We've got...</s>BLITZER: In Afghanistan.</s>BLACK: In Afghanistan. We have the 173rd Airborne Brigade going in there, and we are gearing up for toe-to-toe combat with the Taliban. Their usual stock in trade is ambushes, using snipers, and also suicide -- attack people.</s>BLITZER: When this -- when this so-called leader of the Taliban says he's in contact with Osama bin Laden and they're working hand in glove, is he right, is he doing that? Is there any evidence to back that up, that Osama bin Laden, that he is directly involved in this?</s>BLACK: This would not be in the American or the western context. Yes, there are contacts. They are not real time. They're indirect. And there are lines of communication that there are, but it's not a direct command control relationship. They basically coordinate the sense of how the struggle should take place. It's very clear that the Taliban will be coming out in the spring. They're positioned for this. They have their supplies reasonably pre-positioned. And they will be looking to engage in ambush. Those positions that they consider to be weak are lightly defended, using mortars, things like that. This is not a cataclysmic, you know, battle of</s>BLITZER: The situation in Waziristan, in western Pakistan, on the border with Afghanistan, there was an agreement worked out between the Pakistani government and local tribal leaders. President Musharraf is being accused of not doing enough to fight this war on terrorism, but this is a delicate situation for the U.S. right now. Talk a little bit about that.</s>BLACK: It depends where you sit on this, Wolf. If you are President Musharraf, you're looking at basically a lot of political liability, particularly in north Waziristan. You can't act too aggressively without the local tribes and religious associations reacting negatively to you. Yes, the Pakistani army has deployed outposts, they do conduct limited patrolling. But essentially, there was a default where it was hoped that, if the Pakistani army pulled back, that the folks in north Waziristan basically would become more peaceful and less threatening. This simply has not worked out. Therefore, that became the basis of the trip of Vice President Cheney.</s>BLITZER: So, when the vice president goes there and supposedly issues some sort of tough warning to President Musharraf to become a little more robust, can President Musharraf do that, given his own politically tenuous situation there?</s>BLACK: It is a balancing act. The vice president, the Americans pushed the Pakistanis, and particularly President Musharraf, as far as they can go to basically right the situation on the border. On the other side, President Musharraf has a lot of liabilities and has a lot of true baggage that comes with him to take real constructive action.</s>BLITZER: But there is a fear that if you lose President Musharraf, who might come in his place, it could be so much worse. The jihadists and Islamist fundamentalists with a nuclear bomb, because Pakistan is a nuclear power.</s>BLACK: That's, in essence, the problem. On the one hand, we can threaten withholding aid. On the other, if we push too hard, it is possible that his regime could be challenged. And the alternative for the United States, western interests, global war on terrorism would certainly be worse by virtually any replacement.</s>BLITZER: Because I've heard many people make the comparison to the shah back in the '70s. He might not have been perfect, but he was better than what came after.</s>BLACK: That's absolutely right. And we would not want to address a situation whereby you had a true active sympathizer of the Taliban and al Qaeda basically has a head of state.</s>BLITZER: We've got to leave it there. Cofer Black, thanks very much for coming in.</s>BLACK: Thank you, Wolf.</s>BLITZER: This note. The 11-member jury in the Scooter Libby trial today huddled with the judge to make a special request. They asked the judge for permission to leave at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow to honor professional and personal obligations. The judge approved their request. The jury is now finished for this day. They'll resume deliberations tomorrow, Friday, until 2:00 p.m. If there's no verdict by then, they'll go home for the weekend. Up ahead, an embattled congressman riding high on Air Force One. Democrat William Jefferson is the man accused of stashing bribe money in his freezer. Today he was with the president in New Orleans and elsewhere in the Gulf Coast. We're going to tell you why. And CNN now confirms eight dead in Enterprise, Alabama. We're going to bring you the latest on those deadly tornadoes, a horrible storm system ripping through parts of the country right now. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.