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CNN Live At Daybreak

U.S. Ground Attack Advancing on Baghdad From Two Different Fronts

Aired April 03, 2003 - 05:00   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: I'm Bill Hemmer live in Kuwait City.
Welcome.

Our coverage continues right now.

First, the headlines now, 5:00 a.m. on the East Coast.

U.S. ground attack right now advancing on Baghdad from two different fronts. In the west, U.S. Army units getting closer to the outskirts of Baghdad after crushing Iraq's Medina division the day before. In the east, a huge armored column of Marines, perhaps 14,000 strong, now moving northward up the Tigris Valley, also with little opposition. In the capital city itself, bombers and missiles continue to pave the way for those ground forces. One site struck overnight by 40 precision-guided bombs.

U.S. military officials confirm an FA-18 Hornet from the USS Kitty Hawk was lost over Iraq. The fate of the pilot not known. A search and rescue mission still under way.

Hostile fire did bring down a Black Hawk helicopter in south central Iraq. This according to the Pentagon. Still, a discrepancy about casualties, however. We'll let you know as soon as we get more from Central Command in about two hours from now.

Rescued POW Jessica Lynch at a U.S. military hospital now in Germany. She's being treated for gunshot wounds and broken bones in her legs, injuries she suffered during her capture by Iraqi forces in an ambush, we're told.

The Arab language news agency Al Jazeera says it's suspending the work of all of its correspondents in Iraq effective immediately. The self-imposed ban comes after Iraq ordered one of its reporters out of the country and suspended the accreditation of Al Jazeera's chief Baghdad correspondent. However, the news agency says it will continue to broadcast live video from some parts of Iraq, including downtown Baghdad.

Coming up this hour, we will check in with our military expert for some perspective on the push to Baghdad. Plus we'll hear from our reporters again near the front lines today, finding out what coalition forces are facing as they continue that drive north. And you'll get the latest from the U.S. Central Command in Qatar, as I mentioned, the nerve center for coalition forces. 7:00 a.m. Eastern time we'll get their briefing today, about two hours from now. All right, that sets the table for this hour. Two o'clock in Baghdad, one o'clock here in Kuwait, 5:00 a.m., again, on the East Coast of the United States.

I'm Bill Hemmer from Kuwait City -- Carol, good morning to you.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Bill.

I'm Carol Costello at CNN's global headquarters in Atlanta.

Today is Thursday, April 3rd, and you are looking at a live picture of downtown Baghdad as Operation Iraqi Freedom enters day 15.

And we just got word from Iraqi TV that Saddam Hussein supposedly will address people on Iraqi television. We don't know if that will happen for sure or not, but, of course, we're monitoring the situation.

Now it's time for an early briefing on some of the stories we'll be following today here on CNN.

At 10:30 a.m. Eastern, President Bush speaks to U.S. Marines and their families at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. It's home to many of the Marines fighting in Iraq. Mr. Bush will also meet with families who lost a loved one in combat.

On Capitol Hill, the Senate will debate a nearly $80 billion aid package for war costs and counter-terrorism. The cash would also help out the U.S. airline industry. The House is debating a similar bill.

And at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, also, the U.N. Security Council meets to discuss the humanitarian aid situation in Iraq and other matters tied to the war.

Now, let's give you a visual sense of where coalition forces are in Iraq right now. Looking from left to right on the animation you will soon see -- there it is -- U.S. troops were within 15 miles of the southern edge of Baghdad early today. The 101st Airborne Division took control of Najaf and isolated Iraqi forces in that area. Now, the Army's Third Infantry defeated Iraqi troops at Karbala, about 50 miles south of Baghdad. The 1st Battalion 7th Marines secured the Numinaya Air Base (ph) about 85 miles south of Baghdad and U.S. and British troops seized a giant food distribution center in Basra, one that had been used for the U.N. Oil For Food program.

Also, the Third Infantry and 11th Attack Helicopter Brigade led the charge against the Medina division of the Republican Guard. Coalition forces established control over many of the key river crossings.

Here are some of the latest scenes from the battle fronts in Iraq. The Baghdad sky lights up again. Central Command says coalition satellite guided bombs targeted a heavily protected storage facility. In northern Iraq, B-52 heavy bombers unloaded over Iraqi positions near the town of Domiz (ph). That's north of the city of Mosul, in Iraqi controlled government areas. In Iraq's holy city of Najaf, U.S. troops edged toward the center of the city, searching for Fedayeen paramilitary fighters loyal to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Officials say most have fled, but a few are still putting up a fight.

And coalition forces have started their final push toward Baghdad.

Our Miles O'Brien brings us up to date on the day's fast changing developments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 11:08 a.m., CNN's Barbara Starr reporting from the Pentagon. Sources tell here there will be no let up in the current U.S. push and that this is the first phase of the final push to Baghdad.

1:05 p.m. at the Pentagon, Major General Stanley McChrystal says the Medina and Baghdad divisions of the Republican Guard have been defeated and are no longer credible forces.

2:30 p.m., CNN's Karl Penhaul reports some U.S. forces are within 15 miles of Baghdad, part of a two-pronged advance on the Iraqi capital.

5:00 p.m., rescued POW, U.S. soldier Jessica Lynch arrives in Germany for treatment of gunshot wounds and broken bones at an American military hospital.

5:12 p.m., the Arab language news agency Al Jazeera reports it has suspended the work of all its correspondents in Iraq after Iraqi officials banned at least one of its employees from reporting.

6:06 p.m., CNN's Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon reporting coalition forces dropped 40 satellite guided bombs on a heavily secured storage facility in Baghdad.

8:55 p.m., Jamie McIntyre reports a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter is down in Iraq. Seven crew members are dead, four have been rescued. Cause of the crash is still being investigated.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: All right, Greg Milah (ph) now checking in. He's with the British military, embedded, I believe, in the Rumaylah oil fields, which is the large oil fields in the southern part of Iraq -- I don't know what you have, Greg.

What's happening this after there?

GREG MILAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the job continues of securing these oil fields and more and more the strategic importance of that job becomes apparent to the other soldiers here. I'm with a regiment called the Royal Irish Regiment, part of 16 Air Assault. Now, they took over from the U.S. Marines here, what, 10 days ago. Really, the area then was pretty benign.

But what they've seen, rather mirroring the picture all over Iraq, is that people are getting behind them, getting hold of some of the munitions that are left behind and invading this area once again, trying to take pot shots at the British troops that are all over this area.

So that importance of keeping this area secure has become more and more obvious to them and really allowing no one to take their eye off the ball in terms of the job that has to be done here.

Now, at the same time, the humanitarian work has begun, if you like. What they're trying to do is in one of the towns in this area trying to set up a kind of model village, a lesson, really, for the rest of Iraq about what exactly the coalition forces are trying to do. They've got the infrastructure, the water and the electricity back on. The school has reopened this week. They're trying to show the people there and show the people all over this country that this is a liberation and not an invasion and the best way they can do that is to show them they're doing good here.

HEMMER: Greg, thank you.

Greg Milah, embedded in the southern part of Iraq.

