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CNN Live At Daybreak
Northern Front Collapsing
Aired April 10, 2003 - 06:20 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, so the northern front is now collapsing. Celebrations in the streets. Celebrations in the streets, too, in Baghdad. Symbolism, that means different things to different people, depending on where you live.
We want to get reaction from the Arab world.
We want to go to Egypt and Sandy Petrykowski and to Syria and Sheila MacVicar, CNN.
But let's start with you, Sandy, and get the reaction out of Egypt this morning.
SANDY PETRYKOWSKI, CNN: Well, the mood here in Egypt is really rather subdued. There's a mix of feelings, a mix of emotions. People are glad to see that the war is going to be over soon, if it's not over already. They're glad. It's a war that they never wanted to see. They're glad that Saddam Hussein is gone. There's nobody here in this region that really thought he was that great. They are very fresh memories of what he's done.
But there's also a bit of confusion. People in this part of the world, people that we've talked to that thought there was going to be more resistance. This war has been seen here in this part of the world as an invasion, as a possible American occupation. And so the people that we've spoken to have said they're wondering what happens next.
And last night, President Mubarak issued a statement. He said that he feels it's important for the Iraqis to take control of their own country as soon as possible. He's meeting, actually, this morning with the Saudi foreign minister, Saud al-Faisal, who also said a very similar thing last night, that the Iraqis must rule.
So we're going to wait and see what happens with that and what comes out of that meeting this morning -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Is there a sense from the people in Egypt that they might be next, they may be targeted next? Is that a sentiment there?
PETRYKOWSKI: There definitely is that feeling. People here have been worried all along that this, that the reason America was going in there was after the oil. And that's how they feel today. The people that we've spoken to have said that, you know, look out. They think that Egypt is next. Egypt or Syria, one of these other countries. They're concerned that -- if you look in the papers here, there's even a cartoon talking about, there's a truck rolling down a hill full of American weapons and it's got the American and British flags on it and saying that look out, the brakes are off and it's just out of control -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Sandy, thanks very much.
We want to head live to Syria now to check in with Sheila MacVicar -- and, Sheila, there has been rumors flying around that Syria is allowing members of Saddam Hussein's family into the country.
What are you hearing?
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is what we heard last night from U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, where for the second time in a week or 10 days or so, he, again, came out and said that Syria was doing a number of things, that Syria was continuing to ship military equipment across the border into Iraq, not in defense of Iraq's people, but in defense of the regime, said the secretary of defense. And that in addition to that, that there were members of the regime or members of -- family members of people senior in the regime who they believe were crossing into Syria.
Now, the Syrians view all of this in a rather worried light. They think and they are concerned that perhaps the United States might turn its attention next to Syria, that these allegations about the weapons shipments have been made privately to the Syrian government now for more than a year. They are now being made publicly, repeated again last night, as I said, by the secretary of defense.
Let me show you this cartoon, Carol. It's from a Beirut newspaper and it shows President Bush -- that's President Bush looking at the globe of the world and saying, "Where next? Where next?"
That's the question that's on people's minds. When they look at what happened in Baghdad, they don't see those images of jubilation. They see the brutal horror of war, the civilian casualties and what they see when they see American forces in Baghdad is they see occupation and they wonder where the U.S. administration intends to go next -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Understand.
Sheila MacVicar, CNN reporting live from Syria this morning.
Thank you.
Let's go back to Kuwait City now and Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, checking my clock here, Carol, I think we're about a half hour away from the military briefing, the next one that will come out of Doha, Qatar at the top of the hour. Of course, you'll see that live here on CNN. In anticipation of that, let's check back in the States at the Pentagon.
Our Chris Plante standing by there -- Chris, hello.
CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn. Still plenty going on in Baghdad, as we've been hearing. Combat taking place around the Iman Mosque (ph) there. Marines from the 1st Expeditionary Force in north central Baghdad engaged in some serious firefights there. There are reports of significant casualties from the U.S. side and from the U.S. Marines. Reports unconfirmed at this point of one Marine killed. At least it's not being confirmed through official channels.
Also a raid, as I understand it, on the home of a Baath Party member, a senior Baath Party member in this same area of north-central Baghdad. So significant combat still taking place there, as well as throughout the northern part of the country, and still some sporadic violence in the southern part of the country, although it seems to be tapering off down there.
But significant pieces of real estate still need to be taken in northern Iraq and that will be ongoing for some time -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, Chris Plante at the Pentagon, thank you very much.
As I mentioned, that next military briefing coming out of Central Command in Doha, Qatar one half hour from now. You can see that live right here on CNN.
