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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Army Sources: Ba'ath Party Members Fleeing Baghdad

Aired April 05, 2003 - 18:00   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.


ANNOUNCER: CNN, live this hour: WOLF BLITZER REPORTS live from Kuwait City.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: You're looking at a live picture from Baghdad, where coalition forces have been pounding, pounding Iraqi troops and making advances all day long. Hello from Kuwait City. And once again, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting tonight live.

We have reporters fanned out across Iraq this hour. We'll get the latest from Baghdad, where U.S. forces have pushed toward downtown. And the bombs continue to drop. We'll get to all that in a moment.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: You're looking live at the Iraqi capitol, where coalition forces have dominated the battle front all day and into the night, both in the sky, as well as on the ground.

Americans tanks seen today right in the heart of the city. While overhead, the coalition has implemented a new air strategy to protect them. In the words of one Pentagon official, "the Baghdad portion of the war plan is now under way."

Today that included heavy fighting at what's reported to be a Republican Guard barracks. We get that and more from Harry Smith of Britain's ITN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY SMITH, ITN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the fight they've been waiting for, the tanks of the American 2nd Brigade, taking the war right to the heart of Saddam's much vaunted defenders, to the Republican Guards, holed up in their barracks in the southwestern suburbs of the Iraqi capitol.

And on the other side of Baghdad, in the southeast corner, U.S. Marines close in on another division of the Republican Guards, as the noose around the capitol tightens.

Today's assault followed another night of heavy bombardment in and around Baghdad. As shells rained down on units of the Republican Guard and other military targets.

American military planners continued to warn that there could still be tough fighting ahead. But tonight, they're closer than many believe they would be to the center of Saddam's regime.

Harry Smith, ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Reporter Scott Nelson of "The Boston Globe" is embedded with U.S. Marines now in the southeastern suburbs of Baghdad. When we talked to him earlier, he said it's been an active day with Marines blowing up weapons caches they've been finding. But he said resistance has died down.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT NELSON, "THE BOSTON GLOBE": Along the route southeast of Baghdad over the last couple of days, it was fairly heavy. Thursday and Friday were both relatively heavy fighting along the way, a lot of tank on tank fighting, a lot of air shelling of tanks and bunkers. And it was relatively stiff resistance up through the last 40 or 50 miles toward Baghdad.

Today, as we've been right in the suburbs, much less though. There definitely have been small flare-ups here and there, but much less resistance. It seems to have really collapsed. And the focus of the Marines today seem to be keeping Republican Guards from retreating into Baghdad.

The fight to get here is essentially over. At this point, they feel like they're mopping up the Republican Guard, just trying to keep them out of the city at this point, but the fight is largely over. It certainly feels like it's largely over from here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: On the other side of Baghdad, CNN's senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is with the Army's 3-7th Cavalry. He reports the western suburbs still are a harsh environment for U.S. forces, but commanders are optimistic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: U.S. Army commanders in the Iraqi theater are now extraordinarily confident about the way the battle is unfolding. One general was quoted as saying we have the Iraqis rocking backward on their heels. He went on to say it will take several more days of pressure, but the clear implication is the American generals at least in the Army believe that the battle is being won and that there is a timeline, and that this war will not go on ceaselessly, as some had earlier feared.

The Army intelligence has been getting reports of large numbers of Iraqi Ba'athist party members. Those are -- that's part of Saddam Hussein's regime, as well as Iraqi soldiers, Republican Guard soldiers, fleeing the city in Army trucks. Now those Army trucks are being interspersed with civilian vehicles and consequently, the U.S. air power cannot strike at the civilian vehicles, but they all seem to be exiting in what one Army officer called nothing short of "a mass exodus," moving westward -- north westward in the general direction of Jordan, but almost certainly more likely they will end up in Syria.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, with the U.S. 7th Cavalry on the outskirts of Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Also on the outskirts of Baghdad, a Reuters crew came upon this scene, a group of Iraqi soldiers and civilians celebrating around what appears to be a charred American tank. This is near the Baghdad Airport, which coalition forces took over after heavy fighting.

Reuters says U.S. military officials tell them one tank in the area was abandoned because of mechanical problems.

And Abu Dhabi television showed this Iraqi soldier displaying what Iraq says is a shirt belonging to an American fighter. We've blurred the name to protect the identity. Iraq's information minister says it's one of many such finds. U.S. Central Command says it has no information to support that.

Meanwhile, a new coalition air strategy is now in effect over Baghdad. With fighter and bomber planes flying at all times, repeat all times, to protect ground forces. For more on the air campaign, we go live to CNN's Gary Tuchman. He's at an air base near the Iraqi border.

Tell us about this new strategy, Gary?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, here's what we're being told by coalition military officials, that the skies over Baghdad will not be empty again until the war is over. Air Force officials saying there will be war planes over Baghdad 24 hours a day. And here's how it will work, Wolf.

There will always be two aircraft over Baghdad. We are being told the type of planes they are is being kept classified. However, those planes will act as dispatchers, of sort. Whenever ground troops on the ground need help, these dispatcher planes will then call in six or more fighter or attack craft, including this A-10 attack plane behind me, that type of plane. And also, the F-16 fighter planes, those planes will always be orbiting the Baghdad area. When they called by the dispatchers, they will then fly over Baghdad and drop whatever bombs or missiles are necessary.

It is a forceful plan, backed up by forceful language. The air commander for CENTCOM, Air Force Lieutenant General Michael Moseley saying "we are not softening the Republican Guard. We are killing them." We are being told there would be 1,850 sorties total between this morning and tomorrow morning flown by Americans, Australians, and British pilots. We spent some today at the Royal Air Force compound on the base we're staying at here near the border of Iraq. We talked with the British pilot. And we asked him about his cooperation with the Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the American forces?

TONY HANLON, LT., BRITISH ROYAL AIR FORCE: No, really. We've been made to feel very welcome on the base and also completely part of the coalition Airborne and on the ground. We've been part of the team and just made to feel just exactly that.

TUCHMAN: How does it make you feel protecting the British ground forces, being from the United Kingdom?

HANLON: It's nice to work with our own guys. We hear it just on the radio you get, you know, the old colloquialism in. And they're guys we train with at home, but it's -- actually not that much different from working with anybody else.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: So once again, coalition leaders plan continuous intense pressure, intense air support over the head of Saddam Hussein, if he's still there, if he's still alive.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Gary Tuchman at a base along the Iraqi border. Thanks, Gary, very much.

CNN's Nic Robertson of course is keeping track of all these historic late-breaking developments involving Baghdad. He's joining us also from the Iraqi border, this time in Jordan.

Nic, what's your sense right now? It's late, it's in the middle of the night getting close to daybreak pretty soon over there in Baghdad. How are the people of Baghdad going to respond to what is dramatically unfolding right now?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly some of them have been showing their response already. And that is to leave Baghdad and get out of the way of the fighting. And we do understand from our sources in Baghdad that Iraqi officials have been telling residents of the western part of the city to get out of their homes and move away, because it's just not going to be safe. These areas have been turned into military areas.

How are the people of Baghdad going to react to what they're hearing on television, that they're being told that the coalition does not control the airport. They're being shown pictures this evening of President Saddam Hussein and his two sons, an effort by the Iraqi leadership there to show that they're still in control.

Yet, the Iraqi people in Baghdad have to reconcile this with what they've been seeing all day. Coalition forces in the southeast of the city, coalition forces in the southwest of the city, the south of the city. Iraqis in Baghdad, we understand, also believe that there's a coalition checkpoint on the northern outskirts of Baghdad. What they see in the city at this time is their own city becoming increasingly more full of soldiers, the Iraqi government aligning tanks and artillery pieces very close to the center of the city, aligning them on the southwestern side apparently forming some sort of front line against coalition forces over at the international airport on the southwest of the city.

But how are they going to react to all of this? It's very difficult to say for those that are going to stay. We have seen some of them leave. Some of them don't own cars. They're not able to get out of the city. They pretty much, Wolf, are probably going to have to sit this out, but certainly it's becoming much clearer to them now that what the leadership is telling them is not the reality that they're beginning to see for themselves for the first time on the ground right around them.

BLITZER: Nic, you've spent months and months and months in Baghdad. We've seen those pictures of a lot of Iraqis. They have rifles. They have machine guns. It seems almost everybody has weapons over there. It sounds like it could potentially be, if it gets down to house to house fighting, pretty brutal?

ROBERTSON: If people in the city are armed, to the extent that the Iraqi authorities have given us to believe that they are, and certainly my experience in Baghdad shows that anyone who's been aligned with the ruling Ba'ath Party and throughout the country there are reportedly two million members, anyone who is aligned with the Fedayeen, the Republican Guard, or any of the paramilitary resistance fighters will likely be armed.