We want to get to the Pentagon right now. There are consistent questions about the strength of the remaining Republican Guard divisions and if they have any strength left. Are they moving back into Baghdad? Have they reassembled themselves on the battlefield or where do they stand at this point?

Central Command should have more in about two hours, but Chris Plante's been working the story at the Pentagon.

He's live with us now -- Chris, good morning to you there.

CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Bill.

How are you?

We're still trying to sort it out here, also. It appears that combat is ongoing south of Baghdad as U.S. forces from the 3rd Infantry Division to the south and the west close on the city and the Marines, the First Marine Expeditionary Force close from the south and the east.

These Iraqi Republican Guard divisions guarding the city all the way, wrapped all the way around the city, were expected to be putting up a much tougher fight than they have over the last several days. Now, U.S. and British air power has been picking away at them for about five days now and the U.S. ground forces have been engaging them directly for the last 24 or 36 hours.

We've gotten some numbers on the destruction of tanks. The numbers appear to be fairly small, all things considered, and U.S. intelligence has detected movement of Iraqi Republican Guard troops around the city. It's not clear exactly what they're doing, whether they're moving south to confront U.S. forces, whether they're taking up ambush positions or whether they're pulling back closer to the city to take a better defensive posture. All of this is unclear according to the last update that we've had anyway.

But the combat clearly is continuing. Forces are closing on the city. We have good, solid reports that U.S. and possibly British forces are within about 15 miles of the edge of the city and closing quickly. This is all happening, perhaps, a little bit more rapidly than many had expected, but with the Marines closing through Kut from the south and east and with the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division closing in from the south and the west, the city is just ahead of them there, actually within artillery range at this point. It's unclear where it'll go from here and where the Republican Guard is.

We're expecting that the Republican Guard at this point would show up for a serious fight and so far that's not happening -- Bill.

HEMMER: Chris, quickly, two aircraft to talk about, this Black Hawk that was shot down yesterday. Do we know the casualty count inside, because there have been conflicting reports? And, also, this F-18 Hornet, this pilot that ejected, any word on the search and rescue mission there for him?

PLANTE: Well, the Black Hawk is, it's been many, many hours now since that went down and the report was initially that it was shot down by small arms fire, perhaps AK-47s, handheld rifles or maybe rocket propelled grenades, which would indicate that the helicopter was quite close to the ground at the time of the attack.

Initially, the report was that seven had been killed and four had been rescued. Since that time, the Central Command has reeled that back in significantly. They're now saying that they believe that there were six American soldiers aboard the helicopter at the time and now they are not saying that they have any determination as to the fate of those six soldiers at all.

So we're standing by for further information, but clearly the helicopter went down. It was, in fact, shot down by small arms fire. Six soldiers aboard, according to the current information, and their fate is unknown.

The F-18 hornet flying from the deck of the Kitty Hawk, aircraft carrier operating in the Persian Gulf, also down in Iraq. That much we know. The rest is a bit sketchy. There were reports of surface to air missile fire around the area of the jet at the time of the incident and also some anti-aircraft artillery fire. So indications are that the plane was shot down, but that also not a hundred percent confirmed at this point.

There were indications also, probably based on radio traffic, that the pilot ejected safely from the aircraft. And there are also indications that search and rescue efforts are ongoing. No clear sign that the pilot has been rescued. No clear sign of any other fate, either. So that's another situation where we're standing by. Plane down. Fate of the pilot unknown -- Bill. HEMMER: Chris, thank you.

Chris Plante working the story in the Pentagon.

As Chris pointed out, much like yesterday, the movement on the ground appears to be quite rapid with movements toward Baghdad yet again today. And where this all clarifies itself is not clear just yet. Perhaps, Carol, we'll get more in about two hours time from Central Command. But, also, we know that the movement does continue.

Marty Savidge yesterday talked about bumper to bumper traffic going southeast of Baghdad. Word that Marine units now are set up, we do not know, but perhaps greater clarification a bit later today -- to you now at the CNN Center.

COSTELLO: Yes, and just to repeat for those viewers who didn't hear it, Saddam Hussein supposedly will appear on Iraqi television at some point during this morning. Don't know if he will or not, but if he does, of course, we will bring that to you live.

Secretary of State Colin Powell is trying to get European support for Washington's vision of a post-war Iraq. First on Powell's agenda was to get Turkey's support and after a stop in Ankara, the secretary of state went to Belgrade. He is now at NATO headquarters in Brussels, and that's where CNN's senior European correspondent Robin Oakley joins us live -- good morning, Robin.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: This is sort of a fence mending operation.

OAKLEY: It is in...

COSTELLO: Go ahead.

OAKLEY: It is, indeed, a fence mending operation for Colin Powell and he's really getting busy with it, too. I've never known a U.S. secretary of state on a visit to Europe fit in as many visits as he's doing. He's seeing 21 different meetings today with different U.N., U.S., different E.U. ambassadors and foreign ministers. He's currently having lunch with the whole of the NATO Council. He'll attend the NATO Council meeting this afternoon.

He started off by seeing those who had backed the U.S. war effort, the foreign ministers from Spain and Italy, the so-called Vilnius 10 Eastern European countries who'd signed up to a declaration backing the U.S. He saw their ambassadors. But he's also seeing Joschka Fischer, the German foreign minister, and Dominique de Villepin, the French foreign minister, two of the leaders of the anti- war movement, as it were, in Europe.

So it is a very whole-hearted effort of mending fences here and the focus will be very much on what happens in post-conflict Iraq. But, of course, there's still a potential tension there. The Germans today were saying that the United Nations must remain in the driver's seat and a number of the ambassadors and foreign ministers who will be seeing Colin Powell in the course of today will have been worried by what he said to the U.S. Congress about the coalition taking on the huge burden that it had in Iraq and wasn't going to be willing not to have a significant control in what happened in the future afterwards, after the conflict was over.

So I think there will be some suspicion as to whether he is actually speaking for the U.N. administration. They're very aware here of pressures from the Pentagon for strong military control in post-conflict Iraq, whereas most of these Europeans are insisting on a very strong role for the United Nations -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And, Robin, Tony Blair also wants a U.N. presence in post-war Iraq. Might that create some tension between Mr. Blair and President Bush in the future?

OAKLEY: Yes, it looks, Carol, as though this is one of the issues where Tony Blair can start to buy himself a bit of credit back in Europe, where he's been very much out on a limb, admittedly with some support from Jose Maria Aznar of Spain and Silvio Berlusconi of Italy. But in backing the U.S. to the degree he has, the only other European nation to send troops, Tony Blair has set himself apart from the other European Union leaders. But he does seem to be very strongly in with them on the issue of the U.N. playing a significant role in post-conflict Iraq.

I think the way that they're perhaps going to try and bridge this is that Javier Solana, the international relations chief for the European Union, was saying today that they see the U.N. perhaps as an umbrella for what goes on in post-conflict Iraq rather than the U.N. actually controlling and dominating and doing everything for itself. And that, perhaps, is where Tony Blair can help to round off the edges somewhat -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Robin Oakley live from Brussels.

And, of course, Colin Powell is expected to speak and when he does, we'll bring that to you live.

Now back to Bill in Kuwait.

