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CNN Live Today
Reporting with Army's 3-7th Cavalry
Aired March 31, 2003 - 10:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime, we do have some embedded reporters checking in. Walt Rodgers, 7th Cav, southwest of Baghdad, 50, maybe 60 miles. Not quite sure exactly. We have a live pictures tonight as the sun goes down.
Walter, are you with us? Good evening.
All right, I don't think he can hear we now.
Walt, I'm going to hang with you here. Maybe we get that signal re-established with you. Walt Rogers with the 3-7 Cavalry. His reports have been fascinated, and we know that, Walt, by the images we're getting here, that you again have a front-row seat for what could be a serious clash with Medina.
I'll try again.
Walt, good evening. Do you have me?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill. Yes, hello.
Darkness is soon to blanket the Iraqi desert, and overhead, we are hearing the most comforting sounds, that soldiers, artillery men or tank drivers can hear. That is U.S. Navy jets and U.S. Air Force jets overhead. They're flying what's called CAS, or close air support, flying now for close to 24 hours, and they are the instruments which will protect these soldiers as darkness falls.
Several hours ago, the U.S. Navy sent in two F-18 hornets. They knocked out an artillery battery that Iraqis had been harassing the U.S. forces with.
But even still, there are limits to airpower under these circumstances. Because even so, the airpower can only strike where they have clearer targets, and the Iraqis are very shrewdly moving some of their artillery into urban areas, some of their antiaircraft batteries, their surface-to-air missiles also into urban areas, making it very difficult for the allied forces to strike the Iraqi positions without incurring great civilian casualties.
So while it is comforting to hear those jets overhead, there are limits to the amount of protection they can afford. Earlier not far from where we are, the 2nd Brigade, Third Infantry Division, deeply entrenched across that bridgehead, and they, again, continue to threaten the city of Al Hilah (ph).
But again, darkness is falling here, and again, it's another night wondering if indeed the Iraqis are going to send in artillery fire, again, comforting to hear those jets overhead -- Bill.
HEMMER: Wow, many in the military say the same thing, comforting to hear the roar of jets overhead.
Walt, thanks.
Northern Iraq now. Jane Arraf checks in in the town of Kalak. We do know the aerial pounding continues there in certain sectors.
Jane, what have you seen lately?
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, it looks like just a beautiful idyllic sunset behind me. But just a few moments ago, we were seeing the explosions and smoke rising from a series of bombings just on that ridge behind us.
Now this is the Iraqi front line. It's about seven kilometers, about four miles behind, and behind that is Mosul, one of the major targets in northern Iraq. We saw fighter planes circling. F-14s flying quite low, indicating that them didn't feel there was much of a threat at the moment.
And there has been sporadic, but heavy bombing along this front line and along the cities of Mosul and Kirkuk. In fact, that northern front line is shifting. Kurdish officials say that Iraqi forces are retreating in what they call a planned tactical move. And there has been sporadic fighting between Iraq and Kurdish forces, but Kurdish officials in a nod to Turkey, which is keeping a very wary eye on this, say that it is not the start of a Kurdish offensive and it is not the start of a northern front. They haven't, though, given up hope for a full-fledged U.S.-northern front.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KHOSHYAR ZEBARI, KDP SPOKESMAN: Northern front I can tell you is active, although it is invisible for you. But many operations are ongoing, along this line, behind the line, and arrival of this forces, U.S. forces, in fact, has given the northern front a new dimension.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now, the reason it is not so visible, is that originally it was supposed to be tens of thousands of ground troops. You can't get much more visible than that. But with Turkey's refusal to allow those troops, it has turned into several thousand airborne and other forces coming into an airfield in northern Iraq, and it will take some time to get up a front to attack Baghdad from the north if that's what's in the works -- Bill.
HEMMER: Jane, thanks. Jane Arraf in the northern town of Kalak.
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 31, 2003 - 10:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime, we do have some embedded reporters checking in. Walt Rodgers, 7th Cav, southwest of Baghdad, 50, maybe 60 miles. Not quite sure exactly. We have a live pictures tonight as the sun goes down.
Walter, are you with us? Good evening.
All right, I don't think he can hear we now.
Walt, I'm going to hang with you here. Maybe we get that signal re-established with you. Walt Rogers with the 3-7 Cavalry. His reports have been fascinated, and we know that, Walt, by the images we're getting here, that you again have a front-row seat for what could be a serious clash with Medina.
I'll try again.
Walt, good evening. Do you have me?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill. Yes, hello.
Darkness is soon to blanket the Iraqi desert, and overhead, we are hearing the most comforting sounds, that soldiers, artillery men or tank drivers can hear. That is U.S. Navy jets and U.S. Air Force jets overhead. They're flying what's called CAS, or close air support, flying now for close to 24 hours, and they are the instruments which will protect these soldiers as darkness falls.
Several hours ago, the U.S. Navy sent in two F-18 hornets. They knocked out an artillery battery that Iraqis had been harassing the U.S. forces with.
But even still, there are limits to airpower under these circumstances. Because even so, the airpower can only strike where they have clearer targets, and the Iraqis are very shrewdly moving some of their artillery into urban areas, some of their antiaircraft batteries, their surface-to-air missiles also into urban areas, making it very difficult for the allied forces to strike the Iraqi positions without incurring great civilian casualties.
So while it is comforting to hear those jets overhead, there are limits to the amount of protection they can afford. Earlier not far from where we are, the 2nd Brigade, Third Infantry Division, deeply entrenched across that bridgehead, and they, again, continue to threaten the city of Al Hilah (ph).
But again, darkness is falling here, and again, it's another night wondering if indeed the Iraqis are going to send in artillery fire, again, comforting to hear those jets overhead -- Bill.
HEMMER: Wow, many in the military say the same thing, comforting to hear the roar of jets overhead.
Walt, thanks.
Northern Iraq now. Jane Arraf checks in in the town of Kalak. We do know the aerial pounding continues there in certain sectors.
Jane, what have you seen lately?
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, it looks like just a beautiful idyllic sunset behind me. But just a few moments ago, we were seeing the explosions and smoke rising from a series of bombings just on that ridge behind us.
Now this is the Iraqi front line. It's about seven kilometers, about four miles behind, and behind that is Mosul, one of the major targets in northern Iraq. We saw fighter planes circling. F-14s flying quite low, indicating that them didn't feel there was much of a threat at the moment.
And there has been sporadic, but heavy bombing along this front line and along the cities of Mosul and Kirkuk. In fact, that northern front line is shifting. Kurdish officials say that Iraqi forces are retreating in what they call a planned tactical move. And there has been sporadic fighting between Iraq and Kurdish forces, but Kurdish officials in a nod to Turkey, which is keeping a very wary eye on this, say that it is not the start of a Kurdish offensive and it is not the start of a northern front. They haven't, though, given up hope for a full-fledged U.S.-northern front.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KHOSHYAR ZEBARI, KDP SPOKESMAN: Northern front I can tell you is active, although it is invisible for you. But many operations are ongoing, along this line, behind the line, and arrival of this forces, U.S. forces, in fact, has given the northern front a new dimension.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now, the reason it is not so visible, is that originally it was supposed to be tens of thousands of ground troops. You can't get much more visible than that. But with Turkey's refusal to allow those troops, it has turned into several thousand airborne and other forces coming into an airfield in northern Iraq, and it will take some time to get up a front to attack Baghdad from the north if that's what's in the works -- Bill.
HEMMER: Jane, thanks. Jane Arraf in the northern town of Kalak.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