There are certain neighborhoods of Baghdad one thinks of the predominantly Shi'ia neighborhood, Saddam City, perhaps as many as two million people live there. Now that's an area that the Iraqi regime does not believe particularly supports it in any way, shape or form. It's an area where there's been revolts before, that the government's put down.

So it's unlikely that those sorts of areas, there would be the people, the population, would be heavily armed. But in other areas, yes, they would have weapons. And if they do what they say they will, which is defend their houses, it will make going tougher for coalition forces, but we still have yet to see that sort of house to house fighting in Baghdad, Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson, a man who knows who Baghdad very well. Nic, thanks very much.

Let's speak to another man who knows Baghdad very well, the former U.S. ambassador Joe Wilson. He was the U.S. charge d'affaires in Baghdad on the eve of the first Gulf War.

Ambassador Wilson, as you look at the situation right now, would you guess, and I know it's only a guess on your part, but it's an educated guess, would the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein remain in Baghdad or head out of town perhaps to his ancestral hometown of Tikrit?

JOSEPH WILSON, FMR. U.S. ENVOY TO IRAQ: Well, I think that Saddam, being the ultimate survivalist, Wolf, will probably try and figure out how he can slither out from under this mess he's in to fight another day. There's the Samson theory, the Samson strategy that he will try and bring the whole house down around him, but it's looking increasingly like that option has been denied him by the rapidity and the lethality of the American forces that have got Baghdad surrounded, and in fact are in Baghdad now.

That leaves him with a limited number of options. He can hole up bunker style and wait for the inevitable, or try and sneak out. And he's -- this is a man who has been fighting his own security for 30 years. And he may well have some bullet holds that he thinks he can squeeze through to get out of this mess and fight another day.

BLITZER: Well, the nightmare scenario remains, even at this late stage, three weeks into the war, weapons of mass destruction, if he unleashes chemical or biological weapons. He hasn't done so yet. What's your sense, as you look at his various options right now?

WILSON: Well, I must say that -- I'm struck by the fact that none of the doomsday scenarios that we all talked about in the run-up to the war really took place in any significant fashion. The only thing that happened was they lit a few oil wells on fire in the south, that none of the bridges were burned. None of the dams were blown. They had to use chemical weapons up until now or other weapons of mass destruction.

And so, you know, it's hard to see how many more opportunities he has to use chemical weapons. If the command and control structure has eroded as much as it looks like it has, how are these orders going to get communicated? And who's in charge? And who's got their finger on the trigger and is ready to use them?

I wonder -- I worry about it. We ought -- certainly the military planners will continue to worry about that, but it strikes me as being less and less likely. What is more likely is that -- is that we will get into Baghdad, and we will settle into this occupation. And that is where you will see the resistance being -- begin to build. And the two million guns that Nic Robertson was talking about will begin to be trained upon the backs of our occupying forces.

BLITZER: Lest anyone think this is over with, forget about it. It's hugely, hugely complicated and the political fallout could be very, very dangerous. Joe Wilson, as usual, thanks very much for joining us.

WILSON: Good to be with you.

BLITZER: British forces in southern Iraq have made a grim, very grim discovery, a makeshift morgue full of human remains, along with evidence some suffered a gruesome death. Tim Ewert of Britain's ITN was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM EWERT, ITN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a discovery that horrified the soldiers who made it, the remains of hundreds of men were found in plastic bags and unsealed hard board coffins.

British troops found the bodies at an abandoned Iraqi military base on the outskirts of Azubaya (ph). The evidence suggested it was the scene of appalling atrocities. The teeth in many of the skulls had been broken and bones appeared to be wrapped in strips of military uniform.

It's not clear how long the bodies had lain here, but they were clearly not from this war.

JACK KEMP, CAPT., BRITISH ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY: You come to expect everything in war fighting. The coffins were there. It was a bit more of a surprise when I discovered the bags with human remains inside.

EWERT: Inside a neighboring building, there was evidence of cells and a catalog of photographs of the dead. Most have died from gunshot wounds to the head. Others were mutilated beyond recognition, their faces burned and swollen.

Outside, soldiers discovered what they described as a purpose built shooting gallery. The brick work behind it riddled with bullets. Identity cards revealed the names of some of the dead.

Forensics specialists will now visit the scene and hope to establish the truth of what happened here and when.

(on camera): Today's discovery seems to provide shocking evidence of atrocities under Saddam Hussein's regime. Most people are afraid to talk openly about what's been happening here. But when they do, British soldiers believe more horrors will come to light.

Tim Ewert, ITV News, Azubaya (ph).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command says coalition planes bombed the home of the Iraqi general known as Chemical Ali. Ali Hassan El Magid, a cousin of Saddam Hussein, got the nickname for reportedly ordering a chemical attack against Kurds at Halabja in northern Iraq in 1988. About 5,000 people are believed to have died. The Central Command says two planes attacked a home in Basra early this morning. It's not known if El Magid was there.

Although coalition forces have not found any weapons of mass destruction so far in Iraq, they remain understandably vigilant. In fact, that's the primary duty of one special Army unit.

CNN's Harris Whitbeck reports from south-central Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sergeant Paul Sauseta has a critical job at this Iraqi air base, now taken over by coalition forces. He's an expert on chemical and biological warfare. His job is to protect the forces here against that potential. STEVE SABBO, CAPT., U.S. ARMY: We can detect from up to five kilometers. And we can actually predict which way the vapor hazard is traveling.

WHITBECK: The threat level at this base was lowered on Saturday, allowing service members to take off the chemical suits they'd been wearing for days. But those in charge of keeping the base safe are not relaxing, not yet.

SABBO: It has decreased, but it's not gone away. So I have my systems up running 24 hours a day. So we can detect something if it was to happen.

WHITBECK: The U.S. Army is in charge of detection and decontamination. It uses sophisticated and highly mobile technology.

(on camera): Vehicles like these are among the first lines of defense in case of chemical or biological warfare. Information gathered here is used to warn those who might be in harm's way.

(voice-over): They operate in the battlefield or in areas like this one, where discoveries made when the base was taken over made many people nervous.

SABBO: Yes, there's reports all throughout the air base that all kinds of MBC gear in most of these buildings. We found two different kind of masks. One's an aviator mask that has a full frontal face shield.

WHITBECK: The Iraqi protection gear was handed over to Iraqi POWs currently being held at the base so they too could be protected in case of attack. The possibility of chemical and biological attacks is very much on the minds of the base's current occupants.

SABBO: It's there. We're still waiting. Hopefully they don't use it. If all we do is sit here and all we do is do our job and we're not very busy, that's good. But if we get busy, that's kind of a bad thing. So hopefully we'll -- we will remain status quo.

WHITBECK: A fervent wish from soldiers who have already dramatically altered the status quo here.

Harris Whitbeck, CNN in south central Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Ride in the sky over Baghdad, a CNN exclusive. Our Kyra Phillips takes us on a secret and dangerous mission over the Iraqi capital. Plus, gone but not forgotten. The coalition forces who didn't make it out alive. And fallen dictator, U.S. troops take down Saddam across Iraq. First, these images from the front lines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You're looking at earlier pictures of U.S. Marines, as they struck Iraqi forces around Baghdad. As coalition forces advance on the ground, there are eyes in the sky looking out for dangers that may be lurking ahead. CNN's Kyra Phillips flew on one such mission, the only network television reporter to do so. She joins us now live from Bahrain with this exclusive report -- Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, as the war intensifies within Baghdad, so do the efforts to protect those troops on the ground. Like you said, we had an exclusive opportunity to show you now exactly how that's done.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We won't consider the mission a success unless the Marines are happy with the product.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): They are coalition bodyguards over Baghdad, an airborne shield to U.S. Marines.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let them know what's coming. Let them know if anything's coming back behind them on their flanks to close off their supply lines.

PHILLIPS: You are now airborne over Iraq with commander Steve Krotow's Gray Knights, the Navy's P-3 eyes in the sky.

STEVE KROTOW, CMDR., U.S. NAVY: Any kind of forces that look like they may be threatening the Marines, and we want to let them know. And we have the capability to send pictures or actual video. And then they can make the decision if they want to maybe avoid that area or go ahead and go out and engage those folks.

PHILLIPS: Dodging missiles and AAA fire is something new to this squadron. However, protecting forces on the ground isn't.

(on camera): These men are about three hours into their mission and the sun is starting to set. They've just come across one of the Marine convoys that they need to track. So they're watching every move that the Marines make as they move towards Baghdad, making sure they don't come across any type of threat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are getting close into it.

