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American Morning
Kurds Celebrate in Northern Iraq
Aired April 09, 2003 - 08:03 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: Let's get more now on these extraordinary pictures coming out of Baghdad. Our Rula Amin is following the unfolding events from along the Jordanian-Iraqi border. She has the very latest for us now.
Good morning, Rula.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Now, true, the U.S. is saying, it's not quite over yet, but for some residents in Baghdad, it is over. In Saddam's city, this is very poor, overpopulated neighborhood in Baghdad. About two million people, mostly Shiite Iraqis. They were on the streets, cheering the fall of the Iraqi regime, welcoming the U.S. troops and just saying thank you to President Bush.
These crowds have -- are unsurprisingly very happy to see the regime fall. They are on the streets, expressing their joy, expressing their jubilation, chanting some things like, "there's only one God," Saying "Saddam is the only enemy of God." They also not on cheered, they went on looting, they went to every government building around. They took everything out, refrigerators, documents, safe boxes and even plastic flowers. They also went to the U.N. headquarters at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, very close to Saddam City. Over there, they are not only looted the buildings and the offices, but also took the U.N. cars. They drove off with the U.N. cars, loaded with whatever they had looted there. But it's not all over Baghdad like this.
In other areas of Baghdad, residents are very concerned from what is happening. There is fear. Fearing that this looting, this breakdown of law and order in Baghdad may lead to chaos. Some people will be paying a price, especially those who have supported the regime and benefited from the regime.
Now, on the street, most of the Iraqi security forces have abandoned its positions, checkpoints, APCs, even uniforms. They got rid of their uniforms and just landed among the civilians. It's not clear yet. Does that means they have given up on fighting U.S. troops, or are they preparing to wade another war against the troops, trying at least to inflict damage, if not to stop the troops, and that's why we're still seeing cautious, alarming notes from the U.S. officials and journalists in Baghdad that it's not quite over yet. The Red Cross is reporting fierce fighting in some parts of Baghdad, and they're saying some of their personnel is caught in the crossfire.
ZAHN: Rula, what can you tell us about any sightings of the any members of the Iraqi leadership? Much has been made from the Iraqi information minister going under cover. This is a guy we used to see on an hourly basis giving news conferences.
AMIN: That is true. That is one of the most significant signs we got this morning from the journalists in Baghdad. They're staying at the Palestine Hotel where the information minister had set up an office over there. Everyday, there are Iraqi minders. They come from the information ministry to escort journalists around Baghdad. No journalist is allowed to go around without an escort. The information minister had been having his daily briefing over there, but not today. The information minister didn't show up, neither his officials, none of them. So journalists were just roaming around Baghdad for the first time in almost 10 years alone without any minders, going to Saddam City. This is -- I've been in Baghdad for so many times. It's always been such a big deal to go to Saddam City. We usually spend weeks to try to get a permission to go there. Today, most of the journalists went to Saddam City and captured those pictures of Iraqis celebrating the fall of the Iraqi regime -- Paula.
ZAHN: Rula Amin, we'll get be getting back to you throughout the morning. Thanks so much for the update.
Now we get to say good morning to Bill Hemmer, who is standing by in Kuwait City.
Good to see you, Bill.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you, too, Paula. Thank you very much, too, and good afternoon from Kuwait, 3:00 local time; that means 4:00 throughout Iraq.
And we focused a lot on Baghdad today, Paula, but in the north, we see more signs again of part of the snapshot we saw in Baghdad, the town of Irbil. Kurdish controlled territory right here, and the Kurds have not liked Saddam Hussein for many years, going back to the strife for decades and also what many consider the gassing of the Kurds in Haladjah (ph) in 1988, March of that year.
It should come as no surprise then to see the celebrations on the streets of Irbil today. And for more on that, Gavin Morris is live with us for CNN on the northern front.
Gavin, what's the reaction there now?
