Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Marines Search for Comrades in Nasiriya

Aired March 29, 2003 - 10:00   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: Good morning. Welcome. It is Saturday, March 29, 10:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 7:00 a.m. in the Western U.S., 6:00 p.m. in Iraq. You are watching CNN's live coverage of Operation Iraqi Freedom, now into its seventh day.
Good morning. Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Paula Zahn in New York. Joining me are my colleagues Bill Hemmer in Kuwait City and Leon Harris in Atlanta, who gets things started this morning with a look at what is happening this hour -- Leon.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Paula. Good morning, folks. Good morning, Bill. A look now at the latest developments this hour.

Four U.S. soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing at an army checkpoint in central Iraq. The U.S. Central Command says that two men drove in a taxi up to the checkpoint this morning in the town of Najaf. The Associated Press reports that the bomb went off when five soldiers approached the car after the driver signaled that he needed help.

As heavy fighting continued in the southern city of An Nasiriya, U.S. Marines made a grim discovery today. Two bodies believed to be those of U.S. service members were discovered in a shallow grave. U.S. military command said yesterday that four Marines were missing in combat in that area. The remains are going to be flown to the U.S. for identification now.

One man was injured when an Iraqi missile hit a closed shopping mall in Kuwait City last night. That mall is located near the Kuwaiti parliament building in the palace of the emir of Kuwait. This is the first time that an Iraqi missile has landed in a populated area of Kuwait.

Now, let's go back to Paula Zahn in New York with CNN's continuing coverage of the war in Iraq. Paula?

ZAHN: Thanks, Leon.

Back here at CNN, we're working through the video pouring into our system to bring you some images of the day.

Home is where the heartbreak is. This video shot a few hours ago at a Royal Air Force base outside of London. There, the flag-draped coffins of 10 British service members have returned home. None died in battle; all were victims of allied accidents. Another image of the day: In a freeze frame of the coalition's slow advance toward Baghdad, U.S. Marines searching for pockets of Iraqi resistance. House-to-house searches. And they do gain some ground in Nasiriya, inch by inch. Senior Marines say it is the scene of some of the most fierce fighting the Marine Corps has been involved in since Vietnam.

Some of the fiercest fighting of the war is taking place near the southern Iraqi town of Nasiriya, where Marines are waging an attack against Iraqi resistance. Our Alessio Vinci is with those troops. He joins us now by phone.

Good morning, Alessio. Or videophone, I should say.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Paula. It is videophone, Paula. Good morning to you. And, indeed, U.S. Marines are having some difficult days here in Nasiriya, especially in the last 24 hours, where they're beginning to recover some of the bodies of their fallen comrades that were killed in action here on Sunday when this Marine unit first came through Nasiriya and came under heavy attack by Iraqi forces. Back then, nine Marines were killed. And because of the intense fighting in the town and the insecurity of that town, only yesterday and today did the Marines run back in there and try and recover some of the bodies missing.

And, indeed, yesterday and today Marines officials here, Marine officers believed that they have recovered the bodies of at least seven, maybe eight, if not all of the nine Marines that were still missing after that attack. Some of the Marines going there, digging through the earth with their own bare hands to try to get some of the bodies out. Most of the bodies, indeed, were found still inside the armored vehicle that was hit during the attack.

Also, Marines conducting house-to-house searches, because during the attack, those Marines who managed to escape from the truck did find shelter in a house nearby that attack. And indeed, when the Marines today entered those houses looking for the bodies, the only thing they could find was some personal belongings, some personal effects of those Marines, including some MOPP gear, some gas masks, some mail that some of the Marines had with them, as well as ammunition.

The bodies of those Marines are now with the Mortuary Affairs unit. They're going through some DNA tests for a final positive identification, and then they will be prepared to be flown back to the United States for a proper burial.

Back to you, Paula.

ZAHN: Alessio Vinci, we will get back to you throughout the day. That video that you and your team shot, I think, giving us the best idea of what coalition forces face when they come up against these small pockets of resistance.

At any moment, President Bush's weekly radio address will begin, in fact in just about a minute or so. For a preview, let's check in with White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux.

Good morning, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Well, President Bush is at Camp David. He is with his national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and his chief of staff Andy Card. We are told that he is going to receive his daily intelligence, as well as defense briefings, as well as with the National Security Council, what is now being called the War Council, through a secure video link at Camp David.

Now, we expect that the president is going to talk about, first of all, the successes of the war with Iraq. He's going to talk about the fact that they've been able to secure those oil mines, those oil fields rather, that also they've been able to get that humanitarian aid in, and that progress is -- well, that the war is making progress at this time.

The administration is somewhat frustrated over the last week or so. It has only been 10 days in this operation, and the administration has received quite a bit of questions, not only from the media, but also from retired as well as active military, who have been talking about did the administration anticipate the type of resistance that it has come under fire just within the last week or so? Did it adequately prepare the American people for all of this? And were they slow to get the humanitarian aid flowing?

Here's the president.

(BEGIN AUDIOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good morning. This week, I welcomed Prime Minister Tony Blair to Camp David where we discussed the progress being made in the war to disarm Iraq, end the dictatorship and liberate the Iraqi people.

Thanks to our fighting forces, the regime that once terrorized all of Iraq now controls a small portion of that country. American and coalition troops have continued a steady advance and are now less than 50 miles from Baghdad.

In recent days we have cleared mines from the water and taken control of a key port city to allow humanitarian aid to begin flowing into the country. We have secured more than 600 oil wells and have begun putting out the few oil well fires set by the enemy. Our efforts to protect the wealth that belongs to the Iraqi people are paying off.

And we have prevented the dictator from launching missiles from key sites in western Iraq. We are now fighting the most desperate units of the dictator's army. The fighting is fierce, and we do not know its duration. Yet we know the outcome of this battle: The Iraqi regime will be disarmed and removed from power. Iraq will be free. In the last week, the world has seen first hand the cruel nature of a dying regime. In areas that's still under its control, the regime continues its rule by terror. Prisoners of war have been brutalized and executed. Iraqis who refused to fight for the regime are being murdered. An Iraqi woman was hanged for waving at coalition troops. Some in the Iraqi military have pretended to surrender, then opened fire on coalition forces that showed them mercy.

Given the nature of this regime, we expect such war crimes, but we will not excuse them. War criminals will be hunted relentlessly and judged severely.

In the last week, the world has also seen the nature of the young men and women who fight on our behalf. They are showing kindness and respect to the Iraqi people. They are going to extraordinary lengths to spare the lives of the innocent. Our forces are delivering good and water to grateful Iraqi citizens in Safwan and Umm Qasr.

The contrast could not be greater between the honorable conduct of our liberating force and the criminal acts of the enemy. Every atrocity has confirmed the justice and urgency of our cause against this enemy. We will accept no outcome but complete and final victory.

To meet this objective, we must give our armed services the support and resources they require. I have asked Congress for a nearly $75 billion wartime supplemental appropriations bill. This funding would provide fuel for ships, aircraft and tanks, supplies for our troops in the theater of operations, and new high-tech munitions to replace the ones we've used in the war.

The supplemental would also provide funds to assist in the reconstruction of Iraq and to help protect the American homeland in this time of high alert. I hope the Congress will act quickly to pass this essential measure.

The people who serve in the military are giving their best to this country. We have the responsibility to give them our full support as they fight for the liberty of an oppressed people, for the security of the United States and for the peace of the world.

Thank you for listening.

(END AUDIOTAPE)

ZAHN: Well, there you have it.

MALVEAUX: Well, Paula...

ZAHN: Go ahead, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: I was going to say actually the purpose of this, the White House strategy now is really to get the president out in full force, out to the public, for a number of reasons, but first of all, to rally the troops, to boost the morale, but also to manage the expectations of the American people. There's been a lot of discussion just how long this is going to take, trying to prepare people that this may take longer than some had initially expected.

And the third point here is really that he is trying to discourage the Iraqis from trying to drag this thing out, demoralize the troops, and also perhaps to discourage them from trying to think there's some kind of negotiated settlement.

Already Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, talked about the possibility of some sort of settlement, some sort of peace settlement through a U.N. resolution. This is something the administration certainly does not want to see. They want this to end quickly, but they don't want the Iraqi to think that somehow that they can drag this thing on.

Paula?

ZAHN: I know that you and John King reported the other day that the president finds these constant barrage of questions about deadlines and time lines somewhat silly, in his words.

My question to you is that CENTCOM reported today, despite a bunch of published reports, that there is no delay in the coalition plan, although some reports suggest a delay of up to four to six days.

Is the White House saying anything that specifically?

MALVEAUX: They're not saying anything about it specifically, but it all depends on how you look at the military planning. Because the administration officials will say it's a flexible plan, it allows for these type of changes, these ebbs and flows. And so, therefore, it is not changing; it is right on target, right on schedule.

You talk to others, military planners, who take a look at this and say, "Well, perhaps this is just further delay," that this is not exactly what they had expected.

But the Bush administration saying that we are on the timetable, we are making progress. And also it is much too soon to say whether or not those predictions are going to come true.

Paula?

ZAHN: Suzanne Malveaux, thanks for the update. We'll be seeing plenty of you today.

Some breaking news out of Kuwait City now. Is it true, Bill, that the sirens have been sounded once again?

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Paula. Just a few minutes ago the air-raid sirens are back here in Kuwait City, as the sun starts to set here in Kuwait. No indication what this means right now. In the past it's been an incoming Iraqi missile, but whether or not this city is threatened or this country is threatened, we do not have the information right now.