PHILLIPS: Also on this mission, Marine Colonel Jim Lukeman and Sergeant Emilio Hernandez. They are tracking and talking to their fellow Marines on the ground, making sure they don't get ambushed.

JIM LUKEMAN, COL, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Well, I'm looking for enemy positions up to the front. We'll look at the routes ahead of where our guys are going to go and try to see what enemy is there.

PHILLIPS: Lukeman is warning his troops about a bridge ahead. He doesn't like what he sees. The Gray Knights fly closer and grab a clearer picture.

LUKEMAN: There's a vehicular traffic so we know the bridge is still intact. They may be Iraqi military. So now that the Marine division on the ground has that information, they'll take that action -- they'll take action tactically on it.

PHILLIPS: These flights can last up to 15 hours, but it's the minutes of real time intelligence that completes the mission

LUKEMAN: When you are on the ground fighting, every piece of information you've got about what you're coming up against is golden.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It keeps the Marines safe. And one more safe Marine is one more Marine that can continue on north of Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Now in addition to protecting those troops on the ground, this P-3 crew also was in part or a part rather, Wolf, of a very important mission. You'll remember the rescue of POW Jessica Lynch. Well, it was the P-3 personnel that provided the eyes in the sky. So that when Special Forces went in to attempt that rescue, they were watching over the operation to make sure that everything went smoothly. As you know, Jessica Lynch is alive and she got out of there -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Kyra, watching you report now from Bahrain, an Arab country here in the Persian Gulf. knowing that's where the fifth fleet, the Navy's fifth fleet is headquartered in the Persian Gulf. knowing that the Central Command is temporarily headquartered in nearby Qatar, knowing that the Saudis are hosting the U.S. air war, that's where the air war is being directed from, I'm in Kuwait, all these Arab countries here in the Persian Gulf clearly cooperating with the U.S. and the coalition. What's the mood there in Bahrain, the U.S. sailors and Marines? There are plenty of them where you are.

PHILLIPS: Well, I have to tell you, all the sailors and the Marines, you're right, here in the area, they're very mission-focused. They're concentrating on what they have to do. The energy is building. You can feel it all throughout the area here.

As for the locals, things have really calmed down. There were some protests at the beginning. We saw it outside of the hotel. We saw it within the streets, but now it's calmed down. You haven't seen a lot of the protests. However, the safety factor is still on delta. And that means that military personnel have a curfew. They have to be in early. And they cannot be out on the streets until it is decided that it is safe to do so -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Kyra Phillips, she did some amazing work for us aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. Now she's in Bahrain. Thanks, Kyra very much for that excellent, excellent report.

Here are some other scenes from the battle front unfolding right now. These are British forces taking prisoners of war into custody in the southern city of Basra. The U.S. Central Command says the coalition is holding about 6500 Iraqi POWs.

And in central Iraq, members of the Army's 502nd Infantry displayed an impressive stash of weapons they found in the town of Karbala. One sergeant says it's the third such find. Rescued POW Jessica Lynch's dog tags have been found. We'll have that and new and dramatic developments on her rescue. Hear the full account.

And with dozens of U.S. troops who have fallen on the battlefield, we'll have a live report from the hometown of the first female U.S. casualty. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN's continuing coverage of the war. In a moment, the push to Baghdad. We'll take you to the front lines.

But first, for the latest headlines let's go back to Fredricka Whitfield in the CNN newsroom in Atlanta.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: We have an update now on Private First Class Jessica Lynch, whose capture and dramatic rescue have captivated Americans. Her parents are on their way right now to Germany to be reunited with their daughter.

And CNN's Jason Bellini, embedded with the U.S. Marines in southern Iraq, reports Lynch's dog tags were found today in the home of a suspected Ba'ath Party representative. Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command gave new details today about last week's daring rescue operation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As the team entered the hospital room, they found Private Lynch in a hospital bed. The first man approach the door and came in and called her name. She had been scared, had the sheet up over her head, because she didn't know what was happening. She lowered the sheet from her head. She didn't really respond yet because I think she was probably pretty scared.

The soldier again said, "Jessica Lynch, we're the United States soldiers here and we're here to protect and you take you home." She seemed to understand that.

As he walked over, took his helmet off, she looked up to him and said, "I'm an American soldier, too." The team members carried her down the stairwell out to the front door to the waiting helicopter. Jessica held up her hand and grabbed the ranger doctor's hand, held on to it for the entire time and said "please don't let anybody leave me." That was clear she knew where she was and she didn't want to be left anywhere in the hands of the enemy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Central Command has confirmed that eight of the nine bodies recovered during Lynch's rescue are in fact her fellow soldiers from the 507th Maintenance Company. More now on one of those killed, Private First Class Lorie Ann Piestewa. She was a Native American of the Hopi nation, mother of two small children. And now she has become the first U.S. woman killed in battle, killed in this war.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is in her hometown of Tuba City, Arizona on the Navajo reservation -- Rusty?

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, Lorie Piestewa grew up in a place that is not so unlike climatically as the place where she was killed. Tuba City, Arizona in the desert, the middle of the Navajo reservation where there is searing heat and sandstorms, which we've been having actually over the last few minutes.

But this town has been hit very hard by Lorie's Piestewa's death. It is a community Lorie herself was a Hopi Indian, but the Navahos and the Hopis here are very close. People constantly are saying everyone knows everyone in this town. So when the news came last night, people flocked to the Piestewa home to help them mourn. And Wayland Piestewa read a statement to the press.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WAYLAND PIESTEWA, BROTHER: We are very proud of Lorie. Our family is very proud of her. We know she was our hero as you've heard before. We are continuing to believe that. We're going to hold that in our hearts forever and she will not be forgotten. And it gives us comfort to know that she is at peace right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Now Piestewa and Jessica Lynch were very close friends, were even roommates before they went to Fort Bliss. Piestewa's mother had even met Jessica before the two were deployed. Of course the Piestewa family was on a rollercoaster after they had heard that Lynch been rescued because they were still holding out hope upon hope that indeed their own daughter would come home safely.

There will be -- they have -- the family does not know when the body will be returned here to Arizona, but there will be a service at their local Catholic church tomorrow. And much of the community is expected to attend -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Rusty Dornin in Tuba City, Arizona. Our heart goes out to all of those families. Of course, thanks Rusty very much.

Those latest casualties, bring the number of coalition dead in Operation Iraqi Freedom to 102, according to U.S. and British military officials. That includes 79 Americans, 14 of whom died in non-hostile situations. On the Iraqi side, state-run television reports 420 dead and 4000 injured. U.S. Central Command says it's holding more than 6,000 Iraqi POWs. We have no way of confirming what Iraqi state-run television is saying.

Still ahead this half hour, back to Baghdad. We'll try to get a gauge at how close could coalition troops are to controlling Iraq's capital city. And post-war plans, the president is at Camp David with his top advisors. We'll hear more of the exit strategy when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You're looking at United States Marines firing artillery at Iraqi positions just south of Baghdad. These Marines are with the 5th Battalion. Welcome back our continuing coverage.

And as we've been showing you, coalition forces are tightening their grip on the southern suburbs of Baghdad right now, while making their presence known also in the heart of the capital city. We want to check in with our Nic Robertson. He's following developments near the Iraqi board in Jordan.

Nic, this latest appearance by Saddam Hussein on Iraqi television, together with his two sons, other advisors, is that going to have a direct impact on convincing the Iraqi population in Baghdad that he's still in charge at a time when they must see how close U.S. forces are?

ROBERTSON: Wolf, I think it's going to be a day by day, almost hour by hour judgment at this stage for Iraqi people. If in fact, they can see their television sets. We know the electricity is off in the western side of the city, back on tonight in some parts of the east. So some people may not even be able to see these images.

But every time these pictures are on television, that is a very clear signal to the people of Baghdad that President Saddam Hussein and his leadership are still in control. They control the airwaves. They're sending this very clear message to their people that they are still -- they are the leaders of the country and their words should be followed. And President Saddam Hussein earlier in the day had told people that they should go out, they should man the frontlines, that they should exhaust the coalition forces, and that they should keep on fighting. That's been the message.

But the people of Baghdad are seeing something completely different now. For the first time, seeing U.S. troops on the streets of the city, even though their government officials are denying this is happening. And what we are getting a clear picture of, of the military disposition of the Iraqi troops in the capitol, clearing civilians out of the neighborhoods on the southwest of the city close to the international airport where coalition forces are, setting up roadblocks, deploying tanks, bringing in artillery pieces.

