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CNN Live At Daybreak

Tikrit Coming Under Coalition Control

Aired April 14, 2003 - 06:25   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: We want to take you now to Tikrit. Of course, that is the only major city not in coalition control. Cobra attack helicopters do patrol the skies right now and U.S. Marines have moved into the heart of the city.
We want to talk to Matthew Fisher from the "National Post" in Canada.

He is in Tikrit.

What are things looking like from your vantage point?

MATTHEW FISHER, "NATIONAL POST" OF CANADA: At this exact moment, very, very quiet. The last time I heard a firefight was 90 minutes or two hours ago. I was a few kilometers from where I'm located. I've spoken to a number of Marines who say the city is quiet. A very large number of Marines have fanned out across the city this morning. They entered the city proper.

They came into the city yesterday morning, entered the city proper yesterday evening, and then this morning moved towards the center of town at dawn. Yesterday, there were a number of firefights. About 15 to 20 Iraqis died in one of those engagements. Also, American Marine Corps aircraft killed five tanks with people in them yesterday. And overnight a lot of bombing and artillery, not a huge amount, but a fair bit, and constant combat air patrols over the city.

Right now as I speak, there are still fighter jets over the city and quite a few Cobra attack helicopters. But the city is calm. I'm now in one of the presidential palaces, and Saddam Hussein had so many, but I believe this is the biggest of them all.

This is the mother of all Saddam Hussein's palaces. It is absolutely gargantuan. It's about three miles long and perhaps a half a mile wide. It has an artificial lake, a lagoon that's stocked with fish. There are beautiful gardens. It's staggering.

And the Marines entered here about an hour ago, a very long column of armored vehicles and now some other troops on foot are slowing going around it. It is just staggering in its size and its opulence. Some of the buildings -- there are about 100 or 150 buildings on the compound. Some of these palaces were hit by U.S. aircraft. Most of them seem to be intact. And there has been a little looting this morning, but not a lot. A fellow just walked by and walked by a lot of Marines with a big color TV set, but nothing like the scenes we saw in Baghdad. The reason, perhaps, is that most of the people are indoors. The streets here still almost entirely empty, with a very large military presence in what is a small town, and so many aircraft.

The people are heeding the warnings of the U.S. military. They were all showered with notes telling them to stay indoors and most of them seem to be heeding the message.

COSTELLO: I understand.

I want to talk more about this mother of all palaces that you're inside right now. No one inside. And there are there any documents that coalition forces are finding or looking for?

FISHER: They may well be. I know one thing they're very interested in is that there apparently, it's Byzantine undergrounds. There are a lot of tunnels and secret areas of this. And I know it's of great interest to the U.S. military.

I have no idea where they are in terms of looking into those places. I'm not privy to that kind of information. But I certainly know that they are interested in that kind of thing. And they have not, as far as I know, entered more than one or two of the buildings. The Marines that I see right now, and there are a great number fairly close to me, they are not inside the building. They are outside, just marveling.

The Marines are as awed as anyone else. The few Iraqis who have never been allowed inside these doors who have come in are terribly impressed, too. It really is incredible considering how poor this country is.

COSTELLO: Yes, and I understand that Saddam's wife and his daughters lived there periodically. So -- and there's supposedly this enormous statue...

FISHER: They call this Mrs....

COSTELLO: Go ahead.

FISHER: Yes, yes. This is Mrs.. Hussein's palace, was sort of what it was called. I don't know if any of the Hussein family are presently residents, but it certainly doesn't look like it. But it's a beautiful spot, particularly down by the lagoon, which is fed by waters from the Tigris River, which is, also forms part of the backdrop for this scene -- palm trees, there are groves growing fruit, lots of flowers, a very nice spot. As you enter the main entrance, there's Saddam on a horse, a steed. He looks very proud, very big. He looms over everything.

Of course there are these statues and monuments and portraits of Saddam everywhere in this country. But it is most ridiculous in this town. There are just thousands of memorials to the great man.

COSTELLO: And I understand there's a huge statue of Saddam's mother there, too. FISHER: I have not found that one, but I'll have a look.

COSTELLO: OK.

How are the civilians reacting to the Marines in town now?

FISHER: Most of them express relief, and they are very happy they are there. I should say, though, we have met a number of Republican Guard officers in civilian clothes today, and they have told us that they are very proud of Saddam Hussein, and he was, indeed, a great man, and the only reason they gave up -- these were officers who had been fighting in Baghdad -- they switched out of their military uniforms three days ago -- they told us the only reason that they had given up was they couldn't match American air power. They thought they could fight the Americans on the ground -- an opinion I certainly don't share -- but that was -- what they said but that they couldn't handle the American air power, and so that is why they have given up.

Now, they want to live in peace, they say, with their families, and they are in civilian clothes, but they are still saying that Saddam Hussein was a great man. These are Tikritis. So many of the people in the Republican Guard, in the special Republican Guard were from this area. He treated them particularly well, and so even in defeat, they are saying that he is, indeed, a great man.

This is the last bastion. There is a bit of territory to the north of here that the Marines have not got to yet that is still nominally under the control of Saddam Hussein's forces, or his government. A very small piece of land, but I think by the end of the day today, the Marines will declare that this town in under their control, and I think, at that point -- and we are very, very close to it. Minutes, maybe a few hours away from saying this war truly is over.

