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American Morning

Reports 'Chemical Ali' Dead

Aired April 07, 2003 - 08:34   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 get some latest reaction to that news in Baghdad from our own Rula Amin, who joins us from along the Jordanian-Iraqi border this morning.
Rula, good morning. What's the latest from there?

RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

You know, this is the third day in a row where U.S. troops does go into Baghdad. But today, they went into the symbols of the regime. They went to the major landmarks in Baghdad. The troops were in the presidential palaces, they went next to the Rashid Hotel, and they went to the parade ground, all of these very strong symbols of the Iraqi regime's power and control over the Iraqi people.

Now, the U.S. says this should be a strong demonstration to the people of Iraq that the regime is over, but Iraqi officials insist that is not the case. They insist that there has been a fierce fight, that the Iraqi troops had been able to inflict serious damage among the U.S. troops, that a number of U.S. soldiers had been killed, and they say they were even slaughtered, according to the Iraqi information minister, Mohammed Saeed Al Sahaf.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED SAEED AL SAHAF, IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER (through translator): This is only to attract attention, in fact. They gave them, in fact, poison yesterday. The soldiers of Saddam Hussein has given them a lesson they will never forget.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMIN: It's clear here that the U.S. is trying to tell not only the residents of Baghdad, but also the Iraqi military personnel, those in the Republican Guard, in the ruling Baath Party militias that it's futile to fight, that there is no chance for them to win the battle, and they shouldn't waste their lives trying to fight back. That's why the Iraqi officials are being very consistent in trying to picture -- to draw a totally different picture. They're making it seem that the Iraqi troops are having successes, and that it's worth their while that Iraqis are ordered to fight -- Paula.

ZAHN: Rula, if you would, walk us through the long-term challenge of the U.S. administration trying to convince the Iraqi people, once this regime is completely -- has completely crumbled that, that in fact, coalition forces are there as liberators, not invaders. AMIN: Well, Paula, it's hard to say that there is one opinion among the Iraqi residents. There are those people who are waiting, and they cannot really wait to see this regime fall. However, there are those also who oppose the Iraqi regime, but also very skeptical of the U.S. motives, they're skeptical of a U.S. occupation of Iraq, and they are confused, whether to stand with the regime or stand by the U.S. forces; they're trying to stay on the sidelines, waiting to see where will this battle end and when. They're is very concerned that this battle will have a toll on Iraqi civilians, that people will end up dying and pay a heavy price.

That's why on the streets of Baghdad, it was even surprising today to see people on the streets even in places very close to where the U.S. troops have been seen. So it seems the Iraqis are trying also to see for themselves what is happening on the streets of their own capital -- Paula.

ZAHN: Rula Amin, thanks so much. Now back to Bill in Kuwait City -- Bill.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Paula, his name is Ali Hassan Al Majeed. His nickname is "Chemical Ali." He got that name accused of gassing 5,000 Kurds to death 15 years ago, March of 1988.

Earlier today, there were British commando reports in Basra that say they found his body, dead inside of a home inside that city. But since that time, Geoffrey Hoon, in London, the British defense minister and Central Command headquarters also down in Qatar have not confirmed a positive identification of that report we heard earlier from Basra.

With that as a backdrop, there is news filtering to the northern part of the country in Kurdish-controlled area, and David Turnley now, by way of videophone, has been talking to many people about this possibility, that it may indeed have been the end of "Chemical Ali."

David, good afternoon there.

DAVID TURNLEY, CNN PHOTOGRAPHER: Good afternoon, Bill.

We're standing in the town of Kifri, which is on the eastern side of the northern front. This is a town where for years, people have had very difficult conditions, unemployed, very difficult. They're Just south of Halabja, where, as you may know, in 1988 there was a mustard gas attack on that town, and many Kurds were killed. And so the sentiment in this area, vis-a-vis, Chemical Ali and what he has reported to have done in function of that attack has left these people elated today.

We're standing in front of a man named Raul Kareem (ph). He's made his living the last 10 years as a smuggler. In fact, that's the way most of the people in this town have made their living. They have smuggled from Iraq here to the north kerosene, and petrol and rice. And oftentimes at great peril to their own life. This gentleman himself has lost many members of his family and friends doing this kind of work. Today, however, Raul tells us that the situation has changed. Ironically, given now the situation in Baghdad, he has just come from there, and he says on this particular smuggling trip, unlike any of the previous 10 years, he absolutely had no problems, because the checkpoints that are oftentimes -- let me say always manned by the Iraqi army are no longer armed whatsoever. There are no checkpoints. He was able to breeze through here freely to the north.

I'm going to ask Rasul through our translator Talah (ph)

(AUDIO GAP)

... Chemical Ali. Could you ask Rasul how he feels today, Salar, about the possibility of the death of this man, Chemical Ali?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are very glad to hear that Chemical Ali has been killed.

TURNLEY: "We are very happy to hear that Chemical Ali has been killed," he says.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Me and the people of this city, we all are happy for the hearing that Ali, Chemical Ali, has been killed.

TURNLEY: Still sharing with us that he and his colleagues here, his compatriots in this town, are very happy to hear that this man has been killed, if, in fact it is true. They feel that he was responsible for the suffering of the Kurdish people. He became an icon for that, as much as Saddam Hussein in that regime. This town, by the way, is the closest town on the northern front to Baghdad. It's a straight shot down a southern highway, about an hour and 10 minutes. If in fact this highway opens up, which people think most likely will happen when Baghdad falls, that the resistance up here will fall. They don't know whether this will be tomorrow, whether it will be in three days, in 10 days, but they feel the resistance they've been facing in the previous weeks will simply fall once word actually gets up to this region that Baghdad has fallen -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, David, thank you. David Turnley, by way of videophone in northern Iraq.

