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CNN Live Today

Update from Nasiriyah

Aired April 07, 2003 - 10:27   ET

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


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


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to travel to Nasiriyah, which is the site of some of the most fierce fighting so far in this war. Marie Colvin of "The London Sunday Times" joins us from there with an update.
Marie, welcome. What's the latest?

MARIE COLVIN, "THE LONDON SUNDAY TIMES": I'm actually just a mile or two outside Nasiriyah. Now I came in with an American airlift, which is pretty much a new force, the Free Iraqi Force (ph). The Americans are air lifting several hundred of the troops every night. It's an Iraqi opposition army, joining the American effort. I think the first thing they want to do is start helping to end the scattered resistance that is creating obstacles to the allied forces. Nasiriyah will be first place, Amara (ph), the ultimate goal for this Iraqi Free Force to be Baghdad.

ZAHN: And what kind of contact are these freedom fighters having with coalition forces?

COLVIN: They are being airlifted in to begin with, and they are very much part of the American war plan, strangely enough, at a late stage. I know the leader, Ahmed Chlabi (ph) has been lobbying for weeks to get into the battle. These troops were based up in northern Iraq. They've been brought down here, you know, to help the allied forces. There has been meetings today, for example, with some of the local tribal sheiks.

One of the problems in really capturing a city, you have to stabilize it, is there is quite a few people who are still nervous that this is an American occupation. This force puts an Iraqi/Arab face to the effort. They can go around and first of all know who is good guy and who is bad guy. They've got extensive network in the south and also in Baghdad. And kind of help assuage people's fears that they will be under occupation. This is an Iraqi Arab force. It is the only one Iraqi Arab force, of course, there is (ph) the Kurds in north, working side by side with the coalition. So it's not just military aim; it's also a kind of political aim, too, to stabilize as quickly as possible the areas that have essentially been freed of at least the Iraqi regulars.

ZAHN: Well, clearly, the kind of help you are talking about is welcome. Have you had the opportunity to talk with anybody that is a part of coalition about their expectations for these freedom fighters?

COLVIN: Well, we've got an American colonel attached, sort of military attache to this Iraqi Freedom Force, like the free French in Nagul (ph). There is also 120 special, American special forces based here with the Iraqi opposition group force. They are going to go out on operations, like guerrilla operations. They are in units of 56. There will be about 12 special forces on each Iraqi operation, so it's very much under a sort of independent Iraqi Arab force, under American command and control. So there is no contradiction there.

ZAHN: Marie Colvin of "The London Sunday Times," thank you for giving us an update, as you are outside of Nasiriyah. Once again, describing the airlifting in of some freedom fighters, who will help bolster some of the coalition forces.

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Aired April 7, 2003 - 10:27   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to travel to Nasiriyah, which is the site of some of the most fierce fighting so far in this war. Marie Colvin of "The London Sunday Times" joins us from there with an update.
Marie, welcome. What's the latest?

MARIE COLVIN, "THE LONDON SUNDAY TIMES": I'm actually just a mile or two outside Nasiriyah. Now I came in with an American airlift, which is pretty much a new force, the Free Iraqi Force (ph). The Americans are air lifting several hundred of the troops every night. It's an Iraqi opposition army, joining the American effort. I think the first thing they want to do is start helping to end the scattered resistance that is creating obstacles to the allied forces. Nasiriyah will be first place, Amara (ph), the ultimate goal for this Iraqi Free Force to be Baghdad.

ZAHN: And what kind of contact are these freedom fighters having with coalition forces?

COLVIN: They are being airlifted in to begin with, and they are very much part of the American war plan, strangely enough, at a late stage. I know the leader, Ahmed Chlabi (ph) has been lobbying for weeks to get into the battle. These troops were based up in northern Iraq. They've been brought down here, you know, to help the allied forces. There has been meetings today, for example, with some of the local tribal sheiks.

One of the problems in really capturing a city, you have to stabilize it, is there is quite a few people who are still nervous that this is an American occupation. This force puts an Iraqi/Arab face to the effort. They can go around and first of all know who is good guy and who is bad guy. They've got extensive network in the south and also in Baghdad. And kind of help assuage people's fears that they will be under occupation. This is an Iraqi Arab force. It is the only one Iraqi Arab force, of course, there is (ph) the Kurds in north, working side by side with the coalition. So it's not just military aim; it's also a kind of political aim, too, to stabilize as quickly as possible the areas that have essentially been freed of at least the Iraqi regulars.

ZAHN: Well, clearly, the kind of help you are talking about is welcome. Have you had the opportunity to talk with anybody that is a part of coalition about their expectations for these freedom fighters?

COLVIN: Well, we've got an American colonel attached, sort of military attache to this Iraqi Freedom Force, like the free French in Nagul (ph). There is also 120 special, American special forces based here with the Iraqi opposition group force. They are going to go out on operations, like guerrilla operations. They are in units of 56. There will be about 12 special forces on each Iraqi operation, so it's very much under a sort of independent Iraqi Arab force, under American command and control. So there is no contradiction there.

ZAHN: Marie Colvin of "The London Sunday Times," thank you for giving us an update, as you are outside of Nasiriyah. Once again, describing the airlifting in of some freedom fighters, who will help bolster some of the coalition forces.

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