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Heavy Artillery Attack Appears to be taking Place Past Iraq- Kuwait Border

Aired March 20, 2003 - 12:10   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.


JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Just a few moments ago we heard from "The New York Times" reporter, John Kifner. He was with a Marine unit in Northern Iraq, and he was describing a lot of activity where he was in that area. He described the military action being moved up to take place sooner than had been expected. We have another reporter we want to go to, CNN's own Art Harris. Art is with the 3rd Battalion Second Marines, also in northern Kuwait.
Art, what are you seeing and hearing there? Art Harris? Are you there with us? We did have a connection with Art Harris, and I could hear his voice in my ear piece just a moment ago, so I'm -- Art Harris, we're going to try one more time to get you on screen.

All right; instead of Art, with us is Lisa Rose Weaver, another one of our embedded reporters. She's with the Army 5th Corps 32nd Air Missile Defense Group.

Lisa Rose, tell us about what's going on where you are.

LISA ROSE WEAVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK, well just to correct briefly, I'm actually with the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, but similar function -- Patriot missiles designed to intercept Scuds.

Now what I'm seeing at the moment doesn't directly involve Scud missiles. Looking north toward Iraq I see relatively faint light flashes but very, very loud booms -- what appears to be a heavy artillery attack on that part of the border, or rather on the Iraqi side of the border. This began about 10 minutes ago.

Earlier, about an hour and a half ago, while it was still light here, I saw a couple of multi-launcher rocket system missiles crossing the sky from west to east, basically across the northern tip of Kuwait. But then really nothing from that time until now, where, again, starting 10 to 15 minutes ago, I saw quite bright flashes of light and a very prominent sound that's apparently heavy artillery.

WOODRUFF: Lisa, describe for us, if you can, how far away from your position -- from the position of this Corps Missile Group that you are with -- the Patriot Missile Group -- how far away this is from where you are?

WEAVER: Well we, suffice it to say, we are in northern Kuwait, and it wouldn't do -- you know, there are security reasons for not saying exactly where we are, as you might understand. We are close enough to the border to see, not in great detail again, but on the horizon these flashes of light and hearing these loud booms, just, you know, not terribly far from where we are at the moment.

WOODRUFF: Lisa, we heard John Kifner reporting -- a "New York Times" reporter -- tell us just a few minutes ago that what he was picking up was that the schedule had been "speeded up because of the Iraqi destruction of the infrastructure." He referred to oil wells, perhaps bridges, perhaps roadways. Are you picking up any information of that sort?

WEAVER: Well, not from any official sources. The Patriot Battery Missile Unit hasn't got any official word that things started early. However, a lot of the people in the military here were taken by surprise that it started when it did -- people saying, hey, we thought we were going to have another day before this began, or at least several more hours.

WOODRUFF: And, Lisa, how are the men and women in your section? How are they holding up?

WEAVER: Well, they are amazingly calm, actually. A few hours ago, we had a chemical attack alert. No traces of chemicals were found in the atmosphere, but the men and women here, as well as myself, have to put on part of the chemical suits. As always we are wearing the gas mask around our waste.

That alert has since been lifted, and many of the people are now not wearing the chemical suits. Some are, but despite that, people here who I've talked to seem to want to get this started. They want to participate in some way. Again, this is a Patriot missile battery; so the way that it would participate would be to intercept incoming Scud missiles. Other patriot batteries have done so, but so far not this one today.

Spirits are amazingly high. There is not a sense of panic or doom. People are going about their work. I mean, obviously we are still under a form of alert. The Patriots here are scanning the skies, looking for anything headed in our direction. So far that hasn't happened. In any case, no missiles have been fired as yet from our location.