HEMMER: Carol, if you were with us about 30 minutes ago, you know we're picking up these reports from Reuters correspondents in Baghdad that an advance armored unit of the 3rd I.D., the 3rd Infantry Division, is now about 10 kilometers south of Baghdad. That's about six miles south of the capital city. The exact location not determined just yet. But, again, the 3rd I.D., as you know, for the past week, two weeks at a time, has been moving up through south and central Iraq.

CNN's Walt Rodgers has been with the 7th Cavalry, which is essentially the scouting unit for the 3rd I.D., and Walt has been at what the military says is the tip of the spear throughout this operation.

Now getting reports again out of Baghdad, they are within about six miles of the capital city. More on that when we get it. We'll check in with our embedded reporters again today, and we have many here at CNN, who can follow the very latest, the movements on the ground and in the air in Iraq.

Back with a whole lot more in Kuwait and the CNN Center, right after this.

COMMERCIAL

HEMMER: Keeping a very close eye on what's happening south of Baghdad. Again, the report, 10 kilometers, about six miles south of the city there in the Iraqi capital. Also watching the movements of Al Jazeera, the Arab language network that has a far extended reach here in the Arab world. It is now suspending any operations for its correspondents or anchors based in Iraq. All this coming a short time ago.

Rym Brahimi is live in Jordan to bring you up to date on what we've learned because of it -- Rym, good afternoon there.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Bill.

Well, that announcement by Al Jazeera that it would stop the work of its correspondents in Baghdad came after the Iraqi information ministry banned one of Al Jazeera's reporters from doing his work and expelled another one of their reporters. So Al Jazeera has said it will now only broadcast live images from Baghdad, Mosul and Basra, but not allow its own correspondents to work until further notice.

And now that, of course, is a very significant development. And, Bill, a lot of the coverage that Al Jazeera has brought of the war has had some impact on the Arab public opinion. Here in Jordan, for instance, we have seen people watching those pictures. The level of sympathy for the Iraqi people is very high. There have been a lot of demonstrations demonstrating that sympathy, but also a petition a couple of days ago by 95 prominent Jordanians, including five former prime ministers to King Abdullah of Jordan, asking him to take a clear stand and declare the war illegal.

Well, the king of Jordan has responded in an interview with the Jordanian News Agency, saying that Jordan does reject the war, repeating a well known position of Jordan, that it rejects the war, saying that he has tried all efforts to solve this peacefully. Also saying again that Jordan will not be a launch pad for U.S. strikes against Iraq and signaling his concern for the Iraqi people.

You can actually see this in a newspaper here, Bill. The headline, "As a father, I feel the pain of every Iraqi family, of every child and every father."

Bill, back to you.

HEMMER: Rym, thanks.

Rym Brahimi again from Jordan watching that front for us.

Now, Carol, again in Atlanta. COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Bill.

We've been telling you about the fighting close to Baghdad and also in southern Iraq. But there is still fighting going on to the north, in northern Iraq.

That's where Ben Wedeman is right now -- and, Ben, you've just witnessed a large battle.

Tell us about it.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, what's going on is that behind me, this is the town of Hazar (ph), which is on the road to Mosul. Our position in Kalak we have abandoned after Iraqi forces yesterday afternoon pulled out of there.

What has happened is that this morning, or actually it's this afternoon now, U.S. fighter jets have been flying over, about four of them. We've been watching them hitting the Iraqi positions at the edge of this town of Hazar, which is right behind me. And right now it's fairly quiet. But what has been going on is that the town has -- the edge of the town is being bombed. That's where we assume the Iraqi forces is.

Now, this morning we were up early and with a group of peshmergas. Those are the Kurdish fighters who walked about half of the way here. They were accompanied by Americans troops, as well. Now, those American troops, to the best of our knowledge, have been providing guidance for those fighters that have been flying overhead. They have been advising them on what targets to hit in this area.

Now, this really is indicative of what's going on in the north is that the Kurdish fighters are really providing the ground troops for the effort against the Iraqi forces and they are being provided with this vital U.S. air support in taking out the Iraqi armor, the Iraqi artillery, because we know the Iraqi mortars and artillery have been also firing back in this direction this morning.

So the Iraqis, though, are really feeling the heat, really feeling the pressure, as the Americans and their Kurdish allies here in the north have been pressing ahead. It's not the kind of ground offensive that you've been watching in the south. It's more like the situation that existed in northern Afghanistan during the war against the Taliban where local ground forces are standard by American air power, which is being guided by small American units on the ground.

COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman reporting live from northern Iraq.

Thanks for that.

We're going to take a break right now.

When we come back, we'll take you to the Baghdad Cafe.

We'll be right back.

COMMERCIAL

COSTELLO: 5:24 Eastern time.

Welcome back.

The battle for Baghdad appears only days or perhaps even hours away. And despite that, some Iraqis are gathering along the Jordan- Iraq border for a journey back into Baghdad.

CNN's Nic Robertson has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Leaving Iraq and over the border in Jordan, journalists held prisoner by the Iraqis pause for comment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were in abu-Ghraib Prison for seven or eight days. There were no specific charges.

ROBERTSON: The location, outside abu-Saifs. The only 24 hour restaurant in the border town Roashad (ph), a popular stop. These days, the nocturnal ebb and flow of customers going in both directions.

Tamir (ph) from southern Iraq having his last supper before heading to Baghdad. "It's my homeland," he says. "I want to defend it from the American aggression. He's not alone." Two buses full with passengers break their journey, taking advantage of the last pit stop before they reach the border.

Taxi driver Achmed taking his family, 3-year-old Rassan (ph), 8- year-old Imad (ph) and his Jordanian wife Keifa (ph) back to his extended family in Baghdad. "I want to be with my family," says Achmed. "We either live together or die together."

Traveling in the opposite direction, peace activists leaving Baghdad.

JERRY LEVIN, PEACE ACTIVIST: Well, the situation is, you know, very, very, very grim and very, very, very sad. Baghdad is, if you will, a city waiting for something terrible to happen.

ROBERTSON: After weeks protesting against the war, abu-Saifs offering a first meal in peace and a chance to reflect on what they left behind.

LISA MARTINS, PEACE ACTIVIST: I mean people are angry and sad that the war is happening. I hear a lot of fear for people's children, of course.

ROBERTSON: Taking stock following their trip out of Iraq, Algerian doctors consider the road ahead for the returning Iraqis. "W3 saw this war with our own eyes. It's not a clean war. On the contrary, kids six, seven years old, all wounded, limbs amputated."

Time to move on. For those headed in the direction of danger, their rest now over. Next stop, Baghdad.

Nic Robertson, CNN, on the Jordan-Iraq border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: When we come back, we'll bring you up to date on the latest from the battlefield.

We'll be right back.

COMMERCIAL

COSTELLO: 5:31 Eastern time.

I'm Carol Costello.

An update now on the latest developments at this hour. U.S. tanks and armored vehicles continue pushing ever closed to the outskirts of Baghdad. Farther to the east, a huge armored column of Marines is also closing in on the capital. An all out assault on Baghdad appears imminent and Pentagon officials warn some of the toughest fighting of the war may lie ahead.

