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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Saddam Hussein International Airport Under Coalition Attack

Aired April 03, 2003 - 17:00   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.


WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Hello from Kuwait City. I'm Wolf Blitzer.
Will it be Saddam Hussein's last stand? Will Iraq use chemical weapons?

As we reported this hour, coalition forces have made rapid progress toward the capital of Iraq. Saddam Hussein International Airport is under attack right now. The airport sits 12 miles southwest of Baghdad. Reuters reporter Luke Baker (ph) reports troops have discovered a tunnel system that runs from the airport to the Tigris River. ABC News, which has an embedded reporter on the tarmac of Saddam International Airport right now, is reporting that coalition tanks encountered little resistance entering the airport. That reporter from ABC News reports Saddam International Airport is indeed already in coalition hands. CNN is working to independently confirm that report. Just earlier in the day Saddam Hussein International Airport appeared to be rather calm. Cameras inside showed empty terminals and almost barren tarmac.

Also happening right now, parts of Baghdad without power. Question, who turned the lights out? The Pentagon says it didn't target the power grid. You'll want to stay with CNN this hour throughout the night for what's sure to be a changing situation in and around Baghdad.

With us to track all the progress of the troops and the late breaking developments, CNN's Nic Robertson who spent time in Baghdad, CNN's Miles O'Brien at the CNN Newsroom in Atlanta and retired Brigadier General Mitchell Zais who served in Kuwait in 1998. But first, let's go to Heidi Collins in the CNN Newsroom.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: Thanks very much Heidi.

For the first time since the war began the lights have gone out in most of Baghdad. As we look at live pictures of the city, we can report this situation is quite fluent and as we mentioned, coalition forces attacked and according to ABC News now control Saddam International Airport. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, is tracking all of these developments from a Ruwayshed (ph) in Jordan. That's right next to the Iraqi border.

Nic, tell us what you're hearing.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, according to Iraqi officials in Baghdad tonight, the electricity did not get switched off in Baghdad because of coalition bombing. Coalition reports say the same thing. It appears that Iraqi authorities have decided unilaterally to shut down the power in Baghdad. At one stage electricity went off in the east of the city. Shortly after in the west of the city. All the streetlights are off. All the offices - all the government offices, the lights are off and in all the private residences lights appear to be off. Sources are also telling us in the Baghdad this evening that all the checkpoints in and out of the capital are now closed. This also is something new.

We are also being told by sources in Baghdad that Iraqi government officials are driving around in vehicles in the neighborhood close to Saddam International Airport where coalition forces are now believed to be. Those Iraqi officials are telling the residents of that neighborhood to leave their homes and go towards the airport. We understand that some people in that neighborhood have been doing that this evening. Despite the fact that earlier in the day Iraqi officials did show the journalists the airport, Saddam International Airport, and at that time it did appear to be in Iraqi government control. The situation however in Baghdad tonight is changing substantially - Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic, why would they want people, civilians, to simply go to the airport? Is it to simply get a human wave out there to try to stop the coalition tanks and armor from continuing to move onto Baghdad?

ROBERTSON: Wolf, we don't know from our sources why Iraqi officials have chosen this particular move but it certainly has all the indications that this would create a human wave - a human wave of civilians moving towards the airport where Iraqi officials assume or believe that coalition forces may now be. This would therefore put a wave of civilians between Iraqi forces and coalition forces potentially put those civilians in danger. Although, as we talk to our sources in Baghdad, they say they are not being given a reason by Iraqi authorities but it would certainly give the appearance of this that Iraqi authorities are trying to create a human wave, buffering their forces from the coalition forces at the airport - Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson with all the latest developments to a truly, truly fast developing story but I've got some further explanation now of why Saddam International Airport is a key target. Let's turn to CNN's Miles O'Brien in the CNN Newsroom - Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Wolf, the military folks will tell you that airports are always at the top of the list whenever the objective is to seize control of a city. Some of this is common sense and some of it is perhaps you might not think about it but preemptively a military person would like his or her adversary not to have access to an airfield. Obviously there are offensive and defensive reasons there for controlling an airfield.

Let's take a look at Saddam International Airport, give you a close up view using some of our satellite imagery from our friends at Earthview.com. A rather significant international airport, has two major runways, one about 10,000 feet, one about 15,000 feet but I want to call your attention to this edge of the airport here. As I zoom down a little bit closer, it's not your average civilian airport. What you're seeing here in the lower part of the screen are one, two, three, four hardened bunkers which could be used to protect fighter aircraft for example. Now we know in the course of this two week old war that the Iraqi air force has not fielded a single fighter into the air but nevertheless, these bunkers and there's another four of them over here at this end of the airport, could very well house aircraft.

Now the key here from the perspective of the coalition is you don't want those air assets to be used. Let's take you from the bunkers across the field to the main terminal, a rather conventional looking main terminal. Now these images were shot well before any bombing campaign. I just want to show you a quick shot showing some recent imagery, which comes from Space Imaging Eurasia (ph). It shows pictures that were taken within the past couple of days and gives you a sense of some of the damaged areas. As I bring it in it's kind of brownish. If you look over here to the left and over here to the right, you'll see a couple of spots where there is damage to these presidential grounds. I'm just going to zoom you in on one and then we'll send it back to Wolf and give you a sense of the kind of precision bombing that has occurred. Nevertheless, those runways are perfectly in tact. The U.S. likes to keep those runways usable so that aircraft from the coalition can use it and as I show the before of this presidential site here and look at the after. See those multiple holes right there indicating a precision strike there. Nevertheless, the airport is perfectly functional - Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Miles O'Brien in the CNN Newsroom, thanks very much and I immediately want to go to CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre. He's over at the Pentagon. He's got some new developments - Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have confirmed, Wolf, from Pentagon sources that U.S. forces are now at Saddam International Airport. Pentagon officials say they reached the airport primarily by ground. They are now at the airport. An official stopped short of saying the U.S. had full total control of the airport but they do have forces there. Clearly that's a key objective. Once the airport is secured it can be used as a base of operations and Pentagon officials also confirm that the runways of the airport were not targeted in recent air strikes so that the U.S. will be able to use them quickly as soon as they secure the entire facility.

The U.S. forces are at that airport just southwest of Baghdad - Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. We're going to get back to that airport in a second but Jamie, we saw another videotape today on Iraqi television of Saddam Hussein with his advisors, similar tape that we've seen over the past two weeks. No indication when that was made. What are you hearing from your sources about these videotapes?

MCINTYRE: Well excuse me. Well, Wolf, CNN has learned that a U.S. intelligence analysis of all the videotapes of Saddam Hussein that have appeared on Iraqi television since the beginning of the war on March 19th, the conclusion has been made that all of those tapes were recorded before the start of the war. That is to say, none of these images according to U.S. intelligence analysis, are of Saddam Hussein after the beginning of the war. Again, it raises the question of where is Saddam Hussein? Is he alive? Is he dead? What condition is he in? -- Wolf

BLITZER: Are they giving you any evidence why they believe now all these videotapes we've seen over the past two weeks of Saddam Hussein are old videotapes? Are they similar? Are they identical to what's been shown before? Is that it?

MCINTYRE: Well, there are a lot of clues in the tapes and one thing they would caution us is that this is not 100 percent, you know, science where they can prove conclusively but they've analyzed the tape including the background, the room, the time that it was made, the speech patterns. They've looked at all these things and after a careful analysis they have come to the conclusion, the educated guess, that none of these tapes are of Saddam Hussein after the war started on the 19th, of course, his residence was targeted by cruise missiles and bunker busting bombs.

BLITZER: CNN's Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon, breaking news here for us on this program. Thanks Jamie very much.

Let's get a little bit more analysis now. Joining us to talk about the fighting around Baghdad is the retired Army Brigadier General Mitchell Zais, a former West Point professor and White House aide. He's the president of Newbury (ph) College. Joins us from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

General, thanks so much for joining us. So what do you make your overall bottom line assessment now as far as the battle for Baghdad is concerned?

BRIG. GEN. MITCHELL ZAIS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): What you won't see is what I've heard a lot of people talking about is house to house fighting neighborhood by neighborhood. The U.S. and coalition casualties would be horrendous. The collateral damage would be awful and we would be losing the support of the very people we are hoping to gain the support of. What you will see are selective strikes against military and political targets that are based on actual intelligence.

BLITZER: Well, I assume Saddam International Airport is one of those.

ZAIS: Absolutely and Saddam International Airport is critical because it facilitates bringing in re-supplies and critical supplies, parts and evacuation of any casualties that we may incur.

BLITZER: So is that suggesting to you, General, that they may just be patiently going after selected targets in and around the Iraqi capital waiting in effect for the Iraqi regime to collapse?

ZAIS: I don't think they're just going to have a siege. They will continue to go after targets as they're identified but there'll be a concurrent effort to convince the Iraqi people that further resistance is futile. Of course, the way you do that is to show that the Saddam Hussein and his inner circle have been killed or rendered ineffective. As you know, we can take over their television stations, broadcast on their radio frequencies. They listen to BBC and other western networks so there's both a battle for control of the political and military targets, at the same we're trying to destroy the will of the people to resist.

BLITZER: What about what Nic Robertson reported that the Iraqis are going out with bullhorns telling people to leave their homes near the airport, get out in the streets, walk toward the airport in effect potentially creating some sort of human wave or human shield between the airport and the rest of Baghdad. What do you make of that supposed Iraqi strategy?

ZAIS: Well, I think it's a desperate attempt. When you don't have anything else to do is you try and create casualties, civilian casualties, to bring the weight of public opinion against the coalition forces. As I understand it, there aren't many civilians taking them up on that offer.

BLITZER: General Zais, thanks very much for your expertise.

We're following a lot of late breaking right, General Zais. Thank you very much.

Jamie McIntyre reporting on this program just within the past few minutes that the U.S. intelligence community now convinced that all of those videotapes that we have seen, all of those videotapes of Saddam Hussein, the ones that he speaks in, the ones you just see pictures of him and his advisors, were made before, before the war started.

Let's go back to Nic Robertson. He's joining us once again.

Nic, what do you make of the U.S. intelligence community's bottom line conclusion that none of these videotapes since the first night of the war are really fresh of Saddam Hussein? They're all old videotapes.