In the past, sometimes we've had a few false alarms, not many, but a few. Certainly last night in the dark hours, about 1:40 a.m. local time in Kuwait, it was not a false alarm. An Iraqi missile slammed into a shopping mall, empty at the time. Only one injury as a result, but substantial physical damage to the structure, housing a theater and perhaps Kuwait's largest and most popular mall.

Again, the air-raid sirens do continue here. We'll track it for you and let you know what we learn on that.

But as we wait on this, want to get you to northern Iraq quickly. CNN's Kevin Sites now checking in.

There has been movement over the past several days now on the northern front. Kevin, what do you have tonight?

KEVIN SITES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Bill, just to remind our viewers, we're in Chamchamal. That's 40 kilometers away from Kirkuk. Within the last half an hour, we've noted eight artillery rounds just due west of us and exploding over the ridge line just over my shoulder.

Now, we hypothesized these to be Iraqi artillery rounds. There was some firing last night where they seemed to fire north, south, east and west, kind of marking the city off with marker rounds.

And now they're shelling a specific position. What it looks to be is a bit a counter offensive. The Iraqis pulled back from this position on the hill just a few days ago, and now Peshmerga fighters occupy that space, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. And the Iraqis seem to be shelling those hills where the Peshmerga fighters are.

Apparently, military analysts have told me, this is a common strategy. Once a force retreats, it often fires artillery back into the position that it once occupied.

Now, we also think that because these things are flying so high overhead -- they have a contrail, they're very high in the sky -- they might possibility be rocketed-assisted projectiles, or RAP rounds. Basically, they are shot out of an artillery piece, fly to a certain altitude, and then a rocket kicks in and gives it a little more oomph and takes it to its intended target.

So that's what's happening right here, Bill.

HEMMER: Kevin, thank you. Kevin Sites in Chamchamal on the northern front in Iraq.

Back here in Kuwait, meanwhile, the air-raid sirens have died out, so we have not heard one in the past, I would say, 90 seconds or so. But the all-clear has not been given. We do anticipate any moment -- that's been the pattern anyway that we've observed now over the past week running.

In the meantime, as we await news on that, Ryan Chilcote, embedded with the 101st Airborne Division, 3rd Brigade, checks in again tonight with us.

Ryan, what's happening with your unit? RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, the pilots are resting up after an all-nighter last night. The 101st Airborne completing its first deep attack just southwest of Baghdad. They went after a Republican Guard unit there.

With me I have one of the pilots that flew the mission. He can tell us a little bit about what happened.

First of all, there were two mishaps, the two helicopters with the crash landings. Apparently brown-out was a factor in both of those. Can you explain what brown-out is and what it's like to be in it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To put it in layman's terms, we fly under, using the FLIR -- forward-looking infrared. And coming back in under heavy winds and this light powdered sand, at about 25 feet the sand begins to kick up, engulfs the aircraft, and pretty much we call it -- you're (UNINTELLIGIBLE) at that point. You have not relationship to the ground, relative motion. You're basically going all off of FLIR symbology. And you pretty much, at about 20 feet, ride it down into the you level attitude until all three of the wheels are on the ground. And then go flat pitch with the rotor system and allow the dust to clear.

It's a very critical moment, you know, right there, coming back after the mission.

CHILCOTE: What's going through your mind when that's happening?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, the mission's over. You don't want to get into a relaxed mode at that point. You still want to maintain focus because until you're actually physically on the ground, flat pitch, power lever's back at idle, you know, you can actually take a deep breath and, you know, feel pretty confident that everything is over then.

CHILCOTE: And good, those pilots very lucky indeed, that the pilots are OK. Three of the four, no problems at all. One just broke his leg. That's a pretty good outcome here, yes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, absolutely. We're very thankful that they're OK. And for their family members, just they're doing fine and their spirits are high, and they'll be back in the fight in no time.

CHILCOTE: Tell me about what you saw on the mission.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Immediately upon arrival in the target area, we came in contact with the remnants of the Republican Guard. They had suffered several nights of air strikes, from (UNINTELLIGIBLE) from the Air Force and Marine Corps. And we immediately started to engage targets upon arrival. Spent about two hours in the target area and returned back to the base.

CHILCOTE: Were you taking fire? What did it look like? Did it look like they were hiding? Do you think they expected you were coming? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were in several defensive positions along the certain terrain features. We took some small arms, occasional artillery rounds from northeast of our position. No surface-to-air missiles were fired. But very little resistance at that point.

CHILCOTE: And you told me your wife was flying also on that mission. That must be a pretty interesting feeling, being up there knowing your wife is also up in one of those helicopters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really, I mean -- I try not to think about it. I try to stay focused on my task at hand. She's a very competent pilot. You know, I feel good about what she's doing. She feels good about what she's doing. And I know she's a very good pilot and she knows what she's doing out there, so I'm really not worried -- too worried about it.

CHILCOTE: And who was in front of who on that -- who was out front?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our battalion led in, and was a feint. And then her battalion went out about 30 minutes after us and finished up the attack.

CHILCOTE: OK.

Bill, well, that's all I have here from the 101st Airborne in central Iraq. Back to you.

HEMMER: Ryan, thanks. Ryan Chilcote checking in again there. Much appreciate that.

Paula, the all-clear has been sounded, according to Kuwaiti television. Interest to note, though, we haven't heard the siren. Why the all-clear has not been given across the city, we don't know. Local TV saying, though, the all-clear has been given. Certainly that's a good sign.

Whether or not an Iraqi missile came in here, whether or not there's any damage, we're awaiting word on that. We'll check with our folks here and our sources on the ground and get back to you.

ZAHN: Yes, and I know you and I have been on this drill a number of times since we've been on the air together over the last 10 days or so...

HEMMER: Yes.

ZAHN: ... but we don't want people out there to think you had taken any chances. You have a well-rehearsed plan that you would've executed if you felt like you had been in any danger, right?

HEMMER: Indeed we do, Paula. We have a large staff here of CNN colleagues working here in Kuwait City. The greater number of them do take the shelter at the parking garage downstairs. That's the system we have in place. But there's a handful of us, also, who have essentially put in our own program, that if we feel the need to get out, we certainly will. But for now, we're OK.

ZAHN: You're a smart guy. We know you have good judgment. We know you're not going to take any unnecessary chances. Thanks, Bill.

CNN has unparalleled presence on this story. We're going to take you live to the front lines with more of our embedded reporters. And on the front row of this theater of war, an Iraqi missile slammed into neighboring Kuwait. It is the first of the 12 missiles to hit in a populated area. One person is wounded in the popular Kuwait City shopping mall where it exploded in the middle of the night. And the so-called fog of war, and the Iraqi reports of civilian dead in the capital.

CNN's Rym Brahimi joins our panel of journalists on the story, as she looks at the impact of war on the Iraqi people.

And we come back to breaking news out of Nasiriya. Our own Art Harris finds himself in the middle of a fire fight with Marines on the ground.

Art, what's going on right now?

ART HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, I've just been watching for the last hour a ferocious fire fight between (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Euphrates River and Iraqis holed up in apartment buildings on the other side.

There have been Cobra helicopter gunships coming in with Hellfire missiles that have been blasting away. The missiles have left a trail, a shockwave, that shakes the ground, red smoke, and caught this building on fire.

Light armored vehicles have been firing their 25-millimeter cannons, just earth-shattering sounds. And machine gunfire, AK-47, from the other side of the river. And it has been quite a sight.

It is part of the Marines' attempt to move into the city and take control of it and -- unsure where the pockets of resistance are going to be coming from.

But this afternoon, as night falls on this embattled city that has seen a lot of fighting and a lot of dying, Paula, in the last week, another very ferocious fire fight between the Marines and Iraqis, holed-up resistance -- pockets of resistance that are still throughout the city.

Paula?

ZAHN: Art Harris, we saw some amazing pictures that Alessio Vinci filed just about 15 minutes ago showing us house-to-house searches going on not far from where you are in Nasiriya.

Describe to us the amount of stress these troops are under when they face Iraqis sometimes who are dressed in civilian clothes who very well may be Iraqi soldiers. A. HARRIS: Paula, it is a great deal of stress on them. They are adapting. They are realizing that they can't tell friend from foe. So obviously if somebody smiles at you and, you know, they have evil in their heart, there's no way to detect that.

So they are patting down everyone. Families, you know, they are unclear even whether to trust, because today there were two reports of Iraqis with AK-47s walking around with women and children, believed possibly to be other than their own families.

Forty to 50 detainees leaving the city yesterday told military intelligence that Iraqis have been going into their homes, trying to recruit their children, their oldest male children over 16, by threatening to kill their siblings. And one evacuee told the military that, in one case, a 9-year-old boy was shot.

Paula?

ZAHN: Was there also a case that you learned from a Marine where you actually saw an Iraqi soldier firing as though he was on the Marines' side and then shortly thereafter changing sides?

A. HARRIS: Paula, what I saw was several days ago, you know, the aftermath of a fire fight, where a light-armored reconnaissance unit ran into a couple of Iraqi soldiers. They were actually in uniform and carrying AK-47s. So that was a clear, unquestionable shot. The Marines took the shot, took the soldier out, and I was there when they buried him.

Now, in terms of the Marines, they are not shooting when there's a questionable shot. A high-ranking colonel here told me that...