We've seen artillery pieces move through the city. We've heard about anti aircraft guns being brought back into the city of Baghdad. All of this on the southwestern side of the city in the suburbs that are very close to presidential palaces. Very close to the government areas of the center of the city. All of this now lined up, it's very clear to the people of Baghdad that the fight is right now in the city itself. And they must be making, Wolf, an hour by hour judgment. Is the leadership still in control and should we stay?

BLITZER: Nic, a very quick question, but I think it's very important. We've heard a lot about the southern suburbs of Baghdad. In the north, we're told by the U.S. Central Command they basically control their -- they've sealed off that one highway that leads from Baghdad north to Tikrit, which is the hometown of Saddam Hussein. How significant is that?

ROBERTSON: It's very significant, Wolf. And number one, it sends a very clear message to the leadership in Baghdad, that if you want to run out of the city north and try to get to Tikrit, where President Saddam Hussein is from, it's going to be difficult. You're going to have to find back roads to do it. It sends a message to the Iraqi people. It shows and tells them that the coalition is all around Baghdad, that it is a dominant force. It shows that the coalition still has the initiative on their side.

And I understand from sources who have very good information about what's been happening in the last couple of days on those northern outskirts of Baghdad, they say that a large number of military installations on the northern outskirts of the city have been bombed quite heavily over the last few days. So the people in the northern side of Baghdad know that their military's being targeted. They know the coalition forces are right there. It's all part that of very strong psychological message to the people of Baghdad, to the military.

Perhaps one of the problems facing the military commanders in Baghdad right now, Wolf, as they try and weigh up whether or not they should take on the coalition forces, is the fact that right behind them almost literally now is the political leadership who are urging them on. So perhaps for the military commanders, very difficult to take a decision that they're going to back out of the fight at this stage, Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson doing a brilliant job for us, reporting the latest developments from inside Iraq. Nic, thanks very much.

As coalition forces assault Baghdad from the ground and from the air, reinforcements are making their way toward the Iraqi capitol. And some groups are encountering a bit of resistance along the way.

The Bush administration is just as interested in post-Saddam Iraq as it has been with the war plan.

Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux says that officials are already looking ahead.

Suzanne, thanks for joining us. What is the game plan right now?

SUZANNE, MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, President Bush in his weekly radio address called Saddam's regime a dying regime. He vowed we will not stop until Iraq is free. But the White House tempered its optimism with the reality that as allied forces approached the center of Baghdad, there could still be nasty battles ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MALVEAUX (voice-over): During his weekend at Camp David, President Bush reached out to a friend and foe of the Iraqi war, Spain's Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their focus was on the future, a post-Saddam Iraq. Mr. Bush in his weekly radio address.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: By defending our own security, we're ridding the people of Iraq from one of the cruelest regimes on earth.

MALVEAUX: The White House envisions replacing that regime immediately after the conflict with the military force commanded by General Tommy Franks and a U.S. civilian administration headed by retired General Jay Garner. The U.S. would help create an interim Iraqi authority. But the plan is raising questions and even concerns from world leaders, that without international input, it is doomed to fail.

KEN POLLACK, CNN ANALYST: The simple fact of the matter is that no one in the United States knows who the Iraqi people want to lead them. And for the United States to simply choose people, whether they're from the inside or from the outside, could be very problematic in establishing a -- even a transitional authority with some legitimacy in the eyes of Iraqis.

MALVEAUX: British Prime Minister Tony Blair and many European leaders believe that legitimacy will come if the United Nations endorses the new Iraqi regime. Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair will meet this Monday and Tuesday in Belfast, Ireland to debate the U.N.'s role.

(on camera): Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair will also meet with the Irish Prime Minister and leaders of three political parties of northern Ireland to try to jumpstart a power sharing arrangement between the Catholics and the Protestants --Wolf?

BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Thanks, Suzanne, very much. We'll all be watching this upcoming summit, all the latest developments this coming week.

Just ahead, an Army airborne goes on a reconnaissance mission in northern Iraq. Hear what they found in some of the outlying villages. But first, these images from the front lines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Now a recap of some of the latest developments in the war in Iraq. Once again, here is CNN's Miles O'Brien.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 8:36 a.m., Walter Rodgers reports, according to Army sources, Iraqi officials are fleeing Baghdad in droves, using civilian convoys to avoid being targeted by coalition air strikes. 9:06 a.m., CNN's Martin Savidge, embedded with the 1st Battalion 7th Marines, reports a unit has reached the extreme southeast suburbs of Baghdad, adding to forces the U.S. says now encircle the city.

12:13 p.m. at the Pentagon, Barbara Starr reports officials say today begins a new strategy in the skies over Baghdad. The coalition Air Force will begin providing urban combat air support over the city. Now the operating plan includes both ground and air missions.

12:21 p.m., CNN's Wolf Blitzer reports according to an eyewitness, a bomb has hit central Baghdad only a few hundred meters from the Palestine Hotel. The Palestine Hotel is where much of the international press corps is based. 2:25 p.m., CNN's Brent Sadler, embedded with U.S. Special OPS in northern Iraq, files this CNN exclusive video of U.S. Special Forces operating in the northern front. Sadler reports there is significant cooperation between U.S. and Kurdish forces on the northern front.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: A sign of the times in southern Iraq. Coalition forces find a giant-sized statue of Saddam Hussein. Wait until you see what they actually did with it. And a U.S. airborne unit on patrol north of Baghdad. We'll take you on a reconnaissance mission when we come back.

But first, these images from our colleagues at the Associated Press.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You're looking at U.S. fighter jets taking off from Kuwait. Coalition aircraft are now in continuous patrol over Baghdad, ready to lend air support to any U.S. units on the ground that could come under enemy fire. While every mission in Iraq carries some danger, some turn out to be an exchange of culture rather than exchange of gunfire. A CNN crew rode along on just such a mission in northern Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is good air recon. It is very tiring because of the heat and slow paced. The terrain is very -- it is very bad. Plus, you want to watch out for UXL, unexploded ordnance. You don't want to go over it with a vehicle or anything like that. On the other hand, you're also looking out for any type of ambush or any type of enemy activity.

We hit a couple of villages on the recon today. Talked to the local village chief and everything seems pretty well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you okay, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will be nice to accept.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give us (UNINTELLIGIBLE). UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They know we're going to help them and everything. And you can tell that, when see us, they wave to us and everything. And they will bring us out tea or whatever. And you could tell they're real happy to see us here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it was the kids, seeing some of them walking barefooted and no shoes. I mean, right, I take that -- back at home -- I'm like, don't see that. And come over here and I see this. And it's sad, you know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 1987, Iraqi regime come to this village and blow everything to the ground. And these people had to flee. They didn't let nobody take anything with them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he was saying that the Iraqis came through and just bombed and leveled most of the village. And just seeing the ruins there, it's like, man, we got to stop this thing. People are going to think twice before they come through and bomb a village. But, hey, America's here, so better not do that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought maybe we might run into some trouble or something like that, make some contact. But the way I like the way it's turning out It's more peaceful. If it doesn't happen, that's fine with me. At least I know all my guys are going to make it back and see their families after this. And live their lives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't really say I'm disappointed, because I know eventually it's going to happen or actually make our first contact. And we'll move on with that. But right now, we're doing what we're supposed to do, which is helping these people get back up on their feet and protecting them while they're protecting us. And it's basically a mutual thing right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the war ends. I mean, I'm sure that we want to be here and help these people better themselves and you know, better the infrastructure, their political situation, you know, better their lives basically. I'm sure we're going to do that. I mean, we're just not going to take off and leave and go back home after the war is over.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Our thanks to CNN's Thomas Nibo (ph), our photographer, and Steve Nettleton, our reporter, for putting that excellent piece together for us.

Meanwhile in Baghdad earlier today, U.S. Marines attack a barracks for Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard. More of that and other images of the war immediately when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Live pictures of Baghdad once again. It's been a scene of heavy pounding from the air, as well as from the ground. Artillery fire coming from the southern suburbs. That's where U.S. Marines Army soldiers are working their way ever closer to the Iraqi capital. We'll have much more coverage of that coming up throughout the night.

But first, a look at some of the other striking images of this war. U.S. forces move forward in battle in the battle for Baghdad particularly, blasting a Republican Guard barracks in the southwestern part of the capital. U.S. air strikes pounded the northern Iraqi city of Kithri (ph) earlier today, devastating frontline positions so coalition forces could move in to take control.

And British forces in Basra have taken down Saddam Hussein -- well, sort of. Yesterday they knocked down a huge statue of the Iraqi president, reducing it to rubble.

Please stay with CNN throughout the night for up to the minute, when I say up to the minute, I mean up to the minute war coverage. I'll be back for two more hours of coverage with Anderson Cooper.

