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Syrian Army Retakes Palmyra; Trump Foreign Policy; Investigation Sheds Light On ISIS' Reach In Europe; Pakistani Military Carries Out Anti-Terror Raids; Easter Sunday Bombing Targets Christians In Lahore. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired March 28, 2016 - 13:00   ET

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


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer. It's noon in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1:00 p.m. here in Washington, D.C., 7:00 p.m. in Brussels. Wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us.

The manhunt is on in Europe right now. Police are searching for at least eight suspects they believe are linked to the terror attacks in Paris and Brussels. This comes as federal prosecutors in Belgium announce three men arrested in raids this weekend are being charged with participating in the activities of a terrorist group.

Meanwhile, Belgian police issued a new appeal to the public to help identify the third airport bomber caught on surveillance video. Police say he appears to have left his bomb and fled.

And the Belgian government raised the death toll in the attacks now to 35. That number rose after four hospitalized victims died. We're also waiting to learn their nationalities.

Here's what we know right now, 16 of those killed were Belgians, four were Americans, the other foreign nationals included Dutch, Swedish, German, French, British, Italian, Indian and Chinese. Three families are still awaiting DNA results.

CNN's Alexandra Field is joining us now live from Brussels. Alexandra, we got a lot of people detained or arrested since the Brussels attack. They have since been released. What does that say about the state of investigation and how much hard evidence the police and investigators actually have?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, we know that authorities are under extreme pressure here. They've got two major manhunts going on. They're looking for the third possible suspect in the airport bombing and a second potential suspect in the attack at the metro station. So, these are both people that they want to find in order to prevent another possible attack from happening.

Don't forget, there have been manhunts going on in this city since the Paris attacks happened back in November. And, yet, even in the midst in the environment of a heightened alert level, a heightened threat level, you have these two major attacks.

So, yes, authorities are trying to bring in everyone who could have been connected to the Brussels' attack and everyone who could be plotting something in the future.

To that end, you have this man, Fisel Sei (ph), taken into custody on Thursday night. He was charged on Friday. The charges announced on Saturday. And now, today, we're learning that he's being released. But these were not simply placeholder charges, these were incredibly serious charges that he was facing, terrorist murder, attempted terrorist murder.

Why would you let someone go who's facing those kind of charges? Well, what we're hearing from Belgium's federal prosecutor's office today is that there -- the clues were simply not conclusive enough for a magistrate to determine that this person should be held and so he was released.

And, look, this is in line with Belgium law. Being charged means that you are under investigation but it does not mean that authorities have to pursue a trial if they find that the evidence does not support those charges.

BLITZER: Because these charges obviously very, very serious. It sounds very strange to American audience where there's a different system of justice, clearly, as opposed to what's going on in Belgium right now.

As you know, Alexandra, CNN has also obtained a photo of one of the suspects, Reda Kriket. He was arrested in France on Thursday. What can you tell us about this individual?

FIELD: This is somebody that authorities have been looking for for quite some time. In fact, that notice, that indication that authorities were searching for him was released back in January. And at that time, authorities had received information that he was part of the planning of an attack that they thought was going to be imminent. That plot was ultimately foiled.

But they have been looking for this man. On Thursday, they raided a house in a Paris suburb. They found TATP. That's the same explosive that was used in the Brussels' attacks. They also found Kalashnikovs. This man has now been taken into custody. He's been wanted by -- for months by French authorities but this is also somebody who authorities have been looking for for quite some time. In fact, he was convicted in a trial here in Brussels, in absentia, back in 2015 for links to a jihadist network.

So, this is really a massive effort between countries across Europe to and identify people who could be connected to the cells that either carried out the Paris attacks or could be planning more attacks in the future -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Alexandra, thanks very much. Alexandra Field reporting live from Brussels.

As authorities unravel the web of plots and suspects, we're also beginning to get the real scope of ISIS' geographical reach in Europe. Let's discuss this with my next two guests, Admiral James Stavridis, retired former NATO supreme allied commander. He's now the dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Also joining us, our Global Affairs Analyst Bobby Ghosh. Guys, thanks very much for joining us.

Admiral, let's begin with you. Police, they've released the video of one of the airport attackers in an appeal to the public to try to identify this guy. What does it tell you about the investigation, this guy in the white jacket? Now, we see the video of him. We saw still photos earlier. They don't -- apparently, they still don't know who he is.

[13:05:10] JAMES STAVRIDIS, ADMIRAL (retired), FORMER SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER, NATO: Let's face it, Wolf -- think of the United States of America with each of the 50 states having a different language, a different culture, different legal system, different judges. That's kind of what you have in Europe. They've tried to bring some of this together with the European Union but there are enormous handicaps as you try and go after intelligence.