ZAHN: All right, we're losing Art Harris's signal. But he is describing what we've been talking about many, many days now, about the strong pockets of resistance in and around Nasiriya.

A Marine was quoted as saying, the other day, based on his conversations with 40 to 50 civilians in the area who were trying to flee the city, that Iraqi paramilitary groups are forcing citizens to volunteer their sons to fight. So that gives you an idea of what coalition forces are up against there.

Back to Bill now. Now, has there been an all-clear sign sounded since we last spoke?

HEMMER: Haven't heard the siren, but the all-clear has been given on local TV. The Kuwaitis have a system set up not only for the civil defense system, Paula, but also on television and radio. So on TV, anyway, the all-clear has been given.

We are told that an Iraqi missile was intercepted by a U.S.- operated Patriot missile battery just a short time ago. By my count, Paula, that puts us, over the past eight days now, 14 Iraqi missiles fired into Kuwaiti airspace.

Of the 14, 10, we are told, have been intercepted by Patriots either operated by the U.S. or the Kuwaitis. There's a distinction this time around. The U.S. have them; so, too, do the Kuwaitis. So 10 of 14 knocked from the sky there. Two have fallen in the desert. One has landed in the Persian Gulf.

And again, earlier today, 1:40 a.m. local time, a direct hit on an empty shopping mall in Kuwait City, just about a mile and a half down the road from where we are. Only one injury as a result, I want to reiterate that. Substantial building damage there, but only one person at the time was injured, said not to be serious, which is very good news.

The other thing we know, throughout this right now, the system of firing Patriots, as opposed to 1991, is that they will launch two Patriot missiles at a time against one incoming Iraqi missile. And again, if these numbers hold up, that's a really good sign for that program, that indeed it looks like they have perfected it to a pretty good point right now. At least it's doing a whole lot better than it did about 12 years ago.

More on that as we get it. Also, Bob Franken standing by live in Iraq, embedded with U.S. Air Force. We will check in with Bob and have a whole lot more for you on this Saturday edition of CNN. Back in a moment with that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: All right, as promised, I'm going to take you back, as promised, to Bob Franken, U.S. Air Force, southern Iraq, watching that air strip. Again, that was secured earlier in the week.

Bob, good evening. It's now nightfall. What do you have?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's remarkable, Bill. It was really just secured yesterday, and today it is becoming a thriving little airport. Not LaGuardia, but it's going to be an important air base, one that is going to get more and more busy as they put in what they like to call more and more assets.

This is going to be one where the main asset is going to be the A-10. That's the very famous jet by now, the one that is so devastating against enemies on the ground. It has been used extensively in this war, and now it's going to be used about 150 miles closer from where it was, about 150 miles, Bill, from where you are.

This base is in southeastern Iraq. It is close to a lot of the action. In fact, just surrounding us there's quite a bit of battle going on. But they feel that this base is going to be quite secure. It is a base that is just ringed now with a variety of very, very strong security measures so in fact they can use it this way.

It's going to provide a huge advantage. We were told earlier by one of the commanders here, not only is it a 150 miles closer to the action, but with the refueling capabilities here, it means that these A-10s can go up and just hover in their particular region for about a half hour longer than they did before. And that can translate into some significant missions as they try and help the ground forces that are oftentimes involved in very heavy skirmishes which can use some support from the air.

In addition to that, the helicopter you see behind me is just one of the CSAR helicopters -- that's command, search and rescue. They too will be 150 miles closer to their job, which is to try and pull out people on the United States and coalition side who need some help and need it now. Now will come about a half hour earlier in some occasions because of their location here. They've actually been operating for a couple of days.

This also is going to serve as a transit point, a transit point for prisoners of war. We've seen some here, and others will be moved further away so they can comply with the Geneva Convention that their captivity be in a safe place. This is definitely not a safe place.

It's also been a transit point, we know, for members of the 82nd Airborne Division whose job it's going to be to patrol up and down what some people are calling "ambush alley." The convoy areas which are going to be in need of protection, they are going to have to be safe before this war can be effectively fought on the ground.

As far as its effectiveness in the air, it is now going to come from a former Iraqi air base, which is becoming a more and more important U.S. and coalition air base.

Bill?

HEMMER: Bob, thanks. Bob Franken checking in again with the U.S. Air Force in southeastern Iraq.

Meanwhile, Ken Pollack is standing by. He's the author of "The Threatening Storm," and also a former CIA analyst whose job at the time was to examine and study the Iraqi military.

Ken, welcome back. Good to talk to you as always.

Want to know about these Seersucker missiles, these Silkworm missiles. After traveling only 100 feet or less off the ground, is there any way for any radar system to detect them?

KENNETH POLLACK, FORMER CIA ANALYST, AUTHOR: It's extremely hard, Bill, and this is the problem, is that most radar systems have difficulty with ground clutter. Most of them do a much better job of looking at the skies.

And of course, you can also think about it this way, since the Al Faw Peninsula was supposedly secured, the Patriot batteries are probably all looking upward, looking for Al-Samouds, Ababil-100s and Scud missiles, which follow a ballistic trajectory. And so a Seersucker or a Silkworm following a flat trajectory can sneak right in under their eyes.

HEMMER: And it has and it did earlier today, 1:40 a.m. here in Kuwait.

Want to change our topic now. A car bomb apparently loaded with explosives blew up in Najaf, killing four U.S. soldiers. Curious to know your reaction right now about these tactics used by the Iraqis. More of it, one would assume?

POLLACK: I think we have to assume that there will be more of it. Again, I don't think that this should have been unexpected. There are elements within the Fedayeen Saddam which have been saying for seven, eight years, their claim to fame was that they had publicly and repeatedly pledged to martyr themselves for Saddam Hussein's benefit. So there's that group our there.

And in addition to that, we do know that Ansar al-Islam, a radical fundamentalist group with ties to al Qaeda, is based up in northern Iraq. They, too, might have been responsible for the car bomb.

And so there are at least two groups within Iraq who probably would be willing to undertake suicide attacks against U.S. forces.

U.S. forces have just -- they've got to be very, very careful. And of course, I think you heard Art Harris say that the Marines, the soldiers are learning that they really have to be on their guard at all times.

HEMMER: Yes, here's the problem I see in this, and I want to get your assessment. If the U.S. and the British forces are trying to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, and if you're going to get a terrorist act every couple of days against British and U.S. forces, how in the world do you break down that barrier and continue to have contact with the Iraqi people?

Essentially, I see the U.S. military essentially boxing themselves in, walling themselves off from the population. If that's the case, your contact is going to be cut down. Is there a solution that lies in there that you see?

POLLACK: No, it looks -- Bill, you're absolutely right, and you've put your finger on a critical issue here. It's critical for U.S. and British forces to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. And you're absolutely right, that if U.S. and British forces become obsessed with force protection, which of course has been an obsession for U.S. forces over the last 10 or 15 years, it could make it much, much harder.

I think the answer to that is what you were seeing earlier, in terms of what the British were doing down at Basra and Umm Qasr, in terms of setting up stations to allow people to come in, to be able to gather food. Under those kind of controlled circumstances, you can do some pretty quick cursory checks of people that will allow you to have some degree of confidence and that will still allow you to reach out to the Iraqi people, show then that U.S. and British forces are trying to help them.

In addition, the other thing that's out there is the British moves in Basra which are critical. The fact that U.S. and British forces are pushing into the cities to try to link up with Iraqi forces -- with Iraqi people, who are trying to resist Saddam's loyalists, and give them some ability to feel safe and secure under U.S. and British control. HEMMER: Challenges abound, for certain. We'll talk again, Ken. Thanks to you. Ken Pollack, again, in Washington.

Now Paula in New York.

ZAHN: Thanks, Bill.

We're going to take a short break, and then we will be on the story with a number of our reporters who are covering the war from all over the world. You'll meet Barbara Starr from the Pentagon, Christiane Amanpour from southern Iraq -- there she is -- Rym Brahimi from Jordan. And who did I miss here? Suzanne Malveaux from the White House. The gang of four. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Welcome back. Thirty-four minutes past the hour. Welcome to a special abbreviated edition of CNN's "On the Story," where our journalists have the inside word on what we covered this week.

Joining me now from the Pentagon is Barbara Starr; from southern Iraq, Christiane Amanpour. Rym Brahimi joins us from Amman, Jordan. Suzanne Malveaux is at her usual post at the White House.

Good to see all of you.

We're going to get started with some breaking news out of the Pentagon now with Barbara Starr. Good morning, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Word just arriving here moments ago that in Afghanistan, two special forces soldiers were killed earlier today in an ambush on a road in Helmand province, known to be the part of Afghanistan very friendly to Taliban forces. Apparently they were part of a convoy. They came under fire. Three were badly wounded. We are told two of the soldiers have now died while being medevaced. The third man is being treated at a military hospital in Afghanistan.

ZAHN: And if you would, Barbara, bring us up to date on some of the reports that would suggest there's a stall in the coalition campaign. The Central Command folks telling us today that's just not the case.

What is going on?

STARR: That's right. What military officials are telling us -- and we expect to hear the same thing in this briefing room during a news briefing later today -- there is no overall pause in the campaign.

