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American Morning
President Bush to Arrive at McDill Air Force Base Soon
Aired March 26, 2003 - 09:33 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: British forces are beginning to guide some humanitarian aid through the port of Umm Qasr, but they're not able to get into Basra.
Diana Muriel is our only reporter embedded with British troops. She joins us on the phone from Southern Iraq.
Diana, what's the latest?
DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest is that the British forces are gathering their battle groups around the southern city of Basra, which is the second largest city in Iraq. There have been some skirmishing with local militia groups over the past few days, mostly emanating from a village called Asavayar (ph), which is just to the south of Basra. There seems to be a cell of militants holding out in a compound there, using it as a base to supply militiamen in the area with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades, and it's the Baath Party headquarters for the local area. The Baath Party, of course, supporting Saddam Hussein.
Last night, there was a joint allied cooperation to strike that compound. U.S. forces bombed it before the British forces went in to clear it up. Local villages believe there were still several militiamen out and about that were not hit in that strike, and this afternoon, during the course of a checkpoint the British set up to the south of Basra, they've been detaining several men whom they are indicating could be part of that militia cell.
They are not giving away the details of the intelligence information they're working off, but they are detaining people by virtue of certain types of clothing that certain people are wearing, and also by looking at their identity cards. There seems to be something in some identity cards which is suspicious. A group of about 100 men or so have been processed and taken off to the POW camps, the enemy prisoner of war camps, which have been set up by the British.
In the meantime, as you say, the humanitarian effort is just starting to get under way. This morning, we witnessed the first humanitarian aid being given by the British Army, the British government aid that was already with military unit units there to the villages of Azerbeia (ph). They were very grateful to receive it. They were desperately short of food, and in the parcels were rice, and water and other essentials. They said it was the first food that they had received.
There will be, as you say, more humanitarian aid coming this way now that the port of Umm Qasr is secure, and that is expected to happen during the course of Wednesday and Thursday -- Paula.
ZAHN: Diana, let's come back to these militia cells you were talking about. They certainly respect the fact the military is not going to share the intelligence with you about specifically who these soldiers are.
But in a broad sense, are you able to tell us anything you've learned about them, how many we're talking about here, soldiers that make up the cell?
ZAHN: Yes, we do have some details. It seems that this is an activist cell, which has been coercing local people into joining them. There's an indication from the military that they've been threatening local civilians families, making the men join in with the fighting and to bear arms, that they have paying them. We're finding people at the checkpoints here who have gotten large, suspiciously large wads of cash on them, and again, they are amongst some of those who are being detained at these checkpoints.
It would seem they are party activists who are prepared to fight for Saddam Hussein, and are coercing people to do the same for them.
Quite how many there are, we're not entirely certain. Villagers I spoke to this morning saying that there were 20 or 30 that hadn't been hit in the raid, and the British military forces were not going to tell me how many people there they hit in the raid this morning -- Paula.
ZAHN: Diana Muriel, we'll leave it at that and look forward to your next report. Thanks so much.
Back to Bill now in Kuwait -- Bill.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Paula, we heard from the president. He was at the Pentagon yesterday unveiling that $75 billion proposal supplement for the war supplement by way of Congress.
Meanwhile, today, in about 30 minutes or so, maybe within the hour, we're going to see them show at Tampa, McDill Air Force Base, for an update for him and also a speech there as well, and John Zarrella is tracking the words of the president and joins us there live now from Kuwait.
John, hello. Good morning.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
We're outside the front gate to McDill Air Force Base. And as you know and many of our viewers know, McDill Air Force Base is the home to Central Command, the home of General Tommy Franks. Of course, his forward headquarter is now and has been for awhile moved to the Middle east area.
Now, the president is on board Air Force One. As you mentioned, within the next hour or so, he is expected to land here at McDill. He's going to spend a couple of hours here at McDill Air Force Base. He's going to be meeting with several thousand people, invited guests, military personnel, their families, dignitaries, supporters of his, as well as his brother, the governor of Florida, Governor Jeb Bush will be here, and in prepared remarks, senior White House officials tell us that the president will say that the war is moving ahead of schedule, although there is a long way to go. The president is also expected to emphasize in his prepared remarks the role that's being played by coalition countries, members of the coalition who are fighting in Iraqi freedom, both directly and indirectly.
Now, the president is also going to get a briefing while he's here, a classified briefing. He's going to meet with members of the coalition, and then later have lunch with members of the coalition before leaving here and flying, we believe, back to Washington, and then on to Camp David.
Now as far as protesters out there, there really are no protesters out here today, Bill. There are about a couple of dozen supporters of President Bush and people who are supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. There are, in fact, more police officers and military personnel here today, at least at this point, than there are protesters of any sort.
But again, about two dozen people here with American flags to support the president, supporting the troops. Of course, Tampa, because it's home to Central Command and McDill Air Force Base is a very big, and always has been, a very big military town.
There is expected to be an antiwar protest, perhaps later today, but at this point, no signs of any anti-war protesters here.
This is John Zarrella reporting live from McDill Air Force Base in Tampa -- Bill.