And even within the country of Belgium, you're divided between the Wilonian (ph) French population in the south and the Flemish, really Dutch speaking, population in the north. So, they're working hard to overcome this. They've got to do a better job of coordinating and pooling information.

BLITZER: Bobby, the police, they've arrested these individuals. Apparently, they've been charged but they are -- been released. It's a strange system. Apparently, at least to audiences here in the United States. What does this say to you about the knowledge that they have about what is actually going on? It seems there's some severe limitations.

BOBBY GHOSH, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Yes, it may seem strange to us but the Belgium police know what the laws are in their own country. And if they have not been able to build a substantial body of evidence against these people that they have held, they knew that the courts are going to let them -- let them free. I'm going to assume that they're keeping a close eye on these people, if they are indeed confident that these people were involved in the plot.

But it cannot have come as a surprise to them when they were filing the complaint that the court would throw it out. It is -- it is a system that, you know, the -- in Belgian law, they take that innocent until proven guilty to one level further than we do in the United States, even cases of terrorism.

I guess, if you think of that that in the abstract, that is probably a good thing. In the specifics of this moment in this moment in time, after a terrorist attack, instinctively, you think that perhaps the police should have had more powers. But that's the -- that's the law they operate under.

BLITZER: Did you appreciate that law when you were -- you lived there for, what, four years, Admiral, when you were the NATO supreme allied commander headquartered in Belgium over there. Did you understand what we would regard as perhaps sort of a muddle system? GHOSH: Absolutely. This is really part of the landscape of Europe,

and it's not confined to Belgium. There are other areas in Europe where you see this.

But, again, back to my previous point. It's the disparity in these laws as the European Union broadly, Wolf, tries to work against a network of jihadis, certainly thousands, who have returned from the fight in Syria with E.U. passports. It's going to be very challenging and, frankly, dangerous in Europe as this unfolds.

And the other point I'd make is look at the internationalism of the victims that were hit. I've heard 25 to 30 nationalities among the injured and dead. This really is a global problem. The nexus, at the moment, is Europe.

BLITZER: Yes, it's, clearly, at least a dozen nationalities among the dead. But of the several hundred injured, there's a lot of nationalities over there.

Let's talk about Pakistan, Bobby, for a moment, and then I want the admiral to weigh in. In looks like what happened on Easter Sunday at this amusement park, at this park in Lahore Pakistan, when they -- these terrorists clearly went after Christians.

This looks to me, and I want your assessment, like it's part of a broader effort to go after Christians, whether in south Asia or in the Middle East. We see hundreds of thousands of Christians, whole communities that have existed in Syria and Iraq, for example, destroyed in the past few years. Is this a war against Christians right now that these terrorists are engaged in?

GHOSH: Well, they wound up killing three times as many Muslims as Christians. But they -- in the statement, they claimed that they were specifically targeting Christians. And that's going to sort of put a chill in the Christian community in Pakistan.

I have to say that it's slightly different from the situation in Syria and in Iraq because in Pakistan, these terrorist groups, whether it's the Pakistan Taliban or other groups splintered away from that, they've been attacking all kind of minority communities.

And the Christians are one of them but they've also been attacking the Shia who are a minority in Pakistan. In some cases, they've been attacking Sikhs who are a minority in Pakistan. So, it would appear that they're going after all the minorities that they can possibly target.

But in this instance, they specifically targeted the Christians on a holy day in a place that they knew Christian families would be out with the -- with the children having a picnic, enjoying Easter Sunday. This has never happened before. This Easter Sunday has been observed in Pakistan in Lahore for decades.

And I'm -- but I'm sure, now, Christians in that city and in Pakistan in general, are looking over their shoulders and with a great deal of more concern and anxiety. BLITZER: I'm sure they have. I've been to Lahore and I've been to

that park. It's a very popular place but I'm not so sure it's going to be all that popular right now, especially for Christians.

[13:10:04] So, what does it say, Admiral? And you've studied this. You know what's going on. It's heart breaking to see these Christian communities. And, as Bobby correctly points out, in Syria and Iraq, literally destroyed. Their towns destroyed. What does it say right now about what's going on?

STAVRIDIS: First and foremost, we need to not give into the mantra, the narrative of hatred between religions.

On the other hand, within the Muslim world, there is a sharp, small, dangerous set of radicalized individuals who are lashing out across the religious spectrum. And I do want to pick up one point Bobby made. Probably the worst terrorist attack in Pakistan's history was just over a year ago. A massacre of school children, about 140 of them, who are the children of army officers of Pakistanis done by this same Pakistani Taliban.