ROBERTSON: One thing is for sure, Wolf, this is going to put pressure on the Iraqi leader to prove some way conclusively by issuing a new videotape that is absolutely time sensitive and everyone can see that and that's the only way that he'll be able to prove according to U.S. officials now, prove to the Iraqi people, prove to the rest of the world that he is still alive and well and that he is still in control. Quite possibly this may assist the coalition in locating the Iraqi leader. Certainly it is going to put pressure on him to do that as far as Iraqi officials are concerned, this type of pressure is what they've been characterizing in the past as a psychological war. That is, pressure put on them to make some movement to say something, to give some visible demonstration that they are in fact in control and that things are not as the coalition says. Of course, these pictures have been very difficult to analyze.

Now U.S. analysts say that they believe everything recorded before the 19th of - before the 19th of March. It certainly seems in these tapes that we've seen a degradation in quality of some of the tapes. Some of them may have been shot in a hastily convened situation on a lower than broadcast quality recording device, maybe a DV (ph) camera, something like this. Some of the tapes have been shot and they appear to have been shot in a bunker type setting. We've seen the numbers of people present in these meetings decrease. Some of the officials you would expect to be close at hand not to be there. What I found interesting particularly about today's tape, quite a large number of people in the meeting were President Saddam Hussein, Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, a number of ministers all in military or Ba'ath party uniforms, political party uniforms but a large number, a sudden change from the previous days. An indication suddenly that the Iraqi leader would have all these military and leadership officials around him when one might expect them to be dispersed around the country.

So Wolf, it's been very hard for us on the outside to judge these pictures but it's certainly going to put psychological pressure on the Iraqi leader to come out and prove he is alive and well - Wolf.

BLITZER: At the same time, as you know Nic, top U.S. commanders including General Tommy Franks suggesting they've seen no evidence whatsoever that Saddam Hussein or either of sons, Uday or Qusay, have been in touch communications wise with any of the top leadership in Iraq in the way they used to be in touch because presumably the U.S. is monitoring those kinds of communications. If they are not in leadership positions, who in effect is running the military, giving the orders to the Republican Guard and the other leadership positions?

ROBERTSON: Tough question, Wolf. Uday Saddam Hussein in charge of the Fedayeen supposedly and was. Qusay Saddam Hussein, the younger son of the president, in charge of the Republican Guard, indeed in charge of the whole of the center of Iraq in the current military, is Abreheem (ph) Deputy Vice Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council in charge of the north, Ali Hassan al Majid, cousin of the Iraqi leader, also known as "Chemical Ali" for his involvement in using chemical weapons against the Kurds in 1998, supposedly in charge of the south of Iraq. Where are these people? Where are these people? That's the question the coalition is asking and therefore who is running the country at this time.

The images that have been created and the image that's been created in the minds of the Iraqi people has been shaped by the minister of information, by the vice president, by a military spokesman coming out everyday reaffirming the Iraqi leader is in control but the question being raised is who actually is in control. That just isn't clear but Wolf, I believe the way the Iraqi officials would look at this, this is psychological pressure on them and it's also a message fundamentally to the Iraqi people that maybe your leader isn't there and of course, the fact that President Saddam Hussein is around and that's been the belief of all those Iraqi villagers that coalition forces have swept through in the south of Iraq, that is the understanding why those villagers haven't come out in such big popular support of the coalition forces because they've been fearful that the Iraqi leader is still around.

So perhaps by helping foster the notion that the Iraqi leader is no where, is not in charge, is not around, the coalition maybe believes this will get Iraqi people more quickly and more readily to step over to their side, if you will - Wolf.

BLITZER: And as we're - as we're talking, Nic, the Reuters News Agency which still has reporters in Baghdad reporting 20 loud explosions heard outside of the Iraqi capital only within the past few minutes. Twenty loud explosions suggesting the U.S. air strikes continue with no let up now in the third week of this war.

As far as you know, as far as you can remember from the first Gulf War, they turn off the lights. They turn off the power grid in Baghdad. How unusual is it assuming the Iraqi government did in fact make a conscientious decision to do precisely that tonight? That's why it's dark with no lights on in Baghdad.

ROBERTSON: It takes away from them the ability to communicate directly with the people on television. We've seen how important that has been up to now, a strategic and fundamental part of their way of dominating the situation of telling the Iraqi people in their control. It takes away that. It puts the Iraqi people in Baghdad now at a much - they will have and I understand this from people who are in Baghdad right now. People have a much greater sense of unease. The war has entered another phase. There is a level now of the people don't know what's going to happen. So by switching the lights off the Iraqi government will know that they will make the population feel much more uneasy. It's a move one would judge that they wouldn't necessarily want to take unless they strategically and military felt it was their best option at the time because they would know the psychological pressure that that would have on the people in the city at this time - Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Nic, stand by for a minute. I want to just let our viewers know what's going on.

Reuters reporting now from Baghdad, 20 or so loud explosions heard south, southwest of the Iraqi capital. One Reuters eyewitness on the scene. They were very loud, very big. It was probably warplanes and the explosions seem to be coming from the general area of the airport. Reuters reporting that right now at Saddam International Airport.

Nic, stand by. I want to bring in Joe Wilson, the former U.S. charge d'affaires, the last senior U.S. diplomat to have served in Baghdad, the last senior U.S. official to have met personally with Saddam Hussein just before the last war.

Joe, tell us your sense. What's going on right now in a city you know and you lived in all too well?

JOSEPH WILSON, FORMER U.S. ENVOY TO IRAQ: Well, I think the fact that the lights are out and the fact that there probably is I think general bewilderment at whether or not this is the real Saddam or a current photo of Saddam that people are seeing is probably leaving the population pretty uneasy and my guess is you'll see a fair amount of hunkering down those that are not - are not forced out of their homes by these loudspeakers to go out towards the airport. I understand there's not very many that are doing that. BLITZER: Do people have the guts to resist when these Iraqi military personnel or internal police, whoever, go around and tell people leave their homes. Walk to the airport. You must do it now and as you - as you give the answer; we'll put a picture up. This - pictures of Baghdad. We're hearing yet more explosions southwest of the Iraqi capital presumably in the area of that international airport.

WILSON: Well you know, they don't - the guy who wrote the book Makey (ph) calling it republic of fear was right now and so if the population cannot avoid the military and Ba'ath party activists coming to - coming to get them, they probably will march. On the other hand, this strikes me that with the lights out and with the - with obviously the regime losing their grip on Baghdad, as many people who can avoid having to face the Ba'ath party and the military probably will do so. So I think my sense is ...

BLITZER: Why ...

WILSON: Probably losing their grip a bit.

BLITZER: Well let me ask you this, Ambassador Wilson. Why would the Iraqi government make that decision to turn off the lights in Baghdad? What does it - what purpose does it serve for them because you could make the case it demoralizes that people convinces them that the days of Saddam Hussein might be numbered?

WILSON: I think that's right unless they were turned off by somebody else, the coalition forces or else there was some thought that perhaps by turning out the lights they might be able to move about a little bit more secretively than with the lights on. Otherwise I think you're exactly right. When the lights go out on the capital city and you hear explosions out at the airport, you have to begin thinking that the end is near.

BLITZER: All right. Ambassador Wilson, I want you to stand by for a moment. Our Bob Franken is one of our embedded correspondents. He's in an airbase not far from the Iraqi border right now.

Bob, I know this has been a very, very busy airbase. We're hearing loud explosions south, southwest of Baghdad just now. Many of our viewers just heard those explosions some of them presumably near Saddam International Airport. Tell us what's happening where you are.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this particular air base - first of all, some numbers, Wolf, if I may. Once again, about 1900 sorties were flown. Of those, about 850 were actual combat operations and of that a full 700 plus were aimed at the Republican Guard. Now this particular airport is the home for many of the A-10. Those are the planes that do so much damage to troops on the ground. They are the ones that have become almost a part of the ground operation. They have flown about 85 percent of their missions against the Republican Guard and of course we've seen the results of that.

According to various reports from coalition officials, Republican Guard troops, those who are the elite, have been pretty much wiped out. Several of the units have been made incapable just about. What the emphasis seems to be now is to continue the attacks on the Republican Guard to protect against any possibility of a counter attack and as far as morale here is concerned, there's a strong feeling that the air power has now become an integral part of this operation. There's a real enthusiasm, a real feeling that they're having an effect that is going to really, really make a difference in the outcome of this war - Wolf.

BLITZER: Are those pilots mostly going after close air support for advancing U.S. troops in order to take out Iraqi artillery, armored personnel carriers, tanks or are they going after those command and control positions that have become such a familiar target over these past couple of weeks?

FRANKEN: Well actually, the overwhelming number of the attacks by the U.S. airplanes are against the ground units. You described them, the artillery, the tanks, et cetera, et cetera. A smaller percentage, a much smaller percentage but a very lethal one is going after the command and control centers, the heavy bombing that we've also witnessed and stuff that we see on television but the large bulk of the missions that are flown are against ground supports to support the ground - the ground attacks of the U.S. coalition.

BLITZER: Bob Franken, one of our embedded correspondents at an airbase not far from the Iraqi border. I want to bring back Ambassador Joe Wilson.

You heard the breaking news on this program a little while ago from our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, that the U.S. intelligence community has now concluded, Ambassador Wilson, that all of those videotapes of Saddam Hussein we've seen over the past two years - two weeks, excuse me, are really old tapes, nothing new, suggesting of course that either he's dead, he's wounded or can't make any sort of even videotape appearance. What do you make of that intelligence community conclusion?

WILSON: Well, I wouldn't be surprised. There have been a lot of speculation about Saddam maybe having made a bunch of tapes before the - before the outbreak of the war. The fact that they're old tapes doesn't necessarily mean that Saddam is dead or incapacitated and certainly I think the war planners are operating under the assumption that he still maintains some charge. This is such a personalized rule that it's difficult to see how the rest of the command structure would have remained in tact had Saddam really been incapacitated. I think you probably would have seen more of the senior Iraqi officials fleeing and getting out of harm's way than seems to be the case and a more rapid disintegration of the power apparatus at the center.

So I think the military planners are probably still operating under the assumption that Saddam is still at least the - symbolically the head of the operation even though the operation's clearly disintegrating around him.