Small arms fire brought down an Army Black Hawk helicopter in south central Iraq. There appears to be U.S. casualties, but the exact number is in dispute. A search now under way for the Navy pilot who is believed to have ejected from his FA-18 over Iraq. The fighter was based on the USS Kitty Hawk. It's not yet confirmed whether the jet was shot down, but Navy officials say there were surface to air missiles in the area.

And there is an agreement between the U.S. and Turkey after Colin Powell's trip to Ankara. Turkey will now allow over flights to get humanitarian aid into Iraq and the U.S. military can fly equipment into northern Iraq. Powell is no in Brussels for meetings with NATO and European Union leaders.

And coming up this hour, we'll check in with our military expert for some perspective on the push to Baghdad. Plus, we'll hear from our reporters on the front lines. Find out what coalition forces are facing as they head northward. And you'll get the latest from U.S. Central Command in Qatar. It's the nerve center for coalition forces on the ground and in the air.

Hello and welcome back.

I'm Carol Costello at CNN's global headquarters in Atlanta. Good morning to you, Bill

HEMMER: Hell, Carol.

I'm Bill Hemmer live again today in Kuwait City.

It is Thursday, the third day in the month of April.

We want to take you to a live picture right now, looking at downtown Baghdad mid-afternoon as Operation Iraqi Freedom now enters day 15. We should let you know as we look at this picture, a Reuters correspondent in Baghdad is now reporting the advanced unit of the 3rd Infantry Division now some six miles on the outskirts of Baghdad. Central Command will talk about this in a moment. We'll get you down there in Qatar to get further confirmation about U.S. troop movement there and also the status right now of what the U.S. believes is the condition of the Republican Guard units.

An early briefing now on some of the stories we're watching today here on CNN.

10:30 a.m. Eastern, President Bush speaks to U.S. Marines and their families, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He'll be there with the first lady. That's home to many of the Marines fighting now in Iraq. Mr. Bush will also meet with families who lost loved ones in combat.

Capitol Hill today, the Senate will debate a nearly $80 billion aid package for war costs and counter-terrorism. The money would also help out the U.S. airline industry. The House is debating a similar measure.

At 10:00 a.m. Eastern time, the U.N. Security Council meets to talk about the humanitarian aid situation in Iraq and other matters that are tied to the war.

First now a visual sense of where the coalition forces are right now in Iraq. Looking from left to right on some animation we can show you, U.S. troops now within 15 miles of the southern edge of Baghdad. That was a short time ago. Since then getting reports that they're even closer than that, maybe as close as six miles out.

The 101st Airborne Division took control of Najaf and isolated Iraqi forces there. The Army's 3rd Infantry Division defeated Iraqi troops at Karbala. That's 50 miles southwest of Baghdad. 1st Battalion 7th Marines secured the Numinaya Air Base (ph) 85 miles southeast of Baghdad. Marty Savidge is there with those Marines. But, again, Marty reports now they are moving north, as well.

U.S. and British troops seized a giant food distribution center in Basra, one that had been used by the U.N. Oil For Food program.

And, again, the 3rd Infantry Division, the 11th Attack Helicopter Brigade of the 3rd I.D. led the charge against the Medina division of the Republican Guard. Coalition forces established control over many of the key river crossings there.

There is a multitude of questions at this point as to how quickly and how close the U.S. coalition right now is coming toward the city of Baghdad and also more questions about two aircraft that had complications in Iraq late last night.

Tom Mintier, more on that now in Qatar Central Command -- Tom, good afternoon there.

TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill. You may have to soon get out the close-up insert map of Baghdad as the troops continue to move forward. Central Command within the last hour issuing a statement they see strong and credible evidence that Iraqi forces overwhelmed and may soon collapse. Also indications from special forces operations overnight that they infiltrated the command and control sites and they have secured the dams and bridges.

Joining me now is Captain Frank Thorp, U.S. Navy public affairs officer here at CENTCOM.

A pretty strong statement. Strong credible signs Iraqi forces are overwhelmed.

What's the situation at the front?

CAPT. FRANK THORP, U.S. CENTCOM SPOKESMAN: It's been a good day so far. The last 24 hours have demonstrated the continuing deterioration of the combat credibility of the Republican Guard divisions. Two of them we consider now to no longer have the ability to fight. We have reports of several reinforcements coming down on a minor scale. We continue to take those on.

U.S. forces are presently operating in the vicinity of Baghdad.

MINTIER: Operating in the vicinity of Baghdad. Is there a concern that, once again, they're pulling back out of their positions, but you're finding a lot of vehicles, a lot of KIAs on the battlefield. Is there a force that could fall back into the city and trap you in?

THORP: Well, Tom, one thing that we may want to focus on is tougher battles may lie ahead. Throughout this whole movement from Kuwait all the way up to Baghdad, we've known that the progression of fighting forces of the Iraqi forces are more difficult and more difficult as you move north. We expected the Republican Guard divisions to be tough. We worked right through them in the last 24 to 36 hours. What is going to happen in Baghdad, we're waiting to see.

MINTIER: Intelligence sources told me privately that you're seeing these reinforcements now moving in daylight hours from the north into Baghdad to reinforce these troops that are being pushed back.

Are you seeing them moving in the day time?

THORP: We are seeing them move. We get various reports of whether it's large movements or small movements. I say it's probably safe to say it's in a smaller number of movements as they come down to try to back field for the Republican Guard divisions.

MINTIER: Let's go to a couple of incidents that occurred overnight. You lost a Black Hawk helicopter. A discrepancy between the Pentagon numbers and Central Command. What are the latest figures as far as wounded and lost in this Black Hawk incident?

THORP: This demonstrates the challenge of first reports put together with more difficulty with the embedded journalists. We're getting various reports. It's tough to put a number on it right now. We're hearing in the vicinity of six killed in action, various other people involved. But let's let time work through that before we get through to some firm numbers.

MINTIER: How about the F-18 hornet from the Kitty Hawk?

THORP: We've lost an FA-18 from the Kitty Hawk. Various reports as to why. I would not jump to conclusions that that was actually a -- that it was shot down. We continue to have air dominance over Iraq. There's no Iraqi aviation flying. There seems to be a report a surface to air missile took that down. Tom, I have not yet heard that report through our sources.

MINTIER: What about the pictures we're seeing on Iraqi TV? They're showing wreckage. I'm sure you've seen the pictures. Your analysts have looked at the pictures. What are they showing on Iraqi TV that looks like an aircraft?

THORP: Well, we definitely have an FA-18 down in Iraq. We've confirmed that. What we're working through right now is what the cause is. But let me be very clear what you're seeing on Iraqi TV is not being seen in Iraq. That's a satellite transmission out of Iraq being used mostly for international information. The country of Iraq is not able to see television because they're not transmitting and, as a matter of fact, Iraq has now thrown out the major Arab television network, Al Jazeera, because they claim their reporting was one-sided against Iraq.

MINTIER: What about this talk about the degradation of command and control, that nobody's quite sure who's running the show or issuing the orders? Are you getting that sense?

THORP: We are getting the sense that the command and control capabilities continue to be significantly deteriorated. Just last night, special forces in the vicinity of Baghdad were able to go into several important sites, one, specifically, a palace in the vicinity of Baghdad where special forces were able to go, go in, take a look and come back out.