So, these levels of hatred ratcheting can go a lot of different directions. I wouldn't categorize them as solely directed against Christians. But, Wolf, I agree with your premise, this is a bubbling concern throughout the lavonte (ph) in south Asia.

BLITZER: And let's not forget, as Bobby correctly points out, most of these terrorists are Muslims, not Christians or others. But they're mostly Muslims but there seems to be a direct attack, especially in Syria and Iraq right now, to try to destroy those ancient Christian communities.

All right, we're going to keep both of you with us. We have a lot more to assess.

While ISIS agents carry out terror attacks in Europe, the Syrian army has now recaptured the key city of Palmyra from their fighters. Our military panel is standing by to talk about that. Some recent victories against ISIS in this war against the terror organization. Is the war over there in Iraq and Syria going better than it is in the war in Europe?

And Donald Trump gives details about his foreign policy. What does he mean when he says, America first. We'll assess.

[13:12:06]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:15:55] BLITZER: The Syrian regime of President Bashar al Assad announces an important victory in the war against ISIS. The Syrian army says it has taken back the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria from ISIS terrorists. Syria says Russia's air strikes were a part of the -- a big part of the campaign to drive them out of Palmyra. ISIS fighters have been in control of Palmyra since last May.

Our senior international correspondent Arwa Damon has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is both a strategic, yes, but perhaps more so symbolic victory for the Assad regime now that it has managed to recapture Palmyra from ISIS, a historic city this fell to the terrorist organization about a year ago. This occurring once again thanks to the support of Russia with reportedly hundreds of air strikers pounding various different ISIS positions in the days leading up to the regime and the militias who support its final push into the city.

Now, there have been many concerned about the potential damages that have been done by ISIS to the historic ruins. We do know that ISIS did blow up and damage some millennia-old temples. The U.N. coming out and expressing its desire to see what is existing and standing of Palmyra, preserved by the Assad regime. And the regime is also using this to push forward the point that its strategy, along with Russia's strategy inside Syria, is proving to be significantly more successful than that of the U.S. coalition. This certainly is going to provide a much- needed moral boosts to Assad's forces, though not necessarily a decisive blow to ISIS.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: All right, let's talk about this with our military panel. Joining us now, retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, he's a CNN military analyst, former commanding general in the U.S. Army, and retired Admiral James Stavridis. He's a former NATO supreme allied commander. He's the dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

How important, admiral, is the recapture of Palmyra? Is it largely symbolic or is there any real, strategic value here?

ADMIRAL JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), FMR. NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: I think there is strategic value, Wolf, anytime you take a significant city like this. But we are far from the end of this. What we are starting to see in this campaign, both in Iraq, where there's real progress moving up toward Mosul and in the Syrian side of this, you're seeing that ISIS is not ten feet tall. We ought to remember, however, that the retaking of Palmyra is not retaken by the moderate Syrian opposition, it's retaken by the apostate regime of Assad. So it's a mixed picture from a strategic direction, but anything that knocks down the Islamic State is a good overall.

BLITZER: It's interesting, General Hertling, this could not have been done, the recapture of Palmyra, without Russia air strikes, without the Syrian military. It was not taken -- or ISIS was not defeated by Syrian rebels. It wasn't defeated by the coalition. It was defeated by the Bashar al-Assad regime and it could only do so because the Russian air strikes were pounding away.

LT. GENERAL MARK HERTLING (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: And as a reminder, Wolf, a couple of weeks ago Mr. Putin actually said, hey, we're taking our aircraft and our army out of Syria. Remember that. And then suddenly, within the last week, he's had over 50 air strikes in the Homs district and Palmyra alone. So there's a disconnect between what Mr. Putin is saying and his support of the Assad regime and what actually is happening on the ground.

This is a critically important strategic area. First of all, because of the symbolism of Palmyra, but also because if you look at the crossroads in Homs, which leads to Palmyra, it's like Gettysburg, there are roads heading out in every direction and you have to take that city in order to control the northern part and the eastern part of Syria.

BLITZER: Let's talk about the map a little bit, admiral. Take a look at the map of ISIS-controlled territory clearly has been reduced to some strands, important areas. They still have a big chunk. They still control the second largest city in Iraq. Mosul, a city that at one point was about 2 million people. But it looks like their area is being reduced right now. Is that your analysis of what's going on in the ground -- on the ground in Syria and Iraq?

