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CNN Live Today
Report from a Forward Operating Base
Aired April 03, 2003 - 11:42 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: Let's check in with Harris Whitbeck. As I understand it, Harris is somewhere in southern Iraq. He's at a forward operating base there. Harris is joining us now by videophone.
Harris, hello.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Leon.
I am at a base that was secured by coalition forces several days ago, and the United States and Great Britain are making great efforts to consolidate their presence on this base, which will be used very shortly to house A-10 fighter jets that would support combat troops, and also patrol the ever-growing supply lines that stretch from down in Kuwait up north toward Baghdad. So a lot of activity on this base. People tell us here that this was probably one of the most important military facilities for Saddam Hussein, now under total control of coalition forces -- Leon.
HARRIS: All right,. Harris, now that this base is under control, can you give us any idea about whether or not anything has been discovered of any significance there at that base?
WHITBECK: Apparently, this was being used as a training facility for Iraqi troops, and commanders here say that they have found a lot of chemical warfare-related material, meaning gas masks and protective suits, and what they think is that this was used as a training center for chemical warfare.
Other than that, there were a lot of arms, a lot of weapons that the people in charge of exploding ordnance have been taking care of. There were some incidents earlier this week, when people were trying to break into the perimeter here, apparently trying to get at those historic weapons. But again, people here confident the perimeter is very well secured, and the perimeter is growing outward as the days go by. The coalition plans on using this, not only for the current combat situation, but for the flow of humanitarian aid they expect to come through here very shortly -- Leon.
HARRIS: All right, Harris Whitbeck, there at that forward operating base there somewhere in southern Iraq. Thank you. We'll be check with you later on.
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 3, 2003 - 11:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's check in with Harris Whitbeck. As I understand it, Harris is somewhere in southern Iraq. He's at a forward operating base there. Harris is joining us now by videophone.
Harris, hello.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Leon.
I am at a base that was secured by coalition forces several days ago, and the United States and Great Britain are making great efforts to consolidate their presence on this base, which will be used very shortly to house A-10 fighter jets that would support combat troops, and also patrol the ever-growing supply lines that stretch from down in Kuwait up north toward Baghdad. So a lot of activity on this base. People tell us here that this was probably one of the most important military facilities for Saddam Hussein, now under total control of coalition forces -- Leon.
HARRIS: All right,. Harris, now that this base is under control, can you give us any idea about whether or not anything has been discovered of any significance there at that base?
WHITBECK: Apparently, this was being used as a training facility for Iraqi troops, and commanders here say that they have found a lot of chemical warfare-related material, meaning gas masks and protective suits, and what they think is that this was used as a training center for chemical warfare.
Other than that, there were a lot of arms, a lot of weapons that the people in charge of exploding ordnance have been taking care of. There were some incidents earlier this week, when people were trying to break into the perimeter here, apparently trying to get at those historic weapons. But again, people here confident the perimeter is very well secured, and the perimeter is growing outward as the days go by. The coalition plans on using this, not only for the current combat situation, but for the flow of humanitarian aid they expect to come through here very shortly -- Leon.
HARRIS: All right, Harris Whitbeck, there at that forward operating base there somewhere in southern Iraq. Thank you. We'll be check with you later on.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