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Aired April 3, 2003 - 05:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Bill Hemmer live in Kuwait City.
Welcome.

Our coverage continues right now.

First, the headlines now, 5:00 a.m. on the East Coast.

U.S. ground attack right now advancing on Baghdad from two different fronts. In the west, U.S. Army units getting closer to the outskirts of Baghdad after crushing Iraq's Medina division the day before. In the east, a huge armored column of Marines, perhaps 14,000 strong, now moving northward up the Tigris Valley, also with little opposition. In the capital city itself, bombers and missiles continue to pave the way for those ground forces. One site struck overnight by 40 precision-guided bombs.

U.S. military officials confirm an FA-18 Hornet from the USS Kitty Hawk was lost over Iraq. The fate of the pilot not known. A search and rescue mission still under way.

Hostile fire did bring down a Black Hawk helicopter in south central Iraq. This according to the Pentagon. Still, a discrepancy about casualties, however. We'll let you know as soon as we get more from Central Command in about two hours from now.

Rescued POW Jessica Lynch at a U.S. military hospital now in Germany. She's being treated for gunshot wounds and broken bones in her legs, injuries she suffered during her capture by Iraqi forces in an ambush, we're told.

The Arab language news agency Al Jazeera says it's suspending the work of all of its correspondents in Iraq effective immediately. The self-imposed ban comes after Iraq ordered one of its reporters out of the country and suspended the accreditation of Al Jazeera's chief Baghdad correspondent. However, the news agency says it will continue to broadcast live video from some parts of Iraq, including downtown Baghdad.

Coming up this hour, we will check in with our military expert for some perspective on the push to Baghdad. Plus we'll hear from our reporters again near the front lines today, finding out what coalition forces are facing as they continue that drive north. And you'll get the latest from the U.S. Central Command in Qatar, as I mentioned, the nerve center for coalition forces. 7:00 a.m. Eastern time we'll get their briefing today, about two hours from now. All right, that sets the table for this hour. Two o'clock in Baghdad, one o'clock here in Kuwait, 5:00 a.m., again, on the East Coast of the United States.

I'm Bill Hemmer from Kuwait City -- Carol, good morning to you.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Bill.

I'm Carol Costello at CNN's global headquarters in Atlanta.

Today is Thursday, April 3rd, and you are looking at a live picture of downtown Baghdad as Operation Iraqi Freedom enters day 15.

And we just got word from Iraqi TV that Saddam Hussein supposedly will address people on Iraqi television. We don't know if that will happen for sure or not, but, of course, we're monitoring the situation.

Now it's time for an early briefing on some of the stories we'll be following today here on CNN.

At 10:30 a.m. Eastern, President Bush speaks to U.S. Marines and their families at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. It's home to many of the Marines fighting in Iraq. Mr. Bush will also meet with families who lost a loved one in combat.

On Capitol Hill, the Senate will debate a nearly $80 billion aid package for war costs and counter-terrorism. The cash would also help out the U.S. airline industry. The House is debating a similar bill.

And at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, also, the U.N. Security Council meets to discuss the humanitarian aid situation in Iraq and other matters tied to the war.

Now, let's give you a visual sense of where coalition forces are in Iraq right now. Looking from left to right on the animation you will soon see -- there it is -- U.S. troops were within 15 miles of the southern edge of Baghdad early today. The 101st Airborne Division took control of Najaf and isolated Iraqi forces in that area. Now, the Army's Third Infantry defeated Iraqi troops at Karbala, about 50 miles south of Baghdad. The 1st Battalion 7th Marines secured the Numinaya Air Base (ph) about 85 miles south of Baghdad and U.S. and British troops seized a giant food distribution center in Basra, one that had been used for the U.N. Oil For Food program.

Also, the Third Infantry and 11th Attack Helicopter Brigade led the charge against the Medina division of the Republican Guard. Coalition forces established control over many of the key river crossings.

Here are some of the latest scenes from the battle fronts in Iraq. The Baghdad sky lights up again. Central Command says coalition satellite guided bombs targeted a heavily protected storage facility. In northern Iraq, B-52 heavy bombers unloaded over Iraqi positions near the town of Domiz (ph). That's north of the city of Mosul, in Iraqi controlled government areas. In Iraq's holy city of Najaf, U.S. troops edged toward the center of the city, searching for Fedayeen paramilitary fighters loyal to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Officials say most have fled, but a few are still putting up a fight.

And coalition forces have started their final push toward Baghdad.

Our Miles O'Brien brings us up to date on the day's fast changing developments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 11:08 a.m., CNN's Barbara Starr reporting from the Pentagon. Sources tell here there will be no let up in the current U.S. push and that this is the first phase of the final push to Baghdad.

1:05 p.m. at the Pentagon, Major General Stanley McChrystal says the Medina and Baghdad divisions of the Republican Guard have been defeated and are no longer credible forces.

2:30 p.m., CNN's Karl Penhaul reports some U.S. forces are within 15 miles of Baghdad, part of a two-pronged advance on the Iraqi capital.

5:00 p.m., rescued POW, U.S. soldier Jessica Lynch arrives in Germany for treatment of gunshot wounds and broken bones at an American military hospital.

5:12 p.m., the Arab language news agency Al Jazeera reports it has suspended the work of all its correspondents in Iraq after Iraqi officials banned at least one of its employees from reporting.

6:06 p.m., CNN's Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon reporting coalition forces dropped 40 satellite guided bombs on a heavily secured storage facility in Baghdad.

8:55 p.m., Jamie McIntyre reports a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter is down in Iraq. Seven crew members are dead, four have been rescued. Cause of the crash is still being investigated.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: All right, Greg Milah (ph) now checking in. He's with the British military, embedded, I believe, in the Rumaylah oil fields, which is the large oil fields in the southern part of Iraq -- I don't know what you have, Greg.

What's happening this after there?

GREG MILAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the job continues of securing these oil fields and more and more the strategic importance of that job becomes apparent to the other soldiers here. I'm with a regiment called the Royal Irish Regiment, part of 16 Air Assault. Now, they took over from the U.S. Marines here, what, 10 days ago. Really, the area then was pretty benign.

But what they've seen, rather mirroring the picture all over Iraq, is that people are getting behind them, getting hold of some of the munitions that are left behind and invading this area once again, trying to take pot shots at the British troops that are all over this area.

So that importance of keeping this area secure has become more and more obvious to them and really allowing no one to take their eye off the ball in terms of the job that has to be done here.

Now, at the same time, the humanitarian work has begun, if you like. What they're trying to do is in one of the towns in this area trying to set up a kind of model village, a lesson, really, for the rest of Iraq about what exactly the coalition forces are trying to do. They've got the infrastructure, the water and the electricity back on. The school has reopened this week. They're trying to show the people there and show the people all over this country that this is a liberation and not an invasion and the best way they can do that is to show them they're doing good here.

HEMMER: Greg, thank you.

Greg Milah, embedded in the southern part of Iraq.

We want to get to the Pentagon right now. There are consistent questions about the strength of the remaining Republican Guard divisions and if they have any strength left. Are they moving back into Baghdad? Have they reassembled themselves on the battlefield or where do they stand at this point?

