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CNN Live At Daybreak

U.S. Soldiers Fire on Van, Killing Seven Women, Children

Aired April 01, 2003 - 06:35   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: It's been the pattern down in Qatar over the last week-running right now to hold these briefings at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time. That's about 27 minutes from now. We'll have live coverage when it gets under way.
But before we get there, Tom Mintier is standing by live at CentCom, who can bring us up to date on a number of developments over the night last night.

And, Tom, a lot of attention given to this checkpoint stop in which seven women and children had been gunned down near the town of Najaf, and CentCom already saying that it supports the soldiers right now for carrying out what it considered following the duty and following the orders there.

What more do we know now about this?

TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this latest incident reported by the minister of information involving two buses that he claims were filled with human shields that were hit by airstrikes. I asked a CentCom official about 45 minutes seconds ago about this. Initially, we thought it was in reference to the checkpoint incident, but apparently Iraq is talking about a totally separate incident of an airstrike involving those two buses.

Again, they say here at CentCom they are investigating it.

You're right. In about 25 minutes, CentCom officials will be taking the stage here in Doha to talk about the overnight activities. It was overnight that they admitted that there was an incident at a checkpoint in the 3rd Infantry Division, the same location where four American soldiers were killed over the weekend when a vehicle pulled up and was detonated with explosives.

The incident overnight was a civilian vehicle approaching the checkpoint at a high rate of speed, came through the barbed wire barricade, apparently did not stop. Warning shots were supposedly fired. Then they tried to disable the vehicle with other shots, and finally firing into the vehicle when it would not stop.

The end result were seven fatalities inside the car, and it turned out to be all women and children.

The director of communications here at CentCom says it was a tragic incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JAMES WILKINSON, CENTCOM SPOKESMAN: What we're finding is that there is just such a culture of fear out there among the innocent Iraqis that they want to make sure that we are actually liberating them. So that's why you're seeing a lot of caution. In the areas where we have removed the regime thugs, we see Iraqis celebrating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MINTIER: There was an incident also yesterday, according to the coalition, that human shields were being used on a bridge as paramilitary forces were trying to advance across that bridge. Apparently one woman shot in the back and then fell into the river. According to CentCom officials, she was rescued by a U.S. soldier, and then treated for her gunshot wounds, in serious critical condition. We don't really know much about it, except the fact that they say that she is still alive.

Again, more details possibly on this latest incident involving the two buses. I'm sure it will be a question at the CentCom briefing in less than 25 minutes -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Tom, thank you. We'll check back again with you a bit later in the day.

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 - 06:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It's been the pattern down in Qatar over the last week-running right now to hold these briefings at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time. That's about 27 minutes from now. We'll have live coverage when it gets under way.
But before we get there, Tom Mintier is standing by live at CentCom, who can bring us up to date on a number of developments over the night last night.

And, Tom, a lot of attention given to this checkpoint stop in which seven women and children had been gunned down near the town of Najaf, and CentCom already saying that it supports the soldiers right now for carrying out what it considered following the duty and following the orders there.

What more do we know now about this?

TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this latest incident reported by the minister of information involving two buses that he claims were filled with human shields that were hit by airstrikes. I asked a CentCom official about 45 minutes seconds ago about this. Initially, we thought it was in reference to the checkpoint incident, but apparently Iraq is talking about a totally separate incident of an airstrike involving those two buses.

Again, they say here at CentCom they are investigating it.

You're right. In about 25 minutes, CentCom officials will be taking the stage here in Doha to talk about the overnight activities. It was overnight that they admitted that there was an incident at a checkpoint in the 3rd Infantry Division, the same location where four American soldiers were killed over the weekend when a vehicle pulled up and was detonated with explosives.

The incident overnight was a civilian vehicle approaching the checkpoint at a high rate of speed, came through the barbed wire barricade, apparently did not stop. Warning shots were supposedly fired. Then they tried to disable the vehicle with other shots, and finally firing into the vehicle when it would not stop.

The end result were seven fatalities inside the car, and it turned out to be all women and children.

The director of communications here at CentCom says it was a tragic incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JAMES WILKINSON, CENTCOM SPOKESMAN: What we're finding is that there is just such a culture of fear out there among the innocent Iraqis that they want to make sure that we are actually liberating them. So that's why you're seeing a lot of caution. In the areas where we have removed the regime thugs, we see Iraqis celebrating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MINTIER: There was an incident also yesterday, according to the coalition, that human shields were being used on a bridge as paramilitary forces were trying to advance across that bridge. Apparently one woman shot in the back and then fell into the river. According to CentCom officials, she was rescued by a U.S. soldier, and then treated for her gunshot wounds, in serious critical condition. We don't really know much about it, except the fact that they say that she is still alive.

Again, more details possibly on this latest incident involving the two buses. I'm sure it will be a question at the CentCom briefing in less than 25 minutes -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Tom, thank you. We'll check back again with you a bit later in the day.

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