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CNN Live At Daybreak
No Resistance as Troops Enter Mosul
Aired April 11, 2003 - 06:34 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: Northern Iraq, as I said, appears to be giving in to coalition forces. Those forces have seized the region's two major cities, Mosul and Kirkuk.
CNN's Jane Arraf is live in Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city.
Jane -- at last check, there was looting; celebration, too. Still like that still?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: It sure is, Carol. And if there was any further indication we needed that Iraqi forces have indeed lost control of this city it's that we're standing in front of the presidential palace, along with quite a lot of Iraqis who have come here for the first time.
Now, one of the people who has come is Mrs. Masun Mijum (ph), who has come with her family actually, to show her children the palace.
Masum (ph), can you tell me, what did you think of this palace?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, this is a very sad thing (UNINTELLIGIBLE). This is not (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ARRAF: And what did you -- you have something in your hand.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have (UNINTELLIGIBLE) marble.
(CROSSTALK)
ARRAF: OK, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) marble inside, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It has (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ARRAF: Just to see it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ARRAF: Now, your English is so good. You can speak (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in English.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Marble (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ARRAF: Marble.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Marble and ceiling and floor and wall and every place. And they're all, the people in Iraq is hungry. There is no food. There is no clothes. There is no good school. There is no -- everything here. We are damaged, damaged people. He left us damaged. He -- when he with us, we are damaged. When he left, we are damaged.
ARRAF: Now, Masun (ph), you were telling me you were worried about what will happen in Mosul. What do you think will happen? What are you worried about?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. I don't know. But we want to answer -- to ask: Where is the Americans in Mosul? Why the Kurds is here, and there is no Americans? Where is the Americans? They came to leave Saddam Hussein, and who will came to make a man to Iraqi's people, to us? Who will (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in Iraq?
ARRAF: Now, are you worried about -- why are you worried about the Kurds?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Kurds, there is no good relationship between us and them from very (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ARRAF: Masun (ph), thank you so much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, thank you.
ARRAF: That was one of the many people, Carol, who have come here to this palace, one of the many Iraqis who have never before even dreamed of being able to enter this palace. They are able to do so today, because Iraqi forces have withdrawn from Mosul -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, Jane, just to make it clear, she is concerned that there is no law and order in the city of Mosul, and she wishes that American troops would come in there to provide that, right?
ARRAF: Absolutely. It's what everyone has been telling us, because we have not seen, nor have any of the people we've talked to, seen a single American soldier.
Now, we know that Iraqi forces surrendered to the American forces, but there are no American -- there is no American military presence in the street. And up until about an hour ago, there was no Kurdish military presence, which is why we were seeing scenes like riots at the central bank, fires streaming from government buildings and an absolute frenzy of looting all over this city. There just is simply no one to stop it -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And just as we were going to your live shot, Jane, we heard gunshots. That's from people firing in the air in celebration, right?
ARRAF: There are a lot of people firing in the air in celebration around us, but I think what you probably heard sounds very much like gunshots, but it would have been the continued destruction of what actually is a very beautiful palace. This thing is amazing. I'm not sure if you can see the detail of this, but it's latticework in stone. It looks almost like lace and very fine woodwork.
And what we're hearing is the breaking of glass and the shattering of wooden banisters inside by people who have come with chisels and any tools they can find just to take back a little piece of this, like our guest did, just to remind their children that this is what a palace was like.
Now, the looting has been going on for hours, so almost everything is gone. Behind me there are still some toilets with gold trim that have been taken out. Somebody plans to come back for those later.
But that's what's going on here, a combination of celebration, looting and anger that this was allowed to go on for so long -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live from Mosul, many thanks to 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 11, 2003 - 06:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Northern Iraq, as I said, appears to be giving in to coalition forces. Those forces have seized the region's two major cities, Mosul and Kirkuk.
CNN's Jane Arraf is live in Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city.
Jane -- at last check, there was looting; celebration, too. Still like that still?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: It sure is, Carol. And if there was any further indication we needed that Iraqi forces have indeed lost control of this city it's that we're standing in front of the presidential palace, along with quite a lot of Iraqis who have come here for the first time.
Now, one of the people who has come is Mrs. Masun Mijum (ph), who has come with her family actually, to show her children the palace.
Masum (ph), can you tell me, what did you think of this palace?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, this is a very sad thing (UNINTELLIGIBLE). This is not (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ARRAF: And what did you -- you have something in your hand.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have (UNINTELLIGIBLE) marble.
(CROSSTALK)
ARRAF: OK, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) marble inside, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It has (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ARRAF: Just to see it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ARRAF: Now, your English is so good. You can speak (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in English.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Marble (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ARRAF: Marble.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Marble and ceiling and floor and wall and every place. And they're all, the people in Iraq is hungry. There is no food. There is no clothes. There is no good school. There is no -- everything here. We are damaged, damaged people. He left us damaged. He -- when he with us, we are damaged. When he left, we are damaged.
ARRAF: Now, Masun (ph), you were telling me you were worried about what will happen in Mosul. What do you think will happen? What are you worried about?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. I don't know. But we want to answer -- to ask: Where is the Americans in Mosul? Why the Kurds is here, and there is no Americans? Where is the Americans? They came to leave Saddam Hussein, and who will came to make a man to Iraqi's people, to us? Who will (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in Iraq?
ARRAF: Now, are you worried about -- why are you worried about the Kurds?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Kurds, there is no good relationship between us and them from very (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ARRAF: Masun (ph), thank you so much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, thank you.
ARRAF: That was one of the many people, Carol, who have come here to this palace, one of the many Iraqis who have never before even dreamed of being able to enter this palace. They are able to do so today, because Iraqi forces have withdrawn from Mosul -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, Jane, just to make it clear, she is concerned that there is no law and order in the city of Mosul, and she wishes that American troops would come in there to provide that, right?
ARRAF: Absolutely. It's what everyone has been telling us, because we have not seen, nor have any of the people we've talked to, seen a single American soldier.
Now, we know that Iraqi forces surrendered to the American forces, but there are no American -- there is no American military presence in the street. And up until about an hour ago, there was no Kurdish military presence, which is why we were seeing scenes like riots at the central bank, fires streaming from government buildings and an absolute frenzy of looting all over this city. There just is simply no one to stop it -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And just as we were going to your live shot, Jane, we heard gunshots. That's from people firing in the air in celebration, right?
ARRAF: There are a lot of people firing in the air in celebration around us, but I think what you probably heard sounds very much like gunshots, but it would have been the continued destruction of what actually is a very beautiful palace. This thing is amazing. I'm not sure if you can see the detail of this, but it's latticework in stone. It looks almost like lace and very fine woodwork.
And what we're hearing is the breaking of glass and the shattering of wooden banisters inside by people who have come with chisels and any tools they can find just to take back a little piece of this, like our guest did, just to remind their children that this is what a palace was like.
Now, the looting has been going on for hours, so almost everything is gone. Behind me there are still some toilets with gold trim that have been taken out. Somebody plans to come back for those later.
But that's what's going on here, a combination of celebration, looting and anger that this was allowed to go on for so long -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live from Mosul, many thanks to 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.
