Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

War in Iraq: Baghdad Update

Aired April 10, 2003 - 06:12   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: As the world watched yesterday, they saw the Iraqi capital fall. Our Walter Rodgers has disembedded from the 3 7th Cavalry. We saw him live make his way across southern Iraq into the Iraqi capital. He is now, as we said, disembedded in downtown Baghdad. Let's get the latest from him.
Walter, hello.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning from the heart of Baghdad, Daryn. It's a quiet city today. It's recovering from yesterday's exhalation and jubilation. There are small crowds of people out on the streets. What they're basically doing is taking stock.

Of course there are no shops open, at least not in the areas we've seen, so there's no opportunity to go grocery shopping. But I have been talking with Iraqi citizens, many of them do speak English, and they say they've got a week's, perhaps months of food stockpiled in their homes. So there is no crisis here, at least nothing on the proportion that some of the international aid agencies would have you believe. There is no electricity in parts of town, but there is food, there is water.

And most of the Iraqi citizens with whom I'm speaking are generally relieved that, for the most part, this city has now fallen into American hands with not too very much fighting. There were fierce firefights in a few pockets of the city. There are still billowing clouds of smoke in some areas. But by and large, American troops are at the major intersections with their main battle tanks and their other Bradley fighting vehicles. The city is pretty calm, at this point, with the exception of sporadic fighting -- Daryn.

KAGAN: So, Walter, you're not seeing any of the looting that we saw so much of yesterday?

RODGERS: That's true, Daryn. Looting is like a fire, it has a way of burning itself out or maybe everything's simply been stolen yesterday. We haven't seen any of that today.

We did see it in the southern suburbs of Baghdad yesterday. By the way, the most prized commodity seemed to be chairs, chairs and filing cabinets. What we saw was, of course, people breaking in to former government offices and stealing chairs. We'd see whole truck loads of chairs. It was as if a chair was the rage in Baghdad. Having said that, we haven't seen that this morning. The stories, which could have been -- stores which could have been looted were looted yesterday. No evidence of looting today. Again, people face considerable uncertainty now.

I was talking to some Iraqis and I said were you glad that Saddam is gone? Most of them said yes, cautiously. One young man said no. He was about 25 years old. And I said why not? He said we're afraid now because all we've ever known is Saddam Hussein. Remember in most Arab countries, like Iraq, 50 percent of the population is under 16 years of age. Now that being the case, half the population of Iraq has never known anything other than the government of Saddam Hussein. And it has, if not given them terror, it has also given them a modicum of stability. Many Iraqis are uncertain about the future and consequently somewhat fearful. And we're also uncovering that -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Well it's going to be interesting to watch how the large number of young people affects not only the future of Iraq, Walter, but also the huge humanitarian crisis and the many difficult situations that children of Iraq face right now.

Walter Rodgers, reporting from the central part of the Iraqi capital, thank you very much.

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 10, 2003 - 06:12   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: As the world watched yesterday, they saw the Iraqi capital fall. Our Walter Rodgers has disembedded from the 3 7th Cavalry. We saw him live make his way across southern Iraq into the Iraqi capital. He is now, as we said, disembedded in downtown Baghdad. Let's get the latest from him.
Walter, hello.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning from the heart of Baghdad, Daryn. It's a quiet city today. It's recovering from yesterday's exhalation and jubilation. There are small crowds of people out on the streets. What they're basically doing is taking stock.

Of course there are no shops open, at least not in the areas we've seen, so there's no opportunity to go grocery shopping. But I have been talking with Iraqi citizens, many of them do speak English, and they say they've got a week's, perhaps months of food stockpiled in their homes. So there is no crisis here, at least nothing on the proportion that some of the international aid agencies would have you believe. There is no electricity in parts of town, but there is food, there is water.

And most of the Iraqi citizens with whom I'm speaking are generally relieved that, for the most part, this city has now fallen into American hands with not too very much fighting. There were fierce firefights in a few pockets of the city. There are still billowing clouds of smoke in some areas. But by and large, American troops are at the major intersections with their main battle tanks and their other Bradley fighting vehicles. The city is pretty calm, at this point, with the exception of sporadic fighting -- Daryn.

KAGAN: So, Walter, you're not seeing any of the looting that we saw so much of yesterday?

RODGERS: That's true, Daryn. Looting is like a fire, it has a way of burning itself out or maybe everything's simply been stolen yesterday. We haven't seen any of that today.

We did see it in the southern suburbs of Baghdad yesterday. By the way, the most prized commodity seemed to be chairs, chairs and filing cabinets. What we saw was, of course, people breaking in to former government offices and stealing chairs. We'd see whole truck loads of chairs. It was as if a chair was the rage in Baghdad. Having said that, we haven't seen that this morning. The stories, which could have been -- stores which could have been looted were looted yesterday. No evidence of looting today. Again, people face considerable uncertainty now.

I was talking to some Iraqis and I said were you glad that Saddam is gone? Most of them said yes, cautiously. One young man said no. He was about 25 years old. And I said why not? He said we're afraid now because all we've ever known is Saddam Hussein. Remember in most Arab countries, like Iraq, 50 percent of the population is under 16 years of age. Now that being the case, half the population of Iraq has never known anything other than the government of Saddam Hussein. And it has, if not given them terror, it has also given them a modicum of stability. Many Iraqis are uncertain about the future and consequently somewhat fearful. And we're also uncovering that -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Well it's going to be interesting to watch how the large number of young people affects not only the future of Iraq, Walter, but also the huge humanitarian crisis and the many difficult situations that children of Iraq face right now.

Walter Rodgers, reporting from the central part of the Iraqi capital, thank you very much.

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