Right now a quick break.
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 - 06:20 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, so the northern front is now collapsing. Celebrations in the streets. Celebrations in the streets, too, in Baghdad. Symbolism, that means different things to different people, depending on where you live.
We want to get reaction from the Arab world.
We want to go to Egypt and Sandy Petrykowski and to Syria and Sheila MacVicar, CNN.
But let's start with you, Sandy, and get the reaction out of Egypt this morning.
SANDY PETRYKOWSKI, CNN: Well, the mood here in Egypt is really rather subdued. There's a mix of feelings, a mix of emotions. People are glad to see that the war is going to be over soon, if it's not over already. They're glad. It's a war that they never wanted to see. They're glad that Saddam Hussein is gone. There's nobody here in this region that really thought he was that great. They are very fresh memories of what he's done.
But there's also a bit of confusion. People in this part of the world, people that we've talked to that thought there was going to be more resistance. This war has been seen here in this part of the world as an invasion, as a possible American occupation. And so the people that we've spoken to have said they're wondering what happens next.
And last night, President Mubarak issued a statement. He said that he feels it's important for the Iraqis to take control of their own country as soon as possible. He's meeting, actually, this morning with the Saudi foreign minister, Saud al-Faisal, who also said a very similar thing last night, that the Iraqis must rule.
So we're going to wait and see what happens with that and what comes out of that meeting this morning -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Is there a sense from the people in Egypt that they might be next, they may be targeted next? Is that a sentiment there?
PETRYKOWSKI: There definitely is that feeling. People here have been worried all along that this, that the reason America was going in there was after the oil. And that's how they feel today. The people that we've spoken to have said that, you know, look out. They think that Egypt is next. Egypt or Syria, one of these other countries. They're concerned that -- if you look in the papers here, there's even a cartoon talking about, there's a truck rolling down a hill full of American weapons and it's got the American and British flags on it and saying that look out, the brakes are off and it's just out of control -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Sandy, thanks very much.
We want to head live to Syria now to check in with Sheila MacVicar -- and, Sheila, there has been rumors flying around that Syria is allowing members of Saddam Hussein's family into the country.
What are you hearing?
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is what we heard last night from U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, where for the second time in a week or 10 days or so, he, again, came out and said that Syria was doing a number of things, that Syria was continuing to ship military equipment across the border into Iraq, not in defense of Iraq's people, but in defense of the regime, said the secretary of defense. And that in addition to that, that there were members of the regime or members of -- family members of people senior in the regime who they believe were crossing into Syria.
Now, the Syrians view all of this in a rather worried light. They think and they are concerned that perhaps the United States might turn its attention next to Syria, that these allegations about the weapons shipments have been made privately to the Syrian government now for more than a year. They are now being made publicly, repeated again last night, as I said, by the secretary of defense.
Let me show you this cartoon, Carol. It's from a Beirut newspaper and it shows President Bush -- that's President Bush looking at the globe of the world and saying, "Where next? Where next?"
That's the question that's on people's minds. When they look at what happened in Baghdad, they don't see those images of jubilation. They see the brutal horror of war, the civilian casualties and what they see when they see American forces in Baghdad is they see occupation and they wonder where the U.S. administration intends to go next -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Understand.
Sheila MacVicar, CNN reporting live from Syria this morning.
Thank you.
Let's go back to Kuwait City now and Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, checking my clock here, Carol, I think we're about a half hour away from the military briefing, the next one that will come out of Doha, Qatar at the top of the hour. Of course, you'll see that live here on CNN. In anticipation of that, let's check back in the States at the Pentagon.
Our Chris Plante standing by there -- Chris, hello.
CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn. Still plenty going on in Baghdad, as we've been hearing. Combat taking place around the Iman Mosque (ph) there. Marines from the 1st Expeditionary Force in north central Baghdad engaged in some serious firefights there. There are reports of significant casualties from the U.S. side and from the U.S. Marines. Reports unconfirmed at this point of one Marine killed. At least it's not being confirmed through official channels.
Also a raid, as I understand it, on the home of a Baath Party member, a senior Baath Party member in this same area of north-central Baghdad. So significant combat still taking place there, as well as throughout the northern part of the country, and still some sporadic violence in the southern part of the country, although it seems to be tapering off down there.
But significant pieces of real estate still need to be taken in northern Iraq and that will be ongoing for some time -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, Chris Plante at the Pentagon, thank you very much.
As I mentioned, that next military briefing coming out of Central Command in Doha, Qatar one half hour from now. You can see that live right here on CNN.
Right now a quick break.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