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 - 08:34   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 get some latest reaction to that news in Baghdad from our own Rula Amin, who joins us from along the Jordanian-Iraqi border this morning.
Rula, good morning. What's the latest from there?

RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

You know, this is the third day in a row where U.S. troops does go into Baghdad. But today, they went into the symbols of the regime. They went to the major landmarks in Baghdad. The troops were in the presidential palaces, they went next to the Rashid Hotel, and they went to the parade ground, all of these very strong symbols of the Iraqi regime's power and control over the Iraqi people.

Now, the U.S. says this should be a strong demonstration to the people of Iraq that the regime is over, but Iraqi officials insist that is not the case. They insist that there has been a fierce fight, that the Iraqi troops had been able to inflict serious damage among the U.S. troops, that a number of U.S. soldiers had been killed, and they say they were even slaughtered, according to the Iraqi information minister, Mohammed Saeed Al Sahaf.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED SAEED AL SAHAF, IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER (through translator): This is only to attract attention, in fact. They gave them, in fact, poison yesterday. The soldiers of Saddam Hussein has given them a lesson they will never forget.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMIN: It's clear here that the U.S. is trying to tell not only the residents of Baghdad, but also the Iraqi military personnel, those in the Republican Guard, in the ruling Baath Party militias that it's futile to fight, that there is no chance for them to win the battle, and they shouldn't waste their lives trying to fight back. That's why the Iraqi officials are being very consistent in trying to picture -- to draw a totally different picture. They're making it seem that the Iraqi troops are having successes, and that it's worth their while that Iraqis are ordered to fight -- Paula.

ZAHN: Rula, if you would, walk us through the long-term challenge of the U.S. administration trying to convince the Iraqi people, once this regime is completely -- has completely crumbled that, that in fact, coalition forces are there as liberators, not invaders. AMIN: Well, Paula, it's hard to say that there is one opinion among the Iraqi residents. There are those people who are waiting, and they cannot really wait to see this regime fall. However, there are those also who oppose the Iraqi regime, but also very skeptical of the U.S. motives, they're skeptical of a U.S. occupation of Iraq, and they are confused, whether to stand with the regime or stand by the U.S. forces; they're trying to stay on the sidelines, waiting to see where will this battle end and when. They're is very concerned that this battle will have a toll on Iraqi civilians, that people will end up dying and pay a heavy price.

That's why on the streets of Baghdad, it was even surprising today to see people on the streets even in places very close to where the U.S. troops have been seen. So it seems the Iraqis are trying also to see for themselves what is happening on the streets of their own capital -- Paula.

ZAHN: Rula Amin, thanks so much. Now back to Bill in Kuwait City -- Bill.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Paula, his name is Ali Hassan Al Majeed. His nickname is "Chemical Ali." He got that name accused of gassing 5,000 Kurds to death 15 years ago, March of 1988.

Earlier today, there were British commando reports in Basra that say they found his body, dead inside of a home inside that city. But since that time, Geoffrey Hoon, in London, the British defense minister and Central Command headquarters also down in Qatar have not confirmed a positive identification of that report we heard earlier from Basra.

With that as a backdrop, there is news filtering to the northern part of the country in Kurdish-controlled area, and David Turnley now, by way of videophone, has been talking to many people about this possibility, that it may indeed have been the end of "Chemical Ali."

David, good afternoon there.

DAVID TURNLEY, CNN PHOTOGRAPHER: Good afternoon, Bill.

We're standing in the town of Kifri, which is on the eastern side of the northern front. This is a town where for years, people have had very difficult conditions, unemployed, very difficult. They're Just south of Halabja, where, as you may know, in 1988 there was a mustard gas attack on that town, and many Kurds were killed. And so the sentiment in this area, vis-a-vis, Chemical Ali and what he has reported to have done in function of that attack has left these people elated today.

We're standing in front of a man named Raul Kareem (ph). He's made his living the last 10 years as a smuggler. In fact, that's the way most of the people in this town have made their living. They have smuggled from Iraq here to the north kerosene, and petrol and rice. And oftentimes at great peril to their own life. This gentleman himself has lost many members of his family and friends doing this kind of work. Today, however, Raul tells us that the situation has changed. Ironically, given now the situation in Baghdad, he has just come from there, and he says on this particular smuggling trip, unlike any of the previous 10 years, he absolutely had no problems, because the checkpoints that are oftentimes -- let me say always manned by the Iraqi army are no longer armed whatsoever. There are no checkpoints. He was able to breeze through here freely to the north.

I'm going to ask Rasul through our translator Talah (ph)

(AUDIO GAP)

... Chemical Ali. Could you ask Rasul how he feels today, Salar, about the possibility of the death of this man, Chemical Ali?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are very glad to hear that Chemical Ali has been killed.

TURNLEY: "We are very happy to hear that Chemical Ali has been killed," he says.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Me and the people of this city, we all are happy for the hearing that Ali, Chemical Ali, has been killed.

TURNLEY: Still sharing with us that he and his colleagues here, his compatriots in this town, are very happy to hear that this man has been killed, if, in fact it is true. They feel that he was responsible for the suffering of the Kurdish people. He became an icon for that, as much as Saddam Hussein in that regime. This town, by the way, is the closest town on the northern front to Baghdad. It's a straight shot down a southern highway, about an hour and 10 minutes. If in fact this highway opens up, which people think most likely will happen when Baghdad falls, that the resistance up here will fall. They don't know whether this will be tomorrow, whether it will be in three days, in 10 days, but they feel the resistance they've been facing in the previous weeks will simply fall once word actually gets up to this region that Baghdad has fallen -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, David, thank you. David Turnley, by way of videophone in northern Iraq.

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