WOODRUFF: All right; Lisa Rose Weaver expressing a sentiment we've heard elsewhere among the troops, and that is they want to get this thing under way. They want to get on with it. Lisa Rose Weaver, just once again, with the Army Fifth Corps 52nd Air Missile Defense Patriot Missile Battery, or Missile Unit.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Iraq-Kuwait Border>


Aired March 20, 2003 - 12:10   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Just a few moments ago we heard from "The New York Times" reporter, John Kifner. He was with a Marine unit in Northern Iraq, and he was describing a lot of activity where he was in that area. He described the military action being moved up to take place sooner than had been expected. We have another reporter we want to go to, CNN's own Art Harris. Art is with the 3rd Battalion Second Marines, also in northern Kuwait.
Art, what are you seeing and hearing there? Art Harris? Are you there with us? We did have a connection with Art Harris, and I could hear his voice in my ear piece just a moment ago, so I'm -- Art Harris, we're going to try one more time to get you on screen.

All right; instead of Art, with us is Lisa Rose Weaver, another one of our embedded reporters. She's with the Army 5th Corps 32nd Air Missile Defense Group.

Lisa Rose, tell us about what's going on where you are.

LISA ROSE WEAVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK, well just to correct briefly, I'm actually with the 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, but similar function -- Patriot missiles designed to intercept Scuds.

Now what I'm seeing at the moment doesn't directly involve Scud missiles. Looking north toward Iraq I see relatively faint light flashes but very, very loud booms -- what appears to be a heavy artillery attack on that part of the border, or rather on the Iraqi side of the border. This began about 10 minutes ago.

Earlier, about an hour and a half ago, while it was still light here, I saw a couple of multi-launcher rocket system missiles crossing the sky from west to east, basically across the northern tip of Kuwait. But then really nothing from that time until now, where, again, starting 10 to 15 minutes ago, I saw quite bright flashes of light and a very prominent sound that's apparently heavy artillery.

WOODRUFF: Lisa, describe for us, if you can, how far away from your position -- from the position of this Corps Missile Group that you are with -- the Patriot Missile Group -- how far away this is from where you are?

WEAVER: Well we, suffice it to say, we are in northern Kuwait, and it wouldn't do -- you know, there are security reasons for not saying exactly where we are, as you might understand. We are close enough to the border to see, not in great detail again, but on the horizon these flashes of light and hearing these loud booms, just, you know, not terribly far from where we are at the moment.

WOODRUFF: Lisa, we heard John Kifner reporting -- a "New York Times" reporter -- tell us just a few minutes ago that what he was picking up was that the schedule had been "speeded up because of the Iraqi destruction of the infrastructure." He referred to oil wells, perhaps bridges, perhaps roadways. Are you picking up any information of that sort?

WEAVER: Well, not from any official sources. The Patriot Battery Missile Unit hasn't got any official word that things started early. However, a lot of the people in the military here were taken by surprise that it started when it did -- people saying, hey, we thought we were going to have another day before this began, or at least several more hours.

WOODRUFF: And, Lisa, how are the men and women in your section? How are they holding up?

WEAVER: Well, they are amazingly calm, actually. A few hours ago, we had a chemical attack alert. No traces of chemicals were found in the atmosphere, but the men and women here, as well as myself, have to put on part of the chemical suits. As always we are wearing the gas mask around our waste.

That alert has since been lifted, and many of the people are now not wearing the chemical suits. Some are, but despite that, people here who I've talked to seem to want to get this started. They want to participate in some way. Again, this is a Patriot missile battery; so the way that it would participate would be to intercept incoming Scud missiles. Other patriot batteries have done so, but so far not this one today.

Spirits are amazingly high. There is not a sense of panic or doom. People are going about their work. I mean, obviously we are still under a form of alert. The Patriots here are scanning the skies, looking for anything headed in our direction. So far that hasn't happened. In any case, no missiles have been fired as yet from our location.

WOODRUFF: All right; Lisa Rose Weaver expressing a sentiment we've heard elsewhere among the troops, and that is they want to get this thing under way. They want to get on with it. Lisa Rose Weaver, just once again, with the Army Fifth Corps 52nd Air Missile Defense Patriot Missile Battery, or Missile Unit.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Iraq-Kuwait Border>