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Photojournalist Discusses War Experience

Aired April 04, 2003 - 11:53   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: On that note, that's a good point to -- as we remember, Michael, we turn now to the topic of a reporter, actually, who's been using his camera out there to get the pictures of images of things that we, basically, can hardly imagine. Two former Iraqi military outposts in northern Iraq now under control of Iraqi forces there. And Kurds in that area are scouring the sites for anything of value that the Iraqis left behind. And photojournalist David Turnley is embedded with U.S. troops, and he joins us now live. David, we thank you for taking time with us this morning. And first of all, before we go on, did you know Michael Kelly at all?
DAVID TURNLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, Leon, I did not know Michael Kelly. I am, in fact, not embedded with U.S. Troops. I'm in an area near the town of Kifri, which is on the eastern side of the northern front. It's a Kurdish enclave which, until early this week, was the front-line position here in the north, the closest point to Baghdad.

On Tuesday, American planes bombed the Iraqi positions on the southern side of this frontline. The Iraqi side retaliated, launching mortars into the town. Three people were killed.

In the ensuing next two days, the Kurdish soldiers, with the help of these American bombings, were able to take control of those two front-line positions that had been, essentially, what they call here a castle and an old police station.

In the meantime, a BBC cameraman who had responded to these events himself was killed as he stepped out of his vehicle and stood on a land mine just in front of this liberated castle.

The photographs that you see on the screen were made in the last couple of days. They are pictures of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters from the town that we are speaking about, Kifri. And townsfolk who then went to these locations to scavenge among the spoils of war. You saw thousand-yard stares of the soldiers who have been involved in intense fights. You saw a young man with a news-printed photograph of George Bush that he taped to a Kalashnikov magazine on his belt. You saw young children who picked up Iraqi army helmets that Iraqi soldiers had left behind.

You saw combatants sitting with the remnants of war in these bunker positions that they had taken over. You saw soldiers and townspeople who found an Iraqi flag that they displayed and then set on fire. Gas masks that they picked up. The people here don't have gas masks so they were very excited to find these gas masks that the soldiers left behind. And then I saw one young man, who I made a photograph of, holding metaphorically a poster of Saddam Hussein that had a rip through his face -- Leon.

HARRIS: Very interesting. David, thank you very much for joining us and bringing us these incredible pictures -- pictures telling us quite a story there. David Turnley, photojournalist there in northern Iraq.

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






Aired April 4, 2003 - 11:53   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: On that note, that's a good point to -- as we remember, Michael, we turn now to the topic of a reporter, actually, who's been using his camera out there to get the pictures of images of things that we, basically, can hardly imagine. Two former Iraqi military outposts in northern Iraq now under control of Iraqi forces there. And Kurds in that area are scouring the sites for anything of value that the Iraqis left behind. And photojournalist David Turnley is embedded with U.S. troops, and he joins us now live. David, we thank you for taking time with us this morning. And first of all, before we go on, did you know Michael Kelly at all?
DAVID TURNLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, Leon, I did not know Michael Kelly. I am, in fact, not embedded with U.S. Troops. I'm in an area near the town of Kifri, which is on the eastern side of the northern front. It's a Kurdish enclave which, until early this week, was the front-line position here in the north, the closest point to Baghdad.

On Tuesday, American planes bombed the Iraqi positions on the southern side of this frontline. The Iraqi side retaliated, launching mortars into the town. Three people were killed.

In the ensuing next two days, the Kurdish soldiers, with the help of these American bombings, were able to take control of those two front-line positions that had been, essentially, what they call here a castle and an old police station.

In the meantime, a BBC cameraman who had responded to these events himself was killed as he stepped out of his vehicle and stood on a land mine just in front of this liberated castle.

The photographs that you see on the screen were made in the last couple of days. They are pictures of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters from the town that we are speaking about, Kifri. And townsfolk who then went to these locations to scavenge among the spoils of war. You saw thousand-yard stares of the soldiers who have been involved in intense fights. You saw a young man with a news-printed photograph of George Bush that he taped to a Kalashnikov magazine on his belt. You saw young children who picked up Iraqi army helmets that Iraqi soldiers had left behind.

You saw combatants sitting with the remnants of war in these bunker positions that they had taken over. You saw soldiers and townspeople who found an Iraqi flag that they displayed and then set on fire. Gas masks that they picked up. The people here don't have gas masks so they were very excited to find these gas masks that the soldiers left behind. And then I saw one young man, who I made a photograph of, holding metaphorically a poster of Saddam Hussein that had a rip through his face -- Leon.

HARRIS: Very interesting. David, thank you very much for joining us and bringing us these incredible pictures -- pictures telling us quite a story there. David Turnley, photojournalist there in northern Iraq.

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