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U.S. Tanks Advance Into Baghdad
Aired April 05, 2003 - 05:05 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: First we want to head to Doha, Qatar to CENTCOM and Tom Mintier, who has some breaking developments to tell us about it. Good morning, Tom.
TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
As you heard Daryn say, here at Central Command they are now talking about the heart of Baghdad, not the center but the heart of Baghdad. A word they definitely wanted to use, intended to use.
Also, response here to what they're hearing from the minister of information in Baghdad, saying that they have surrounded coalition troops at the airport. The coalition's saying that's simply not true. They say they not only have control of the airport but have moved troops almost at will, facing what they're terming light resistance inside the city, not no resistance but light resistance. I asked Captain Frank Thorp (ph) about the organizational structure that they're meeting, saying that there is resistance but they're not seeing organized response from the Iraqi military, saying that there have been thousands of Iraqi soldiers who have decided either not to fight, to either capitulate and surrender or leave their equipment behind and try to melt back into the population. Whether they will fight again remains to be seen.
But the term "into the heart of Baghdad" apparently an important word being used here, an indication of just how far into the city they are and what areas they control. They do say this is not a probing action. They say that these troops are going in to stay. What kind of resistance they see in the coming hours, coming days remains to be seen but they say they are firmly in control of the airport despite what the information minister says and that they are now in the heart of Baghdad with coalition troops -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And you know Tom, yesterday the Iraqi Information Minister had vowed that Iraqi troops would defend Baghdad using unconventional means but has the U.S. -- have coalition forces seen that?
MINTIER: Well, the unconventional means were not really spelled out. He did say that weapons of mass destruction were not on the menu.
We have heard of reports from the embedded reporters of buses loaded with explosives being driven in the direction of coalition troops as they make their way into the city. Just what unconventional means really mean is really difficult to say. We also saw these pictures of Saddam Hussein supposedly out in the middle of the city, something that the coalition is looking at very closely and trying to determine whether indeed that was Saddam Hussein or not.
COSTELLO: Yes. We're going to talk more about that when we go live from the Pentagon a little later. Tom Mintier, reporting live from CENTCOM.
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 5, 2003 - 05:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: First we want to head to Doha, Qatar to CENTCOM and Tom Mintier, who has some breaking developments to tell us about it. Good morning, Tom.
TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
As you heard Daryn say, here at Central Command they are now talking about the heart of Baghdad, not the center but the heart of Baghdad. A word they definitely wanted to use, intended to use.
Also, response here to what they're hearing from the minister of information in Baghdad, saying that they have surrounded coalition troops at the airport. The coalition's saying that's simply not true. They say they not only have control of the airport but have moved troops almost at will, facing what they're terming light resistance inside the city, not no resistance but light resistance. I asked Captain Frank Thorp (ph) about the organizational structure that they're meeting, saying that there is resistance but they're not seeing organized response from the Iraqi military, saying that there have been thousands of Iraqi soldiers who have decided either not to fight, to either capitulate and surrender or leave their equipment behind and try to melt back into the population. Whether they will fight again remains to be seen.
But the term "into the heart of Baghdad" apparently an important word being used here, an indication of just how far into the city they are and what areas they control. They do say this is not a probing action. They say that these troops are going in to stay. What kind of resistance they see in the coming hours, coming days remains to be seen but they say they are firmly in control of the airport despite what the information minister says and that they are now in the heart of Baghdad with coalition troops -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And you know Tom, yesterday the Iraqi Information Minister had vowed that Iraqi troops would defend Baghdad using unconventional means but has the U.S. -- have coalition forces seen that?
MINTIER: Well, the unconventional means were not really spelled out. He did say that weapons of mass destruction were not on the menu.
We have heard of reports from the embedded reporters of buses loaded with explosives being driven in the direction of coalition troops as they make their way into the city. Just what unconventional means really mean is really difficult to say. We also saw these pictures of Saddam Hussein supposedly out in the middle of the city, something that the coalition is looking at very closely and trying to determine whether indeed that was Saddam Hussein or not.
COSTELLO: Yes. We're going to talk more about that when we go live from the Pentagon a little later. Tom Mintier, reporting live from CENTCOM.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