I'm Wolf Blitzer in Kuwait City

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Aired April 5, 2003 - 18:00>   ET
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ANNOUNCER: CNN, live this hour: WOLF BLITZER REPORTS live from Kuwait City.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: You're looking at a live picture from Baghdad, where coalition forces have been pounding, pounding Iraqi troops and making advances all day long. Hello from Kuwait City. And once again, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting tonight live.

We have reporters fanned out across Iraq this hour. We'll get the latest from Baghdad, where U.S. forces have pushed toward downtown. And the bombs continue to drop. We'll get to all that in a moment.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: You're looking live at the Iraqi capitol, where coalition forces have dominated the battle front all day and into the night, both in the sky, as well as on the ground.

Americans tanks seen today right in the heart of the city. While overhead, the coalition has implemented a new air strategy to protect them. In the words of one Pentagon official, "the Baghdad portion of the war plan is now under way."

Today that included heavy fighting at what's reported to be a Republican Guard barracks. We get that and more from Harry Smith of Britain's ITN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY SMITH, ITN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the fight they've been waiting for, the tanks of the American 2nd Brigade, taking the war right to the heart of Saddam's much vaunted defenders, to the Republican Guards, holed up in their barracks in the southwestern suburbs of the Iraqi capitol.

And on the other side of Baghdad, in the southeast corner, U.S. Marines close in on another division of the Republican Guards, as the noose around the capitol tightens.

Today's assault followed another night of heavy bombardment in and around Baghdad. As shells rained down on units of the Republican Guard and other military targets.

American military planners continued to warn that there could still be tough fighting ahead. But tonight, they're closer than many believe they would be to the center of Saddam's regime.

Harry Smith, ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Reporter Scott Nelson of "The Boston Globe" is embedded with U.S. Marines now in the southeastern suburbs of Baghdad. When we talked to him earlier, he said it's been an active day with Marines blowing up weapons caches they've been finding. But he said resistance has died down.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT NELSON, "THE BOSTON GLOBE": Along the route southeast of Baghdad over the last couple of days, it was fairly heavy. Thursday and Friday were both relatively heavy fighting along the way, a lot of tank on tank fighting, a lot of air shelling of tanks and bunkers. And it was relatively stiff resistance up through the last 40 or 50 miles toward Baghdad.

Today, as we've been right in the suburbs, much less though. There definitely have been small flare-ups here and there, but much less resistance. It seems to have really collapsed. And the focus of the Marines today seem to be keeping Republican Guards from retreating into Baghdad.

The fight to get here is essentially over. At this point, they feel like they're mopping up the Republican Guard, just trying to keep them out of the city at this point, but the fight is largely over. It certainly feels like it's largely over from here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: On the other side of Baghdad, CNN's senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is with the Army's 3-7th Cavalry. He reports the western suburbs still are a harsh environment for U.S. forces, but commanders are optimistic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: U.S. Army commanders in the Iraqi theater are now extraordinarily confident about the way the battle is unfolding. One general was quoted as saying we have the Iraqis rocking backward on their heels. He went on to say it will take several more days of pressure, but the clear implication is the American generals at least in the Army believe that the battle is being won and that there is a timeline, and that this war will not go on ceaselessly, as some had earlier feared.

The Army intelligence has been getting reports of large numbers of Iraqi Ba'athist party members. Those are -- that's part of Saddam Hussein's regime, as well as Iraqi soldiers, Republican Guard soldiers, fleeing the city in Army trucks. Now those Army trucks are being interspersed with civilian vehicles and consequently, the U.S. air power cannot strike at the civilian vehicles, but they all seem to be exiting in what one Army officer called nothing short of "a mass exodus," moving westward -- north westward in the general direction of Jordan, but almost certainly more likely they will end up in Syria.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, with the U.S. 7th Cavalry on the outskirts of Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Also on the outskirts of Baghdad, a Reuters crew came upon this scene, a group of Iraqi soldiers and civilians celebrating around what appears to be a charred American tank. This is near the Baghdad Airport, which coalition forces took over after heavy fighting.

Reuters says U.S. military officials tell them one tank in the area was abandoned because of mechanical problems.

And Abu Dhabi television showed this Iraqi soldier displaying what Iraq says is a shirt belonging to an American fighter. We've blurred the name to protect the identity. Iraq's information minister says it's one of many such finds. U.S. Central Command says it has no information to support that.

Meanwhile, a new coalition air strategy is now in effect over Baghdad. With fighter and bomber planes flying at all times, repeat all times, to protect ground forces. For more on the air campaign, we go live to CNN's Gary Tuchman. He's at an air base near the Iraqi border.

Tell us about this new strategy, Gary?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, here's what we're being told by coalition military officials, that the skies over Baghdad will not be empty again until the war is over. Air Force officials saying there will be war planes over Baghdad 24 hours a day. And here's how it will work, Wolf.

There will always be two aircraft over Baghdad. We are being told the type of planes they are is being kept classified. However, those planes will act as dispatchers, of sort. Whenever ground troops on the ground need help, these dispatcher planes will then call in six or more fighter or attack craft, including this A-10 attack plane behind me, that type of plane. And also, the F-16 fighter planes, those planes will always be orbiting the Baghdad area. When they called by the dispatchers, they will then fly over Baghdad and drop whatever bombs or missiles are necessary.

It is a forceful plan, backed up by forceful language. The air commander for CENTCOM, Air Force Lieutenant General Michael Moseley saying "we are not softening the Republican Guard. We are killing them." We are being told there would be 1,850 sorties total between this morning and tomorrow morning flown by Americans, Australians, and British pilots. We spent some today at the Royal Air Force compound on the base we're staying at here near the border of Iraq. We talked with the British pilot. And we asked him about his cooperation with the Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the American forces?

TONY HANLON, LT., BRITISH ROYAL AIR FORCE: No, really. We've been made to feel very welcome on the base and also completely part of the coalition Airborne and on the ground. We've been part of the team and just made to feel just exactly that.

TUCHMAN: How does it make you feel protecting the British ground forces, being from the United Kingdom?

HANLON: It's nice to work with our own guys. We hear it just on the radio you get, you know, the old colloquialism in. And they're guys we train with at home, but it's -- actually not that much different from working with anybody else.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: So once again, coalition leaders plan continuous intense pressure, intense air support over the head of Saddam Hussein, if he's still there, if he's still alive.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Gary Tuchman at a base along the Iraqi border. Thanks, Gary, very much.

CNN's Nic Robertson of course is keeping track of all these historic late-breaking developments involving Baghdad. He's joining us also from the Iraqi border, this time in Jordan.

Nic, what's your sense right now? It's late, it's in the middle of the night getting close to daybreak pretty soon over there in Baghdad. How are the people of Baghdad going to respond to what is dramatically unfolding right now?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly some of them have been showing their response already. And that is to leave Baghdad and get out of the way of the fighting. And we do understand from our sources in Baghdad that Iraqi officials have been telling residents of the western part of the city to get out of their homes and move away, because it's just not going to be safe. These areas have been turned into military areas.

How are the people of Baghdad going to react to what they're hearing on television, that they're being told that the coalition does not control the airport. They're being shown pictures this evening of President Saddam Hussein and his two sons, an effort by the Iraqi leadership there to show that they're still in control.

Yet, the Iraqi people in Baghdad have to reconcile this with what they've been seeing all day. Coalition forces in the southeast of the city, coalition forces in the southwest of the city, the south of the city. Iraqis in Baghdad, we understand, also believe that there's a coalition checkpoint on the northern outskirts of Baghdad. What they see in the city at this time is their own city becoming increasingly more full of soldiers, the Iraqi government aligning tanks and artillery pieces very close to the center of the city, aligning them on the southwestern side apparently forming some sort of front line against coalition forces over at the international airport on the southwest of the city.

But how are they going to react to all of this? It's very difficult to say for those that are going to stay. We have seen some of them leave. Some of them don't own cars. They're not able to get out of the city. They pretty much, Wolf, are probably going to have to sit this out, but certainly it's becoming much clearer to them now that what the leadership is telling them is not the reality that they're beginning to see for themselves for the first time on the ground right around them.

BLITZER: Nic, you've spent months and months and months in Baghdad. We've seen those pictures of a lot of Iraqis. They have rifles. They have machine guns. It seems almost everybody has weapons over there. It sounds like it could potentially be, if it gets down to house to house fighting, pretty brutal?

ROBERTSON: If people in the city are armed, to the extent that the Iraqi authorities have given us to believe that they are, and certainly my experience in Baghdad shows that anyone who's been aligned with the ruling Ba'ath Party and throughout the country there are reportedly two million members, anyone who is aligned with the Fedayeen, the Republican Guard, or any of the paramilitary resistance fighters will likely be armed.

