Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
The Latest from Baghdad
Aired April 01, 2003 - 10:07 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, strong accusations from the Iraqis about the U.S. targeting two busloads of human shields en route from Amman, Jordan, eight miles from west to east across that highway into Baghdad. Central Command not giving any indication, saying right now they're looking into those reports. But at this point they've been largely dismissed. Whether anything comes of that remains to be seen.
Rula Amin is with us now in Jordan. She's been watching the follow-up on that story I just mentioned, and also this press conference still under way in Baghdad.
Rula, good evening to you there.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Bill.
On the story of the human shield activists, we cannot confirm what's there, although we do know on that road between Amman and Baghdad, there's has been a number of incidents where some cars had been hit by coalition missiles, including a Syrian bus that had Syrian passengers on it and five people were killed.
At the same time, we do know that some human rights activists who were leaving Baghdad two days ago had a car accident and some of them were injured.
So we're not sure if this is the same incident or if this is a different incident, because the information minister, Saeed Sahaf, said that this had happened yesterday. We have not heard any confirmation, even from those peace activists' friends who are here in Amman, and who said They said they were expecting them out at some point, but they are late.
Now on to Baghdad, we do know that it's been another day of bombing in the Iraqi capital. The pictures from there show more destruction and more damage. The targets have been the Republican guard's positions, as you have mentioned, as well as the presidential palaces. The Iraqi information minister, Saeed Al Sahaf, had dismissed the fact that many of the U.S. Troops have been so close to Baghdad that they've been able to send artillery into the southern part of the city. That part of the city seems to take most of the damage, and a lot of the bombardment today and yesterday. Saeed Al- Sahaf also dismissed the fact the U.S. troops are making progress in many areas in Iraq.
This is what he had to say to describe that progress:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED SAEED AL SAHAF, IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER: There are becoming more tense and hysteric, really. They are achieving nothing. They are suffering from casualties. Those casualties are in an increase, not decrease. We decided to make them -- to keep them on the move. We decided not to let them even have a rest, and we are doing that. So they are becoming more and more, more desperate, more hysteric, and they started killing the Iraqis, because inside really, the real fact, they are racists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMIN: Iraqi officials sounding very defiant, despite the heavy bombardment. You just heard from Iraq's vice president, who was challenging the United States on bringing up any evidence that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. Again, he said Iraq doesn't have those weapons, and does not -- and cannot use such weapons in this war -- Bill.
, HEMMER: All right, Rula. Thanks.
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 - 10:07 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, strong accusations from the Iraqis about the U.S. targeting two busloads of human shields en route from Amman, Jordan, eight miles from west to east across that highway into Baghdad. Central Command not giving any indication, saying right now they're looking into those reports. But at this point they've been largely dismissed. Whether anything comes of that remains to be seen.
Rula Amin is with us now in Jordan. She's been watching the follow-up on that story I just mentioned, and also this press conference still under way in Baghdad.
Rula, good evening to you there.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Bill.
On the story of the human shield activists, we cannot confirm what's there, although we do know on that road between Amman and Baghdad, there's has been a number of incidents where some cars had been hit by coalition missiles, including a Syrian bus that had Syrian passengers on it and five people were killed.
At the same time, we do know that some human rights activists who were leaving Baghdad two days ago had a car accident and some of them were injured.
So we're not sure if this is the same incident or if this is a different incident, because the information minister, Saeed Sahaf, said that this had happened yesterday. We have not heard any confirmation, even from those peace activists' friends who are here in Amman, and who said They said they were expecting them out at some point, but they are late.
Now on to Baghdad, we do know that it's been another day of bombing in the Iraqi capital. The pictures from there show more destruction and more damage. The targets have been the Republican guard's positions, as you have mentioned, as well as the presidential palaces. The Iraqi information minister, Saeed Al Sahaf, had dismissed the fact that many of the U.S. Troops have been so close to Baghdad that they've been able to send artillery into the southern part of the city. That part of the city seems to take most of the damage, and a lot of the bombardment today and yesterday. Saeed Al- Sahaf also dismissed the fact the U.S. troops are making progress in many areas in Iraq.
This is what he had to say to describe that progress:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED SAEED AL SAHAF, IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER: There are becoming more tense and hysteric, really. They are achieving nothing. They are suffering from casualties. Those casualties are in an increase, not decrease. We decided to make them -- to keep them on the move. We decided not to let them even have a rest, and we are doing that. So they are becoming more and more, more desperate, more hysteric, and they started killing the Iraqis, because inside really, the real fact, they are racists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMIN: Iraqi officials sounding very defiant, despite the heavy bombardment. You just heard from Iraq's vice president, who was challenging the United States on bringing up any evidence that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. Again, he said Iraq doesn't have those weapons, and does not -- and cannot use such weapons in this war -- Bill.
, HEMMER: All right, Rula. Thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