Central Command should have more in about two hours, but Chris Plante's been working the story at the Pentagon.

He's live with us now -- Chris, good morning to you there.

CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Bill.

How are you?

We're still trying to sort it out here, also. It appears that combat is ongoing south of Baghdad as U.S. forces from the 3rd Infantry Division to the south and the west close on the city and the Marines, the First Marine Expeditionary Force close from the south and the east.

These Iraqi Republican Guard divisions guarding the city all the way, wrapped all the way around the city, were expected to be putting up a much tougher fight than they have over the last several days. Now, U.S. and British air power has been picking away at them for about five days now and the U.S. ground forces have been engaging them directly for the last 24 or 36 hours.

We've gotten some numbers on the destruction of tanks. The numbers appear to be fairly small, all things considered, and U.S. intelligence has detected movement of Iraqi Republican Guard troops around the city. It's not clear exactly what they're doing, whether they're moving south to confront U.S. forces, whether they're taking up ambush positions or whether they're pulling back closer to the city to take a better defensive posture. All of this is unclear according to the last update that we've had anyway.

But the combat clearly is continuing. Forces are closing on the city. We have good, solid reports that U.S. and possibly British forces are within about 15 miles of the edge of the city and closing quickly. This is all happening, perhaps, a little bit more rapidly than many had expected, but with the Marines closing through Kut from the south and east and with the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division closing in from the south and the west, the city is just ahead of them there, actually within artillery range at this point. It's unclear where it'll go from here and where the Republican Guard is.

We're expecting that the Republican Guard at this point would show up for a serious fight and so far that's not happening -- Bill.

HEMMER: Chris, quickly, two aircraft to talk about, this Black Hawk that was shot down yesterday. Do we know the casualty count inside, because there have been conflicting reports? And, also, this F-18 Hornet, this pilot that ejected, any word on the search and rescue mission there for him?

PLANTE: Well, the Black Hawk is, it's been many, many hours now since that went down and the report was initially that it was shot down by small arms fire, perhaps AK-47s, handheld rifles or maybe rocket propelled grenades, which would indicate that the helicopter was quite close to the ground at the time of the attack.

Initially, the report was that seven had been killed and four had been rescued. Since that time, the Central Command has reeled that back in significantly. They're now saying that they believe that there were six American soldiers aboard the helicopter at the time and now they are not saying that they have any determination as to the fate of those six soldiers at all.

So we're standing by for further information, but clearly the helicopter went down. It was, in fact, shot down by small arms fire. Six soldiers aboard, according to the current information, and their fate is unknown.

The F-18 hornet flying from the deck of the Kitty Hawk, aircraft carrier operating in the Persian Gulf, also down in Iraq. That much we know. The rest is a bit sketchy. There were reports of surface to air missile fire around the area of the jet at the time of the incident and also some anti-aircraft artillery fire. So indications are that the plane was shot down, but that also not a hundred percent confirmed at this point.

There were indications also, probably based on radio traffic, that the pilot ejected safely from the aircraft. And there are also indications that search and rescue efforts are ongoing. No clear sign that the pilot has been rescued. No clear sign of any other fate, either. So that's another situation where we're standing by. Plane down. Fate of the pilot unknown -- Bill. HEMMER: Chris, thank you.

Chris Plante working the story in the Pentagon.

As Chris pointed out, much like yesterday, the movement on the ground appears to be quite rapid with movements toward Baghdad yet again today. And where this all clarifies itself is not clear just yet. Perhaps, Carol, we'll get more in about two hours time from Central Command. But, also, we know that the movement does continue.

Marty Savidge yesterday talked about bumper to bumper traffic going southeast of Baghdad. Word that Marine units now are set up, we do not know, but perhaps greater clarification a bit later today -- to you now at the CNN Center.

COSTELLO: Yes, and just to repeat for those viewers who didn't hear it, Saddam Hussein supposedly will appear on Iraqi television at some point during this morning. Don't know if he will or not, but if he does, of course, we will bring that to you live.

Secretary of State Colin Powell is trying to get European support for Washington's vision of a post-war Iraq. First on Powell's agenda was to get Turkey's support and after a stop in Ankara, the secretary of state went to Belgrade. He is now at NATO headquarters in Brussels, and that's where CNN's senior European correspondent Robin Oakley joins us live -- good morning, Robin.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: This is sort of a fence mending operation.

OAKLEY: It is in...

COSTELLO: Go ahead.

OAKLEY: It is, indeed, a fence mending operation for Colin Powell and he's really getting busy with it, too. I've never known a U.S. secretary of state on a visit to Europe fit in as many visits as he's doing. He's seeing 21 different meetings today with different U.N., U.S., different E.U. ambassadors and foreign ministers. He's currently having lunch with the whole of the NATO Council. He'll attend the NATO Council meeting this afternoon.

He started off by seeing those who had backed the U.S. war effort, the foreign ministers from Spain and Italy, the so-called Vilnius 10 Eastern European countries who'd signed up to a declaration backing the U.S. He saw their ambassadors. But he's also seeing Joschka Fischer, the German foreign minister, and Dominique de Villepin, the French foreign minister, two of the leaders of the anti- war movement, as it were, in Europe.

So it is a very whole-hearted effort of mending fences here and the focus will be very much on what happens in post-conflict Iraq. But, of course, there's still a potential tension there. The Germans today were saying that the United Nations must remain in the driver's seat and a number of the ambassadors and foreign ministers who will be seeing Colin Powell in the course of today will have been worried by what he said to the U.S. Congress about the coalition taking on the huge burden that it had in Iraq and wasn't going to be willing not to have a significant control in what happened in the future afterwards, after the conflict was over.

So I think there will be some suspicion as to whether he is actually speaking for the U.N. administration. They're very aware here of pressures from the Pentagon for strong military control in post-conflict Iraq, whereas most of these Europeans are insisting on a very strong role for the United Nations -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And, Robin, Tony Blair also wants a U.N. presence in post-war Iraq. Might that create some tension between Mr. Blair and President Bush in the future?

OAKLEY: Yes, it looks, Carol, as though this is one of the issues where Tony Blair can start to buy himself a bit of credit back in Europe, where he's been very much out on a limb, admittedly with some support from Jose Maria Aznar of Spain and Silvio Berlusconi of Italy. But in backing the U.S. to the degree he has, the only other European nation to send troops, Tony Blair has set himself apart from the other European Union leaders. But he does seem to be very strongly in with them on the issue of the U.N. playing a significant role in post-conflict Iraq.

I think the way that they're perhaps going to try and bridge this is that Javier Solana, the international relations chief for the European Union, was saying today that they see the U.N. perhaps as an umbrella for what goes on in post-conflict Iraq rather than the U.N. actually controlling and dominating and doing everything for itself. And that, perhaps, is where Tony Blair can help to round off the edges somewhat -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Robin Oakley live from Brussels.

And, of course, Colin Powell is expected to speak and when he does, we'll bring that to you live.

Now back to Bill in Kuwait.

