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CNN Live At Daybreak

Coalitions Forces Bomb Castle Near Kifry

Aired April 01, 2003 - 06:43   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: Same part of the country in the north, in the town of Kifry, David Turnley is a well known photojournalist. He's working on behalf of the "Detroit Free Press," also working with us here at CNN.
By way of videophone, David, understand at this point there are some Iraqis who are leaving that area. Now I'm not quite sure exactly what's happening. Explain to us, and good afternoon.

DAVID TURNLEY, CNN PHOTOGRAPHER: Good afternoon, Bill.

We're standing outside of the town of Kifry, which is on the eastern flank of the northern front. It is effectively the closest point on this front to Baghdad.

For the last several days, coalition forces have been bombing an Iraqi position, effectively a castle, which is about 200 meters in front of the town of Kifry. This morning, well starting last night in the middle of the night and then this morning, there were heavy attacks. You could see clouds of smoke emanate from this castle, which clearly there were direct hits. We hear or we have reports that there were many Iraqi forces that were wounded, if not killed. And then about noon today, the Iraqis from that position retaliated with several mortar attack. We have reports that many people were injured, people say some killed. We have no confirmation of that.

In the meantime, this city is essentially evacuated. People picked up all of their belongings and there was an exodus from this town north to -- trying to find safety from the potential of getting hit by these mortar attack.

HEMMER: David, is this the first time that castle has been targeted?

TURNLEY: It seems that the coalition forces have been trying to hit it now for several days. What it also seems is that it took a direct hit this morning.

HEMMER: Yes. And, David, the people living in that town, are they Kurds, are they Shiites, are they Sunis, how?

TURNLEY: We are, as I say, Bill, on the eastern side of the northern front. This is a Kurdish enclave. It's also very close to Iran, but it is, in fact, Kurdish. The Kurds here have been in a -- in a complicated configuration, as I say, with Iran to the -- on the one hand, to their east, Baghdad to the south and then, of course, Halabja, which has -- had been very much the center of the Ansar al- Islam group, to the north. If you were to try to reach Baghdad as the crow flies from the northern front, this would be the quickest point from which you could arrive. It would be about an hour-and-a-half drive by car.

HEMMER: OK. All right, David, thanks. David Turnley by way of videophone in the northern town of Kifry watching the movements there.

And again, as David pointed out, a castle that perhaps contained Iraqi soldiers bombed heavily overnight and in the morning hours again.

David, thanks for the update there.

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






Aired April 1, 2003 - 06:43   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Same part of the country in the north, in the town of Kifry, David Turnley is a well known photojournalist. He's working on behalf of the "Detroit Free Press," also working with us here at CNN.
By way of videophone, David, understand at this point there are some Iraqis who are leaving that area. Now I'm not quite sure exactly what's happening. Explain to us, and good afternoon.

DAVID TURNLEY, CNN PHOTOGRAPHER: Good afternoon, Bill.

We're standing outside of the town of Kifry, which is on the eastern flank of the northern front. It is effectively the closest point on this front to Baghdad.

For the last several days, coalition forces have been bombing an Iraqi position, effectively a castle, which is about 200 meters in front of the town of Kifry. This morning, well starting last night in the middle of the night and then this morning, there were heavy attacks. You could see clouds of smoke emanate from this castle, which clearly there were direct hits. We hear or we have reports that there were many Iraqi forces that were wounded, if not killed. And then about noon today, the Iraqis from that position retaliated with several mortar attack. We have reports that many people were injured, people say some killed. We have no confirmation of that.

In the meantime, this city is essentially evacuated. People picked up all of their belongings and there was an exodus from this town north to -- trying to find safety from the potential of getting hit by these mortar attack.

HEMMER: David, is this the first time that castle has been targeted?

TURNLEY: It seems that the coalition forces have been trying to hit it now for several days. What it also seems is that it took a direct hit this morning.

HEMMER: Yes. And, David, the people living in that town, are they Kurds, are they Shiites, are they Sunis, how?

TURNLEY: We are, as I say, Bill, on the eastern side of the northern front. This is a Kurdish enclave. It's also very close to Iran, but it is, in fact, Kurdish. The Kurds here have been in a -- in a complicated configuration, as I say, with Iran to the -- on the one hand, to their east, Baghdad to the south and then, of course, Halabja, which has -- had been very much the center of the Ansar al- Islam group, to the north. If you were to try to reach Baghdad as the crow flies from the northern front, this would be the quickest point from which you could arrive. It would be about an hour-and-a-half drive by car.

HEMMER: OK. All right, David, thanks. David Turnley by way of videophone in the northern town of Kifry watching the movements there.

And again, as David pointed out, a castle that perhaps contained Iraqi soldiers bombed heavily overnight and in the morning hours again.

David, thanks for the update there.

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