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CNN Live Today
Latest from the Northern Front
Aired April 01, 2003 - 10:33 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Want to take our viewers up to the northern part of Iraq right now. We've been getting these reports about the increased amount bombing that folks like Ben Wedeman, Brent Sadler, Kevin Sites have been seeing.
Jane Arraf is now with us live. She's in the town of Kalak, and Jane I know you've seen your share their as well.
Good evening to you. What's happening tonight?
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Bill.
We've been down at the place where U.S. forces are building up, although slowly. It's the Harrea (ph) airstrip, and it's where that paratroop division of 1, 000 troops came in last week.
Now since we were there, they have been building up equipment, building up troops, everything that they might need to provide a northern front.
Here behind us, on the Iraqi frontline, it's been uncharacteristically quiet today. Yesterday we were seeing some rather spectacular bombings, F-14s flying low enough that the indications were that they are not facing any threats these days from Iraqi aircraft fire.
That may be a reason that a few days of intense bombing, why we're not seeing anything today. But the U.S. forces are continuing to build up in Harrea (ph), although not as quickly as Kurdish forces and officials would like.
Recently in fact, very early Monday, near the administrative capital, the Kurdish capital of Irbeal (ph), an Iraqi missile landed. We got a look at the damage that it did, a huge crater in the town of Cora (ph), just about 4 kilometers, about 2 1/2 miles from Salahadeen (ph), which is essentially the regional capital.
Now it was one of the first Iraqi missiles. Kurdish officials are downplaying it slightly. They say they thought it was an unguided missile, but they still say it was a very unwise decision on the part of Iraqi forces -- Bill.
HARRIS: All right, Jane. Jane Arraf, watching the northern front in 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 April 1, 2003 - 10:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Want to take our viewers up to the northern part of Iraq right now. We've been getting these reports about the increased amount bombing that folks like Ben Wedeman, Brent Sadler, Kevin Sites have been seeing.
Jane Arraf is now with us live. She's in the town of Kalak, and Jane I know you've seen your share their as well.
Good evening to you. What's happening tonight?
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Bill.
We've been down at the place where U.S. forces are building up, although slowly. It's the Harrea (ph) airstrip, and it's where that paratroop division of 1, 000 troops came in last week.
Now since we were there, they have been building up equipment, building up troops, everything that they might need to provide a northern front.
Here behind us, on the Iraqi frontline, it's been uncharacteristically quiet today. Yesterday we were seeing some rather spectacular bombings, F-14s flying low enough that the indications were that they are not facing any threats these days from Iraqi aircraft fire.
That may be a reason that a few days of intense bombing, why we're not seeing anything today. But the U.S. forces are continuing to build up in Harrea (ph), although not as quickly as Kurdish forces and officials would like.
Recently in fact, very early Monday, near the administrative capital, the Kurdish capital of Irbeal (ph), an Iraqi missile landed. We got a look at the damage that it did, a huge crater in the town of Cora (ph), just about 4 kilometers, about 2 1/2 miles from Salahadeen (ph), which is essentially the regional capital.
Now it was one of the first Iraqi missiles. Kurdish officials are downplaying it slightly. They say they thought it was an unguided missile, but they still say it was a very unwise decision on the part of Iraqi forces -- Bill.
HARRIS: All right, Jane. Jane Arraf, watching the northern front in 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
