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CNN Live At Daybreak

Interview with Marie Colvin

Aired April 07, 2003 - 06:48   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Want to get back to Nasiriya, the town in south central Iraq. There's a reporter on the phone by the name of Marie Colvin. She works for the "Sunday Times." She had been airlifted earlier in the week, or possibly even today, I'm not quite sure just yet, we'll find from her in a moment, with a group known as Free Iraqi Forces. We had heard about this organization at the end of last week.
And, Marie, if you can hear me, by way of telephone, a brief outline, what is this group all about?

MARIE COLVIN, "SUNDAY TIMES": It's the -- it's newly formed Free Iraqi Forces, FIF. It's the -- it's an Iraqi opposition army. The only Iraqi opposition army that's Arab, because of course you know you have the two Kurdish armies up in the north. No one wants them to come in to central Iraq, you know the tensions between the Iraqis -- the Arabs and the Kurds.

It's led by Ahmed Chalabi, the leader who's not even a political leader, leader of the Iraqi National Congress. He's now here. There's several hundred Iraqi opposition soldiers coming in via American airlift every night, and they plan to take the battle to Saddam.

HEMMER: Yes, what is the intent of this group? Where are they headed?

COLVIN: Well we're on a rather (UNINTELLIGIBLE) base at the moment. It's a bombed and deserted Iraqi army base. They're heading next to Nasiriya, probably tomorrow. The ultimate goal is Baghdad. There're two aims here. This is not just a combat army, they're working within the American war plan. Their -- the military aim is basically to kind of work alongside. They have an extensive network in all the cities here so to help get rid of the opposition that the American forces are facing. You know as you know even in cities they've already taken, they're getting shot at or these Saddam Fedayeen. They know these people. Root them out.

HEMMER: Yes.

COLVIN: And eventually form the nucleus of a new Iraqi army.

HEMMER: Marie, just give me a better description of the people that you're with, are these Iraqi exiles, they Iraqi-Americans, are they Suni, are they Shi'a, how do they break down?

COLVIN: Well it's about half and half. They've very carefully done the mix -- the, you know, mix because, you know, the note (ph) -- you know the controversy. I'd say about 50 percent are Iraqi exiles, about 50 percent are Iraqis who have come over. One of the units here is led by an Iraqi Republican Guard captain who just came over about a week ago. There's Suni and Shi'a. There's quite a few Shi'a because their first targets are in the south here and they're very much trying to get the local people and more of the Iraqi army to come over.

HEMMER: Yes, and also, Marie, at full strength, how large would this group be then in Iraq?

COLVIN: Right now the baseline out we've got 700 here. As I said, a couple hundred more coming in every night. The number is expected within the next week to be up to 3,000. That's people who have already been recruited, trained. I mean everyone here has a weapon and is in uniform. They -- what they hope is to get to some of these, you know, Iraqi army people coming over or they hope the ranks will swell. But at the moment, enlisted, you know names on a list, that's 3,000.

HEMMER: So this is the base then? This is the foundation for the future military in Iraq once the war is over?

COLVIN: Well that's very much Ahmed Chalabi's goal, who's leading this force, is to form the nucleus of an Iraqi army that is not Baath, that, you know, has had nothing to do, or at least no agreement with the Baath Party. Equally there's a political goal. They want to be, you know, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) obviously a leading opposition politician eventually, you know be a nucleus of an Iraqi government, interim government and once selections come, the nucleus of an Iraqi government.

HEMMER: All right, Marie, thanks for checking in. Marie Colvin on the telephone, a writer with the "Sunday Times," with this group known as Free Iraqi Forces. As she indicated, could be several thousand strong in a matter of days, landing now in Nasiriya, and eventually, as she says, they hope to make their way to Baghdad.

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 7, 2003 - 06:48   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Want to get back to Nasiriya, the town in south central Iraq. There's a reporter on the phone by the name of Marie Colvin. She works for the "Sunday Times." She had been airlifted earlier in the week, or possibly even today, I'm not quite sure just yet, we'll find from her in a moment, with a group known as Free Iraqi Forces. We had heard about this organization at the end of last week.
And, Marie, if you can hear me, by way of telephone, a brief outline, what is this group all about?

MARIE COLVIN, "SUNDAY TIMES": It's the -- it's newly formed Free Iraqi Forces, FIF. It's the -- it's an Iraqi opposition army. The only Iraqi opposition army that's Arab, because of course you know you have the two Kurdish armies up in the north. No one wants them to come in to central Iraq, you know the tensions between the Iraqis -- the Arabs and the Kurds.

It's led by Ahmed Chalabi, the leader who's not even a political leader, leader of the Iraqi National Congress. He's now here. There's several hundred Iraqi opposition soldiers coming in via American airlift every night, and they plan to take the battle to Saddam.

HEMMER: Yes, what is the intent of this group? Where are they headed?

COLVIN: Well we're on a rather (UNINTELLIGIBLE) base at the moment. It's a bombed and deserted Iraqi army base. They're heading next to Nasiriya, probably tomorrow. The ultimate goal is Baghdad. There're two aims here. This is not just a combat army, they're working within the American war plan. Their -- the military aim is basically to kind of work alongside. They have an extensive network in all the cities here so to help get rid of the opposition that the American forces are facing. You know as you know even in cities they've already taken, they're getting shot at or these Saddam Fedayeen. They know these people. Root them out.

HEMMER: Yes.

COLVIN: And eventually form the nucleus of a new Iraqi army.

HEMMER: Marie, just give me a better description of the people that you're with, are these Iraqi exiles, they Iraqi-Americans, are they Suni, are they Shi'a, how do they break down?

COLVIN: Well it's about half and half. They've very carefully done the mix -- the, you know, mix because, you know, the note (ph) -- you know the controversy. I'd say about 50 percent are Iraqi exiles, about 50 percent are Iraqis who have come over. One of the units here is led by an Iraqi Republican Guard captain who just came over about a week ago. There's Suni and Shi'a. There's quite a few Shi'a because their first targets are in the south here and they're very much trying to get the local people and more of the Iraqi army to come over.

HEMMER: Yes, and also, Marie, at full strength, how large would this group be then in Iraq?

COLVIN: Right now the baseline out we've got 700 here. As I said, a couple hundred more coming in every night. The number is expected within the next week to be up to 3,000. That's people who have already been recruited, trained. I mean everyone here has a weapon and is in uniform. They -- what they hope is to get to some of these, you know, Iraqi army people coming over or they hope the ranks will swell. But at the moment, enlisted, you know names on a list, that's 3,000.

HEMMER: So this is the base then? This is the foundation for the future military in Iraq once the war is over?

COLVIN: Well that's very much Ahmed Chalabi's goal, who's leading this force, is to form the nucleus of an Iraqi army that is not Baath, that, you know, has had nothing to do, or at least no agreement with the Baath Party. Equally there's a political goal. They want to be, you know, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) obviously a leading opposition politician eventually, you know be a nucleus of an Iraqi government, interim government and once selections come, the nucleus of an Iraqi government.

HEMMER: All right, Marie, thanks for checking in. Marie Colvin on the telephone, a writer with the "Sunday Times," with this group known as Free Iraqi Forces. As she indicated, could be several thousand strong in a matter of days, landing now in Nasiriya, and eventually, as she says, they hope to make their way to Baghdad.

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