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CNN Live At Daybreak
Update on Baghdad International Airport
Aired April 08, 2003 - 06:49 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: In the meantime, Marty Savidge is on the east of Baghdad. Lisa Rose Weaver is on the west side of Baghdad, as of yesterday, anyway. Lisa is back with us live on the telephone to tell us what's happening there today.
Good afternoon.
LISA ROSE WEAVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, at this point, artillery and mortar rounds that we -- that I can hear from my position are very sporadic. This is in great contrast, of course, to 8 or 10 hours ago when there was heavy bombing and artillery going on in central Baghdad. It's quiet now.
A short while ago, I actually took a tour of one part of Baghdad International Airport and there spoke to troops who told me that in the course of the last few days, the fighting has moved away from them north towards the city away from the airport. From that vantage point, there was sometimes quite sustained artillery that I could hear, but it was quite some distance from where I was.
Now back with the Air Defense unit with which I'm embedded, it's very quiet since the Patriot missile battery has been here. Now going into its second day, it's had no reason to shoot down Scuds or short- range missiles, which it's designed to intercept. Troops here just putting up tents and digging in for what will probably be several weeks, possibly months, for air defense units in the area around Baghdad -- Bill.
HEMMER: Lisa, can you tell us how often has those Patriots been used with the unit you're traveling with since you entered Iraq weeks ago, can you tell us that?
WEAVER: Well the unit that I was embedded with initially, Echo Battery, used them once. And unfortunately, they shot down by accident, obviously, an Air Force jet. The problem being, as far as anybody could tell at the time, a computer glitch making it impossible for the radar system to differentiate aircraft from short-term missiles. They tend to look similar on the radar screen.
An incident that happened about a week before that was sort of the reverse. I was with Echo Battery when it was hit by a Navy radar- seeking missile, which fortunately didn't really hit the radar system straight on but kind of glanced off at the last minute so that nobody was injured.
Other batteries have been used to intercept Scuds in Iraq. But the majority in this war have been used to intercept Scud missiles headed for Kuwait -- Bill.
HEMMER: Lisa, thanks. Lisa Rose Weaver embedded west of the airport. Did not want to violate any of the rules you're operating from, Lisa, but I appreciate the answer. Thank you.
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 8, 2003 - 06:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime, Marty Savidge is on the east of Baghdad. Lisa Rose Weaver is on the west side of Baghdad, as of yesterday, anyway. Lisa is back with us live on the telephone to tell us what's happening there today.
Good afternoon.
LISA ROSE WEAVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, at this point, artillery and mortar rounds that we -- that I can hear from my position are very sporadic. This is in great contrast, of course, to 8 or 10 hours ago when there was heavy bombing and artillery going on in central Baghdad. It's quiet now.
A short while ago, I actually took a tour of one part of Baghdad International Airport and there spoke to troops who told me that in the course of the last few days, the fighting has moved away from them north towards the city away from the airport. From that vantage point, there was sometimes quite sustained artillery that I could hear, but it was quite some distance from where I was.
Now back with the Air Defense unit with which I'm embedded, it's very quiet since the Patriot missile battery has been here. Now going into its second day, it's had no reason to shoot down Scuds or short- range missiles, which it's designed to intercept. Troops here just putting up tents and digging in for what will probably be several weeks, possibly months, for air defense units in the area around Baghdad -- Bill.
HEMMER: Lisa, can you tell us how often has those Patriots been used with the unit you're traveling with since you entered Iraq weeks ago, can you tell us that?
WEAVER: Well the unit that I was embedded with initially, Echo Battery, used them once. And unfortunately, they shot down by accident, obviously, an Air Force jet. The problem being, as far as anybody could tell at the time, a computer glitch making it impossible for the radar system to differentiate aircraft from short-term missiles. They tend to look similar on the radar screen.
An incident that happened about a week before that was sort of the reverse. I was with Echo Battery when it was hit by a Navy radar- seeking missile, which fortunately didn't really hit the radar system straight on but kind of glanced off at the last minute so that nobody was injured.
Other batteries have been used to intercept Scuds in Iraq. But the majority in this war have been used to intercept Scud missiles headed for Kuwait -- Bill.
HEMMER: Lisa, thanks. Lisa Rose Weaver embedded west of the airport. Did not want to violate any of the rules you're operating from, Lisa, but I appreciate the answer. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