COSTELLO: All right. Matthew Fisher, fascinating information for us this morning. 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 14, 2003 - 06:25   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to take you now to Tikrit. Of course, that is the only major city not in coalition control. Cobra attack helicopters do patrol the skies right now and U.S. Marines have moved into the heart of the city.
We want to talk to Matthew Fisher from the "National Post" in Canada.

He is in Tikrit.

What are things looking like from your vantage point?

MATTHEW FISHER, "NATIONAL POST" OF CANADA: At this exact moment, very, very quiet. The last time I heard a firefight was 90 minutes or two hours ago. I was a few kilometers from where I'm located. I've spoken to a number of Marines who say the city is quiet. A very large number of Marines have fanned out across the city this morning. They entered the city proper.

They came into the city yesterday morning, entered the city proper yesterday evening, and then this morning moved towards the center of town at dawn. Yesterday, there were a number of firefights. About 15 to 20 Iraqis died in one of those engagements. Also, American Marine Corps aircraft killed five tanks with people in them yesterday. And overnight a lot of bombing and artillery, not a huge amount, but a fair bit, and constant combat air patrols over the city.

Right now as I speak, there are still fighter jets over the city and quite a few Cobra attack helicopters. But the city is calm. I'm now in one of the presidential palaces, and Saddam Hussein had so many, but I believe this is the biggest of them all.

This is the mother of all Saddam Hussein's palaces. It is absolutely gargantuan. It's about three miles long and perhaps a half a mile wide. It has an artificial lake, a lagoon that's stocked with fish. There are beautiful gardens. It's staggering.

And the Marines entered here about an hour ago, a very long column of armored vehicles and now some other troops on foot are slowing going around it. It is just staggering in its size and its opulence. Some of the buildings -- there are about 100 or 150 buildings on the compound. Some of these palaces were hit by U.S. aircraft. Most of them seem to be intact. And there has been a little looting this morning, but not a lot. A fellow just walked by and walked by a lot of Marines with a big color TV set, but nothing like the scenes we saw in Baghdad. The reason, perhaps, is that most of the people are indoors. The streets here still almost entirely empty, with a very large military presence in what is a small town, and so many aircraft.

The people are heeding the warnings of the U.S. military. They were all showered with notes telling them to stay indoors and most of them seem to be heeding the message.

COSTELLO: I understand.

I want to talk more about this mother of all palaces that you're inside right now. No one inside. And there are there any documents that coalition forces are finding or looking for?

FISHER: They may well be. I know one thing they're very interested in is that there apparently, it's Byzantine undergrounds. There are a lot of tunnels and secret areas of this. And I know it's of great interest to the U.S. military.

I have no idea where they are in terms of looking into those places. I'm not privy to that kind of information. But I certainly know that they are interested in that kind of thing. And they have not, as far as I know, entered more than one or two of the buildings. The Marines that I see right now, and there are a great number fairly close to me, they are not inside the building. They are outside, just marveling.

The Marines are as awed as anyone else. The few Iraqis who have never been allowed inside these doors who have come in are terribly impressed, too. It really is incredible considering how poor this country is.

COSTELLO: Yes, and I understand that Saddam's wife and his daughters lived there periodically. So -- and there's supposedly this enormous statue...

FISHER: They call this Mrs....

COSTELLO: Go ahead.

FISHER: Yes, yes. This is Mrs.. Hussein's palace, was sort of what it was called. I don't know if any of the Hussein family are presently residents, but it certainly doesn't look like it. But it's a beautiful spot, particularly down by the lagoon, which is fed by waters from the Tigris River, which is, also forms part of the backdrop for this scene -- palm trees, there are groves growing fruit, lots of flowers, a very nice spot. As you enter the main entrance, there's Saddam on a horse, a steed. He looks very proud, very big. He looms over everything.

Of course there are these statues and monuments and portraits of Saddam everywhere in this country. But it is most ridiculous in this town. There are just thousands of memorials to the great man.

COSTELLO: And I understand there's a huge statue of Saddam's mother there, too. FISHER: I have not found that one, but I'll have a look.

COSTELLO: OK.

How are the civilians reacting to the Marines in town now?

FISHER: Most of them express relief, and they are very happy they are there. I should say, though, we have met a number of Republican Guard officers in civilian clothes today, and they have told us that they are very proud of Saddam Hussein, and he was, indeed, a great man, and the only reason they gave up -- these were officers who had been fighting in Baghdad -- they switched out of their military uniforms three days ago -- they told us the only reason that they had given up was they couldn't match American air power. They thought they could fight the Americans on the ground -- an opinion I certainly don't share -- but that was -- what they said but that they couldn't handle the American air power, and so that is why they have given up.

Now, they want to live in peace, they say, with their families, and they are in civilian clothes, but they are still saying that Saddam Hussein was a great man. These are Tikritis. So many of the people in the Republican Guard, in the special Republican Guard were from this area. He treated them particularly well, and so even in defeat, they are saying that he is, indeed, a great man.

This is the last bastion. There is a bit of territory to the north of here that the Marines have not got to yet that is still nominally under the control of Saddam Hussein's forces, or his government. A very small piece of land, but I think by the end of the day today, the Marines will declare that this town in under their control, and I think, at that point -- and we are very, very close to it. Minutes, maybe a few hours away from saying this war truly is over.

COSTELLO: All right. Matthew Fisher, fascinating information for us this morning. 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