COMPLETE COVERAGE | FRONT LINES | AMERICA AT HOME | INTERACTIVES »

Marine tanker plane crashes in Pakistan

A Marine Corps KC-130 Hercules

(CNN) -- U.S. officials said Wednesday there were no indications of survivors after a Marine Corps KC-130 transport plane crashed into a mountainside as it prepared to land at a forward operating base in western Pakistan.

Seven Marines were on the refueling/cargo plane.

Their names are being withheld pending notification of their next of kin, said Maj. Chris Hughes, a Marine Corps spokesman in Kandahar.

There was no indication the plane came under enemy fire, the Pentagon said, but that has not been ruled out. Witnesses reported the plane appeared to be on fire when it crashed. (Full story)

In Afghanistan, government officials were trying to determine why seven top Taliban officials who surrendered in the past 48 hours were released by local authorities and allowed to return to their villages.

U.S. officials wanted to question the Taliban officials, but interim Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Omar Samad said they might have fled the country. (Full story)

Marines killed Command Pilot: Capt. Matthew W. Bancroft, 29, of Shasta, California Co-pilot: Capt. Daniel G. McCollum, 29, of Richland, South Carolina Flight Engineer: Gunnery Sgt. Stephen L. Bryson, 35, of Montgomery, Alabama Loadmaster: Staff Sgt. Scott N. Germosen, 37, of Queens, New York Flight mechanic: Sgt. Nathan P. Hays, 21, of Lincoln, Washington Flight navigator: Lance Cpl. Bryan P. Bertrand, 23, of Coos Bay, Oregon Radio operator: Sgt. Jeannette L. Winters, 25, of Du Page, Illinois  VIDEO CNN's Catherine Bond reports the next country the United States could target to look for al Qaeda cells and supporters might be Somalia (January 9) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   QUICKVOTE If Zacarias Moussaoui's trial is televised, would you watch it? Yes No View Results   RESOURCES Photo gallery: Faces of bin Laden    CNN.COM SPECIAL REPORT  CNN NewsPass Video  Agencies reportedly got hijack tips in 1998  MORE STORIES Intelligence intercept led to Buffalo suspects Report cites warnings before 9/11  EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: Who Knew What and When? Interactive: Terror Investigation Terror Warnings System Most wanted terrorists What looks suspicious? In-Depth: America Remembers In-Depth: Terror on Tape In-Depth: How prepared is your city?  RESOURCES On the Scene: Barbara Starr: Al Qaeda hunt expands? On the Scene: Peter Bergen: Getting al Qaeda to talk

Military officials at the U.S. compound in Kandahar are preparing to start transporting the al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners from Afghanistan to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The first group could leave Wednesday night.

The detainees were to travel in groups of 15 to 20 under heavy guard, military sources said.

Transporting the prisoners is considered so dangerous that they may be sedated during the 15-hour flight. (Full story)

Latest developments

• Coalition warplanes Wednesday bombed the area around a suspected al Qaeda training camp in eastern Afghanistan for a fourth straight day. U.S. military reconnaissance discovered a massive network of caves and tunnels at the Zawar Kili camp, which officials say could cover 30 or 40 acres.

• The U.S. has added two charities believed to be raising money for al Qaeda to its global terrorist watch list, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said Wednesday. The groups -- the Afghan Support Committee and the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society -- operated in Afghanistan and Pakistan and were not believed to have any assets in the United States. (Full story)

• Afghan government officials warned Kabul residents Wednesday they would be arrested by the new international security force if they carry guns on the street. The Bonn agreement, which set up the force, called for the demilitarization of Kabul.

• A federal judge in Virginia heard arguments Wednesday on whether the trial of suspected terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui should be televised. She is not expected to rule before next Tuesday. Moussaoui is the only person charged so far in connection with the September 11 attacks on the United States. He could be sentenced to death if convicted of conspiring with al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. (Full story)

• The Department of Transportation has hired a major executive search firm to help it recruit candidates to fill federal security director posts at 81 U.S. airports. (Full story)

• A recently fired employee of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in Southern California was in jail Wednesday after allegedly making terrorist threats against the facility. Authorities said they found 200 weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition at the man's home and at a storage shed he apparently rented.