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CNN Live Today

Update on Situation in Northern Front of Iraq

Aired March 25, 2003 - 11:11   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: I want to go to the northern part of Iraq. This is an area of the country we have not talked a lot about today.
Ben Wedeman, though, is in the town of Kalack (ph). He now joins us with what he is seeing and the movement up there.

Ben, good evening.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good evening, Bill.

As you can see, the weather here is absolutely awful. We've got thunder and lightning, and some very heavy rain which really reflects the spirits here on the northern front, which really has remained quite, by and large today. There was some bombing over Mosel (ph), but that was early in the morning, and just one or two thumps in the distance. What we're hearing, though, from Kurdish officials is mounting frustration with the United States, not only from Kurdish officials, but also other Iraqi opposition figures who feel that the United States is not handling this war very well, that the Americans have not given the sort of role to the Iraqi opposition, the armed opposition, that it should.

Now the Kurds will tell you that, for instance, they have more than 60,000 men under arms, men who have experienced fighting the Iraqi army, men who, in fact, in the past, were members of the Iraqi army, and they are ready to move ahead, but what they don't have is any significant American support.

There hasn't been much in the way of U.S. bombings of frontline Iraqi positions in this area. There are very few still U.S. forces on the ground. Now they started to arrive in the north part of the country on Sunday, but they really haven't come in the numbers that the Kurds were hoping for. So as I said, real mounting frustration among the Iraqis here in the north of the country with the United States.

Back to you, Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Ben, thanks. Ben Wedeman, updating us on what's happening on the northern front in Iraq.

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 25, 2003 - 11:11   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: I want to go to the northern part of Iraq. This is an area of the country we have not talked a lot about today.
Ben Wedeman, though, is in the town of Kalack (ph). He now joins us with what he is seeing and the movement up there.

Ben, good evening.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good evening, Bill.

As you can see, the weather here is absolutely awful. We've got thunder and lightning, and some very heavy rain which really reflects the spirits here on the northern front, which really has remained quite, by and large today. There was some bombing over Mosel (ph), but that was early in the morning, and just one or two thumps in the distance. What we're hearing, though, from Kurdish officials is mounting frustration with the United States, not only from Kurdish officials, but also other Iraqi opposition figures who feel that the United States is not handling this war very well, that the Americans have not given the sort of role to the Iraqi opposition, the armed opposition, that it should.

Now the Kurds will tell you that, for instance, they have more than 60,000 men under arms, men who have experienced fighting the Iraqi army, men who, in fact, in the past, were members of the Iraqi army, and they are ready to move ahead, but what they don't have is any significant American support.

There hasn't been much in the way of U.S. bombings of frontline Iraqi positions in this area. There are very few still U.S. forces on the ground. Now they started to arrive in the north part of the country on Sunday, but they really haven't come in the numbers that the Kurds were hoping for. So as I said, real mounting frustration among the Iraqis here in the north of the country with the United States.

Back to you, Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Ben, thanks. Ben Wedeman, updating us on what's happening on the northern front in Iraq.

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