Now, some individual units on the battlefield are taking a bit of a breather. They are staying in place while they get resupplied, more fuel, more food, more ammunition. This, officials tell us, is to be expected. But the campaign goes on, because even today there are air strikes against Baghdad, leadership targets, Republican Guard targets. And there are very strategic key strikes going on against Republican Guard units, against tanks, artillery, armored personnel carriers. The effort right now is to soften up these Republican Guard formations that are encircling Baghdad before the U.S. begins to approach closer.

ZAHN: Thanks so much, Barbara.

Now, on the story from southern Iraq, let's check in with Christiane Amanpour. Good morning, Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

KAHN: Go ahead. Christiane, you're on the air. You can...

AMANPOUR: Today, some of the news from here -- sorry, having a bit of a disconnect here.

In terms, we also asked British officials here about these reports of a possible pause, and they amplified to an extent what Barbara has just said. Not only do some of these infantry and other units, mechanized, need to be resupplied they're telling us, but of course the troops must be exhausted. They've made a huge and rapid dash across the desert in a short period of time over a very long distance. And they're here, surmising that the troops must also be exhausted and need some rest before they carry on.

In terms of what we found here today, some disturbing information. We were traveling with a U.S. Army civil affairs unit in Umm Qasr, the port which is considered consolidated and secured, and we found two Iraqis on the road who came up to the Americans and wanted to surrender. We rushed up to the Humvee to see what was going on. It turns out that they told that Americans that they were members of the Saddam Fedayeen, these militias incorporated into the Iraqi army, and their mission was specifically suicide attacks against U.S. and British forces. That's what they told the Americans who told us.

They then said that they had been hiding out for about a week, that they didn't want to, quote, "die for Saddam," and that's why they had chosen and taken this opportunity to give themselves up.

Paula?

ZAHN: So, Christiane, as we see that unfold on videotape, I guess it reminds us of all of just dangerous all these situation are.

Just a final thought, Christiane, on what it is the coalition forces have to be prepared for when it comes to potential suicide attacks and civilians or Iraqi soldiers in civilian clothes?

AMANPOUR: Yes. Well, this is exactly right. And in fact, we were hearing -- you know, we've seen actually a paper that was secret but is no longer secret, in which the British laid out all of the potential hostilities that they could encounter and all of the flexibility they would need to adapt to this conflict, including irregulars and including, you know, these kinds of suicide attacks.

And today we were told that some British troops up in the oil fields, which is under their control, came across Iraqis in civilian clothes who attempted to surrender. And twice the British went forward, and twice they were fired upon. In the end, the British returned fire and basically wiped out that group, we're told.

But this is something that is, as we've heard, anecdotally reported around the basic battlefield. And it's something they're having to be very careful of, because of course at that same time, they want to encourage as many surrenders and accept as many surrenders as they possibly can.

ZAHN: Yes, big challenge ahead. Christiane, thanks so much.

Let's move on to Suzanne Malveaux, who is standing by at the White House to bring us up to date on the president's day.

Hello, again, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Hello, Paula.

President Bush is at Camp David. He is with his National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Chief of Staff Andy Card. We are told that he is going to get his daily intelligence as well as Pentagon briefings, the National Security Council briefing, or the War Council, through a secure video link.

The president just delivered his weekly radio address, and really some very important points, trying to emphasize that the success of this war with Iraq, saying that, yes, they've managed to secure those oil fields in the south, that they have managed to de-mine some of those areas as well as just get some of that humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people.

At the same time, the president acknowledging and trying to really set up the expectations of the American people that this could be longer than was initially expected, at least by some military planners. The president saying, "This is the most dangerous phase here," when you're taking about the most desperate units, that really he's not putting a timetable on all of this.

The point of this is the White House strategy really reacting in some ways to some of the damage control, spin control. Military officials this week who were questioning, saying perhaps they did not prepare the American adequately, perhaps military planning didn't take into account some of the resistance. The administration saying, no, it's been a flexible plan. It is way too soon to make any predictions on how all of this is going to end up.

But the president coming forward and really trying to accomplish a couple of things: first of all, managing those expectations of the American people, at the same time rallying the troops. And also, something very important as well is not to encourage the Iraqis to think that there's some sort of negotiated settlement in all of this, that the administration is just not going to go for that. Paula?

ZAHN: Suzanne, we're going to leave it there and move on to Rym Brahimi, who joins us now from Amman, Jordan.

Good morning, Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Paula.

Well, we've been following events in Baghdad of course, where there was this marketplace bombing yesterday at 6:00 p.m. and then bombing of the ministry of information at 1:00 a.m. during the night.

And just a couple of hours ago, about three or four explosions were heard and the response of anti-aircraft artillery in the outskirts of Baghdad.

Now, the minister of information told reporters that on the whole there have been some 107 wounded and 68 killed since yesterday in Baghdad. Those are the official Iraqi figures.

He also said that -- he also said that the attempts to bomb the ministry of information was a deliberate attempt by the U.S. to prevent journalists from doing their work. As you know, Paula, journalists work a lot out of that building, the ministry of information, international and local journalists alike.

And he also actually denied allegations and accusations that the Iraqi military was disguised in civilian clothes, saying that they were not -- that was simply not true, simply not the case.

As far as the population is concerned, of course they've been watching those bombings for the past week now, Paula, and they're quite shocked by the number of civilian casualties, from what I hear, speaking to some people who are in Baghdad, a lot of shock at those civilian casualties.

But at the same time, people now have started to emerge from their houses. The first days of the bombing there was nobody in the streets. And now they've gradually started coming out, trying to live a relatively normal life. Because as someone who I spoke to was talking to an Iraqi, told him, "Well, we need to affirm our existence somehow, and we just can't stay locked up at home like this every day."

Paula?

ZAHN: We understand why they feel that way.

STARR: Rym, from here in the...

ZAHN: Barbara, please jump in.

STARR: Rym, from here in the Pentagon, it's a little difficult sometimes to tell how all of this is really playing in the Arab world. From your post in Jordan, how are the people on the street reacting to what they have seen taking place over the last several days?

BRAHIMI: Barbara, this has definitely triggered very -- pro- Iraqi sentiment was already there. What's interesting is in the past couple of days there have been demonstrations here in Jordan. One was the -- the occasion was funeral of a student, a Jordanian student killed in Iraq in one of the bombings. And then another one was just a demonstration that followed the preach at the mosque on Friday, yesterday.

Well, on both occasions, portraits of Saddam Hussein were being brandished, and a lot of calls for support to not only the Iraqi people, but also for President Saddam Hussein as some sort of a hero.

And what's also interesting is that the Iraqi people have been very worried about what was going to happen, extremely concerned at what would happen after this U.S.-led attack if there was going to be a void, the consequences of a U.S.-led attack. But there seems to be, from what people tell me, a certain element of pride that the Iraqi people are resisting in some way to the United States, which is a very big, powerful country.

So there's also a bit of that. And the rest of the Arab world, of course, is not only -- there's the element of pride. There's the fact that of course this is, in large, about the United States and the resentment that there is in the region with regard to the United States. But also, maybe the fact that there is maybe no sense of leadership, and they seem to see that sense of leadership coming from President Saddam Hussein in an interesting way.

MALVEAUX: Listen, I have a question for Christiane.

How is this playing inside of Iraq? I know the administration is really dealing with a lot of questions about how this is taking place, how it's unfolded in the last 10 days.

Is there a sense from the Iraqi people that things are going well for Saddam Hussein, that they allied forces are not doing as well as they should be at this time? What are people saying there?

AMANPOUR: Well, I'm obviously in the southern part where the invasion is taking place and not in Baghdad. And basically what we're hearing -- because, you know, the big question has been, "Where are all the flags? Where's the waving, where's the welcome mat to the allied forces?"

And of course we've been trying to ask people this, and today specifically I did that in Umm Qasr, which is essentially meant to be a test case. This is the first consolidated town. It's little, but they're hoping that this sort of blossoms forth for the rest of the country.

And what I've found from people, almost to a man and a woman, they yet do not believe that Saddam Hussein's days are over. They do not believe it yet, and they're simply not going to take the risk to come out and to have joyous celebrations, because they remember '91, they remember 12 years ago. They believed then, even though it wasn't the battle plan, that Saddam Hussein was going to be taken out.

But furthermore, they know that they were encouraged to rise up. That's what they believe, the great American betrayal of '91. And then they were basically slaughtered by Saddam Hussein. That is the experience of southern Iraq. And so they're very, very cautious.

On the other hand, we did today see the first more overt signs of friendliness, waving, people coming up to the U.S. soldiers and the British soldiers in Umm Qasr, talking about wanting their freedom. But again, being very, very cautious.

And most especially, wanting aid and humanitarian supplies because they've heard it's promised for so long. They told us we've been hearing from your presidents over the last weeks and months, that you're going to take care of us. Where's the drinking water, where's the food, where, where, where?

So that is a very real concern for people, because that's their primary experience with the troops, whether they're going to help them, whether they're going to give them things or not.

ZAHN: Christiane, Barbara, Suzanne, Rym Brahimi, on the story with four of the best in the business. This was an abbreviated version today. Normally you would find many of these talented reporters at 10:00 a.m. eastern time on the story.

Thanks again.

Now a look to some of the stories coming up in the next hour here on CNN. We're going to have the latest on that humanitarian aid on its way to hungry and thirsty Iraqis who are not always grateful to those who bring the aid.

And we're going to update from the northern front where Kurds say they are pushing farther into Iraqi territory. Service personnel are among the missing in Iraq, as are some journalists from this country and elsewhere. We'll have the latest on the searches.