BLITZER: As we speak, Ambassador Wilson, we're looking at these live pictures of more explosions on Abu Dhabi television showing these explosions in the distance. These live pictures, our viewers can take a look at that and see what's going on.

This is the city you lived in for a few years. You know the Iraqi leader. You've met him. You understand his mind about his wealth as any former American official probably does. Do you think at this late stage, he might yet give the authority to his Republican Guard and special Republican Guard forces to use chemical or biological weapons as a last stand against advancing U.S. troops?

WILSON: That's obviously the $64,000 question. It strikes me the way that they have fought this war that they have been more passive aggressive than anything else. They haven't blown their dams. They may - they tried to do their oil wells but were unsuccessful either because they waited too long or because the Americans got there too soon or because they didn't have a good plan in place. So it strikes me that Saddam either may not have weapons of mass destruction readily available to use or may decide not to use them knowing that that would very definitely be the end and for all, he is a - the great survivalist and I wouldn't be surprised if he's not plotting his comeback as hard as that may be to believe.

BLITZER: Well, it is pretty hard to believe given what's happening. Seemingly on the ground right now, four more explosions according to Reuters just heard in central Baghdad. Abu Dhabi television showing these pictures of explosions in the outskirts of the Iraqi capital.

There is the Special Republican Guard that's been inside Baghdad, as you well know, Ambassador Wilson, as opposed to the regular Republican Guard Divisions, two of them now effectively destroyed, according to the Pentagon, the others very significantly weakened.

How good are these Special Republican Guard troops inside the Iraqi capital?

WILSON: Well, the battle inside the Iraqi capital, should they decide to engage, will be far different from these troops who were arrayed outside the -- 50 miles outside the capital. If they decide to engage in that manner, it will be street-to-street fighting.

The Special Republican Guard are the ones who really do have nothing to lose. Their fate is -- they share Saddam's fate -- presumably, in their own minds, they feel that way -- and will fight to the bitter end. So, should they decide to engage rather than just melt away, there will be that street-to-street fighting -- or that's the sort of fighting they will want to engage in.

On the other hand, we just may roll through there, and then you get into the occupation phase, which I've always said is going to be the more complicated piece of this business.

BLITZER: That's a discussion for another occasion.

Ambassador Joe Wilson, thanks very much for joining us.

Three huge, huge developments unfolding only within the past few minutes. Saddam International Airport, the major international airport, right outside of Baghdad, 10 or 12 miles, indeed, outside of Baghdad, now U.S. forces in control, apparently, at that airport.

At the same time, huge explosions rocking both central Baghdad as well as the outskirts of the Iraqi capital. Right now, we don't know the specific targets, although we assume some of those targets around Saddam International Airport.

And, as our senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre has just reported within the past few minutes, the U.S. intelligence community has now concluded all those videotapes of Saddam Hussein and his advisers, the ones we've seen over the past two weeks since this war broke out, old tapes, nothing new, further generating questions about the status, the capability of Saddam Hussein, whether he's alive or -- and well.

We're going to continue to monitor all -- all -- of these developments. We're going to take a quick break. More of our special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS immediately when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You're looking at live pictures of Baghdad right now, a city in which U.S. troops advancing very closely to the Iraqi capital.

Within the past few minutes, huge explosions in the central part of Baghdad, as well as in the southern outskirts of the Iraqi capital. We heard those explosions live here on this program only within the past few minutes.

We've also learned that Saddam International Airport -- U.S. troops now have arrived at that airport. We're getting word from our Jamie McIntyre, our senior Pentagon correspondent, on that. He's also got some other developments.

Jamie, are you there right now? Can you join us?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I am, Wolf.

To just start out with the airport, we have confirmed that U.S. troops have arrived at Saddam International Airport. We're told by Pentagon officials that they arrived primarily by ground, reaching this airport, which is just southwest of the city.

This, of course, is a key military objective. Control of the airport gives the U.S. a large base of operations, a place where they can stage helicopters and aircraft, and will be able to give them much more freedom of movement around the city.

The Pentagon does not say that the U.S. forces totally control the airport at this point, just that they are there, although we expect, if they're not in control, they will be very shortly -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Well, Jamie, when you say -- and I was listening precisely to your words -- that they arrived primarily by ground, that raises, of course, the question in my mind were there airborne U.S. forces that landed at that airport as well.

MCINTYRE: Well, I'm not sure is the answer. I'm hedging it because of that -- because, as I've told, the quote I got from the -- an official they arrived primarily by ground. That does leave open the possibility of other ways, either by helicopter or by -- you know, as you said, even airdropping in.

But, at this point, it looks like it was primarily a ground operation. That's not to say that nobody has flown into the airport at this point. There could have been some helicopter activity as well. One would expect, if U.S. ground troops were moving on the ground, they would have helicopter support in the air as well, those Apache helicopters.

So it's entirely possible that some troops simply landed in their attack helicopters. That would be an insignificant number, though, compared to the total force on the ground.

BLITZER: Jamie, you heard Nic Robertson, our reporter who's got excellent sources in Baghdad, say Iraqis -- authorities are going around to people near the airport, telling them to leave their homes in the middle of the night and start walking towards the airport, as if they might be a human shield, some sort of human wave standing in between the airport where the U.S. troops are now as well -- and the Iraqi capital itself.

We're getting reports that there aren't huge numbers of people walking out and obeying these orders, but, presumably, that would complicate the U.S. mission, if, in fact, it is to go beyond the airport, control the airport, secure it, but then have other forces move into Baghdad itself.

MCINTYRE: Well, really it's impossible to say what the motive of that tactic is. Presumably, it's some effort to complicate the U.S. mission, but the way the U.S. would operate at this airport is to secure a perimeter, bring more forces in, establish positions that they could protect the airport, have helicopters flying above to watch for anything on the ground, and then begin to flow more forces in so that they had a base of operations. I'm not sure that a large number of civilians outside that area would present a huge military problem, but, presumably, that's what that would be aimed at.

It's really impossible to say what the Iraqi officials are doing at that point. The Pentagon firmly believes that they're losing grip on power, becoming more and more desperate, and that it's only a matter of time before the regime is toppled.

BLITZER: One final question, Jamie, before I let you go. As we look at these pictures of Baghdad, a city once again coming under a pounding tonight, Reuters saying 14 separate explosions were heard only within the past few minutes.

The lights are off for the first time since the war started. The U.S. says Central Command did not target the power grid of Baghdad. What are you hearing? Why -- what's the assessment at the Pentagon? Why the Iraqi government presumably decided to turn off the lights? MCINTYRE: Well, first of all, the Pentagon has not ruled out the possibility that, in fact, it was U.S. bombs that knocked the lights out. What they are saying is, if they did that, it wasn't intentional.

They've been dropping so much ordnance on Baghdad that it's not out of the question that somehow this is an effect of that bombing, but it was not an intentional effect.

And they also -- it's entirely possible that, for whatever reason, the regime has turned the lights out. Either they think it provides some additional measure of protection or -- or for whatever reason. It's just not known at this point.

And, Wolf, can I say one thing about the Saddam Hussein tapes that we've been reporting on? I just want to add a note of caution.

The CIA has said that they haven't reached any formal conclusion about whether those tapes were pre- or post-March 19, but, nevertheless, the senior defense official does tell CNN that they generally believe that none of them were made before -- none of them were made after the bombing, and -- while cautioning at the same time that this kind of analysis of videotape could never be a hundred percent.

It's at best the best guess of what they think is on those tapes -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Very precise reporting by our Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre.

Jamie, thanks very much.

Our National Security Correspondent David Ensor is joining us now. He's been looking into those videotapes, has done a great deal of reporting about it over the past couple weeks.

What are you hearing yourself, David?

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, as Jamie just reported, Central Intelligence Agency officials are saying that they have reached no such conclusion, that they have not concluded that -- definitively that the tapes were all recorded before March 19.

However, an official did say that we think it is quite likely that that is the case, and they are saying they have not seen any evidence they regard as at all convincing that Saddam Hussein is alive since March 19.

It may be, Wolf, that there's an element of the effort by the Pentagon here to see the glass half full where the other side sees it as half empty. The Pentagon, of course, would like to smoke Saddam out in a way, to try to put pressure on the Iraqi regime to show Saddam -- to show Saddam, if he's alive -- which they are not at all sure that he is -- Wolf. BLITZER: But you know as well as I do, David -- you've covered the intelligence community, the national security agency which tries to intercept communications -- that, if Saddam Hussein were dead, presumably, presumably, there would be some indication of that from somewhere. You can't keep something like that secret for very long.

ENSOR: Well, that has been the working assumption of the U.S. intelligence community since March 19.

I do have to say, though, that, in recent days, I'm hearing more and more officials saying, look, it's gone on this long without any indication of any of kind that Saddam Hussein is alive, and it really is a legitimate question, which, as I mentioned, the Pentagon very much would like to ask in a public way, in some way debate the Iraqi leadership a little bit on that question -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. David Ensor with the latest...

ENSOR: But you know that...

Go ahead, David.

BLITZER: I was just going to say, but the intelligence community -- it's very important from their point of view that they present what they believe is an accurate summation of the intelligence, and they are saying, look, you cannot say definitively.

We have not reached the conclusion yet that those tapes were all made before March 19. It does look that way, but we have not so concluded -- Wolf.

BLITZER: We know that the CIA Director George Tenet, who's spent a career dealing with national security and intelligence matters, is an extremely, extremely precise U.S. official and doesn't want to go out and make a bottom-line assessment unless he can back it up a hundred percent.

What you're suggesting, David, right now is the analysts at the CIA -- all of the analysts -- they can't reach a definitive conclusion one way or another. Is that right?

ENSOR: That's exactly right, and there's -- they have access to a lot of intelligence besides just these videotapes, and they say, based on that intelligence that there are conflicting reports, equally valid, that he may be alive, that he may be dead, and that he may be wounded, and they just do not know at this point which is the true story -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right.

David Ensor, our national security correspondent, with the latest on that important issue. We'll continue to watch and wait for any signs -- any signs whatsoever -- that the Iraqi leader is alive, is in charge, or maybe not. We'll continue to follow that story.

You've heard it often, many times, but it's worth repeating right now. The most dangerous fighting for coalition forces may be just ahead.