GAVIN MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
I know that many parts of Iraq, so far been fairly tempered reaction. Not so here in Irbil. If you can take a look up the street here. What we here, there's a bit of a traffic jam at the moment, but we've seen streams and streams of cars and busses and trucks and tractors and any vehicles these people can get, these Kurdish people. They have been jumping on top of them. And over the last two hours, a celebration of, well, I think really unparalleled scale has been seen here in Irbil. There's no holds barred on this celebration now. Even the local officials are saying as far as they're concerned, it may not be official, but the reign of Saddam Hussein is over. They're saying it's history. That's what the local officials are saying.
So the people are out on the streets. They've had banners, United States flags, Kurdish flags, all sorts of things. They've also had their AK-47s out, and they've been firing those into the air. Now the officials are worried about that, because that's obviously a dangerous situation, a lot of gunfire in an urban area. That's died down a bit now, but the celebrations have not. This has been going on, as I say, for two hours. They're doing laps of the city, and just everybody in a very jubilant mood -- Bill.
HEMMER: Gavin, we know what brought this on in Baghdad, but what brought it on in that town of Irbil?
MORRIS: I just think it's these reports that have been coming out, that perhaps Saddam Hussein was killed in that attack of a couple of nights ago. Also, it is also important to say there has been a fairly significant breakthrough on the northern front here today, a mountain that separates the Kurdish controlled city of Doughhook (ph) and the Iraqi-controlled city of Mosul (ph) was taken sometime early this morning, and so I think that also has filtered through. They say it's the last real land barrier on the road to Mosul, and now the officials are saying they expect within days for there to be developments there.
What we're hearing from Baghdad, also what we're hearing on the northern front really has whipped these people up into a frenzy. I'll take you back to a little bit of that, Bill. As you can see, more cars streaming along. All of these sorts of banners that they have, flags, horns are pumping, and it is just swelling as the day goes on. Very difficult to hear you at the moment there, but, Bill, if you can hear me, this has now spread throughout the entire town of Irbil, and the Kurdish authorities are also saying other census all over northern Iraq are also experiencing celebrations just like this -- Bill.
HEMMER All right, Gavin, thanks. Gavin Morris watching the northern front in Irbil.
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 9, 2003 - 08:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get more now on these extraordinary pictures coming out of Baghdad. Our Rula Amin is following the unfolding events from along the Jordanian-Iraqi border. She has the very latest for us now.
Good morning, Rula.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Now, true, the U.S. is saying, it's not quite over yet, but for some residents in Baghdad, it is over. In Saddam's city, this is very poor, overpopulated neighborhood in Baghdad. About two million people, mostly Shiite Iraqis. They were on the streets, cheering the fall of the Iraqi regime, welcoming the U.S. troops and just saying thank you to President Bush.
These crowds have -- are unsurprisingly very happy to see the regime fall. They are on the streets, expressing their joy, expressing their jubilation, chanting some things like, "there's only one God," Saying "Saddam is the only enemy of God." They also not on cheered, they went on looting, they went to every government building around. They took everything out, refrigerators, documents, safe boxes and even plastic flowers. They also went to the U.N. headquarters at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, very close to Saddam City. Over there, they are not only looted the buildings and the offices, but also took the U.N. cars. They drove off with the U.N. cars, loaded with whatever they had looted there. But it's not all over Baghdad like this.
In other areas of Baghdad, residents are very concerned from what is happening. There is fear. Fearing that this looting, this breakdown of law and order in Baghdad may lead to chaos. Some people will be paying a price, especially those who have supported the regime and benefited from the regime.
Now, on the street, most of the Iraqi security forces have abandoned its positions, checkpoints, APCs, even uniforms. They got rid of their uniforms and just landed among the civilians. It's not clear yet. Does that means they have given up on fighting U.S. troops, or are they preparing to wade another war against the troops, trying at least to inflict damage, if not to stop the troops, and that's why we're still seeing cautious, alarming notes from the U.S. officials and journalists in Baghdad that it's not quite over yet. The Red Cross is reporting fierce fighting in some parts of Baghdad, and they're saying some of their personnel is caught in the crossfire.