HEMMER: All right, John, many thanks there.
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 26, 2003 - 09:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: British forces are beginning to guide some humanitarian aid through the port of Umm Qasr, but they're not able to get into Basra.
Diana Muriel is our only reporter embedded with British troops. She joins us on the phone from Southern Iraq.
Diana, what's the latest?
DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest is that the British forces are gathering their battle groups around the southern city of Basra, which is the second largest city in Iraq. There have been some skirmishing with local militia groups over the past few days, mostly emanating from a village called Asavayar (ph), which is just to the south of Basra. There seems to be a cell of militants holding out in a compound there, using it as a base to supply militiamen in the area with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades, and it's the Baath Party headquarters for the local area. The Baath Party, of course, supporting Saddam Hussein.
Last night, there was a joint allied cooperation to strike that compound. U.S. forces bombed it before the British forces went in to clear it up. Local villages believe there were still several militiamen out and about that were not hit in that strike, and this afternoon, during the course of a checkpoint the British set up to the south of Basra, they've been detaining several men whom they are indicating could be part of that militia cell.
They are not giving away the details of the intelligence information they're working off, but they are detaining people by virtue of certain types of clothing that certain people are wearing, and also by looking at their identity cards. There seems to be something in some identity cards which is suspicious. A group of about 100 men or so have been processed and taken off to the POW camps, the enemy prisoner of war camps, which have been set up by the British.
In the meantime, as you say, the humanitarian effort is just starting to get under way. This morning, we witnessed the first humanitarian aid being given by the British Army, the British government aid that was already with military unit units there to the villages of Azerbeia (ph). They were very grateful to receive it. They were desperately short of food, and in the parcels were rice, and water and other essentials. They said it was the first food that they had received.
There will be, as you say, more humanitarian aid coming this way now that the port of Umm Qasr is secure, and that is expected to happen during the course of Wednesday and Thursday -- Paula.
ZAHN: Diana, let's come back to these militia cells you were talking about. They certainly respect the fact the military is not going to share the intelligence with you about specifically who these soldiers are.
But in a broad sense, are you able to tell us anything you've learned about them, how many we're talking about here, soldiers that make up the cell?
ZAHN: Yes, we do have some details. It seems that this is an activist cell, which has been coercing local people into joining them. There's an indication from the military that they've been threatening local civilians families, making the men join in with the fighting and to bear arms, that they have paying them. We're finding people at the checkpoints here who have gotten large, suspiciously large wads of cash on them, and again, they are amongst some of those who are being detained at these checkpoints.
It would seem they are party activists who are prepared to fight for Saddam Hussein, and are coercing people to do the same for them.
Quite how many there are, we're not entirely certain. Villagers I spoke to this morning saying that there were 20 or 30 that hadn't been hit in the raid, and the British military forces were not going to tell me how many people there they hit in the raid this morning -- Paula.
ZAHN: Diana Muriel, we'll leave it at that and look forward to your next report. Thanks so much.
Back to Bill now in Kuwait -- Bill.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Paula, we heard from the president. He was at the Pentagon yesterday unveiling that $75 billion proposal supplement for the war supplement by way of Congress.
Meanwhile, today, in about 30 minutes or so, maybe within the hour, we're going to see them show at Tampa, McDill Air Force Base, for an update for him and also a speech there as well, and John Zarrella is tracking the words of the president and joins us there live now from Kuwait.
John, hello. Good morning.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
We're outside the front gate to McDill Air Force Base. And as you know and many of our viewers know, McDill Air Force Base is the home to Central Command, the home of General Tommy Franks. Of course, his forward headquarter is now and has been for awhile moved to the Middle east area.
Now, the president is on board Air Force One. As you mentioned, within the next hour or so, he is expected to land here at McDill. He's going to spend a couple of hours here at McDill Air Force Base. He's going to be meeting with several thousand people, invited guests, military personnel, their families, dignitaries, supporters of his, as well as his brother, the governor of Florida, Governor Jeb Bush will be here, and in prepared remarks, senior White House officials tell us that the president will say that the war is moving ahead of schedule, although there is a long way to go. The president is also expected to emphasize in his prepared remarks the role that's being played by coalition countries, members of the coalition who are fighting in Iraqi freedom, both directly and indirectly.
Now, the president is also going to get a briefing while he's here, a classified briefing. He's going to meet with members of the coalition, and then later have lunch with members of the coalition before leaving here and flying, we believe, back to Washington, and then on to Camp David.
Now as far as protesters out there, there really are no protesters out here today, Bill. There are about a couple of dozen supporters of President Bush and people who are supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. There are, in fact, more police officers and military personnel here today, at least at this point, than there are protesters of any sort.
But again, about two dozen people here with American flags to support the president, supporting the troops. Of course, Tampa, because it's home to Central Command and McDill Air Force Base is a very big, and always has been, a very big military town.
There is expected to be an antiwar protest, perhaps later today, but at this point, no signs of any anti-war protesters here.
This is John Zarrella reporting live from McDill Air Force Base in Tampa -- Bill.
HEMMER: All right, John, many thanks there.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