Here's a look at the battle lines right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Within sight of Baghdad, moving closer to greater danger, U.S.-led forces begin to mass around the Iraqi capital.

CNN's Walter Rodgers, traveling with the U.S. Army's 3-7th Cavalry, says the soldiers took steady fire as they moved within 10 miles of Baghdad. U.S. commanders say repositioned Republican Guard units may try to bait allied forces into the capital.

Fifty-six miles from Baghdad, the U.S. says Special Forces have raided Saddam Hussein's Tharthar Palace. No Iraqis found inside.

Outside Kut, a strategically important city on the Tigris River, CNN's Martin Savidge reports the 7th Marine secured a suspected Republican Guard base and an Iraqi air base.

In Najaf, CNN's Ryan Chilcote, traveling with the 101st Airborne, witnesses the unit trying to secure an important mosque at the request of an ayatollah, but, when troops move forward, local citizens, fearing they will damage the mosque, move on them. A standoff. The Americans drop to their knees, draw their guns back, not good enough. The American commander orders his troops to back away.

In the North, coalition air strikes pound Iraqi forces near Mosul and Kirkuk. The Iraqis fall back to perimeter positions, clearing the way for Kurdish troops to advance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And there are new signs right now that not every Iraqi in the outskirts of Baghdad is under the influence of Saddam Hussein. I spoke earlier with Dexter Filkins of "The New York Times." He's one of those embedded reporters who's at the tip of the spear, if you will, of the U.S. push toward Baghdad, approximately 20 miles south of the Iraqi capital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEXTER FILKINS, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": It was an amazing scene, just an incredibly warm reception from the Iraqis. Iraqis streaming out of Baghdad and cities that we were approaching had begun cheering as we went by.

And I think what struck me was just -- you know, I've been through a lot of Iraqi cities, and there's been a lot of doubt, and, at the same time, the emotions have been pretty muted because of that doubt that the U.S. was really going to take down Saddam.

And I think the closer the U.S gets to Baghdad, the more evident it is that that's going to happen. So we've just -- today, I think, what I saw was a big emotional outpouring. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: That report from Dexter Filkins of "The New York Times." He's near Baghdad, one of those embedded correspondents.

And, once again, within the past few minutes, more bombs, more explosions occurring in and around Baghdad. We're watching -- we're watching the Iraqi capital, a city of some five-million people, no electricity. The lights are off in Baghdad for the first time since the start of this war two weeks ago.

Much more coverage coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to our special coverage.

You're looking at live pictures of Baghdad. No lights. The electricity, the power is off for the first time since the start of this war some two weeks ago.

We don't know exactly why. The Pentagon only says that the Central Command did not target the power grid of the Iraqi capital. That leaves open the possibility that perhaps a bomb errantly hit one of the power grids, but there was no deliberate effort to turn off the lights on the part of the U.S. military.

We don't know what the Iraqi motivation may have been, if they decided to turn off the lights for the first time.

Let's bring in Ambassador Joe Wilson, the last U.S. diplomat in Baghdad to have met with Saddam Hussein just before the last Gulf War.

What do you make of all of these late-breaking developments, Ambassador Wilson, specifically the move -- the dramatic move towards the Iraqi capital right now?

WILSON: Well, I think the push over the last couple of days has, in fact, been very dramatic, and controlling the airport is a big step forward. As -- as somebody said earlier, it allows the military to set up a forward operating base literally on the outskirts of the capital city.

I was struck actually by the report of "The New York Times" journalist. That's encouraging that we're being, in fact, welcomed by the Iraqi population. The further north we go, the warmer the welcome. I think that bodes well for the beginning of the occupation phase of this.

I can imagine that the five-million Baghdadis must be awfully tired of the pounding they've taken every night for the past two weeks. I remember, at the end of Gulf War, the 39 days of B-52 bombing had just decimated the morale of the soldiers left on the front. Probably the same for the Baghdadi residents.

BLITZER: You know, when I smoke to Dexter Filkins, that embedded reporter from "The New York Times," just a little while ago, Ambassador Wilson, he's -- he's been going with those troops all of the way from the South up through central Iraq, now in -- towards Baghdad, only about 20 miles himself from Baghdad.

And he says, as they've been getting closer to Baghdad, the reception that the U.S. troops, the Marines in particular, have been receiving from Iraqis has been warmer. They've been coming out and welcoming and cheering and very enthusiastically receiving U.S. troops, the Marines, as opposed to further in the South where they were much more hesitant, they were nervous, they were scared, they were pretty reluctant to show any support for the U.S. military.

What does that say to you?

WILSON: Well, I don't know if it says that the end is near and everybody's realized it and, therefore, the time to celebrate has come or whether the closer to the capital city, the more certain they are when they see the military that we're there to finish the job.

Certainly, in the South, I think it adds a little bit of validity to the suggestions earlier that the Arabs, the Shia in the southern cities were reluctant to celebrate until they thought we were actually going to finish the job.

In any event, one of the things that we do want, it seems to me, is we want a positive liberation bounce out of this as we settle into the hard task of restoring democracy or representative government to this country.

BLITZER: And, as many have said, including yourself, the military aspect may turn out to be the easier part as opposed to the political fallout that will come in the weeks, months, and maybe even years to come.

Ambassador Wilson, you were very generous with your time. Thanks so much for helping us understand this breaking news this past hour.

WILSON: It's been very interesting times.

BLITZER: Let's talk about what's happening on the ground a little bit more. Now to the forces making up the U.S. spearhead massing outside Baghdad. The U.S. Army's 7th Cavalry is among them.

Our Senior International Correspondent Walter Rodgers is embedded with those soldiers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The 3rd Squadron 7th Cavalry remains on the distant outskirts of Baghdad, and, again, what we're seeing is small groups of Iraqi resistance fighters, 10 to 20 forming up in foxholes or taking shelter behind buildings, sticking their heads up occasionally, firing in the direction of the convoy.

Almost as soon as they do, certainly as soon as the soldiers aboard the tanks and you can see the tank's elevated position up there -- as soon as you can see -- as soon as they see where the fire's covering -- coming from, they provide covering fire and overwhelmingly wipe out anything that's in the field.

We have seen, as I said, upwards of 20 dead Iraqi soldiers in the field. We believe most of those have been taken out by the 3rd Infantry Division as it passed through, albeit in a different direction, earlier in the day. Troubling news, of course, that each of those Iraqi soldier had a gas mask on at the time, and that, of course, portends perhaps greater difficulty as these U.S. Army units get closer to Baghdad.

Again, as we pass through some agricultural villages in the Mesopotamian Delta, we did find some of the Iraqis were more than a little enthusiastic to see the 7th Cavalry and the other U.S. Army soldiers coming through. The men would very guardedly flash us a thumbs up or give us a V-for-victory sign.

But, that being the case, it was very guarded until we got further and further away. The further away we got from the Euphrates River and closer to Baghdad, ironically, the more enthusiasm we've encountered among some of the Iraqi farm families, particularly the children and some of the women.

I remember one woman who was waving very enthusiastically at the 7th Cavalry moving through and she was 400 yards back from the road.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Walter Rodgers, our embedded correspondent, hearing exactly the same thing that Dexter Filkins of "The New York Times" saw. Walter with the U.S. Army. Dexter Filkins with the U.S. MARINES. Both at the so-called tip of the spears, moving towards Baghdad where yet again more explosions only within the past few seconds hitting Iraqi capital.

No letup at all, no letup whatsoever, in U.S. air strikes in and around Baghdad right now.

And, as this is going on, our Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta found himself in an extraordinary situation earlier today. He's one of our embedded journalists, as most of you by now know. He's embedded with the so-called Devil Docs with the Marines and the Navy.

Today, this war caught up with him in a very personal way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We are here in the operating room of Bravo Surgical Company.

Just to my left, an operation is going on for a gunshot wound to the leg, and just behind me, another operation going on for multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen. It's been like this all day. Helicopters coming in, bringing patients, both coalition and Iraqi. Both of these patients over here Iraqi. Getting their operations now. Just earlier today, another incident brought patients here to this particular surgical company as well. A car, a taxi cab, traveling through a Marine checkpoint with four passengers. In the driver's seat was a taxicab driver. In the passenger's seat in the front was an adult male. In the back seat, a mother and child.

This car, according to the Marines and the medics who brought the patient in, passed through the checkpoint without stopping. This drew the fire of the Marines at the checkpoint, killing both passengers in the front seat, the taxicab driver and the adult male, and critically wounding mother and child.

Mother and child were both brought here. The child had a significant head injury and was brought to the operating room. I actually assisted in that particular operation. The mother was also operated on for significant abdominal injury. She is in critical condition.

It's been an interesting experience for me, certainly being a journalist and also a doctor, a neurosurgeon. When I spent time with the Devil Docs earlier, one of the things that they had told me was they didn't have any neurosurgical capability, and they said, if a patient were to come in that needed such an operation, would I be willing to help. They asked me that question.

Today, that actually happened. They -- just a few hours ago, they came up to me and said a 2-year-old child has a gunshot wound or a shrapnel wound of great significance to the head, would I be willing to come take a look at the patient and take the patient to the operating room. Medically and morally, I thought that was the right thing to do.

The operation was a brain operation basically to decompress the pressure on that child's brain. This child was in what we call in the medical lingo extremist, meaning, at the time that I saw the patient, a few minutes really only to live.

The outcome of the operation was -- the child did die after the operation, despite our efforts, but this was something that we attempted to try and save the life of this child through the operation. I was asked to help out. Medically and morally, I thought it was the right thing to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He's a neurosurgeon. The military asked him to help out. They didn't have a neurosurgeon there. He decided that was the right thing to do.

As we say, I tip my hat to Sanjay, as I'm sure all of our viewers do as well. Long before he was a journalist, he was a doctor, and that's his responsibility.

More explosions only within the past few seconds. They're coming down fast and furious in and around the Iraqi capital. We're watching. We're going to take a quick break. Right now, they're still coming in. We're going to take a quick break. More news as soon as we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Explosions continue to rock Baghdad right now. They've been non-stop almost for the past hour. We're watching. We'll have complete coverage throughout the night. I'll be back in one hour for two hours of special coverage with Paula Zahn.

Lou Dobbs standing by to pick up the coverage for the next hour.