That's in our next hour. We'll be right back.

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 29, 2003 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome. It is Saturday, March 29, 10:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 7:00 a.m. in the Western U.S., 6:00 p.m. in Iraq. You are watching CNN's live coverage of Operation Iraqi Freedom, now into its seventh day.
Good morning. Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Paula Zahn in New York. Joining me are my colleagues Bill Hemmer in Kuwait City and Leon Harris in Atlanta, who gets things started this morning with a look at what is happening this hour -- Leon.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Paula. Good morning, folks. Good morning, Bill. A look now at the latest developments this hour.

Four U.S. soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing at an army checkpoint in central Iraq. The U.S. Central Command says that two men drove in a taxi up to the checkpoint this morning in the town of Najaf. The Associated Press reports that the bomb went off when five soldiers approached the car after the driver signaled that he needed help.

As heavy fighting continued in the southern city of An Nasiriya, U.S. Marines made a grim discovery today. Two bodies believed to be those of U.S. service members were discovered in a shallow grave. U.S. military command said yesterday that four Marines were missing in combat in that area. The remains are going to be flown to the U.S. for identification now.

One man was injured when an Iraqi missile hit a closed shopping mall in Kuwait City last night. That mall is located near the Kuwaiti parliament building in the palace of the emir of Kuwait. This is the first time that an Iraqi missile has landed in a populated area of Kuwait.

Now, let's go back to Paula Zahn in New York with CNN's continuing coverage of the war in Iraq. Paula?

ZAHN: Thanks, Leon.

Back here at CNN, we're working through the video pouring into our system to bring you some images of the day.

Home is where the heartbreak is. This video shot a few hours ago at a Royal Air Force base outside of London. There, the flag-draped coffins of 10 British service members have returned home. None died in battle; all were victims of allied accidents. Another image of the day: In a freeze frame of the coalition's slow advance toward Baghdad, U.S. Marines searching for pockets of Iraqi resistance. House-to-house searches. And they do gain some ground in Nasiriya, inch by inch. Senior Marines say it is the scene of some of the most fierce fighting the Marine Corps has been involved in since Vietnam.

Some of the fiercest fighting of the war is taking place near the southern Iraqi town of Nasiriya, where Marines are waging an attack against Iraqi resistance. Our Alessio Vinci is with those troops. He joins us now by phone.

Good morning, Alessio. Or videophone, I should say.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Paula. It is videophone, Paula. Good morning to you. And, indeed, U.S. Marines are having some difficult days here in Nasiriya, especially in the last 24 hours, where they're beginning to recover some of the bodies of their fallen comrades that were killed in action here on Sunday when this Marine unit first came through Nasiriya and came under heavy attack by Iraqi forces. Back then, nine Marines were killed. And because of the intense fighting in the town and the insecurity of that town, only yesterday and today did the Marines run back in there and try and recover some of the bodies missing.

And, indeed, yesterday and today Marines officials here, Marine officers believed that they have recovered the bodies of at least seven, maybe eight, if not all of the nine Marines that were still missing after that attack. Some of the Marines going there, digging through the earth with their own bare hands to try to get some of the bodies out. Most of the bodies, indeed, were found still inside the armored vehicle that was hit during the attack.

Also, Marines conducting house-to-house searches, because during the attack, those Marines who managed to escape from the truck did find shelter in a house nearby that attack. And indeed, when the Marines today entered those houses looking for the bodies, the only thing they could find was some personal belongings, some personal effects of those Marines, including some MOPP gear, some gas masks, some mail that some of the Marines had with them, as well as ammunition.

The bodies of those Marines are now with the Mortuary Affairs unit. They're going through some DNA tests for a final positive identification, and then they will be prepared to be flown back to the United States for a proper burial.

Back to you, Paula.

ZAHN: Alessio Vinci, we will get back to you throughout the day. That video that you and your team shot, I think, giving us the best idea of what coalition forces face when they come up against these small pockets of resistance.

At any moment, President Bush's weekly radio address will begin, in fact in just about a minute or so. For a preview, let's check in with White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux.

Good morning, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Well, President Bush is at Camp David. He is with his national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and his chief of staff Andy Card. We are told that he is going to receive his daily intelligence, as well as defense briefings, as well as with the National Security Council, what is now being called the War Council, through a secure video link at Camp David.

Now, we expect that the president is going to talk about, first of all, the successes of the war with Iraq. He's going to talk about the fact that they've been able to secure those oil mines, those oil fields rather, that also they've been able to get that humanitarian aid in, and that progress is -- well, that the war is making progress at this time.

The administration is somewhat frustrated over the last week or so. It has only been 10 days in this operation, and the administration has received quite a bit of questions, not only from the media, but also from retired as well as active military, who have been talking about did the administration anticipate the type of resistance that it has come under fire just within the last week or so? Did it adequately prepare the American people for all of this? And were they slow to get the humanitarian aid flowing?

Here's the president.

(BEGIN AUDIOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good morning. This week, I welcomed Prime Minister Tony Blair to Camp David where we discussed the progress being made in the war to disarm Iraq, end the dictatorship and liberate the Iraqi people.

Thanks to our fighting forces, the regime that once terrorized all of Iraq now controls a small portion of that country. American and coalition troops have continued a steady advance and are now less than 50 miles from Baghdad.

In recent days we have cleared mines from the water and taken control of a key port city to allow humanitarian aid to begin flowing into the country. We have secured more than 600 oil wells and have begun putting out the few oil well fires set by the enemy. Our efforts to protect the wealth that belongs to the Iraqi people are paying off.

And we have prevented the dictator from launching missiles from key sites in western Iraq. We are now fighting the most desperate units of the dictator's army. The fighting is fierce, and we do not know its duration. Yet we know the outcome of this battle: The Iraqi regime will be disarmed and removed from power. Iraq will be free. In the last week, the world has seen first hand the cruel nature of a dying regime. In areas that's still under its control, the regime continues its rule by terror. Prisoners of war have been brutalized and executed. Iraqis who refused to fight for the regime are being murdered. An Iraqi woman was hanged for waving at coalition troops. Some in the Iraqi military have pretended to surrender, then opened fire on coalition forces that showed them mercy.

Given the nature of this regime, we expect such war crimes, but we will not excuse them. War criminals will be hunted relentlessly and judged severely.

In the last week, the world has also seen the nature of the young men and women who fight on our behalf. They are showing kindness and respect to the Iraqi people. They are going to extraordinary lengths to spare the lives of the innocent. Our forces are delivering good and water to grateful Iraqi citizens in Safwan and Umm Qasr.

The contrast could not be greater between the honorable conduct of our liberating force and the criminal acts of the enemy. Every atrocity has confirmed the justice and urgency of our cause against this enemy. We will accept no outcome but complete and final victory.

To meet this objective, we must give our armed services the support and resources they require. I have asked Congress for a nearly $75 billion wartime supplemental appropriations bill. This funding would provide fuel for ships, aircraft and tanks, supplies for our troops in the theater of operations, and new high-tech munitions to replace the ones we've used in the war.

The supplemental would also provide funds to assist in the reconstruction of Iraq and to help protect the American homeland in this time of high alert. I hope the Congress will act quickly to pass this essential measure.

The people who serve in the military are giving their best to this country. We have the responsibility to give them our full support as they fight for the liberty of an oppressed people, for the security of the United States and for the peace of the world.

Thank you for listening.

(END AUDIOTAPE)

ZAHN: Well, there you have it.

MALVEAUX: Well, Paula...

ZAHN: Go ahead, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: I was going to say actually the purpose of this, the White House strategy now is really to get the president out in full force, out to the public, for a number of reasons, but first of all, to rally the troops, to boost the morale, but also to manage the expectations of the American people. There's been a lot of discussion just how long this is going to take, trying to prepare people that this may take longer than some had initially expected.

And the third point here is really that he is trying to discourage the Iraqis from trying to drag this thing out, demoralize the troops, and also perhaps to discourage them from trying to think there's some kind of negotiated settlement.

Already Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, talked about the possibility of some sort of settlement, some sort of peace settlement through a U.N. resolution. This is something the administration certainly does not want to see. They want this to end quickly, but they don't want the Iraqi to think that somehow that they can drag this thing on.

Paula?

ZAHN: I know that you and John King reported the other day that the president finds these constant barrage of questions about deadlines and time lines somewhat silly, in his words.

My question to you is that CENTCOM reported today, despite a bunch of published reports, that there is no delay in the coalition plan, although some reports suggest a delay of up to four to six days.

Is the White House saying anything that specifically?

MALVEAUX: They're not saying anything about it specifically, but it all depends on how you look at the military planning. Because the administration officials will say it's a flexible plan, it allows for these type of changes, these ebbs and flows. And so, therefore, it is not changing; it is right on target, right on schedule.

You talk to others, military planners, who take a look at this and say, "Well, perhaps this is just further delay," that this is not exactly what they had expected.

But the Bush administration saying that we are on the timetable, we are making progress. And also it is much too soon to say whether or not those predictions are going to come true.

Paula?

ZAHN: Suzanne Malveaux, thanks for the update. We'll be seeing plenty of you today.

Some breaking news out of Kuwait City now. Is it true, Bill, that the sirens have been sounded once again?

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Paula. Just a few minutes ago the air-raid sirens are back here in Kuwait City, as the sun starts to set here in Kuwait. No indication what this means right now. In the past it's been an incoming Iraqi missile, but whether or not this city is threatened or this country is threatened, we do not have the information right now.