There are certain neighborhoods of Baghdad one thinks of the predominantly Shi'ia neighborhood, Saddam City, perhaps as many as two million people live there. Now that's an area that the Iraqi regime does not believe particularly supports it in any way, shape or form. It's an area where there's been revolts before, that the government's put down.

So it's unlikely that those sorts of areas, there would be the people, the population, would be heavily armed. But in other areas, yes, they would have weapons. And if they do what they say they will, which is defend their houses, it will make going tougher for coalition forces, but we still have yet to see that sort of house to house fighting in Baghdad, Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson, a man who knows who Baghdad very well. Nic, thanks very much.

Let's speak to another man who knows Baghdad very well, the former U.S. ambassador Joe Wilson. He was the U.S. charge d'affaires in Baghdad on the eve of the first Gulf War.

Ambassador Wilson, as you look at the situation right now, would you guess, and I know it's only a guess on your part, but it's an educated guess, would the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein remain in Baghdad or head out of town perhaps to his ancestral hometown of Tikrit?

JOSEPH WILSON, FMR. U.S. ENVOY TO IRAQ: Well, I think that Saddam, being the ultimate survivalist, Wolf, will probably try and figure out how he can slither out from under this mess he's in to fight another day. There's the Samson theory, the Samson strategy that he will try and bring the whole house down around him, but it's looking increasingly like that option has been denied him by the rapidity and the lethality of the American forces that have got Baghdad surrounded, and in fact are in Baghdad now.

That leaves him with a limited number of options. He can hole up bunker style and wait for the inevitable, or try and sneak out. And he's -- this is a man who has been fighting his own security for 30 years. And he may well have some bullet holds that he thinks he can squeeze through to get out of this mess and fight another day.

BLITZER: Well, the nightmare scenario remains, even at this late stage, three weeks into the war, weapons of mass destruction, if he unleashes chemical or biological weapons. He hasn't done so yet. What's your sense, as you look at his various options right now?

WILSON: Well, I must say that -- I'm struck by the fact that none of the doomsday scenarios that we all talked about in the run-up to the war really took place in any significant fashion. The only thing that happened was they lit a few oil wells on fire in the south, that none of the bridges were burned. None of the dams were blown. They had to use chemical weapons up until now or other weapons of mass destruction.

And so, you know, it's hard to see how many more opportunities he has to use chemical weapons. If the command and control structure has eroded as much as it looks like it has, how are these orders going to get communicated? And who's in charge? And who's got their finger on the trigger and is ready to use them?

I wonder -- I worry about it. We ought -- certainly the military planners will continue to worry about that, but it strikes me as being less and less likely. What is more likely is that -- is that we will get into Baghdad, and we will settle into this occupation. And that is where you will see the resistance being -- begin to build. And the two million guns that Nic Robertson was talking about will begin to be trained upon the backs of our occupying forces.

BLITZER: Lest anyone think this is over with, forget about it. It's hugely, hugely complicated and the political fallout could be very, very dangerous. Joe Wilson, as usual, thanks very much for joining us.

WILSON: Good to be with you.

BLITZER: British forces in southern Iraq have made a grim, very grim discovery, a makeshift morgue full of human remains, along with evidence some suffered a gruesome death. Tim Ewert of Britain's ITN was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM EWERT, ITN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a discovery that horrified the soldiers who made it, the remains of hundreds of men were found in plastic bags and unsealed hard board coffins.

British troops found the bodies at an abandoned Iraqi military base on the outskirts of Azubaya (ph). The evidence suggested it was the scene of appalling atrocities. The teeth in many of the skulls had been broken and bones appeared to be wrapped in strips of military uniform.

It's not clear how long the bodies had lain here, but they were clearly not from this war.

JACK KEMP, CAPT., BRITISH ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY: You come to expect everything in war fighting. The coffins were there. It was a bit more of a surprise when I discovered the bags with human remains inside.

EWERT: Inside a neighboring building, there was evidence of cells and a catalog of photographs of the dead. Most have died from gunshot wounds to the head. Others were mutilated beyond recognition, their faces burned and swollen.

Outside, soldiers discovered what they described as a purpose built shooting gallery. The brick work behind it riddled with bullets. Identity cards revealed the names of some of the dead.

Forensics specialists will now visit the scene and hope to establish the truth of what happened here and when.

(on camera): Today's discovery seems to provide shocking evidence of atrocities under Saddam Hussein's regime. Most people are afraid to talk openly about what's been happening here. But when they do, British soldiers believe more horrors will come to light.

Tim Ewert, ITV News, Azubaya (ph).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command says coalition planes bombed the home of the Iraqi general known as Chemical Ali. Ali Hassan El Magid, a cousin of Saddam Hussein, got the nickname for reportedly ordering a chemical attack against Kurds at Halabja in northern Iraq in 1988. About 5,000 people are believed to have died. The Central Command says two planes attacked a home in Basra early this morning. It's not known if El Magid was there.

Although coalition forces have not found any weapons of mass destruction so far in Iraq, they remain understandably vigilant. In fact, that's the primary duty of one special Army unit.

CNN's Harris Whitbeck reports from south-central Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sergeant Paul Sauseta has a critical job at this Iraqi air base, now taken over by coalition forces. He's an expert on chemical and biological warfare. His job is to protect the forces here against that potential. STEVE SABBO, CAPT., U.S. ARMY: We can detect from up to five kilometers. And we can actually predict which way the vapor hazard is traveling.

WHITBECK: The threat level at this base was lowered on Saturday, allowing service members to take off the chemical suits they'd been wearing for days. But those in charge of keeping the base safe are not relaxing, not yet.

SABBO: It has decreased, but it's not gone away. So I have my systems up running 24 hours a day. So we can detect something if it was to happen.

WHITBECK: The U.S. Army is in charge of detection and decontamination. It uses sophisticated and highly mobile technology.

(on camera): Vehicles like these are among the first lines of defense in case of chemical or biological warfare. Information gathered here is used to warn those who might be in harm's way.

(voice-over): They operate in the battlefield or in areas like this one, where discoveries made when the base was taken over made many people nervous.

SABBO: Yes, there's reports all throughout the air base that all kinds of MBC gear in most of these buildings. We found two different kind of masks. One's an aviator mask that has a full frontal face shield.

WHITBECK: The Iraqi protection gear was handed over to Iraqi POWs currently being held at the base so they too could be protected in case of attack. The possibility of chemical and biological attacks is very much on the minds of the base's current occupants.

SABBO: It's there. We're still waiting. Hopefully they don't use it. If all we do is sit here and all we do is do our job and we're not very busy, that's good. But if we get busy, that's kind of a bad thing. So hopefully we'll -- we will remain status quo.

WHITBECK: A fervent wish from soldiers who have already dramatically altered the status quo here.

Harris Whitbeck, CNN in south central Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Ride in the sky over Baghdad, a CNN exclusive. Our Kyra Phillips takes us on a secret and dangerous mission over the Iraqi capital. Plus, gone but not forgotten. The coalition forces who didn't make it out alive. And fallen dictator, U.S. troops take down Saddam across Iraq. First, these images from the front lines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You're looking at earlier pictures of U.S. Marines, as they struck Iraqi forces around Baghdad. As coalition forces advance on the ground, there are eyes in the sky looking out for dangers that may be lurking ahead. CNN's Kyra Phillips flew on one such mission, the only network television reporter to do so. She joins us now live from Bahrain with this exclusive report -- Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, as the war intensifies within Baghdad, so do the efforts to protect those troops on the ground. Like you said, we had an exclusive opportunity to show you now exactly how that's done.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We won't consider the mission a success unless the Marines are happy with the product.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): They are coalition bodyguards over Baghdad, an airborne shield to U.S. Marines.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let them know what's coming. Let them know if anything's coming back behind them on their flanks to close off their supply lines.

PHILLIPS: You are now airborne over Iraq with commander Steve Krotow's Gray Knights, the Navy's P-3 eyes in the sky.

STEVE KROTOW, CMDR., U.S. NAVY: Any kind of forces that look like they may be threatening the Marines, and we want to let them know. And we have the capability to send pictures or actual video. And then they can make the decision if they want to maybe avoid that area or go ahead and go out and engage those folks.

PHILLIPS: Dodging missiles and AAA fire is something new to this squadron. However, protecting forces on the ground isn't.

(on camera): These men are about three hours into their mission and the sun is starting to set. They've just come across one of the Marine convoys that they need to track. So they're watching every move that the Marines make as they move towards Baghdad, making sure they don't come across any type of threat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are getting close into it.