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





Attack>


Aired April 3, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Hello from Kuwait City. I'm Wolf Blitzer.
Will it be Saddam Hussein's last stand? Will Iraq use chemical weapons?

As we reported this hour, coalition forces have made rapid progress toward the capital of Iraq. Saddam Hussein International Airport is under attack right now. The airport sits 12 miles southwest of Baghdad. Reuters reporter Luke Baker (ph) reports troops have discovered a tunnel system that runs from the airport to the Tigris River. ABC News, which has an embedded reporter on the tarmac of Saddam International Airport right now, is reporting that coalition tanks encountered little resistance entering the airport. That reporter from ABC News reports Saddam International Airport is indeed already in coalition hands. CNN is working to independently confirm that report. Just earlier in the day Saddam Hussein International Airport appeared to be rather calm. Cameras inside showed empty terminals and almost barren tarmac.

Also happening right now, parts of Baghdad without power. Question, who turned the lights out? The Pentagon says it didn't target the power grid. You'll want to stay with CNN this hour throughout the night for what's sure to be a changing situation in and around Baghdad.

With us to track all the progress of the troops and the late breaking developments, CNN's Nic Robertson who spent time in Baghdad, CNN's Miles O'Brien at the CNN Newsroom in Atlanta and retired Brigadier General Mitchell Zais who served in Kuwait in 1998. But first, let's go to Heidi Collins in the CNN Newsroom.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: Thanks very much Heidi.

For the first time since the war began the lights have gone out in most of Baghdad. As we look at live pictures of the city, we can report this situation is quite fluent and as we mentioned, coalition forces attacked and according to ABC News now control Saddam International Airport. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, is tracking all of these developments from a Ruwayshed (ph) in Jordan. That's right next to the Iraqi border.

Nic, tell us what you're hearing.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, according to Iraqi officials in Baghdad tonight, the electricity did not get switched off in Baghdad because of coalition bombing. Coalition reports say the same thing. It appears that Iraqi authorities have decided unilaterally to shut down the power in Baghdad. At one stage electricity went off in the east of the city. Shortly after in the west of the city. All the streetlights are off. All the offices - all the government offices, the lights are off and in all the private residences lights appear to be off. Sources are also telling us in the Baghdad this evening that all the checkpoints in and out of the capital are now closed. This also is something new.

We are also being told by sources in Baghdad that Iraqi government officials are driving around in vehicles in the neighborhood close to Saddam International Airport where coalition forces are now believed to be. Those Iraqi officials are telling the residents of that neighborhood to leave their homes and go towards the airport. We understand that some people in that neighborhood have been doing that this evening. Despite the fact that earlier in the day Iraqi officials did show the journalists the airport, Saddam International Airport, and at that time it did appear to be in Iraqi government control. The situation however in Baghdad tonight is changing substantially - Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic, why would they want people, civilians, to simply go to the airport? Is it to simply get a human wave out there to try to stop the coalition tanks and armor from continuing to move onto Baghdad?

ROBERTSON: Wolf, we don't know from our sources why Iraqi officials have chosen this particular move but it certainly has all the indications that this would create a human wave - a human wave of civilians moving towards the airport where Iraqi officials assume or believe that coalition forces may now be. This would therefore put a wave of civilians between Iraqi forces and coalition forces potentially put those civilians in danger. Although, as we talk to our sources in Baghdad, they say they are not being given a reason by Iraqi authorities but it would certainly give the appearance of this that Iraqi authorities are trying to create a human wave, buffering their forces from the coalition forces at the airport - Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson with all the latest developments to a truly, truly fast developing story but I've got some further explanation now of why Saddam International Airport is a key target. Let's turn to CNN's Miles O'Brien in the CNN Newsroom - Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Wolf, the military folks will tell you that airports are always at the top of the list whenever the objective is to seize control of a city. Some of this is common sense and some of it is perhaps you might not think about it but preemptively a military person would like his or her adversary not to have access to an airfield. Obviously there are offensive and defensive reasons there for controlling an airfield.

Let's take a look at Saddam International Airport, give you a close up view using some of our satellite imagery from our friends at Earthview.com. A rather significant international airport, has two major runways, one about 10,000 feet, one about 15,000 feet but I want to call your attention to this edge of the airport here. As I zoom down a little bit closer, it's not your average civilian airport. What you're seeing here in the lower part of the screen are one, two, three, four hardened bunkers which could be used to protect fighter aircraft for example. Now we know in the course of this two week old war that the Iraqi air force has not fielded a single fighter into the air but nevertheless, these bunkers and there's another four of them over here at this end of the airport, could very well house aircraft.

Now the key here from the perspective of the coalition is you don't want those air assets to be used. Let's take you from the bunkers across the field to the main terminal, a rather conventional looking main terminal. Now these images were shot well before any bombing campaign. I just want to show you a quick shot showing some recent imagery, which comes from Space Imaging Eurasia (ph). It shows pictures that were taken within the past couple of days and gives you a sense of some of the damaged areas. As I bring it in it's kind of brownish. If you look over here to the left and over here to the right, you'll see a couple of spots where there is damage to these presidential grounds. I'm just going to zoom you in on one and then we'll send it back to Wolf and give you a sense of the kind of precision bombing that has occurred. Nevertheless, those runways are perfectly in tact. The U.S. likes to keep those runways usable so that aircraft from the coalition can use it and as I show the before of this presidential site here and look at the after. See those multiple holes right there indicating a precision strike there. Nevertheless, the airport is perfectly functional - Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Miles O'Brien in the CNN Newsroom, thanks very much and I immediately want to go to CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre. He's over at the Pentagon. He's got some new developments - Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, we have confirmed, Wolf, from Pentagon sources that U.S. forces are now at Saddam International Airport. Pentagon officials say they reached the airport primarily by ground. They are now at the airport. An official stopped short of saying the U.S. had full total control of the airport but they do have forces there. Clearly that's a key objective. Once the airport is secured it can be used as a base of operations and Pentagon officials also confirm that the runways of the airport were not targeted in recent air strikes so that the U.S. will be able to use them quickly as soon as they secure the entire facility.

The U.S. forces are at that airport just southwest of Baghdad - Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. We're going to get back to that airport in a second but Jamie, we saw another videotape today on Iraqi television of Saddam Hussein with his advisors, similar tape that we've seen over the past two weeks. No indication when that was made. What are you hearing from your sources about these videotapes?

MCINTYRE: Well excuse me. Well, Wolf, CNN has learned that a U.S. intelligence analysis of all the videotapes of Saddam Hussein that have appeared on Iraqi television since the beginning of the war on March 19th, the conclusion has been made that all of those tapes were recorded before the start of the war. That is to say, none of these images according to U.S. intelligence analysis, are of Saddam Hussein after the beginning of the war. Again, it raises the question of where is Saddam Hussein? Is he alive? Is he dead? What condition is he in? -- Wolf

BLITZER: Are they giving you any evidence why they believe now all these videotapes we've seen over the past two weeks of Saddam Hussein are old videotapes? Are they similar? Are they identical to what's been shown before? Is that it?

MCINTYRE: Well, there are a lot of clues in the tapes and one thing they would caution us is that this is not 100 percent, you know, science where they can prove conclusively but they've analyzed the tape including the background, the room, the time that it was made, the speech patterns. They've looked at all these things and after a careful analysis they have come to the conclusion, the educated guess, that none of these tapes are of Saddam Hussein after the war started on the 19th, of course, his residence was targeted by cruise missiles and bunker busting bombs.

BLITZER: CNN's Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon, breaking news here for us on this program. Thanks Jamie very much.

Let's get a little bit more analysis now. Joining us to talk about the fighting around Baghdad is the retired Army Brigadier General Mitchell Zais, a former West Point professor and White House aide. He's the president of Newbury (ph) College. Joins us from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

General, thanks so much for joining us. So what do you make your overall bottom line assessment now as far as the battle for Baghdad is concerned?

BRIG. GEN. MITCHELL ZAIS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): What you won't see is what I've heard a lot of people talking about is house to house fighting neighborhood by neighborhood. The U.S. and coalition casualties would be horrendous. The collateral damage would be awful and we would be losing the support of the very people we are hoping to gain the support of. What you will see are selective strikes against military and political targets that are based on actual intelligence.

BLITZER: Well, I assume Saddam International Airport is one of those.

ZAIS: Absolutely and Saddam International Airport is critical because it facilitates bringing in re-supplies and critical supplies, parts and evacuation of any casualties that we may incur.

BLITZER: So is that suggesting to you, General, that they may just be patiently going after selected targets in and around the Iraqi capital waiting in effect for the Iraqi regime to collapse?

ZAIS: I don't think they're just going to have a siege. They will continue to go after targets as they're identified but there'll be a concurrent effort to convince the Iraqi people that further resistance is futile. Of course, the way you do that is to show that the Saddam Hussein and his inner circle have been killed or rendered ineffective. As you know, we can take over their television stations, broadcast on their radio frequencies. They listen to BBC and other western networks so there's both a battle for control of the political and military targets, at the same we're trying to destroy the will of the people to resist.

BLITZER: What about what Nic Robertson reported that the Iraqis are going out with bullhorns telling people to leave their homes near the airport, get out in the streets, walk toward the airport in effect potentially creating some sort of human wave or human shield between the airport and the rest of Baghdad. What do you make of that supposed Iraqi strategy?

ZAIS: Well, I think it's a desperate attempt. When you don't have anything else to do is you try and create casualties, civilian casualties, to bring the weight of public opinion against the coalition forces. As I understand it, there aren't many civilians taking them up on that offer.

BLITZER: General Zais, thanks very much for your expertise.

We're following a lot of late breaking right, General Zais. Thank you very much.

Jamie McIntyre reporting on this program just within the past few minutes that the U.S. intelligence community now convinced that all of those videotapes that we have seen, all of those videotapes of Saddam Hussein, the ones that he speaks in, the ones you just see pictures of him and his advisors, were made before, before the war started.

Let's go back to Nic Robertson. He's joining us once again.

Nic, what do you make of the U.S. intelligence community's bottom line conclusion that none of these videotapes since the first night of the war are really fresh of Saddam Hussein? They're all old videotapes.