HEMMER: Carol, if you were with us about 30 minutes ago, you know we're picking up these reports from Reuters correspondents in Baghdad that an advance armored unit of the 3rd I.D., the 3rd Infantry Division, is now about 10 kilometers south of Baghdad. That's about six miles south of the capital city. The exact location not determined just yet. But, again, the 3rd I.D., as you know, for the past week, two weeks at a time, has been moving up through south and central Iraq.

CNN's Walt Rodgers has been with the 7th Cavalry, which is essentially the scouting unit for the 3rd I.D., and Walt has been at what the military says is the tip of the spear throughout this operation.

Now getting reports again out of Baghdad, they are within about six miles of the capital city. More on that when we get it. We'll check in with our embedded reporters again today, and we have many here at CNN, who can follow the very latest, the movements on the ground and in the air in Iraq.

Back with a whole lot more in Kuwait and the CNN Center, right after this.

COMMERCIAL

HEMMER: Keeping a very close eye on what's happening south of Baghdad. Again, the report, 10 kilometers, about six miles south of the city there in the Iraqi capital. Also watching the movements of Al Jazeera, the Arab language network that has a far extended reach here in the Arab world. It is now suspending any operations for its correspondents or anchors based in Iraq. All this coming a short time ago.

Rym Brahimi is live in Jordan to bring you up to date on what we've learned because of it -- Rym, good afternoon there.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Bill.

Well, that announcement by Al Jazeera that it would stop the work of its correspondents in Baghdad came after the Iraqi information ministry banned one of Al Jazeera's reporters from doing his work and expelled another one of their reporters. So Al Jazeera has said it will now only broadcast live images from Baghdad, Mosul and Basra, but not allow its own correspondents to work until further notice.

And now that, of course, is a very significant development. And, Bill, a lot of the coverage that Al Jazeera has brought of the war has had some impact on the Arab public opinion. Here in Jordan, for instance, we have seen people watching those pictures. The level of sympathy for the Iraqi people is very high. There have been a lot of demonstrations demonstrating that sympathy, but also a petition a couple of days ago by 95 prominent Jordanians, including five former prime ministers to King Abdullah of Jordan, asking him to take a clear stand and declare the war illegal.

Well, the king of Jordan has responded in an interview with the Jordanian News Agency, saying that Jordan does reject the war, repeating a well known position of Jordan, that it rejects the war, saying that he has tried all efforts to solve this peacefully. Also saying again that Jordan will not be a launch pad for U.S. strikes against Iraq and signaling his concern for the Iraqi people.

You can actually see this in a newspaper here, Bill. The headline, "As a father, I feel the pain of every Iraqi family, of every child and every father."

Bill, back to you.

HEMMER: Rym, thanks.

Rym Brahimi again from Jordan watching that front for us.

Now, Carol, again in Atlanta. COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Bill.

We've been telling you about the fighting close to Baghdad and also in southern Iraq. But there is still fighting going on to the north, in northern Iraq.

That's where Ben Wedeman is right now -- and, Ben, you've just witnessed a large battle.

Tell us about it.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, what's going on is that behind me, this is the town of Hazar (ph), which is on the road to Mosul. Our position in Kalak we have abandoned after Iraqi forces yesterday afternoon pulled out of there.

What has happened is that this morning, or actually it's this afternoon now, U.S. fighter jets have been flying over, about four of them. We've been watching them hitting the Iraqi positions at the edge of this town of Hazar, which is right behind me. And right now it's fairly quiet. But what has been going on is that the town has -- the edge of the town is being bombed. That's where we assume the Iraqi forces is.

Now, this morning we were up early and with a group of peshmergas. Those are the Kurdish fighters who walked about half of the way here. They were accompanied by Americans troops, as well. Now, those American troops, to the best of our knowledge, have been providing guidance for those fighters that have been flying overhead. They have been advising them on what targets to hit in this area.

Now, this really is indicative of what's going on in the north is that the Kurdish fighters are really providing the ground troops for the effort against the Iraqi forces and they are being provided with this vital U.S. air support in taking out the Iraqi armor, the Iraqi artillery, because we know the Iraqi mortars and artillery have been also firing back in this direction this morning.

So the Iraqis, though, are really feeling the heat, really feeling the pressure, as the Americans and their Kurdish allies here in the north have been pressing ahead. It's not the kind of ground offensive that you've been watching in the south. It's more like the situation that existed in northern Afghanistan during the war against the Taliban where local ground forces are standard by American air power, which is being guided by small American units on the ground.

COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman reporting live from northern Iraq.

Thanks for that.

We're going to take a break right now.

When we come back, we'll take you to the Baghdad Cafe.

We'll be right back.

COMMERCIAL

COSTELLO: 5:24 Eastern time.

Welcome back.

The battle for Baghdad appears only days or perhaps even hours away. And despite that, some Iraqis are gathering along the Jordan- Iraq border for a journey back into Baghdad.

CNN's Nic Robertson has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Leaving Iraq and over the border in Jordan, journalists held prisoner by the Iraqis pause for comment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were in abu-Ghraib Prison for seven or eight days. There were no specific charges.

ROBERTSON: The location, outside abu-Saifs. The only 24 hour restaurant in the border town Roashad (ph), a popular stop. These days, the nocturnal ebb and flow of customers going in both directions.

Tamir (ph) from southern Iraq having his last supper before heading to Baghdad. "It's my homeland," he says. "I want to defend it from the American aggression. He's not alone." Two buses full with passengers break their journey, taking advantage of the last pit stop before they reach the border.

Taxi driver Achmed taking his family, 3-year-old Rassan (ph), 8- year-old Imad (ph) and his Jordanian wife Keifa (ph) back to his extended family in Baghdad. "I want to be with my family," says Achmed. "We either live together or die together."

Traveling in the opposite direction, peace activists leaving Baghdad.

JERRY LEVIN, PEACE ACTIVIST: Well, the situation is, you know, very, very, very grim and very, very, very sad. Baghdad is, if you will, a city waiting for something terrible to happen.

ROBERTSON: After weeks protesting against the war, abu-Saifs offering a first meal in peace and a chance to reflect on what they left behind.

LISA MARTINS, PEACE ACTIVIST: I mean people are angry and sad that the war is happening. I hear a lot of fear for people's children, of course.

ROBERTSON: Taking stock following their trip out of Iraq, Algerian doctors consider the road ahead for the returning Iraqis. "W3 saw this war with our own eyes. It's not a clean war. On the contrary, kids six, seven years old, all wounded, limbs amputated."

Time to move on. For those headed in the direction of danger, their rest now over. Next stop, Baghdad.

Nic Robertson, CNN, on the Jordan-Iraq border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: When we come back, we'll bring you up to date on the latest from the battlefield.

We'll be right back.

COMMERCIAL

COSTELLO: 5:31 Eastern time.

I'm Carol Costello.

An update now on the latest developments at this hour. U.S. tanks and armored vehicles continue pushing ever closed to the outskirts of Baghdad. Farther to the east, a huge armored column of Marines is also closing in on the capital. An all out assault on Baghdad appears imminent and Pentagon officials warn some of the toughest fighting of the war may lie ahead.

