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CNN Live At Daybreak
What Marines Would Likely Encounter Entering Iraq
Aired March 14, 2003 - 05:37 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: To the heated matter of Iraq now, let's get an early briefing on this looming showdown. The Pentagon is ordering a dozen missile firing navy warships from the Mediterranean into the Red Sea. The White House is backing off demanding a vote today on a new resolution before the U.N. Security Council. That resolution would authorize war if Baghdad refuses to disarm. And former President Bill Clinton says disarmament without war is the right way to go.
U.S. Marines are based in Kuwait close to the border with Iraq poised for war if President Bush gives the order.
CNN's Alessio Vinci tells us what the Marines will likely encounter when entering Iraq.
He joins us live by video phone from Kuwait -- good morning, Alessio.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.
The marines' commander at this battalion level are spending a lot of time here reviewing their war plan, their portion of the war plan should, indeed, military action against Iraq begin. And I can tell you, if back in Washington at the Pentagon the military planners discuss over maps of the entire region, Iraq and all the neighboring countries, back here in this camp somewhere in the northern part of the Kuwaiti desert, the military planners are working on maps that are much more detailed and maps that really look into specific towns, specific locations, specific areas of Iraq and they're really going over the details.
And I cannot share, of course, those details with you because of security, because of operational security. But I can tell you that they're spending a lot of time going over the details, where is a certain bridge or where is a certain berm or where are the trenches. So they are really very much going into those details.
Of course, they're very much concerned about what they're going to find on the other side of the Iraqi, the Kuwaiti border once, and if they go inside. And, of course, some of the concern is, are the possibility that Saddam Hussein may use chemical weapons. However, the military planners here are telling us that the U.S. military and the marines here are well prepared to face a chemical attack. They have, of course, received vaccinations and they also received a lot of the chemical suits.
Another concern, of course, is the possibility that there are paramilitary groups into northern, into southern Iraq and those paramilitary groups could be able to, could, in theory, conduct some suicide bombing attacks against the U.S. military as it advances into southern Iraq.
So these are the two major concerns at this time that the U.S. Marines and the military planners here have at this time here down in Kuwait -- back to you, Carol.
COSTELLO: You be careful out there.
Alessio Vinci reporting live from Kuwait.
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 March 14, 2003 - 05:37 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: To the heated matter of Iraq now, let's get an early briefing on this looming showdown. The Pentagon is ordering a dozen missile firing navy warships from the Mediterranean into the Red Sea. The White House is backing off demanding a vote today on a new resolution before the U.N. Security Council. That resolution would authorize war if Baghdad refuses to disarm. And former President Bill Clinton says disarmament without war is the right way to go.
U.S. Marines are based in Kuwait close to the border with Iraq poised for war if President Bush gives the order.
CNN's Alessio Vinci tells us what the Marines will likely encounter when entering Iraq.
He joins us live by video phone from Kuwait -- good morning, Alessio.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.
The marines' commander at this battalion level are spending a lot of time here reviewing their war plan, their portion of the war plan should, indeed, military action against Iraq begin. And I can tell you, if back in Washington at the Pentagon the military planners discuss over maps of the entire region, Iraq and all the neighboring countries, back here in this camp somewhere in the northern part of the Kuwaiti desert, the military planners are working on maps that are much more detailed and maps that really look into specific towns, specific locations, specific areas of Iraq and they're really going over the details.
And I cannot share, of course, those details with you because of security, because of operational security. But I can tell you that they're spending a lot of time going over the details, where is a certain bridge or where is a certain berm or where are the trenches. So they are really very much going into those details.
Of course, they're very much concerned about what they're going to find on the other side of the Iraqi, the Kuwaiti border once, and if they go inside. And, of course, some of the concern is, are the possibility that Saddam Hussein may use chemical weapons. However, the military planners here are telling us that the U.S. military and the marines here are well prepared to face a chemical attack. They have, of course, received vaccinations and they also received a lot of the chemical suits.
Another concern, of course, is the possibility that there are paramilitary groups into northern, into southern Iraq and those paramilitary groups could be able to, could, in theory, conduct some suicide bombing attacks against the U.S. military as it advances into southern Iraq.
So these are the two major concerns at this time that the U.S. Marines and the military planners here have at this time here down in Kuwait -- back to you, Carol.
COSTELLO: You be careful out there.
Alessio Vinci reporting live from Kuwait.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