ROBERTSON: One thing is for sure, Wolf, this is going to put pressure on the Iraqi leader to prove some way conclusively by issuing a new videotape that is absolutely time sensitive and everyone can see that and that's the only way that he'll be able to prove according to U.S. officials now, prove to the Iraqi people, prove to the rest of the world that he is still alive and well and that he is still in control. Quite possibly this may assist the coalition in locating the Iraqi leader. Certainly it is going to put pressure on him to do that as far as Iraqi officials are concerned, this type of pressure is what they've been characterizing in the past as a psychological war. That is, pressure put on them to make some movement to say something, to give some visible demonstration that they are in fact in control and that things are not as the coalition says. Of course, these pictures have been very difficult to analyze.

Now U.S. analysts say that they believe everything recorded before the 19th of - before the 19th of March. It certainly seems in these tapes that we've seen a degradation in quality of some of the tapes. Some of them may have been shot in a hastily convened situation on a lower than broadcast quality recording device, maybe a DV (ph) camera, something like this. Some of the tapes have been shot and they appear to have been shot in a bunker type setting. We've seen the numbers of people present in these meetings decrease. Some of the officials you would expect to be close at hand not to be there. What I found interesting particularly about today's tape, quite a large number of people in the meeting were President Saddam Hussein, Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, a number of ministers all in military or Ba'ath party uniforms, political party uniforms but a large number, a sudden change from the previous days. An indication suddenly that the Iraqi leader would have all these military and leadership officials around him when one might expect them to be dispersed around the country.

So Wolf, it's been very hard for us on the outside to judge these pictures but it's certainly going to put psychological pressure on the Iraqi leader to come out and prove he is alive and well - Wolf.

BLITZER: At the same time, as you know Nic, top U.S. commanders including General Tommy Franks suggesting they've seen no evidence whatsoever that Saddam Hussein or either of sons, Uday or Qusay, have been in touch communications wise with any of the top leadership in Iraq in the way they used to be in touch because presumably the U.S. is monitoring those kinds of communications. If they are not in leadership positions, who in effect is running the military, giving the orders to the Republican Guard and the other leadership positions?

ROBERTSON: Tough question, Wolf. Uday Saddam Hussein in charge of the Fedayeen supposedly and was. Qusay Saddam Hussein, the younger son of the president, in charge of the Republican Guard, indeed in charge of the whole of the center of Iraq in the current military, is Abreheem (ph) Deputy Vice Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council in charge of the north, Ali Hassan al Majid, cousin of the Iraqi leader, also known as "Chemical Ali" for his involvement in using chemical weapons against the Kurds in 1998, supposedly in charge of the south of Iraq. Where are these people? Where are these people? That's the question the coalition is asking and therefore who is running the country at this time.

The images that have been created and the image that's been created in the minds of the Iraqi people has been shaped by the minister of information, by the vice president, by a military spokesman coming out everyday reaffirming the Iraqi leader is in control but the question being raised is who actually is in control. That just isn't clear but Wolf, I believe the way the Iraqi officials would look at this, this is psychological pressure on them and it's also a message fundamentally to the Iraqi people that maybe your leader isn't there and of course, the fact that President Saddam Hussein is around and that's been the belief of all those Iraqi villagers that coalition forces have swept through in the south of Iraq, that is the understanding why those villagers haven't come out in such big popular support of the coalition forces because they've been fearful that the Iraqi leader is still around.

So perhaps by helping foster the notion that the Iraqi leader is no where, is not in charge, is not around, the coalition maybe believes this will get Iraqi people more quickly and more readily to step over to their side, if you will - Wolf.

BLITZER: And as we're - as we're talking, Nic, the Reuters News Agency which still has reporters in Baghdad reporting 20 loud explosions heard outside of the Iraqi capital only within the past few minutes. Twenty loud explosions suggesting the U.S. air strikes continue with no let up now in the third week of this war.

As far as you know, as far as you can remember from the first Gulf War, they turn off the lights. They turn off the power grid in Baghdad. How unusual is it assuming the Iraqi government did in fact make a conscientious decision to do precisely that tonight? That's why it's dark with no lights on in Baghdad.

ROBERTSON: It takes away from them the ability to communicate directly with the people on television. We've seen how important that has been up to now, a strategic and fundamental part of their way of dominating the situation of telling the Iraqi people in their control. It takes away that. It puts the Iraqi people in Baghdad now at a much - they will have and I understand this from people who are in Baghdad right now. People have a much greater sense of unease. The war has entered another phase. There is a level now of the people don't know what's going to happen. So by switching the lights off the Iraqi government will know that they will make the population feel much more uneasy. It's a move one would judge that they wouldn't necessarily want to take unless they strategically and military felt it was their best option at the time because they would know the psychological pressure that that would have on the people in the city at this time - Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Nic, stand by for a minute. I want to just let our viewers know what's going on.

Reuters reporting now from Baghdad, 20 or so loud explosions heard south, southwest of the Iraqi capital. One Reuters eyewitness on the scene. They were very loud, very big. It was probably warplanes and the explosions seem to be coming from the general area of the airport. Reuters reporting that right now at Saddam International Airport.

Nic, stand by. I want to bring in Joe Wilson, the former U.S. charge d'affaires, the last senior U.S. diplomat to have served in Baghdad, the last senior U.S. official to have met personally with Saddam Hussein just before the last war.

Joe, tell us your sense. What's going on right now in a city you know and you lived in all too well?

JOSEPH WILSON, FORMER U.S. ENVOY TO IRAQ: Well, I think the fact that the lights are out and the fact that there probably is I think general bewilderment at whether or not this is the real Saddam or a current photo of Saddam that people are seeing is probably leaving the population pretty uneasy and my guess is you'll see a fair amount of hunkering down those that are not - are not forced out of their homes by these loudspeakers to go out towards the airport. I understand there's not very many that are doing that. BLITZER: Do people have the guts to resist when these Iraqi military personnel or internal police, whoever, go around and tell people leave their homes. Walk to the airport. You must do it now and as you - as you give the answer; we'll put a picture up. This - pictures of Baghdad. We're hearing yet more explosions southwest of the Iraqi capital presumably in the area of that international airport.

WILSON: Well you know, they don't - the guy who wrote the book Makey (ph) calling it republic of fear was right now and so if the population cannot avoid the military and Ba'ath party activists coming to - coming to get them, they probably will march. On the other hand, this strikes me that with the lights out and with the - with obviously the regime losing their grip on Baghdad, as many people who can avoid having to face the Ba'ath party and the military probably will do so. So I think my sense is ...

BLITZER: Why ...

WILSON: Probably losing their grip a bit.

BLITZER: Well let me ask you this, Ambassador Wilson. Why would the Iraqi government make that decision to turn off the lights in Baghdad? What does it - what purpose does it serve for them because you could make the case it demoralizes that people convinces them that the days of Saddam Hussein might be numbered?

WILSON: I think that's right unless they were turned off by somebody else, the coalition forces or else there was some thought that perhaps by turning out the lights they might be able to move about a little bit more secretively than with the lights on. Otherwise I think you're exactly right. When the lights go out on the capital city and you hear explosions out at the airport, you have to begin thinking that the end is near.

BLITZER: All right. Ambassador Wilson, I want you to stand by for a moment. Our Bob Franken is one of our embedded correspondents. He's in an airbase not far from the Iraqi border right now.

Bob, I know this has been a very, very busy airbase. We're hearing loud explosions south, southwest of Baghdad just now. Many of our viewers just heard those explosions some of them presumably near Saddam International Airport. Tell us what's happening where you are.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this particular air base - first of all, some numbers, Wolf, if I may. Once again, about 1900 sorties were flown. Of those, about 850 were actual combat operations and of that a full 700 plus were aimed at the Republican Guard. Now this particular airport is the home for many of the A-10. Those are the planes that do so much damage to troops on the ground. They are the ones that have become almost a part of the ground operation. They have flown about 85 percent of their missions against the Republican Guard and of course we've seen the results of that.

According to various reports from coalition officials, Republican Guard troops, those who are the elite, have been pretty much wiped out. Several of the units have been made incapable just about. What the emphasis seems to be now is to continue the attacks on the Republican Guard to protect against any possibility of a counter attack and as far as morale here is concerned, there's a strong feeling that the air power has now become an integral part of this operation. There's a real enthusiasm, a real feeling that they're having an effect that is going to really, really make a difference in the outcome of this war - Wolf.

BLITZER: Are those pilots mostly going after close air support for advancing U.S. troops in order to take out Iraqi artillery, armored personnel carriers, tanks or are they going after those command and control positions that have become such a familiar target over these past couple of weeks?

FRANKEN: Well actually, the overwhelming number of the attacks by the U.S. airplanes are against the ground units. You described them, the artillery, the tanks, et cetera, et cetera. A smaller percentage, a much smaller percentage but a very lethal one is going after the command and control centers, the heavy bombing that we've also witnessed and stuff that we see on television but the large bulk of the missions that are flown are against ground supports to support the ground - the ground attacks of the U.S. coalition.

BLITZER: Bob Franken, one of our embedded correspondents at an airbase not far from the Iraqi border. I want to bring back Ambassador Joe Wilson.

You heard the breaking news on this program a little while ago from our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, that the U.S. intelligence community has now concluded, Ambassador Wilson, that all of those videotapes of Saddam Hussein we've seen over the past two years - two weeks, excuse me, are really old tapes, nothing new, suggesting of course that either he's dead, he's wounded or can't make any sort of even videotape appearance. What do you make of that intelligence community conclusion?

WILSON: Well, I wouldn't be surprised. There have been a lot of speculation about Saddam maybe having made a bunch of tapes before the - before the outbreak of the war. The fact that they're old tapes doesn't necessarily mean that Saddam is dead or incapacitated and certainly I think the war planners are operating under the assumption that he still maintains some charge. This is such a personalized rule that it's difficult to see how the rest of the command structure would have remained in tact had Saddam really been incapacitated. I think you probably would have seen more of the senior Iraqi officials fleeing and getting out of harm's way than seems to be the case and a more rapid disintegration of the power apparatus at the center.

So I think the military planners are probably still operating under the assumption that Saddam is still at least the - symbolically the head of the operation even though the operation's clearly disintegrating around him.

