[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 46 (Monday, November 19, 2001)]
[Pages 1670-1671]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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 
been in 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 we

[[Page 1671]]

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 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.