PHILLIPS: Also on this mission, Marine Colonel Jim Lukeman and Sergeant Emilio Hernandez. They are tracking and talking to their fellow Marines on the ground, making sure they don't get ambushed.

JIM LUKEMAN, COL, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Well, I'm looking for enemy positions up to the front. We'll look at the routes ahead of where our guys are going to go and try to see what enemy is there.

PHILLIPS: Lukeman is warning his troops about a bridge ahead. He doesn't like what he sees. The Gray Knights fly closer and grab a clearer picture.

LUKEMAN: There's a vehicular traffic so we know the bridge is still intact. They may be Iraqi military. So now that the Marine division on the ground has that information, they'll take that action -- they'll take action tactically on it.

PHILLIPS: These flights can last up to 15 hours, but it's the minutes of real time intelligence that completes the mission

LUKEMAN: When you are on the ground fighting, every piece of information you've got about what you're coming up against is golden.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It keeps the Marines safe. And one more safe Marine is one more Marine that can continue on north of Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Now in addition to protecting those troops on the ground, this P-3 crew also was in part or a part rather, Wolf, of a very important mission. You'll remember the rescue of POW Jessica Lynch. Well, it was the P-3 personnel that provided the eyes in the sky. So that when Special Forces went in to attempt that rescue, they were watching over the operation to make sure that everything went smoothly. As you know, Jessica Lynch is alive and she got out of there -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Kyra, watching you report now from Bahrain, an Arab country here in the Persian Gulf. knowing that's where the fifth fleet, the Navy's fifth fleet is headquartered in the Persian Gulf. knowing that the Central Command is temporarily headquartered in nearby Qatar, knowing that the Saudis are hosting the U.S. air war, that's where the air war is being directed from, I'm in Kuwait, all these Arab countries here in the Persian Gulf clearly cooperating with the U.S. and the coalition. What's the mood there in Bahrain, the U.S. sailors and Marines? There are plenty of them where you are.

PHILLIPS: Well, I have to tell you, all the sailors and the Marines, you're right, here in the area, they're very mission-focused. They're concentrating on what they have to do. The energy is building. You can feel it all throughout the area here.

As for the locals, things have really calmed down. There were some protests at the beginning. We saw it outside of the hotel. We saw it within the streets, but now it's calmed down. You haven't seen a lot of the protests. However, the safety factor is still on delta. And that means that military personnel have a curfew. They have to be in early. And they cannot be out on the streets until it is decided that it is safe to do so -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Kyra Phillips, she did some amazing work for us aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. Now she's in Bahrain. Thanks, Kyra very much for that excellent, excellent report.

Here are some other scenes from the battle front unfolding right now. These are British forces taking prisoners of war into custody in the southern city of Basra. The U.S. Central Command says the coalition is holding about 6500 Iraqi POWs.

And in central Iraq, members of the Army's 502nd Infantry displayed an impressive stash of weapons they found in the town of Karbala. One sergeant says it's the third such find. Rescued POW Jessica Lynch's dog tags have been found. We'll have that and new and dramatic developments on her rescue. Hear the full account.

And with dozens of U.S. troops who have fallen on the battlefield, we'll have a live report from the hometown of the first female U.S. casualty. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN's continuing coverage of the war. In a moment, the push to Baghdad. We'll take you to the front lines.

But first, for the latest headlines let's go back to Fredricka Whitfield in the CNN newsroom in Atlanta.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: We have an update now on Private First Class Jessica Lynch, whose capture and dramatic rescue have captivated Americans. Her parents are on their way right now to Germany to be reunited with their daughter.

And CNN's Jason Bellini, embedded with the U.S. Marines in southern Iraq, reports Lynch's dog tags were found today in the home of a suspected Ba'ath Party representative. Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command gave new details today about last week's daring rescue operation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As the team entered the hospital room, they found Private Lynch in a hospital bed. The first man approach the door and came in and called her name. She had been scared, had the sheet up over her head, because she didn't know what was happening. She lowered the sheet from her head. She didn't really respond yet because I think she was probably pretty scared.

The soldier again said, "Jessica Lynch, we're the United States soldiers here and we're here to protect and you take you home." She seemed to understand that.

As he walked over, took his helmet off, she looked up to him and said, "I'm an American soldier, too." The team members carried her down the stairwell out to the front door to the waiting helicopter. Jessica held up her hand and grabbed the ranger doctor's hand, held on to it for the entire time and said "please don't let anybody leave me." That was clear she knew where she was and she didn't want to be left anywhere in the hands of the enemy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Central Command has confirmed that eight of the nine bodies recovered during Lynch's rescue are in fact her fellow soldiers from the 507th Maintenance Company. More now on one of those killed, Private First Class Lorie Ann Piestewa. She was a Native American of the Hopi nation, mother of two small children. And now she has become the first U.S. woman killed in battle, killed in this war.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is in her hometown of Tuba City, Arizona on the Navajo reservation -- Rusty?

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, Lorie Piestewa grew up in a place that is not so unlike climatically as the place where she was killed. Tuba City, Arizona in the desert, the middle of the Navajo reservation where there is searing heat and sandstorms, which we've been having actually over the last few minutes.

But this town has been hit very hard by Lorie's Piestewa's death. It is a community Lorie herself was a Hopi Indian, but the Navahos and the Hopis here are very close. People constantly are saying everyone knows everyone in this town. So when the news came last night, people flocked to the Piestewa home to help them mourn. And Wayland Piestewa read a statement to the press.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WAYLAND PIESTEWA, BROTHER: We are very proud of Lorie. Our family is very proud of her. We know she was our hero as you've heard before. We are continuing to believe that. We're going to hold that in our hearts forever and she will not be forgotten. And it gives us comfort to know that she is at peace right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Now Piestewa and Jessica Lynch were very close friends, were even roommates before they went to Fort Bliss. Piestewa's mother had even met Jessica before the two were deployed. Of course the Piestewa family was on a rollercoaster after they had heard that Lynch been rescued because they were still holding out hope upon hope that indeed their own daughter would come home safely.

There will be -- they have -- the family does not know when the body will be returned here to Arizona, but there will be a service at their local Catholic church tomorrow. And much of the community is expected to attend -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Rusty Dornin in Tuba City, Arizona. Our heart goes out to all of those families. Of course, thanks Rusty very much.

Those latest casualties, bring the number of coalition dead in Operation Iraqi Freedom to 102, according to U.S. and British military officials. That includes 79 Americans, 14 of whom died in non-hostile situations. On the Iraqi side, state-run television reports 420 dead and 4000 injured. U.S. Central Command says it's holding more than 6,000 Iraqi POWs. We have no way of confirming what Iraqi state-run television is saying.

Still ahead this half hour, back to Baghdad. We'll try to get a gauge at how close could coalition troops are to controlling Iraq's capital city. And post-war plans, the president is at Camp David with his top advisors. We'll hear more of the exit strategy when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You're looking at United States Marines firing artillery at Iraqi positions just south of Baghdad. These Marines are with the 5th Battalion. Welcome back our continuing coverage.

And as we've been showing you, coalition forces are tightening their grip on the southern suburbs of Baghdad right now, while making their presence known also in the heart of the capital city. We want to check in with our Nic Robertson. He's following developments near the Iraqi board in Jordan.

Nic, this latest appearance by Saddam Hussein on Iraqi television, together with his two sons, other advisors, is that going to have a direct impact on convincing the Iraqi population in Baghdad that he's still in charge at a time when they must see how close U.S. forces are?

ROBERTSON: Wolf, I think it's going to be a day by day, almost hour by hour judgment at this stage for Iraqi people. If in fact, they can see their television sets. We know the electricity is off in the western side of the city, back on tonight in some parts of the east. So some people may not even be able to see these images.

But every time these pictures are on television, that is a very clear signal to the people of Baghdad that President Saddam Hussein and his leadership are still in control. They control the airwaves. They're sending this very clear message to their people that they are still -- they are the leaders of the country and their words should be followed. And President Saddam Hussein earlier in the day had told people that they should go out, they should man the frontlines, that they should exhaust the coalition forces, and that they should keep on fighting. That's been the message.

But the people of Baghdad are seeing something completely different now. For the first time, seeing U.S. troops on the streets of the city, even though their government officials are denying this is happening. And what we are getting a clear picture of, of the military disposition of the Iraqi troops in the capitol, clearing civilians out of the neighborhoods on the southwest of the city close to the international airport where coalition forces are, setting up roadblocks, deploying tanks, bringing in artillery pieces.