BLITZER: As we speak, Ambassador Wilson, we're looking at these live pictures of more explosions on Abu Dhabi television showing these explosions in the distance. These live pictures, our viewers can take a look at that and see what's going on.

This is the city you lived in for a few years. You know the Iraqi leader. You've met him. You understand his mind about his wealth as any former American official probably does. Do you think at this late stage, he might yet give the authority to his Republican Guard and special Republican Guard forces to use chemical or biological weapons as a last stand against advancing U.S. troops?

WILSON: That's obviously the $64,000 question. It strikes me the way that they have fought this war that they have been more passive aggressive than anything else. They haven't blown their dams. They may - they tried to do their oil wells but were unsuccessful either because they waited too long or because the Americans got there too soon or because they didn't have a good plan in place. So it strikes me that Saddam either may not have weapons of mass destruction readily available to use or may decide not to use them knowing that that would very definitely be the end and for all, he is a - the great survivalist and I wouldn't be surprised if he's not plotting his comeback as hard as that may be to believe.

BLITZER: Well, it is pretty hard to believe given what's happening. Seemingly on the ground right now, four more explosions according to Reuters just heard in central Baghdad. Abu Dhabi television showing these pictures of explosions in the outskirts of the Iraqi capital.

There is the Special Republican Guard that's been inside Baghdad, as you well know, Ambassador Wilson, as opposed to the regular Republican Guard Divisions, two of them now effectively destroyed, according to the Pentagon, the others very significantly weakened.

How good are these Special Republican Guard troops inside the Iraqi capital?

WILSON: Well, the battle inside the Iraqi capital, should they decide to engage, will be far different from these troops who were arrayed outside the -- 50 miles outside the capital. If they decide to engage in that manner, it will be street-to-street fighting.

The Special Republican Guard are the ones who really do have nothing to lose. Their fate is -- they share Saddam's fate -- presumably, in their own minds, they feel that way -- and will fight to the bitter end. So, should they decide to engage rather than just melt away, there will be that street-to-street fighting -- or that's the sort of fighting they will want to engage in.

On the other hand, we just may roll through there, and then you get into the occupation phase, which I've always said is going to be the more complicated piece of this business.

BLITZER: That's a discussion for another occasion.

Ambassador Joe Wilson, thanks very much for joining us.

Three huge, huge developments unfolding only within the past few minutes. Saddam International Airport, the major international airport, right outside of Baghdad, 10 or 12 miles, indeed, outside of Baghdad, now U.S. forces in control, apparently, at that airport.

At the same time, huge explosions rocking both central Baghdad as well as the outskirts of the Iraqi capital. Right now, we don't know the specific targets, although we assume some of those targets around Saddam International Airport.

And, as our senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre has just reported within the past few minutes, the U.S. intelligence community has now concluded all those videotapes of Saddam Hussein and his advisers, the ones we've seen over the past two weeks since this war broke out, old tapes, nothing new, further generating questions about the status, the capability of Saddam Hussein, whether he's alive or -- and well.

We're going to continue to monitor all -- all -- of these developments. We're going to take a quick break. More of our special edition of WOLF BLITZER REPORTS immediately when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You're looking at live pictures of Baghdad right now, a city in which U.S. troops advancing very closely to the Iraqi capital.

Within the past few minutes, huge explosions in the central part of Baghdad, as well as in the southern outskirts of the Iraqi capital. We heard those explosions live here on this program only within the past few minutes.

We've also learned that Saddam International Airport -- U.S. troops now have arrived at that airport. We're getting word from our Jamie McIntyre, our senior Pentagon correspondent, on that. He's also got some other developments.

Jamie, are you there right now? Can you join us?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I am, Wolf.

To just start out with the airport, we have confirmed that U.S. troops have arrived at Saddam International Airport. We're told by Pentagon officials that they arrived primarily by ground, reaching this airport, which is just southwest of the city.

This, of course, is a key military objective. Control of the airport gives the U.S. a large base of operations, a place where they can stage helicopters and aircraft, and will be able to give them much more freedom of movement around the city.

The Pentagon does not say that the U.S. forces totally control the airport at this point, just that they are there, although we expect, if they're not in control, they will be very shortly -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Well, Jamie, when you say -- and I was listening precisely to your words -- that they arrived primarily by ground, that raises, of course, the question in my mind were there airborne U.S. forces that landed at that airport as well.

MCINTYRE: Well, I'm not sure is the answer. I'm hedging it because of that -- because, as I've told, the quote I got from the -- an official they arrived primarily by ground. That does leave open the possibility of other ways, either by helicopter or by -- you know, as you said, even airdropping in.

But, at this point, it looks like it was primarily a ground operation. That's not to say that nobody has flown into the airport at this point. There could have been some helicopter activity as well. One would expect, if U.S. ground troops were moving on the ground, they would have helicopter support in the air as well, those Apache helicopters.

So it's entirely possible that some troops simply landed in their attack helicopters. That would be an insignificant number, though, compared to the total force on the ground.

BLITZER: Jamie, you heard Nic Robertson, our reporter who's got excellent sources in Baghdad, say Iraqis -- authorities are going around to people near the airport, telling them to leave their homes in the middle of the night and start walking towards the airport, as if they might be a human shield, some sort of human wave standing in between the airport where the U.S. troops are now as well -- and the Iraqi capital itself.

We're getting reports that there aren't huge numbers of people walking out and obeying these orders, but, presumably, that would complicate the U.S. mission, if, in fact, it is to go beyond the airport, control the airport, secure it, but then have other forces move into Baghdad itself.

MCINTYRE: Well, really it's impossible to say what the motive of that tactic is. Presumably, it's some effort to complicate the U.S. mission, but the way the U.S. would operate at this airport is to secure a perimeter, bring more forces in, establish positions that they could protect the airport, have helicopters flying above to watch for anything on the ground, and then begin to flow more forces in so that they had a base of operations. I'm not sure that a large number of civilians outside that area would present a huge military problem, but, presumably, that's what that would be aimed at.

It's really impossible to say what the Iraqi officials are doing at that point. The Pentagon firmly believes that they're losing grip on power, becoming more and more desperate, and that it's only a matter of time before the regime is toppled.

BLITZER: One final question, Jamie, before I let you go. As we look at these pictures of Baghdad, a city once again coming under a pounding tonight, Reuters saying 14 separate explosions were heard only within the past few minutes.

The lights are off for the first time since the war started. The U.S. says Central Command did not target the power grid of Baghdad. What are you hearing? Why -- what's the assessment at the Pentagon? Why the Iraqi government presumably decided to turn off the lights? MCINTYRE: Well, first of all, the Pentagon has not ruled out the possibility that, in fact, it was U.S. bombs that knocked the lights out. What they are saying is, if they did that, it wasn't intentional.

They've been dropping so much ordnance on Baghdad that it's not out of the question that somehow this is an effect of that bombing, but it was not an intentional effect.

And they also -- it's entirely possible that, for whatever reason, the regime has turned the lights out. Either they think it provides some additional measure of protection or -- or for whatever reason. It's just not known at this point.

And, Wolf, can I say one thing about the Saddam Hussein tapes that we've been reporting on? I just want to add a note of caution.

The CIA has said that they haven't reached any formal conclusion about whether those tapes were pre- or post-March 19, but, nevertheless, the senior defense official does tell CNN that they generally believe that none of them were made before -- none of them were made after the bombing, and -- while cautioning at the same time that this kind of analysis of videotape could never be a hundred percent.

It's at best the best guess of what they think is on those tapes -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Very precise reporting by our Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre.

Jamie, thanks very much.

Our National Security Correspondent David Ensor is joining us now. He's been looking into those videotapes, has done a great deal of reporting about it over the past couple weeks.

What are you hearing yourself, David?

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, as Jamie just reported, Central Intelligence Agency officials are saying that they have reached no such conclusion, that they have not concluded that -- definitively that the tapes were all recorded before March 19.

However, an official did say that we think it is quite likely that that is the case, and they are saying they have not seen any evidence they regard as at all convincing that Saddam Hussein is alive since March 19.

It may be, Wolf, that there's an element of the effort by the Pentagon here to see the glass half full where the other side sees it as half empty. The Pentagon, of course, would like to smoke Saddam out in a way, to try to put pressure on the Iraqi regime to show Saddam -- to show Saddam, if he's alive -- which they are not at all sure that he is -- Wolf. BLITZER: But you know as well as I do, David -- you've covered the intelligence community, the national security agency which tries to intercept communications -- that, if Saddam Hussein were dead, presumably, presumably, there would be some indication of that from somewhere. You can't keep something like that secret for very long.

ENSOR: Well, that has been the working assumption of the U.S. intelligence community since March 19.

I do have to say, though, that, in recent days, I'm hearing more and more officials saying, look, it's gone on this long without any indication of any of kind that Saddam Hussein is alive, and it really is a legitimate question, which, as I mentioned, the Pentagon very much would like to ask in a public way, in some way debate the Iraqi leadership a little bit on that question -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. David Ensor with the latest...

ENSOR: But you know that...

Go ahead, David.

BLITZER: I was just going to say, but the intelligence community -- it's very important from their point of view that they present what they believe is an accurate summation of the intelligence, and they are saying, look, you cannot say definitively.

We have not reached the conclusion yet that those tapes were all made before March 19. It does look that way, but we have not so concluded -- Wolf.

BLITZER: We know that the CIA Director George Tenet, who's spent a career dealing with national security and intelligence matters, is an extremely, extremely precise U.S. official and doesn't want to go out and make a bottom-line assessment unless he can back it up a hundred percent.

What you're suggesting, David, right now is the analysts at the CIA -- all of the analysts -- they can't reach a definitive conclusion one way or another. Is that right?

ENSOR: That's exactly right, and there's -- they have access to a lot of intelligence besides just these videotapes, and they say, based on that intelligence that there are conflicting reports, equally valid, that he may be alive, that he may be dead, and that he may be wounded, and they just do not know at this point which is the true story -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right.

David Ensor, our national security correspondent, with the latest on that important issue. We'll continue to watch and wait for any signs -- any signs whatsoever -- that the Iraqi leader is alive, is in charge, or maybe not. We'll continue to follow that story.

You've heard it often, many times, but it's worth repeating right now. The most dangerous fighting for coalition forces may be just ahead.

