    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [November 14, 2001]
    [Pages 1408-1409]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Rescue of Humanitarian Aid Workers Imprisoned in
    Afghanistan and an Exchange With Reporters in Crawford
    November 14, 2001

        The President. Good evening. Today we've got incredibly good news.
    Our United States
    military rescued eight
    humanitarian workers who had beenin prison in Afghanistan.
        I'm really proud of our Armed Forces, and I'm also thankful for the
    folks in Afghanistan who helped with this rescue. There have been a lot
    of people praying for the eight--eight innocent folks. Particularly
    interesting for me, since I'm here in Crawford and the two
    Americans were from
    Waco. And I know a lot of the Waco citizens have been in deep prayer
    that they be rescued, and their prayers were answered.
        I'm thankful they're safe. I am pleased with the way our military
    has conducted its operations, and I am glad to report to the American
    people this chapter of the Afghan theater has ended in a very positive
    and constructive way.
        Q. Sir, did the rescuers encounter any resistance?
        The President. You're going to have to talk to the Secretary of Defense about that.
        Q. Were they rescued or turned over by the Taliban?
        The President. Well, I think Secretary Rumsfeld will be making a statement. We're calling it a rescue.
    They have been helped by--I know the International Red Cross have been
    involved, and they were flown to safety by U.S. troops.
        Q. Where are they now?
        The President. In Pakistan.
        Q. Sir, is it your understanding that this was an operation where
    our forces had to go in and extricate them?
        The President. No, I don't think it was a mission of that--it was
    set up, as I understand it. In other words, there was--people on the
    ground were--facilitated the ability of our troops to move in and put
    them on a chopper and bring them to safety.
        I have been--I had spent a lot of time worrying about all eight,
    particularly the two young ladies. I was worried that--about the reports that
    perhaps the enemy would put them in a house and then, for whatever
    reason, would encourage that house to get bombed. I was worried for
    their safety. We had thought of different ways in which we could
    extricate them from the prison they were in. And there were some people
    on the ground that helped, including the International Red Cross, and
    our military responded. And it's great----
        Q. How soon will you be able to speak to them or see them, sir?
        The President. I'm not sure. The good news is, they'll be home for
    Thanksgiving. And I would obviously--if they come back to the States or
    are in a position where I can call, I'd love to call them, and most of
    all, tell their parents that I can imagine how they feel, how thrilled
    they are that their daughters are safe.
        Q. Other than the Red Cross, who else----
        The President. I'm not sure yet, Ron [Ron Fournier, Associated
    Press]. I think

    [[Page 1409]]

    we had--Secretary Rumsfeld is going to
    brief here in a second.
        Q. Was it a handover to U.S. troops or----
        The President. I think it was a--I don't think it was--I think it
    was, as I understand it--and again, the Secretary of Defense will be briefing, the Defense Department will be
    briefing--that it was a facilitated rescue. In other words, there were
    people--and I say ``rescued'' because it's a very unstable part of the
    world still, obviously, and you never know what the Taliban is going to
    do. They, first and foremost, detained these people against their will
    and imprisoned them. And I was deeply concerned for their safety. But
    the really incredibly positive news is that, thanks to help on the
    ground and thanks to our U.S. military, they're now safe in Pakistan.
        I've got to go to dinner with my guests. I've got my guests. You'll
    have to talk to the Secretary of Defense.

    Operation Enduring Freedom

        Q. Should the Taliban surrender now, sir?
        The President. It's up to the Taliban to make that decision. But
    we're not going to end our mission until we accomplish the mission, and
    the mission is Al Qaida and terrorists and terrorist training camps.
        One of the things I said in front of Congress was that one of the
    conditions were that these humanitarian aid workers be turned over. That
    part of the mission is complete. We still want Al Qaida, and we want to
    make sure that Afghanistan is no longer a safe haven for terrorist
    activity. That has yet to be accomplished.
        In the meantime, we're making substantial gains on the ground. But
    this is--I told the American people, this could take a while. And I'm
    patient, and I am steady. And our military is--and our troops on the
    ground are on the hunt to accomplish the objective. And we will stay
    there until we do accomplish the objective.
        Thank you all. I've got to go have dinner----

    Visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin

        Q. Are you going----
        The President. I've got my guests waiting----
        Q. Did the rain ruin the dinner?
        The President. No, it's perfect. Listen, any time it rains in Texas,
    it enhances the dinner. [Laughter] Thank you all for bringing it.

     Note:  The President spoke at 7:18 p.m. at the Bush Ranch. In his
    remarks, he referred to rescued humanitarian aid workers Heather Mercer
    and Dayna Curry of the United States, Peter Bunch and Diana Thomas of
    Australia, and George Taubmann, Margrit Stebnar, Kati Jelinek, and Silke
    Duerrkopf of Germany.