We've seen artillery pieces move through the city. We've heard about anti aircraft guns being brought back into the city of Baghdad. All of this on the southwestern side of the city in the suburbs that are very close to presidential palaces. Very close to the government areas of the center of the city. All of this now lined up, it's very clear to the people of Baghdad that the fight is right now in the city itself. And they must be making, Wolf, an hour by hour judgment. Is the leadership still in control and should we stay?

BLITZER: Nic, a very quick question, but I think it's very important. We've heard a lot about the southern suburbs of Baghdad. In the north, we're told by the U.S. Central Command they basically control their -- they've sealed off that one highway that leads from Baghdad north to Tikrit, which is the hometown of Saddam Hussein. How significant is that?

ROBERTSON: It's very significant, Wolf. And number one, it sends a very clear message to the leadership in Baghdad, that if you want to run out of the city north and try to get to Tikrit, where President Saddam Hussein is from, it's going to be difficult. You're going to have to find back roads to do it. It sends a message to the Iraqi people. It shows and tells them that the coalition is all around Baghdad, that it is a dominant force. It shows that the coalition still has the initiative on their side.

And I understand from sources who have very good information about what's been happening in the last couple of days on those northern outskirts of Baghdad, they say that a large number of military installations on the northern outskirts of the city have been bombed quite heavily over the last few days. So the people in the northern side of Baghdad know that their military's being targeted. They know the coalition forces are right there. It's all part that of very strong psychological message to the people of Baghdad, to the military.

Perhaps one of the problems facing the military commanders in Baghdad right now, Wolf, as they try and weigh up whether or not they should take on the coalition forces, is the fact that right behind them almost literally now is the political leadership who are urging them on. So perhaps for the military commanders, very difficult to take a decision that they're going to back out of the fight at this stage, Wolf.

BLITZER: Nic Robertson doing a brilliant job for us, reporting the latest developments from inside Iraq. Nic, thanks very much.

As coalition forces assault Baghdad from the ground and from the air, reinforcements are making their way toward the Iraqi capitol. And some groups are encountering a bit of resistance along the way.

The Bush administration is just as interested in post-Saddam Iraq as it has been with the war plan.

Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux says that officials are already looking ahead.

Suzanne, thanks for joining us. What is the game plan right now?

SUZANNE, MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, President Bush in his weekly radio address called Saddam's regime a dying regime. He vowed we will not stop until Iraq is free. But the White House tempered its optimism with the reality that as allied forces approached the center of Baghdad, there could still be nasty battles ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MALVEAUX (voice-over): During his weekend at Camp David, President Bush reached out to a friend and foe of the Iraqi war, Spain's Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their focus was on the future, a post-Saddam Iraq. Mr. Bush in his weekly radio address.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: By defending our own security, we're ridding the people of Iraq from one of the cruelest regimes on earth.

MALVEAUX: The White House envisions replacing that regime immediately after the conflict with the military force commanded by General Tommy Franks and a U.S. civilian administration headed by retired General Jay Garner. The U.S. would help create an interim Iraqi authority. But the plan is raising questions and even concerns from world leaders, that without international input, it is doomed to fail.

KEN POLLACK, CNN ANALYST: The simple fact of the matter is that no one in the United States knows who the Iraqi people want to lead them. And for the United States to simply choose people, whether they're from the inside or from the outside, could be very problematic in establishing a -- even a transitional authority with some legitimacy in the eyes of Iraqis.

MALVEAUX: British Prime Minister Tony Blair and many European leaders believe that legitimacy will come if the United Nations endorses the new Iraqi regime. Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair will meet this Monday and Tuesday in Belfast, Ireland to debate the U.N.'s role.

(on camera): Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair will also meet with the Irish Prime Minister and leaders of three political parties of northern Ireland to try to jumpstart a power sharing arrangement between the Catholics and the Protestants --Wolf?

BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Thanks, Suzanne, very much. We'll all be watching this upcoming summit, all the latest developments this coming week.

Just ahead, an Army airborne goes on a reconnaissance mission in northern Iraq. Hear what they found in some of the outlying villages. But first, these images from the front lines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Now a recap of some of the latest developments in the war in Iraq. Once again, here is CNN's Miles O'Brien.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 8:36 a.m., Walter Rodgers reports, according to Army sources, Iraqi officials are fleeing Baghdad in droves, using civilian convoys to avoid being targeted by coalition air strikes. 9:06 a.m., CNN's Martin Savidge, embedded with the 1st Battalion 7th Marines, reports a unit has reached the extreme southeast suburbs of Baghdad, adding to forces the U.S. says now encircle the city.

12:13 p.m. at the Pentagon, Barbara Starr reports officials say today begins a new strategy in the skies over Baghdad. The coalition Air Force will begin providing urban combat air support over the city. Now the operating plan includes both ground and air missions.

12:21 p.m., CNN's Wolf Blitzer reports according to an eyewitness, a bomb has hit central Baghdad only a few hundred meters from the Palestine Hotel. The Palestine Hotel is where much of the international press corps is based. 2:25 p.m., CNN's Brent Sadler, embedded with U.S. Special OPS in northern Iraq, files this CNN exclusive video of U.S. Special Forces operating in the northern front. Sadler reports there is significant cooperation between U.S. and Kurdish forces on the northern front.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: A sign of the times in southern Iraq. Coalition forces find a giant-sized statue of Saddam Hussein. Wait until you see what they actually did with it. And a U.S. airborne unit on patrol north of Baghdad. We'll take you on a reconnaissance mission when we come back.

But first, these images from our colleagues at the Associated Press.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You're looking at U.S. fighter jets taking off from Kuwait. Coalition aircraft are now in continuous patrol over Baghdad, ready to lend air support to any U.S. units on the ground that could come under enemy fire. While every mission in Iraq carries some danger, some turn out to be an exchange of culture rather than exchange of gunfire. A CNN crew rode along on just such a mission in northern Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is good air recon. It is very tiring because of the heat and slow paced. The terrain is very -- it is very bad. Plus, you want to watch out for UXL, unexploded ordnance. You don't want to go over it with a vehicle or anything like that. On the other hand, you're also looking out for any type of ambush or any type of enemy activity.

We hit a couple of villages on the recon today. Talked to the local village chief and everything seems pretty well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you okay, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will be nice to accept.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give us (UNINTELLIGIBLE). UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They know we're going to help them and everything. And you can tell that, when see us, they wave to us and everything. And they will bring us out tea or whatever. And you could tell they're real happy to see us here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it was the kids, seeing some of them walking barefooted and no shoes. I mean, right, I take that -- back at home -- I'm like, don't see that. And come over here and I see this. And it's sad, you know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 1987, Iraqi regime come to this village and blow everything to the ground. And these people had to flee. They didn't let nobody take anything with them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he was saying that the Iraqis came through and just bombed and leveled most of the village. And just seeing the ruins there, it's like, man, we got to stop this thing. People are going to think twice before they come through and bomb a village. But, hey, America's here, so better not do that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought maybe we might run into some trouble or something like that, make some contact. But the way I like the way it's turning out It's more peaceful. If it doesn't happen, that's fine with me. At least I know all my guys are going to make it back and see their families after this. And live their lives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't really say I'm disappointed, because I know eventually it's going to happen or actually make our first contact. And we'll move on with that. But right now, we're doing what we're supposed to do, which is helping these people get back up on their feet and protecting them while they're protecting us. And it's basically a mutual thing right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the war ends. I mean, I'm sure that we want to be here and help these people better themselves and you know, better the infrastructure, their political situation, you know, better their lives basically. I'm sure we're going to do that. I mean, we're just not going to take off and leave and go back home after the war is over.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Our thanks to CNN's Thomas Nibo (ph), our photographer, and Steve Nettleton, our reporter, for putting that excellent piece together for us.

Meanwhile in Baghdad earlier today, U.S. Marines attack a barracks for Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard. More of that and other images of the war immediately when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Live pictures of Baghdad once again. It's been a scene of heavy pounding from the air, as well as from the ground. Artillery fire coming from the southern suburbs. That's where U.S. Marines Army soldiers are working their way ever closer to the Iraqi capital. We'll have much more coverage of that coming up throughout the night.

But first, a look at some of the other striking images of this war. U.S. forces move forward in battle in the battle for Baghdad particularly, blasting a Republican Guard barracks in the southwestern part of the capital. U.S. air strikes pounded the northern Iraqi city of Kithri (ph) earlier today, devastating frontline positions so coalition forces could move in to take control.

And British forces in Basra have taken down Saddam Hussein -- well, sort of. Yesterday they knocked down a huge statue of the Iraqi president, reducing it to rubble.

Please stay with CNN throughout the night for up to the minute, when I say up to the minute, I mean up to the minute war coverage. I'll be back for two more hours of coverage with Anderson Cooper.

I'm Wolf Blitzer in Kuwait City

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