ZAHN: Rula, what can you tell us about any sightings of the any members of the Iraqi leadership? Much has been made from the Iraqi information minister going under cover. This is a guy we used to see on an hourly basis giving news conferences.
AMIN: That is true. That is one of the most significant signs we got this morning from the journalists in Baghdad. They're staying at the Palestine Hotel where the information minister had set up an office over there. Everyday, there are Iraqi minders. They come from the information ministry to escort journalists around Baghdad. No journalist is allowed to go around without an escort. The information minister had been having his daily briefing over there, but not today. The information minister didn't show up, neither his officials, none of them. So journalists were just roaming around Baghdad for the first time in almost 10 years alone without any minders, going to Saddam City. This is -- I've been in Baghdad for so many times. It's always been such a big deal to go to Saddam City. We usually spend weeks to try to get a permission to go there. Today, most of the journalists went to Saddam City and captured those pictures of Iraqis celebrating the fall of the Iraqi regime -- Paula.
ZAHN: Rula Amin, we'll get be getting back to you throughout the morning. Thanks so much for the update.
Now we get to say good morning to Bill Hemmer, who is standing by in Kuwait City.
Good to see you, Bill.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you, too, Paula. Thank you very much, too, and good afternoon from Kuwait, 3:00 local time; that means 4:00 throughout Iraq.
And we focused a lot on Baghdad today, Paula, but in the north, we see more signs again of part of the snapshot we saw in Baghdad, the town of Irbil. Kurdish controlled territory right here, and the Kurds have not liked Saddam Hussein for many years, going back to the strife for decades and also what many consider the gassing of the Kurds in Haladjah (ph) in 1988, March of that year.
It should come as no surprise then to see the celebrations on the streets of Irbil today. And for more on that, Gavin Morris is live with us for CNN on the northern front.
Gavin, what's the reaction there now?
GAVIN MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
I know that many parts of Iraq, so far been fairly tempered reaction. Not so here in Irbil. If you can take a look up the street here. What we here, there's a bit of a traffic jam at the moment, but we've seen streams and streams of cars and busses and trucks and tractors and any vehicles these people can get, these Kurdish people. They have been jumping on top of them. And over the last two hours, a celebration of, well, I think really unparalleled scale has been seen here in Irbil. There's no holds barred on this celebration now. Even the local officials are saying as far as they're concerned, it may not be official, but the reign of Saddam Hussein is over. They're saying it's history. That's what the local officials are saying.
So the people are out on the streets. They've had banners, United States flags, Kurdish flags, all sorts of things. They've also had their AK-47s out, and they've been firing those into the air. Now the officials are worried about that, because that's obviously a dangerous situation, a lot of gunfire in an urban area. That's died down a bit now, but the celebrations have not. This has been going on, as I say, for two hours. They're doing laps of the city, and just everybody in a very jubilant mood -- Bill.
HEMMER: Gavin, we know what brought this on in Baghdad, but what brought it on in that town of Irbil?
MORRIS: I just think it's these reports that have been coming out, that perhaps Saddam Hussein was killed in that attack of a couple of nights ago. Also, it is also important to say there has been a fairly significant breakthrough on the northern front here today, a mountain that separates the Kurdish controlled city of Doughhook (ph) and the Iraqi-controlled city of Mosul (ph) was taken sometime early this morning, and so I think that also has filtered through. They say it's the last real land barrier on the road to Mosul, and now the officials are saying they expect within days for there to be developments there.
What we're hearing from Baghdad, also what we're hearing on the northern front really has whipped these people up into a frenzy. I'll take you back to a little bit of that, Bill. As you can see, more cars streaming along. All of these sorts of banners that they have, flags, horns are pumping, and it is just swelling as the day goes on. Very difficult to hear you at the moment there, but, Bill, if you can hear me, this has now spread throughout the entire town of Irbil, and the Kurdish authorities are also saying other census all over northern Iraq are also experiencing celebrations just like this -- Bill.
HEMMER All right, Gavin, thanks. Gavin Morris watching the northern front in Irbil.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