In the past, sometimes we've had a few false alarms, not many, but a few. Certainly last night in the dark hours, about 1:40 a.m. local time in Kuwait, it was not a false alarm. An Iraqi missile slammed into a shopping mall, empty at the time. Only one injury as a result, but substantial physical damage to the structure, housing a theater and perhaps Kuwait's largest and most popular mall.

Again, the air-raid sirens do continue here. We'll track it for you and let you know what we learn on that.

But as we wait on this, want to get you to northern Iraq quickly. CNN's Kevin Sites now checking in.

There has been movement over the past several days now on the northern front. Kevin, what do you have tonight?

KEVIN SITES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Bill, just to remind our viewers, we're in Chamchamal. That's 40 kilometers away from Kirkuk. Within the last half an hour, we've noted eight artillery rounds just due west of us and exploding over the ridge line just over my shoulder.

Now, we hypothesized these to be Iraqi artillery rounds. There was some firing last night where they seemed to fire north, south, east and west, kind of marking the city off with marker rounds.

And now they're shelling a specific position. What it looks to be is a bit a counter offensive. The Iraqis pulled back from this position on the hill just a few days ago, and now Peshmerga fighters occupy that space, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. And the Iraqis seem to be shelling those hills where the Peshmerga fighters are.

Apparently, military analysts have told me, this is a common strategy. Once a force retreats, it often fires artillery back into the position that it once occupied.

Now, we also think that because these things are flying so high overhead -- they have a contrail, they're very high in the sky -- they might possibility be rocketed-assisted projectiles, or RAP rounds. Basically, they are shot out of an artillery piece, fly to a certain altitude, and then a rocket kicks in and gives it a little more oomph and takes it to its intended target.

So that's what's happening right here, Bill.

HEMMER: Kevin, thank you. Kevin Sites in Chamchamal on the northern front in Iraq.

Back here in Kuwait, meanwhile, the air-raid sirens have died out, so we have not heard one in the past, I would say, 90 seconds or so. But the all-clear has not been given. We do anticipate any moment -- that's been the pattern anyway that we've observed now over the past week running.

In the meantime, as we await news on that, Ryan Chilcote, embedded with the 101st Airborne Division, 3rd Brigade, checks in again tonight with us.

Ryan, what's happening with your unit? RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, the pilots are resting up after an all-nighter last night. The 101st Airborne completing its first deep attack just southwest of Baghdad. They went after a Republican Guard unit there.

With me I have one of the pilots that flew the mission. He can tell us a little bit about what happened.

First of all, there were two mishaps, the two helicopters with the crash landings. Apparently brown-out was a factor in both of those. Can you explain what brown-out is and what it's like to be in it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To put it in layman's terms, we fly under, using the FLIR -- forward-looking infrared. And coming back in under heavy winds and this light powdered sand, at about 25 feet the sand begins to kick up, engulfs the aircraft, and pretty much we call it -- you're (UNINTELLIGIBLE) at that point. You have not relationship to the ground, relative motion. You're basically going all off of FLIR symbology. And you pretty much, at about 20 feet, ride it down into the you level attitude until all three of the wheels are on the ground. And then go flat pitch with the rotor system and allow the dust to clear.

It's a very critical moment, you know, right there, coming back after the mission.

CHILCOTE: What's going through your mind when that's happening?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, the mission's over. You don't want to get into a relaxed mode at that point. You still want to maintain focus because until you're actually physically on the ground, flat pitch, power lever's back at idle, you know, you can actually take a deep breath and, you know, feel pretty confident that everything is over then.

CHILCOTE: And good, those pilots very lucky indeed, that the pilots are OK. Three of the four, no problems at all. One just broke his leg. That's a pretty good outcome here, yes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, absolutely. We're very thankful that they're OK. And for their family members, just they're doing fine and their spirits are high, and they'll be back in the fight in no time.

CHILCOTE: Tell me about what you saw on the mission.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Immediately upon arrival in the target area, we came in contact with the remnants of the Republican Guard. They had suffered several nights of air strikes, from (UNINTELLIGIBLE) from the Air Force and Marine Corps. And we immediately started to engage targets upon arrival. Spent about two hours in the target area and returned back to the base.

CHILCOTE: Were you taking fire? What did it look like? Did it look like they were hiding? Do you think they expected you were coming? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were in several defensive positions along the certain terrain features. We took some small arms, occasional artillery rounds from northeast of our position. No surface-to-air missiles were fired. But very little resistance at that point.

CHILCOTE: And you told me your wife was flying also on that mission. That must be a pretty interesting feeling, being up there knowing your wife is also up in one of those helicopters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really, I mean -- I try not to think about it. I try to stay focused on my task at hand. She's a very competent pilot. You know, I feel good about what she's doing. She feels good about what she's doing. And I know she's a very good pilot and she knows what she's doing out there, so I'm really not worried -- too worried about it.

CHILCOTE: And who was in front of who on that -- who was out front?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our battalion led in, and was a feint. And then her battalion went out about 30 minutes after us and finished up the attack.

CHILCOTE: OK.

Bill, well, that's all I have here from the 101st Airborne in central Iraq. Back to you.

HEMMER: Ryan, thanks. Ryan Chilcote checking in again there. Much appreciate that.

Paula, the all-clear has been sounded, according to Kuwaiti television. Interest to note, though, we haven't heard the siren. Why the all-clear has not been given across the city, we don't know. Local TV saying, though, the all-clear has been given. Certainly that's a good sign.

Whether or not an Iraqi missile came in here, whether or not there's any damage, we're awaiting word on that. We'll check with our folks here and our sources on the ground and get back to you.

ZAHN: Yes, and I know you and I have been on this drill a number of times since we've been on the air together over the last 10 days or so...

HEMMER: Yes.

ZAHN: ... but we don't want people out there to think you had taken any chances. You have a well-rehearsed plan that you would've executed if you felt like you had been in any danger, right?

HEMMER: Indeed we do, Paula. We have a large staff here of CNN colleagues working here in Kuwait City. The greater number of them do take the shelter at the parking garage downstairs. That's the system we have in place. But there's a handful of us, also, who have essentially put in our own program, that if we feel the need to get out, we certainly will. But for now, we're OK.

ZAHN: You're a smart guy. We know you have good judgment. We know you're not going to take any unnecessary chances. Thanks, Bill.

CNN has unparalleled presence on this story. We're going to take you live to the front lines with more of our embedded reporters. And on the front row of this theater of war, an Iraqi missile slammed into neighboring Kuwait. It is the first of the 12 missiles to hit in a populated area. One person is wounded in the popular Kuwait City shopping mall where it exploded in the middle of the night. And the so-called fog of war, and the Iraqi reports of civilian dead in the capital.

CNN's Rym Brahimi joins our panel of journalists on the story, as she looks at the impact of war on the Iraqi people.

And we come back to breaking news out of Nasiriya. Our own Art Harris finds himself in the middle of a fire fight with Marines on the ground.

Art, what's going on right now?

ART HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, I've just been watching for the last hour a ferocious fire fight between (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Euphrates River and Iraqis holed up in apartment buildings on the other side.

There have been Cobra helicopter gunships coming in with Hellfire missiles that have been blasting away. The missiles have left a trail, a shockwave, that shakes the ground, red smoke, and caught this building on fire.

Light armored vehicles have been firing their 25-millimeter cannons, just earth-shattering sounds. And machine gunfire, AK-47, from the other side of the river. And it has been quite a sight.

It is part of the Marines' attempt to move into the city and take control of it and -- unsure where the pockets of resistance are going to be coming from.

But this afternoon, as night falls on this embattled city that has seen a lot of fighting and a lot of dying, Paula, in the last week, another very ferocious fire fight between the Marines and Iraqis, holed-up resistance -- pockets of resistance that are still throughout the city.

Paula?

ZAHN: Art Harris, we saw some amazing pictures that Alessio Vinci filed just about 15 minutes ago showing us house-to-house searches going on not far from where you are in Nasiriya.

Describe to us the amount of stress these troops are under when they face Iraqis sometimes who are dressed in civilian clothes who very well may be Iraqi soldiers. A. HARRIS: Paula, it is a great deal of stress on them. They are adapting. They are realizing that they can't tell friend from foe. So obviously if somebody smiles at you and, you know, they have evil in their heart, there's no way to detect that.

So they are patting down everyone. Families, you know, they are unclear even whether to trust, because today there were two reports of Iraqis with AK-47s walking around with women and children, believed possibly to be other than their own families.

Forty to 50 detainees leaving the city yesterday told military intelligence that Iraqis have been going into their homes, trying to recruit their children, their oldest male children over 16, by threatening to kill their siblings. And one evacuee told the military that, in one case, a 9-year-old boy was shot.

Paula?

ZAHN: Was there also a case that you learned from a Marine where you actually saw an Iraqi soldier firing as though he was on the Marines' side and then shortly thereafter changing sides?

A. HARRIS: Paula, what I saw was several days ago, you know, the aftermath of a fire fight, where a light-armored reconnaissance unit ran into a couple of Iraqi soldiers. They were actually in uniform and carrying AK-47s. So that was a clear, unquestionable shot. The Marines took the shot, took the soldier out, and I was there when they buried him.

Now, in terms of the Marines, they are not shooting when there's a questionable shot. A high-ranking colonel here told me that...