Small arms fire brought down an Army Black Hawk helicopter in south central Iraq. There appears to be U.S. casualties, but the exact number is in dispute. A search now under way for the Navy pilot who is believed to have ejected from his FA-18 over Iraq. The fighter was based on the USS Kitty Hawk. It's not yet confirmed whether the jet was shot down, but Navy officials say there were surface to air missiles in the area.

And there is an agreement between the U.S. and Turkey after Colin Powell's trip to Ankara. Turkey will now allow over flights to get humanitarian aid into Iraq and the U.S. military can fly equipment into northern Iraq. Powell is no in Brussels for meetings with NATO and European Union leaders.

And coming up this hour, we'll check in with our military expert for some perspective on the push to Baghdad. Plus, we'll hear from our reporters on the front lines. Find out what coalition forces are facing as they head northward. And you'll get the latest from U.S. Central Command in Qatar. It's the nerve center for coalition forces on the ground and in the air.

Hello and welcome back.

I'm Carol Costello at CNN's global headquarters in Atlanta. Good morning to you, Bill

HEMMER: Hell, Carol.

I'm Bill Hemmer live again today in Kuwait City.

It is Thursday, the third day in the month of April.

We want to take you to a live picture right now, looking at downtown Baghdad mid-afternoon as Operation Iraqi Freedom now enters day 15. We should let you know as we look at this picture, a Reuters correspondent in Baghdad is now reporting the advanced unit of the 3rd Infantry Division now some six miles on the outskirts of Baghdad. Central Command will talk about this in a moment. We'll get you down there in Qatar to get further confirmation about U.S. troop movement there and also the status right now of what the U.S. believes is the condition of the Republican Guard units.

An early briefing now on some of the stories we're watching today here on CNN.

10:30 a.m. Eastern, President Bush speaks to U.S. Marines and their families, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He'll be there with the first lady. That's home to many of the Marines fighting now in Iraq. Mr. Bush will also meet with families who lost loved ones in combat.

Capitol Hill today, the Senate will debate a nearly $80 billion aid package for war costs and counter-terrorism. The money would also help out the U.S. airline industry. The House is debating a similar measure.

At 10:00 a.m. Eastern time, the U.N. Security Council meets to talk about the humanitarian aid situation in Iraq and other matters that are tied to the war.

First now a visual sense of where the coalition forces are right now in Iraq. Looking from left to right on some animation we can show you, U.S. troops now within 15 miles of the southern edge of Baghdad. That was a short time ago. Since then getting reports that they're even closer than that, maybe as close as six miles out.

The 101st Airborne Division took control of Najaf and isolated Iraqi forces there. The Army's 3rd Infantry Division defeated Iraqi troops at Karbala. That's 50 miles southwest of Baghdad. 1st Battalion 7th Marines secured the Numinaya Air Base (ph) 85 miles southeast of Baghdad. Marty Savidge is there with those Marines. But, again, Marty reports now they are moving north, as well.

U.S. and British troops seized a giant food distribution center in Basra, one that had been used by the U.N. Oil For Food program.

And, again, the 3rd Infantry Division, the 11th Attack Helicopter Brigade of the 3rd I.D. led the charge against the Medina division of the Republican Guard. Coalition forces established control over many of the key river crossings there.

There is a multitude of questions at this point as to how quickly and how close the U.S. coalition right now is coming toward the city of Baghdad and also more questions about two aircraft that had complications in Iraq late last night.

Tom Mintier, more on that now in Qatar Central Command -- Tom, good afternoon there.

TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill. You may have to soon get out the close-up insert map of Baghdad as the troops continue to move forward. Central Command within the last hour issuing a statement they see strong and credible evidence that Iraqi forces overwhelmed and may soon collapse. Also indications from special forces operations overnight that they infiltrated the command and control sites and they have secured the dams and bridges.

Joining me now is Captain Frank Thorp, U.S. Navy public affairs officer here at CENTCOM.

A pretty strong statement. Strong credible signs Iraqi forces are overwhelmed.

What's the situation at the front?

CAPT. FRANK THORP, U.S. CENTCOM SPOKESMAN: It's been a good day so far. The last 24 hours have demonstrated the continuing deterioration of the combat credibility of the Republican Guard divisions. Two of them we consider now to no longer have the ability to fight. We have reports of several reinforcements coming down on a minor scale. We continue to take those on.

U.S. forces are presently operating in the vicinity of Baghdad.

MINTIER: Operating in the vicinity of Baghdad. Is there a concern that, once again, they're pulling back out of their positions, but you're finding a lot of vehicles, a lot of KIAs on the battlefield. Is there a force that could fall back into the city and trap you in?

THORP: Well, Tom, one thing that we may want to focus on is tougher battles may lie ahead. Throughout this whole movement from Kuwait all the way up to Baghdad, we've known that the progression of fighting forces of the Iraqi forces are more difficult and more difficult as you move north. We expected the Republican Guard divisions to be tough. We worked right through them in the last 24 to 36 hours. What is going to happen in Baghdad, we're waiting to see.

MINTIER: Intelligence sources told me privately that you're seeing these reinforcements now moving in daylight hours from the north into Baghdad to reinforce these troops that are being pushed back.

Are you seeing them moving in the day time?

THORP: We are seeing them move. We get various reports of whether it's large movements or small movements. I say it's probably safe to say it's in a smaller number of movements as they come down to try to back field for the Republican Guard divisions.

MINTIER: Let's go to a couple of incidents that occurred overnight. You lost a Black Hawk helicopter. A discrepancy between the Pentagon numbers and Central Command. What are the latest figures as far as wounded and lost in this Black Hawk incident?

THORP: This demonstrates the challenge of first reports put together with more difficulty with the embedded journalists. We're getting various reports. It's tough to put a number on it right now. We're hearing in the vicinity of six killed in action, various other people involved. But let's let time work through that before we get through to some firm numbers.

MINTIER: How about the F-18 hornet from the Kitty Hawk?

THORP: We've lost an FA-18 from the Kitty Hawk. Various reports as to why. I would not jump to conclusions that that was actually a -- that it was shot down. We continue to have air dominance over Iraq. There's no Iraqi aviation flying. There seems to be a report a surface to air missile took that down. Tom, I have not yet heard that report through our sources.

MINTIER: What about the pictures we're seeing on Iraqi TV? They're showing wreckage. I'm sure you've seen the pictures. Your analysts have looked at the pictures. What are they showing on Iraqi TV that looks like an aircraft?

THORP: Well, we definitely have an FA-18 down in Iraq. We've confirmed that. What we're working through right now is what the cause is. But let me be very clear what you're seeing on Iraqi TV is not being seen in Iraq. That's a satellite transmission out of Iraq being used mostly for international information. The country of Iraq is not able to see television because they're not transmitting and, as a matter of fact, Iraq has now thrown out the major Arab television network, Al Jazeera, because they claim their reporting was one-sided against Iraq.

MINTIER: What about this talk about the degradation of command and control, that nobody's quite sure who's running the show or issuing the orders? Are you getting that sense?

THORP: We are getting the sense that the command and control capabilities continue to be significantly deteriorated. Just last night, special forces in the vicinity of Baghdad were able to go into several important sites, one, specifically, a palace in the vicinity of Baghdad where special forces were able to go, go in, take a look and come back out.

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