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American Morning
Al Kut Secured
Aired April 04, 2003 - 08:17 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now Marines have secured two military sites on the outskirts of Al Kut south of Baghdad. Their location on the Tigris River make them strategically important. Our own Martin Savidge was there with the 1st Battalion 7th Marines and filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): As the unit moves in, they find an old city teeming with life and all seems calm. But that will change.
On the outskirts of the city, as they close on a Republican Guard position, the men of Charlie Company come under attack, small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades. The Marines return fire with their M16s and the heavier guns on the APCs. A blazing gun battle erupts.
At first there is chaos and shouting. But soon training kicks in as the source of the gunfire is located and support fire is called in, rockets, artillery and air power strike.
Charlie Company rolls through a now-deserted Republican Guard base. The troops behind them will search it more carefully, but Charlie can't wait -- the second objective, an Iraqi air base lies just ahead. On the outskirts, Iraqi bunkers already hit by artillery, boil like volcanoes self-destructing as the ammunition inside them explodes.
The men waste no time watching. They move on, pausing only to open fire on Iraqi radar arrays. Eventually the marines push out on foot and this is most of dangerous part of any mission. Moving in teams, the squads probe Iraqi bunkers on the air base's perimeter.
Once on the base itself, they make forced entries in the complex's many buildings. Doors that can't be kicked open are shot until their locks give way. The first weapons are found.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have an AK-47 not loaded.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where did you find them?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I found them right underneath these trees. We've been finding a lot of these weapons abandoned.
SAVIDGE: Offices are searched offering a wealth of documents. The base is empty but the troops discover an armory stacked floor to ceiling with weapons. They carry them out by the armload, like bundles of wood, so many guns the challenge becomes how to destroy them all. But soon the might of Saddam Hussein's military is ground beneath the weight of tank treads. The job becomes an assembly line of destruction.
What cannot be crushed is simply doused with gasoline and set on fire. Then, the Marines leave.
Martin Savage, CNN with the First battalion, 7th Marines, Al Kut, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 - 08:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now Marines have secured two military sites on the outskirts of Al Kut south of Baghdad. Their location on the Tigris River make them strategically important. Our own Martin Savidge was there with the 1st Battalion 7th Marines and filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): As the unit moves in, they find an old city teeming with life and all seems calm. But that will change.
On the outskirts of the city, as they close on a Republican Guard position, the men of Charlie Company come under attack, small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades. The Marines return fire with their M16s and the heavier guns on the APCs. A blazing gun battle erupts.
At first there is chaos and shouting. But soon training kicks in as the source of the gunfire is located and support fire is called in, rockets, artillery and air power strike.
Charlie Company rolls through a now-deserted Republican Guard base. The troops behind them will search it more carefully, but Charlie can't wait -- the second objective, an Iraqi air base lies just ahead. On the outskirts, Iraqi bunkers already hit by artillery, boil like volcanoes self-destructing as the ammunition inside them explodes.
The men waste no time watching. They move on, pausing only to open fire on Iraqi radar arrays. Eventually the marines push out on foot and this is most of dangerous part of any mission. Moving in teams, the squads probe Iraqi bunkers on the air base's perimeter.
Once on the base itself, they make forced entries in the complex's many buildings. Doors that can't be kicked open are shot until their locks give way. The first weapons are found.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have an AK-47 not loaded.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where did you find them?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I found them right underneath these trees. We've been finding a lot of these weapons abandoned.
SAVIDGE: Offices are searched offering a wealth of documents. The base is empty but the troops discover an armory stacked floor to ceiling with weapons. They carry them out by the armload, like bundles of wood, so many guns the challenge becomes how to destroy them all. But soon the might of Saddam Hussein's military is ground beneath the weight of tank treads. The job becomes an assembly line of destruction.
What cannot be crushed is simply doused with gasoline and set on fire. Then, the Marines leave.
Martin Savage, CNN with the First battalion, 7th Marines, Al Kut, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