ZAHN: All right, we're losing Art Harris's signal. But he is describing what we've been talking about many, many days now, about the strong pockets of resistance in and around Nasiriya.

A Marine was quoted as saying, the other day, based on his conversations with 40 to 50 civilians in the area who were trying to flee the city, that Iraqi paramilitary groups are forcing citizens to volunteer their sons to fight. So that gives you an idea of what coalition forces are up against there.

Back to Bill now. Now, has there been an all-clear sign sounded since we last spoke?

HEMMER: Haven't heard the siren, but the all-clear has been given on local TV. The Kuwaitis have a system set up not only for the civil defense system, Paula, but also on television and radio. So on TV, anyway, the all-clear has been given.

We are told that an Iraqi missile was intercepted by a U.S.- operated Patriot missile battery just a short time ago. By my count, Paula, that puts us, over the past eight days now, 14 Iraqi missiles fired into Kuwaiti airspace.

Of the 14, 10, we are told, have been intercepted by Patriots either operated by the U.S. or the Kuwaitis. There's a distinction this time around. The U.S. have them; so, too, do the Kuwaitis. So 10 of 14 knocked from the sky there. Two have fallen in the desert. One has landed in the Persian Gulf.

And again, earlier today, 1:40 a.m. local time, a direct hit on an empty shopping mall in Kuwait City, just about a mile and a half down the road from where we are. Only one injury as a result, I want to reiterate that. Substantial building damage there, but only one person at the time was injured, said not to be serious, which is very good news.

The other thing we know, throughout this right now, the system of firing Patriots, as opposed to 1991, is that they will launch two Patriot missiles at a time against one incoming Iraqi missile. And again, if these numbers hold up, that's a really good sign for that program, that indeed it looks like they have perfected it to a pretty good point right now. At least it's doing a whole lot better than it did about 12 years ago.

More on that as we get it. Also, Bob Franken standing by live in Iraq, embedded with U.S. Air Force. We will check in with Bob and have a whole lot more for you on this Saturday edition of CNN. Back in a moment with that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: All right, as promised, I'm going to take you back, as promised, to Bob Franken, U.S. Air Force, southern Iraq, watching that air strip. Again, that was secured earlier in the week.

Bob, good evening. It's now nightfall. What do you have?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's remarkable, Bill. It was really just secured yesterday, and today it is becoming a thriving little airport. Not LaGuardia, but it's going to be an important air base, one that is going to get more and more busy as they put in what they like to call more and more assets.

This is going to be one where the main asset is going to be the A-10. That's the very famous jet by now, the one that is so devastating against enemies on the ground. It has been used extensively in this war, and now it's going to be used about 150 miles closer from where it was, about 150 miles, Bill, from where you are.

This base is in southeastern Iraq. It is close to a lot of the action. In fact, just surrounding us there's quite a bit of battle going on. But they feel that this base is going to be quite secure. It is a base that is just ringed now with a variety of very, very strong security measures so in fact they can use it this way.

It's going to provide a huge advantage. We were told earlier by one of the commanders here, not only is it a 150 miles closer to the action, but with the refueling capabilities here, it means that these A-10s can go up and just hover in their particular region for about a half hour longer than they did before. And that can translate into some significant missions as they try and help the ground forces that are oftentimes involved in very heavy skirmishes which can use some support from the air.

In addition to that, the helicopter you see behind me is just one of the CSAR helicopters -- that's command, search and rescue. They too will be 150 miles closer to their job, which is to try and pull out people on the United States and coalition side who need some help and need it now. Now will come about a half hour earlier in some occasions because of their location here. They've actually been operating for a couple of days.

This also is going to serve as a transit point, a transit point for prisoners of war. We've seen some here, and others will be moved further away so they can comply with the Geneva Convention that their captivity be in a safe place. This is definitely not a safe place.

It's also been a transit point, we know, for members of the 82nd Airborne Division whose job it's going to be to patrol up and down what some people are calling "ambush alley." The convoy areas which are going to be in need of protection, they are going to have to be safe before this war can be effectively fought on the ground.

As far as its effectiveness in the air, it is now going to come from a former Iraqi air base, which is becoming a more and more important U.S. and coalition air base.

Bill?

HEMMER: Bob, thanks. Bob Franken checking in again with the U.S. Air Force in southeastern Iraq.

Meanwhile, Ken Pollack is standing by. He's the author of "The Threatening Storm," and also a former CIA analyst whose job at the time was to examine and study the Iraqi military.

Ken, welcome back. Good to talk to you as always.

Want to know about these Seersucker missiles, these Silkworm missiles. After traveling only 100 feet or less off the ground, is there any way for any radar system to detect them?

KENNETH POLLACK, FORMER CIA ANALYST, AUTHOR: It's extremely hard, Bill, and this is the problem, is that most radar systems have difficulty with ground clutter. Most of them do a much better job of looking at the skies.

And of course, you can also think about it this way, since the Al Faw Peninsula was supposedly secured, the Patriot batteries are probably all looking upward, looking for Al-Samouds, Ababil-100s and Scud missiles, which follow a ballistic trajectory. And so a Seersucker or a Silkworm following a flat trajectory can sneak right in under their eyes.

HEMMER: And it has and it did earlier today, 1:40 a.m. here in Kuwait.

Want to change our topic now. A car bomb apparently loaded with explosives blew up in Najaf, killing four U.S. soldiers. Curious to know your reaction right now about these tactics used by the Iraqis. More of it, one would assume?

POLLACK: I think we have to assume that there will be more of it. Again, I don't think that this should have been unexpected. There are elements within the Fedayeen Saddam which have been saying for seven, eight years, their claim to fame was that they had publicly and repeatedly pledged to martyr themselves for Saddam Hussein's benefit. So there's that group our there.

And in addition to that, we do know that Ansar al-Islam, a radical fundamentalist group with ties to al Qaeda, is based up in northern Iraq. They, too, might have been responsible for the car bomb.

And so there are at least two groups within Iraq who probably would be willing to undertake suicide attacks against U.S. forces.

U.S. forces have just -- they've got to be very, very careful. And of course, I think you heard Art Harris say that the Marines, the soldiers are learning that they really have to be on their guard at all times.

HEMMER: Yes, here's the problem I see in this, and I want to get your assessment. If the U.S. and the British forces are trying to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, and if you're going to get a terrorist act every couple of days against British and U.S. forces, how in the world do you break down that barrier and continue to have contact with the Iraqi people?

Essentially, I see the U.S. military essentially boxing themselves in, walling themselves off from the population. If that's the case, your contact is going to be cut down. Is there a solution that lies in there that you see?

POLLACK: No, it looks -- Bill, you're absolutely right, and you've put your finger on a critical issue here. It's critical for U.S. and British forces to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. And you're absolutely right, that if U.S. and British forces become obsessed with force protection, which of course has been an obsession for U.S. forces over the last 10 or 15 years, it could make it much, much harder.

I think the answer to that is what you were seeing earlier, in terms of what the British were doing down at Basra and Umm Qasr, in terms of setting up stations to allow people to come in, to be able to gather food. Under those kind of controlled circumstances, you can do some pretty quick cursory checks of people that will allow you to have some degree of confidence and that will still allow you to reach out to the Iraqi people, show then that U.S. and British forces are trying to help them.

In addition, the other thing that's out there is the British moves in Basra which are critical. The fact that U.S. and British forces are pushing into the cities to try to link up with Iraqi forces -- with Iraqi people, who are trying to resist Saddam's loyalists, and give them some ability to feel safe and secure under U.S. and British control. HEMMER: Challenges abound, for certain. We'll talk again, Ken. Thanks to you. Ken Pollack, again, in Washington.

Now Paula in New York.

ZAHN: Thanks, Bill.

We're going to take a short break, and then we will be on the story with a number of our reporters who are covering the war from all over the world. You'll meet Barbara Starr from the Pentagon, Christiane Amanpour from southern Iraq -- there she is -- Rym Brahimi from Jordan. And who did I miss here? Suzanne Malveaux from the White House. The gang of four. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Welcome back. Thirty-four minutes past the hour. Welcome to a special abbreviated edition of CNN's "On the Story," where our journalists have the inside word on what we covered this week.

Joining me now from the Pentagon is Barbara Starr; from southern Iraq, Christiane Amanpour. Rym Brahimi joins us from Amman, Jordan. Suzanne Malveaux is at her usual post at the White House.

Good to see all of you.

We're going to get started with some breaking news out of the Pentagon now with Barbara Starr. Good morning, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

Word just arriving here moments ago that in Afghanistan, two special forces soldiers were killed earlier today in an ambush on a road in Helmand province, known to be the part of Afghanistan very friendly to Taliban forces. Apparently they were part of a convoy. They came under fire. Three were badly wounded. We are told two of the soldiers have now died while being medevaced. The third man is being treated at a military hospital in Afghanistan.

ZAHN: And if you would, Barbara, bring us up to date on some of the reports that would suggest there's a stall in the coalition campaign. The Central Command folks telling us today that's just not the case.

What is going on?

STARR: That's right. What military officials are telling us -- and we expect to hear the same thing in this briefing room during a news briefing later today -- there is no overall pause in the campaign.

Now, some individual units on the battlefield are taking a bit of a breather. They are staying in place while they get resupplied, more fuel, more food, more ammunition. This, officials tell us, is to be expected. But the campaign goes on, because even today there are air strikes against Baghdad, leadership targets, Republican Guard targets. And there are very strategic key strikes going on against Republican Guard units, against tanks, artillery, armored personnel carriers. The effort right now is to soften up these Republican Guard formations that are encircling Baghdad before the U.S. begins to approach closer.

