Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
Kurdish Forces Taking Control Around Kirkuk
Aired April 10, 2003 - 10:13 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: I want to go ahead and check in on the situation in northern Iraq. This has been a very fluid situation all day long, and our Ben Wedeman is standing by in the town of Kirkuk.
Ben, what's the latest?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, it appears that the Kurds are definitely in control of this city, Kirkuk. They took control this morning without really much of a shot being fired, no evidence of any battle going on. They were assisted by U.S. special forces, who it appears have moved on to the edges of the city.
Now we can just show you the situation here, some very, very raucous celebrations here. What you're seeing and hearing, I hope, is members of the Turkomen minority. Those are ethnic Turks who lived for many hundreds of years in this northern Iraqi city. Here they are celebrating, waving the flags of their political parties, and it appears they're also joined by the Kurds, as well. So the different ethnic groups in this city seem to be celebrating together.
Now what we've also seen the different ethnic groups doing together in this city is looting. We saw several factories, warehouses, government stores, where hundreds of people were basically taking away everything they could carry. So it appears that certainly on this first day following the departure of Iraqi forces, there's a bit of chaos, but we've also seen there has been an attempt by the Kurdish militia, who has taken over this town, to impose some kind of law and order -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Ben, not to worry. We certainly can hear that celebration going on behind you.
Let's talk for a moment about the significance of Kirkuk, this oil-rich city. In fact, there's a great concern on the part of the Turks that the Kurds not have complete control over the city. What can you tell us the latest on that?
WEDEMAN: Daryn, for a second, just to give you some background on Kirkuk, it is the major oil-producing region in northern Iraq, so very critical indeed. Now, the Turks' concern is that the Kurds will, if they get control of Kirkuk and its oil fields, will have the economic resources to establish an independent state, and they have made it very clear that they certainly do not want to see that happen. Turkey itself has a very large Kurdish minority, which for many years was fighting for independence. So they do not want to see a Kurdish state, an independent Kurdish state set up in northern Iraq. Now the Kurds, of course, have said that certainly is not their intention now. The Kurds tell us very often that they consider themselves Iraqis and what their main objective is to set up a Democratic, pluralistic and federal Iraq, in which all the constituents, minorities have equal rights, and certainly the Kurds would like to carry on to some extent the kind of autonomy that they've enjoyed over the last 12 years since Saddam Hussein pulled out of Tikrit Kurdish provinces of the north -- Daryn.
ZAHN: Ben Wedeman, joining us from Kirkuk, as the celebration goes on behind him. Ben, 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 10, 2003 - 10:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I want to go ahead and check in on the situation in northern Iraq. This has been a very fluid situation all day long, and our Ben Wedeman is standing by in the town of Kirkuk.
Ben, what's the latest?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, it appears that the Kurds are definitely in control of this city, Kirkuk. They took control this morning without really much of a shot being fired, no evidence of any battle going on. They were assisted by U.S. special forces, who it appears have moved on to the edges of the city.
Now we can just show you the situation here, some very, very raucous celebrations here. What you're seeing and hearing, I hope, is members of the Turkomen minority. Those are ethnic Turks who lived for many hundreds of years in this northern Iraqi city. Here they are celebrating, waving the flags of their political parties, and it appears they're also joined by the Kurds, as well. So the different ethnic groups in this city seem to be celebrating together.
Now what we've also seen the different ethnic groups doing together in this city is looting. We saw several factories, warehouses, government stores, where hundreds of people were basically taking away everything they could carry. So it appears that certainly on this first day following the departure of Iraqi forces, there's a bit of chaos, but we've also seen there has been an attempt by the Kurdish militia, who has taken over this town, to impose some kind of law and order -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Ben, not to worry. We certainly can hear that celebration going on behind you.
Let's talk for a moment about the significance of Kirkuk, this oil-rich city. In fact, there's a great concern on the part of the Turks that the Kurds not have complete control over the city. What can you tell us the latest on that?
WEDEMAN: Daryn, for a second, just to give you some background on Kirkuk, it is the major oil-producing region in northern Iraq, so very critical indeed. Now, the Turks' concern is that the Kurds will, if they get control of Kirkuk and its oil fields, will have the economic resources to establish an independent state, and they have made it very clear that they certainly do not want to see that happen. Turkey itself has a very large Kurdish minority, which for many years was fighting for independence. So they do not want to see a Kurdish state, an independent Kurdish state set up in northern Iraq. Now the Kurds, of course, have said that certainly is not their intention now. The Kurds tell us very often that they consider themselves Iraqis and what their main objective is to set up a Democratic, pluralistic and federal Iraq, in which all the constituents, minorities have equal rights, and certainly the Kurds would like to carry on to some extent the kind of autonomy that they've enjoyed over the last 12 years since Saddam Hussein pulled out of Tikrit Kurdish provinces of the north -- Daryn.
ZAHN: Ben Wedeman, joining us from Kirkuk, as the celebration goes on behind him. Ben, 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
