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CNN Live At Daybreak
Exclusive Look Inside Northern Iraq
Aired November 26, 2002 - 05:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Today we continue our exclusive look inside northern Iraq. Armed Kurdish escorts took our Brent Sadler to an area that's considered similar to Afghanistan's Tora Bora region. Islamic militants with suspected ties to al Qaeda operatives hide out in that area and, some believe, plot terror attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Armed Kurdish escorts for a hazardous journey in northern Iraq, leading to a remote outpost for Peshmerga (ph) fighters, meaning those who face death on this desolate border with Iran.
(on camera): From this high altitude position, you can see a mountain range used by hard line Islamic groups, as well as a hiding place for suspected al Qaeda operatives. Sound familiar? Yes, it does. Think Afghanistan a year ago and the U.S. bombing of Tora Bora. These Kurdish commanders say this is another kind of Tora Bora.
(voice-over): It has lots of caves, says their leader. They're used as based, just like Tora Bora. And difficult to storm without air support. This video obtained exclusively by CNN from the Patriot Union of Kurdistan, shows Islamic militants in the same area last year during a bloody battle, when they were overrun by Peshmerga commandos. The tape also shows how this Kurdish group, Ansar al-Islam, is well equipped and armed with light artillery. And the tape documents the aftermath of the gruesome killings last year of 42 Peshmerga prisoners, blamed on Ansar al-Islam.
This man, Mullah Krekar, is Ansar al-Islam's leader, now held by Dutch authorities, wanted by Jordan for alleged heroin smuggling. Kurdish political leaders claim Ansar al-Islam has built clear links with al Qaeda and Taliban style Afghan Arabs, supporters of Osama bin Laden, using these mountains, the Kurds say, as a strategic hub before and after the September 11 attacks on the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The stakes are very high as far as the future of Iraq is concerned. Al Qaeda targeting us and trying to destabilize our political process here, in my opinion, is part and parcel of the campaign to derail efforts at changing the political system in Iraq.
SADLER: And it's Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, who's accused by the Kurds of supporting Ansar al-Islam and its allies, including al Qaeda, an accusation vigorously denied by Baghdad.
In recent months, the Kurds have been put more on their guard following a series of bombings and assassination attempts blamed on Islamic extremists in what the Kurds call their single-handed war on terror.
Brent Sadler, CNN, northern Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLAWAY: Brent Sadler's exclusive series of reports from inside northern Iraq is airing throughout the week right here on CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 26, 2002 - 05:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Today we continue our exclusive look inside northern Iraq. Armed Kurdish escorts took our Brent Sadler to an area that's considered similar to Afghanistan's Tora Bora region. Islamic militants with suspected ties to al Qaeda operatives hide out in that area and, some believe, plot terror attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Armed Kurdish escorts for a hazardous journey in northern Iraq, leading to a remote outpost for Peshmerga (ph) fighters, meaning those who face death on this desolate border with Iran.
(on camera): From this high altitude position, you can see a mountain range used by hard line Islamic groups, as well as a hiding place for suspected al Qaeda operatives. Sound familiar? Yes, it does. Think Afghanistan a year ago and the U.S. bombing of Tora Bora. These Kurdish commanders say this is another kind of Tora Bora.
(voice-over): It has lots of caves, says their leader. They're used as based, just like Tora Bora. And difficult to storm without air support. This video obtained exclusively by CNN from the Patriot Union of Kurdistan, shows Islamic militants in the same area last year during a bloody battle, when they were overrun by Peshmerga commandos. The tape also shows how this Kurdish group, Ansar al-Islam, is well equipped and armed with light artillery. And the tape documents the aftermath of the gruesome killings last year of 42 Peshmerga prisoners, blamed on Ansar al-Islam.
This man, Mullah Krekar, is Ansar al-Islam's leader, now held by Dutch authorities, wanted by Jordan for alleged heroin smuggling. Kurdish political leaders claim Ansar al-Islam has built clear links with al Qaeda and Taliban style Afghan Arabs, supporters of Osama bin Laden, using these mountains, the Kurds say, as a strategic hub before and after the September 11 attacks on the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The stakes are very high as far as the future of Iraq is concerned. Al Qaeda targeting us and trying to destabilize our political process here, in my opinion, is part and parcel of the campaign to derail efforts at changing the political system in Iraq.
SADLER: And it's Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, who's accused by the Kurds of supporting Ansar al-Islam and its allies, including al Qaeda, an accusation vigorously denied by Baghdad.
In recent months, the Kurds have been put more on their guard following a series of bombings and assassination attempts blamed on Islamic extremists in what the Kurds call their single-handed war on terror.
Brent Sadler, CNN, northern Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLAWAY: Brent Sadler's exclusive series of reports from inside northern Iraq is airing throughout the week right here on CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