ZAHN: Thanks so much, Barbara.

Now, on the story from southern Iraq, let's check in with Christiane Amanpour. Good morning, Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

KAHN: Go ahead. Christiane, you're on the air. You can...

AMANPOUR: Today, some of the news from here -- sorry, having a bit of a disconnect here.

In terms, we also asked British officials here about these reports of a possible pause, and they amplified to an extent what Barbara has just said. Not only do some of these infantry and other units, mechanized, need to be resupplied they're telling us, but of course the troops must be exhausted. They've made a huge and rapid dash across the desert in a short period of time over a very long distance. And they're here, surmising that the troops must also be exhausted and need some rest before they carry on.

In terms of what we found here today, some disturbing information. We were traveling with a U.S. Army civil affairs unit in Umm Qasr, the port which is considered consolidated and secured, and we found two Iraqis on the road who came up to the Americans and wanted to surrender. We rushed up to the Humvee to see what was going on. It turns out that they told that Americans that they were members of the Saddam Fedayeen, these militias incorporated into the Iraqi army, and their mission was specifically suicide attacks against U.S. and British forces. That's what they told the Americans who told us.

They then said that they had been hiding out for about a week, that they didn't want to, quote, "die for Saddam," and that's why they had chosen and taken this opportunity to give themselves up.

Paula?

ZAHN: So, Christiane, as we see that unfold on videotape, I guess it reminds us of all of just dangerous all these situation are.

Just a final thought, Christiane, on what it is the coalition forces have to be prepared for when it comes to potential suicide attacks and civilians or Iraqi soldiers in civilian clothes?

AMANPOUR: Yes. Well, this is exactly right. And in fact, we were hearing -- you know, we've seen actually a paper that was secret but is no longer secret, in which the British laid out all of the potential hostilities that they could encounter and all of the flexibility they would need to adapt to this conflict, including irregulars and including, you know, these kinds of suicide attacks.

And today we were told that some British troops up in the oil fields, which is under their control, came across Iraqis in civilian clothes who attempted to surrender. And twice the British went forward, and twice they were fired upon. In the end, the British returned fire and basically wiped out that group, we're told.

But this is something that is, as we've heard, anecdotally reported around the basic battlefield. And it's something they're having to be very careful of, because of course at that same time, they want to encourage as many surrenders and accept as many surrenders as they possibly can.

ZAHN: Yes, big challenge ahead. Christiane, thanks so much.

Let's move on to Suzanne Malveaux, who is standing by at the White House to bring us up to date on the president's day.

Hello, again, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Hello, Paula.

President Bush is at Camp David. He is with his National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Chief of Staff Andy Card. We are told that he is going to get his daily intelligence as well as Pentagon briefings, the National Security Council briefing, or the War Council, through a secure video link.

The president just delivered his weekly radio address, and really some very important points, trying to emphasize that the success of this war with Iraq, saying that, yes, they've managed to secure those oil fields in the south, that they have managed to de-mine some of those areas as well as just get some of that humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people.

At the same time, the president acknowledging and trying to really set up the expectations of the American people that this could be longer than was initially expected, at least by some military planners. The president saying, "This is the most dangerous phase here," when you're taking about the most desperate units, that really he's not putting a timetable on all of this.

The point of this is the White House strategy really reacting in some ways to some of the damage control, spin control. Military officials this week who were questioning, saying perhaps they did not prepare the American adequately, perhaps military planning didn't take into account some of the resistance. The administration saying, no, it's been a flexible plan. It is way too soon to make any predictions on how all of this is going to end up.

But the president coming forward and really trying to accomplish a couple of things: first of all, managing those expectations of the American people, at the same time rallying the troops. And also, something very important as well is not to encourage the Iraqis to think that there's some sort of negotiated settlement in all of this, that the administration is just not going to go for that. Paula?

ZAHN: Suzanne, we're going to leave it there and move on to Rym Brahimi, who joins us now from Amman, Jordan.

Good morning, Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Paula.

Well, we've been following events in Baghdad of course, where there was this marketplace bombing yesterday at 6:00 p.m. and then bombing of the ministry of information at 1:00 a.m. during the night.

And just a couple of hours ago, about three or four explosions were heard and the response of anti-aircraft artillery in the outskirts of Baghdad.

Now, the minister of information told reporters that on the whole there have been some 107 wounded and 68 killed since yesterday in Baghdad. Those are the official Iraqi figures.

He also said that -- he also said that the attempts to bomb the ministry of information was a deliberate attempt by the U.S. to prevent journalists from doing their work. As you know, Paula, journalists work a lot out of that building, the ministry of information, international and local journalists alike.

And he also actually denied allegations and accusations that the Iraqi military was disguised in civilian clothes, saying that they were not -- that was simply not true, simply not the case.

As far as the population is concerned, of course they've been watching those bombings for the past week now, Paula, and they're quite shocked by the number of civilian casualties, from what I hear, speaking to some people who are in Baghdad, a lot of shock at those civilian casualties.

But at the same time, people now have started to emerge from their houses. The first days of the bombing there was nobody in the streets. And now they've gradually started coming out, trying to live a relatively normal life. Because as someone who I spoke to was talking to an Iraqi, told him, "Well, we need to affirm our existence somehow, and we just can't stay locked up at home like this every day."

Paula?

ZAHN: We understand why they feel that way.

STARR: Rym, from here in the...

ZAHN: Barbara, please jump in.

STARR: Rym, from here in the Pentagon, it's a little difficult sometimes to tell how all of this is really playing in the Arab world. From your post in Jordan, how are the people on the street reacting to what they have seen taking place over the last several days?

BRAHIMI: Barbara, this has definitely triggered very -- pro- Iraqi sentiment was already there. What's interesting is in the past couple of days there have been demonstrations here in Jordan. One was the -- the occasion was funeral of a student, a Jordanian student killed in Iraq in one of the bombings. And then another one was just a demonstration that followed the preach at the mosque on Friday, yesterday.

Well, on both occasions, portraits of Saddam Hussein were being brandished, and a lot of calls for support to not only the Iraqi people, but also for President Saddam Hussein as some sort of a hero.

And what's also interesting is that the Iraqi people have been very worried about what was going to happen, extremely concerned at what would happen after this U.S.-led attack if there was going to be a void, the consequences of a U.S.-led attack. But there seems to be, from what people tell me, a certain element of pride that the Iraqi people are resisting in some way to the United States, which is a very big, powerful country.

So there's also a bit of that. And the rest of the Arab world, of course, is not only -- there's the element of pride. There's the fact that of course this is, in large, about the United States and the resentment that there is in the region with regard to the United States. But also, maybe the fact that there is maybe no sense of leadership, and they seem to see that sense of leadership coming from President Saddam Hussein in an interesting way.

MALVEAUX: Listen, I have a question for Christiane.

How is this playing inside of Iraq? I know the administration is really dealing with a lot of questions about how this is taking place, how it's unfolded in the last 10 days.

Is there a sense from the Iraqi people that things are going well for Saddam Hussein, that they allied forces are not doing as well as they should be at this time? What are people saying there?

AMANPOUR: Well, I'm obviously in the southern part where the invasion is taking place and not in Baghdad. And basically what we're hearing -- because, you know, the big question has been, "Where are all the flags? Where's the waving, where's the welcome mat to the allied forces?"

And of course we've been trying to ask people this, and today specifically I did that in Umm Qasr, which is essentially meant to be a test case. This is the first consolidated town. It's little, but they're hoping that this sort of blossoms forth for the rest of the country.

And what I've found from people, almost to a man and a woman, they yet do not believe that Saddam Hussein's days are over. They do not believe it yet, and they're simply not going to take the risk to come out and to have joyous celebrations, because they remember '91, they remember 12 years ago. They believed then, even though it wasn't the battle plan, that Saddam Hussein was going to be taken out.

But furthermore, they know that they were encouraged to rise up. That's what they believe, the great American betrayal of '91. And then they were basically slaughtered by Saddam Hussein. That is the experience of southern Iraq. And so they're very, very cautious.

On the other hand, we did today see the first more overt signs of friendliness, waving, people coming up to the U.S. soldiers and the British soldiers in Umm Qasr, talking about wanting their freedom. But again, being very, very cautious.

And most especially, wanting aid and humanitarian supplies because they've heard it's promised for so long. They told us we've been hearing from your presidents over the last weeks and months, that you're going to take care of us. Where's the drinking water, where's the food, where, where, where?

So that is a very real concern for people, because that's their primary experience with the troops, whether they're going to help them, whether they're going to give them things or not.

ZAHN: Christiane, Barbara, Suzanne, Rym Brahimi, on the story with four of the best in the business. This was an abbreviated version today. Normally you would find many of these talented reporters at 10:00 a.m. eastern time on the story.

Thanks again.

Now a look to some of the stories coming up in the next hour here on CNN. We're going to have the latest on that humanitarian aid on its way to hungry and thirsty Iraqis who are not always grateful to those who bring the aid.

And we're going to update from the northern front where Kurds say they are pushing farther into Iraqi territory. Service personnel are among the missing in Iraq, as are some journalists from this country and elsewhere. We'll have the latest on the searches.

That's in our next hour. We'll be right back.

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