Here's a look at the battle lines right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Within sight of Baghdad, moving closer to greater danger, U.S.-led forces begin to mass around the Iraqi capital.

CNN's Walter Rodgers, traveling with the U.S. Army's 3-7th Cavalry, says the soldiers took steady fire as they moved within 10 miles of Baghdad. U.S. commanders say repositioned Republican Guard units may try to bait allied forces into the capital.

Fifty-six miles from Baghdad, the U.S. says Special Forces have raided Saddam Hussein's Tharthar Palace. No Iraqis found inside.

Outside Kut, a strategically important city on the Tigris River, CNN's Martin Savidge reports the 7th Marine secured a suspected Republican Guard base and an Iraqi air base.

In Najaf, CNN's Ryan Chilcote, traveling with the 101st Airborne, witnesses the unit trying to secure an important mosque at the request of an ayatollah, but, when troops move forward, local citizens, fearing they will damage the mosque, move on them. A standoff. The Americans drop to their knees, draw their guns back, not good enough. The American commander orders his troops to back away.

In the North, coalition air strikes pound Iraqi forces near Mosul and Kirkuk. The Iraqis fall back to perimeter positions, clearing the way for Kurdish troops to advance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And there are new signs right now that not every Iraqi in the outskirts of Baghdad is under the influence of Saddam Hussein. I spoke earlier with Dexter Filkins of "The New York Times." He's one of those embedded reporters who's at the tip of the spear, if you will, of the U.S. push toward Baghdad, approximately 20 miles south of the Iraqi capital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEXTER FILKINS, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": It was an amazing scene, just an incredibly warm reception from the Iraqis. Iraqis streaming out of Baghdad and cities that we were approaching had begun cheering as we went by.

And I think what struck me was just -- you know, I've been through a lot of Iraqi cities, and there's been a lot of doubt, and, at the same time, the emotions have been pretty muted because of that doubt that the U.S. was really going to take down Saddam.

And I think the closer the U.S gets to Baghdad, the more evident it is that that's going to happen. So we've just -- today, I think, what I saw was a big emotional outpouring. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: That report from Dexter Filkins of "The New York Times." He's near Baghdad, one of those embedded correspondents.

And, once again, within the past few minutes, more bombs, more explosions occurring in and around Baghdad. We're watching -- we're watching the Iraqi capital, a city of some five-million people, no electricity. The lights are off in Baghdad for the first time since the start of this war two weeks ago.

Much more coverage coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to our special coverage.

You're looking at live pictures of Baghdad. No lights. The electricity, the power is off for the first time since the start of this war some two weeks ago.

We don't know exactly why. The Pentagon only says that the Central Command did not target the power grid of the Iraqi capital. That leaves open the possibility that perhaps a bomb errantly hit one of the power grids, but there was no deliberate effort to turn off the lights on the part of the U.S. military.

We don't know what the Iraqi motivation may have been, if they decided to turn off the lights for the first time.

Let's bring in Ambassador Joe Wilson, the last U.S. diplomat in Baghdad to have met with Saddam Hussein just before the last Gulf War.

What do you make of all of these late-breaking developments, Ambassador Wilson, specifically the move -- the dramatic move towards the Iraqi capital right now?

WILSON: Well, I think the push over the last couple of days has, in fact, been very dramatic, and controlling the airport is a big step forward. As -- as somebody said earlier, it allows the military to set up a forward operating base literally on the outskirts of the capital city.

I was struck actually by the report of "The New York Times" journalist. That's encouraging that we're being, in fact, welcomed by the Iraqi population. The further north we go, the warmer the welcome. I think that bodes well for the beginning of the occupation phase of this.

I can imagine that the five-million Baghdadis must be awfully tired of the pounding they've taken every night for the past two weeks. I remember, at the end of Gulf War, the 39 days of B-52 bombing had just decimated the morale of the soldiers left on the front. Probably the same for the Baghdadi residents.

BLITZER: You know, when I smoke to Dexter Filkins, that embedded reporter from "The New York Times," just a little while ago, Ambassador Wilson, he's -- he's been going with those troops all of the way from the South up through central Iraq, now in -- towards Baghdad, only about 20 miles himself from Baghdad.

And he says, as they've been getting closer to Baghdad, the reception that the U.S. troops, the Marines in particular, have been receiving from Iraqis has been warmer. They've been coming out and welcoming and cheering and very enthusiastically receiving U.S. troops, the Marines, as opposed to further in the South where they were much more hesitant, they were nervous, they were scared, they were pretty reluctant to show any support for the U.S. military.

What does that say to you?

WILSON: Well, I don't know if it says that the end is near and everybody's realized it and, therefore, the time to celebrate has come or whether the closer to the capital city, the more certain they are when they see the military that we're there to finish the job.

Certainly, in the South, I think it adds a little bit of validity to the suggestions earlier that the Arabs, the Shia in the southern cities were reluctant to celebrate until they thought we were actually going to finish the job.

In any event, one of the things that we do want, it seems to me, is we want a positive liberation bounce out of this as we settle into the hard task of restoring democracy or representative government to this country.

BLITZER: And, as many have said, including yourself, the military aspect may turn out to be the easier part as opposed to the political fallout that will come in the weeks, months, and maybe even years to come.

Ambassador Wilson, you were very generous with your time. Thanks so much for helping us understand this breaking news this past hour.

WILSON: It's been very interesting times.

BLITZER: Let's talk about what's happening on the ground a little bit more. Now to the forces making up the U.S. spearhead massing outside Baghdad. The U.S. Army's 7th Cavalry is among them.

Our Senior International Correspondent Walter Rodgers is embedded with those soldiers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The 3rd Squadron 7th Cavalry remains on the distant outskirts of Baghdad, and, again, what we're seeing is small groups of Iraqi resistance fighters, 10 to 20 forming up in foxholes or taking shelter behind buildings, sticking their heads up occasionally, firing in the direction of the convoy.

Almost as soon as they do, certainly as soon as the soldiers aboard the tanks and you can see the tank's elevated position up there -- as soon as you can see -- as soon as they see where the fire's covering -- coming from, they provide covering fire and overwhelmingly wipe out anything that's in the field.

We have seen, as I said, upwards of 20 dead Iraqi soldiers in the field. We believe most of those have been taken out by the 3rd Infantry Division as it passed through, albeit in a different direction, earlier in the day. Troubling news, of course, that each of those Iraqi soldier had a gas mask on at the time, and that, of course, portends perhaps greater difficulty as these U.S. Army units get closer to Baghdad.

Again, as we pass through some agricultural villages in the Mesopotamian Delta, we did find some of the Iraqis were more than a little enthusiastic to see the 7th Cavalry and the other U.S. Army soldiers coming through. The men would very guardedly flash us a thumbs up or give us a V-for-victory sign.

But, that being the case, it was very guarded until we got further and further away. The further away we got from the Euphrates River and closer to Baghdad, ironically, the more enthusiasm we've encountered among some of the Iraqi farm families, particularly the children and some of the women.

I remember one woman who was waving very enthusiastically at the 7th Cavalry moving through and she was 400 yards back from the road.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Walter Rodgers, our embedded correspondent, hearing exactly the same thing that Dexter Filkins of "The New York Times" saw. Walter with the U.S. Army. Dexter Filkins with the U.S. MARINES. Both at the so-called tip of the spears, moving towards Baghdad where yet again more explosions only within the past few seconds hitting Iraqi capital.

No letup at all, no letup whatsoever, in U.S. air strikes in and around Baghdad right now.

And, as this is going on, our Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta found himself in an extraordinary situation earlier today. He's one of our embedded journalists, as most of you by now know. He's embedded with the so-called Devil Docs with the Marines and the Navy.

Today, this war caught up with him in a very personal way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We are here in the operating room of Bravo Surgical Company.

Just to my left, an operation is going on for a gunshot wound to the leg, and just behind me, another operation going on for multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen. It's been like this all day. Helicopters coming in, bringing patients, both coalition and Iraqi. Both of these patients over here Iraqi. Getting their operations now. Just earlier today, another incident brought patients here to this particular surgical company as well. A car, a taxi cab, traveling through a Marine checkpoint with four passengers. In the driver's seat was a taxicab driver. In the passenger's seat in the front was an adult male. In the back seat, a mother and child.

This car, according to the Marines and the medics who brought the patient in, passed through the checkpoint without stopping. This drew the fire of the Marines at the checkpoint, killing both passengers in the front seat, the taxicab driver and the adult male, and critically wounding mother and child.

Mother and child were both brought here. The child had a significant head injury and was brought to the operating room. I actually assisted in that particular operation. The mother was also operated on for significant abdominal injury. She is in critical condition.

It's been an interesting experience for me, certainly being a journalist and also a doctor, a neurosurgeon. When I spent time with the Devil Docs earlier, one of the things that they had told me was they didn't have any neurosurgical capability, and they said, if a patient were to come in that needed such an operation, would I be willing to help. They asked me that question.

Today, that actually happened. They -- just a few hours ago, they came up to me and said a 2-year-old child has a gunshot wound or a shrapnel wound of great significance to the head, would I be willing to come take a look at the patient and take the patient to the operating room. Medically and morally, I thought that was the right thing to do.

The operation was a brain operation basically to decompress the pressure on that child's brain. This child was in what we call in the medical lingo extremist, meaning, at the time that I saw the patient, a few minutes really only to live.

The outcome of the operation was -- the child did die after the operation, despite our efforts, but this was something that we attempted to try and save the life of this child through the operation. I was asked to help out. Medically and morally, I thought it was the right thing to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He's a neurosurgeon. The military asked him to help out. They didn't have a neurosurgeon there. He decided that was the right thing to do.

As we say, I tip my hat to Sanjay, as I'm sure all of our viewers do as well. Long before he was a journalist, he was a doctor, and that's his responsibility.

More explosions only within the past few seconds. They're coming down fast and furious in and around the Iraqi capital. We're watching. We're going to take a quick break. Right now, they're still coming in. We're going to take a quick break. More news as soon as we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Explosions continue to rock Baghdad right now. They've been non-stop almost for the past hour. We're watching. We'll have complete coverage throughout the night. I'll be back in one hour for two hours of special coverage with Paula Zahn.

Lou Dobbs standing by to pick up the coverage for the next hour.

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