[13:20:24] STAVRIDIS: It is indeed. And I think progress is going to continue as long as we keep the pressure on. And that means, arming the Kurds to the north over on the Iraqi side, continuing to support the Iraqi security forces coming up from the south, amp up the bombing campaign on the part of the United States, this is in Iraq, and gradually enable the moderate Syrian opposition. That's a long-term task over in Syria. But putting ISIS under those multi axis pressure is classic military, tactical and strategic approach. We're going to see that ISIS is not ten feet tall.

The key point to remember here, however, Wolf, is that the job is far from done. We're still at the beginning. And second key point, this is a global entity that is striking in the heart of Europe, in San Bernardino, California. So we're far from high fives and a victory lap.

BLITZER: And clearly there's some progress being made, general. But retaking Mosul is going to require an enormous military -- the -- the ISIS fighters, they've controlled Mosul now for two years. The Iraqi army has not been able to get in there. now they're saying they need more U.S. advisers, more U.S. troops, thousands more to go in there and back up what would be a strategic offensive to retake Mosul and very few people are even talking about Raqqa, the ISIS capital inside Syria right now. So this could go on, what, for not just months, for years.

HERTLING: Yes, I'll back up what the admiral said. This is going to take a while. We've said that from the very beginning. The key piece is, Mosul is a tough city to fight in. I've fought there. But you're seeing a combination of Peshmerga and Iraqi forces going in there, defection of ISIS fighters, killing of ISIS leaders, reduction in their funding. So all of the right things are happening. Multiple attacks on various axis of approach, as the admiral says.

BLITZER: Is it wise -- and I'll let the admiral weigh in, he's the former NATO supreme allied commander. Right now we heard the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the secretary of defense say the other day, they're going to make a recommendation to increase the U.S. military presence in Iraq right now, to presumably help the Iraqi military and others retake some of those ISIS-controlled areas. They're potentially talking about thousands of troops. I'm sure the American public isn't very excited, admiral, to hear about that.

STAVRIDIS: I think all of the American public have a lot of Middle East fatigue at this point, Wolf. But I know General Hertling would agree with me, and he fought on the ground in Iraq. I launched many, many strikes from the sea in Iraqi Freedom, we cannot walk away from this. And we're not talking about 150,000 U.S. troops as we had in Iraq or in Afghanistan, but 15,000 troops as advisers, mentors, air component, intelligence, logistics. That can be the stiffener in the Iraqi forces that I think over time can overcome the Islamic State in Iraq and cut off those resources from the Syrian side of this until we eventually have to go after Raqqa.

BLITZER: Right now the U.S. has about 4,000 troops on the ground in Iraq. That number, presumably, could go up. All right, we'll see what happens. Guys, thank you very much. James Stavridis is the dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and General Hertling is our military analyst.

Coming up, Donald Trump says if he's elected president of the United States, he would want allies of the U.S. to contribute more to the cost of housing U.S. troops in their countries or he would pull them. We're going to have a detailed look of Trump's world view when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:28:20] BLITZER: Donald Trump gave an extensive interview to "The New York Times" on his foreign policy views -- foreign policy views. His strategy now being summed up as America first. He told "The Times," and I'm quoting him now, "no isolationist, but I am America first. We will not be ripped off anymore."

To discuss more on Trump's world views and how they match up, let's bring back our military analyst, Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, retired, and our CNN global affairs analyst, Bobby Ghosh.

General Hertling, when he says America first, everybody wants America to be first, but he's getting a lot of criticism for saying America first. He also insists he's not an isolationist. He doesn't want America to retreat. He just wants the allies to do more than they're doing now.

HERTLING: Well, I -- it was confusing to me. I wouldn't categorize it in the isolationist vein. It was just confusing. From the standpoint of a military guy who would eventually have to take orders from a president, I couldn't read where he was going. You know, giving nuclear weapons to some, taking them away from others, being involved in some places, not being involved in other places.

You know, when you take a look at a potential president, they have to understand that there's four elements of national power. The military is just one of them. Diplomacy, economy and information are the other ones. And I think some of the statements that Mr. Trump has been giving to the press is confusing our allies right now. They don't know where to go in terms of how to find out what this potential next president might be thinking.

BLITZER: Well, because on the issue of nuclear proliferation, if you will, Bobby, what he suggested was, if North Korea has a nuclear arsenal, maybe South Korea, our ally, should have an nuclear arsenal, maybe Japan, which is worried about North Korea, they should have a nuclear arsenal. Why should the U.S. be financially, politically, military, be so obligated to protect those countries when -- when theoretically they could do it by themselves?