[John Corn]

A cache of videotapes that CNN acquired in Afghanistan purports to show al-Qaida terror training, bomb-making and poison gas experiments in which dogs die agonizing deaths.

The tapes that began airing Sunday also show al-Qaida operatives appear to be practicing ambushes and kidnapping. Most of the tapes appear to be made before Sept. 11, although some show television coverage of the attacks in New York and Washington.

CNN said its correspondent, Nic Robertson, was given access to more than 250 tapes through a longtime source, and he drove 17 hours from Kabul to a remote part of Afghanistan to first see them. Robertson took about 60 of the tapes out of the country. CNN did not pay for the tapes, he said.

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[John Corn]

CNN, CBS Paid for al-Qaida Video

CNN and CBS have revealed that they both paid sources for access to videotapes that depict al-Qaida poison gas experiments, although the dueling networks insisted the money didn't fund terrorism.

CNN anchor Aaron Brown said Tuesday night that his news organization paid about $30,000 for video from a cache of 64 al-Qaida tapes taken from Afghanistan. CBS declined to say how much it paid for similar material.

Both news organizations said they checked carefully to make sure the material was legitimate, and said giving more information could put their personnel in Afghanistan at risk. Both networks are concerned about local people learning their staffers have access to large sums of money.

http://tv.yahoo.com/news/ap/20020821/102993378000.html