JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: As the United States moves steadily toward a military campaign against terrorism, Afghanistan is bracing for war. CNN's Steve Harrigan is in northern Afghanistan, and he joins us now live with more on the mood of the people there -- Steve.</s>STEVE HARRIGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Steve, first some news about the fighting on the front, the Northern Alliance, the opposition in Afghanistan, is claiming some victories. They say they have taken over some villages on that that frontline, north of Kabul. The Taliban admitted some losses as well. As far as the mood here on the street, we had a chance to talk to some people today. And in the West, often people would gather around the water cooler in offices to gossip. In the village we went to today, there was not water cooler, no electricity, no office buildings, but we found people gathered around the waterwheel.</s>HARRIGAN: Tuesday morning, Northern Afghanistan. Village water supply systems needs fixing. The repairman calls for a stone. Eventually one is brought up. As the pounding begins the talk around the water wheel is about war, a war that could pit the motion technically advanced nation against one of the world's most backward. "America is a superpower, he says. I am sure they wouldn't kill innocent people. They know exactly where the terrorist camps are." Faith in an unseen technology and an unknown partner, against an unknown enemy. "Ask any Afghan," he says, "We don't want Osama bin Laden here. We don't know him, we don't like him, and we never invited him here." (on camera): After 20 years fighting outsiders and each other, the prospect of another war here arouses little sense of alarm. Certainly not in a village where the waterwheel requires an armed guard.</s>WOODRUFF: All right, Steve Harrigan reporting from Afghanistan. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
America's New War: Afghanistan Bracing for War