Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
U.S. Forces in Iraq Come Under Attack Again Today
Aired May 27, 2003 - 07:30 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Iraq, where U.S. forces have come under attack once again today. At least one American has been killed. The fighting was in Fallujah, which is just west of Baghdad. That town has been a spot of some resistance and problems for U.S. forces who have been trying to establish some control over the chaos there in Iraq.
Our Matthew Chance is standing by now live in the capital.
He's got the latest for us -- hello, Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, as well, Leon.
And there has been a sharp rise in the amount of violence against U.S. forces in this region over the past 24 hours. A number of incidents we want to report, but we'll start in Fallujah. That town, about 50 miles or so to the west of Baghdad, where, according to U.S. officials, there was an attack by an unknown number of gunmen against a U.S. Army patrol as it went into the center of that town. Apparently those gunmen using the mosque in the town as cover to carry out their attacks against those U.S. forces.
U.S. forces, of course, returned fire, having lost one of their own soldiers, and saw seven injured. They returned fire, killing two of the attackers and taking another six into custody.
A number of other incidents around the country, as well, notably on the outskirts of Baghdad, where an attacker, according to U.S. officials, threw what they're calling a satchel bomb underneath a U.S. Humvee, armored vehicle, blowing it up, killing another U.S. serviceman inside, injuring several others. That in itself coming on top of a further attack, this time in the north of the country in a town called Hadifah, where, again, unknown attackers fired upon a U.S. Army convoy. Another U.S. soldier killed in that attack, as well.
So, according to our reckoning, three U.S. soldiers killed in different attacks around the country over the course of the past 24 hours, really underlining just how dangerous it still is out there for U.S. forces -- Leon.
HARRIS: All right, then, Matthew, then what is the next step, then, for the U.S. forces there? What are they telling you is their next mission or the next goal they'd like to establish at this point?
CHANCE: Well, obviously the role has changed significantly from the kind of full on combat operations that we all witnessed on our television screens over the course of the last few months. It's now more of a sort of a peacekeeping role and an attempt to try and, first of all, stamp out the remaining remnants of the Saddam Hussein regime, the kind of people who are responsible for carrying out these attacks against U.S. forces.
Secondly, though, trying to convince and impose a sort of degree of security for the ordinary people of Baghdad and elsewhere in the country. They feel that the U.S., they say, has let them down on this front. They're saying they still feel under threat from criminals and roaming gangs in their own homes and they want the U.S. to do more.
HARRIS: Thank you, Matthew.
Be careful over there.
Matthew Chance reporting live for us from west central Iraq.
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 May 27, 2003 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Iraq, where U.S. forces have come under attack once again today. At least one American has been killed. The fighting was in Fallujah, which is just west of Baghdad. That town has been a spot of some resistance and problems for U.S. forces who have been trying to establish some control over the chaos there in Iraq.
Our Matthew Chance is standing by now live in the capital.
He's got the latest for us -- hello, Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, as well, Leon.
And there has been a sharp rise in the amount of violence against U.S. forces in this region over the past 24 hours. A number of incidents we want to report, but we'll start in Fallujah. That town, about 50 miles or so to the west of Baghdad, where, according to U.S. officials, there was an attack by an unknown number of gunmen against a U.S. Army patrol as it went into the center of that town. Apparently those gunmen using the mosque in the town as cover to carry out their attacks against those U.S. forces.
U.S. forces, of course, returned fire, having lost one of their own soldiers, and saw seven injured. They returned fire, killing two of the attackers and taking another six into custody.
A number of other incidents around the country, as well, notably on the outskirts of Baghdad, where an attacker, according to U.S. officials, threw what they're calling a satchel bomb underneath a U.S. Humvee, armored vehicle, blowing it up, killing another U.S. serviceman inside, injuring several others. That in itself coming on top of a further attack, this time in the north of the country in a town called Hadifah, where, again, unknown attackers fired upon a U.S. Army convoy. Another U.S. soldier killed in that attack, as well.
So, according to our reckoning, three U.S. soldiers killed in different attacks around the country over the course of the past 24 hours, really underlining just how dangerous it still is out there for U.S. forces -- Leon.
HARRIS: All right, then, Matthew, then what is the next step, then, for the U.S. forces there? What are they telling you is their next mission or the next goal they'd like to establish at this point?
CHANCE: Well, obviously the role has changed significantly from the kind of full on combat operations that we all witnessed on our television screens over the course of the last few months. It's now more of a sort of a peacekeeping role and an attempt to try and, first of all, stamp out the remaining remnants of the Saddam Hussein regime, the kind of people who are responsible for carrying out these attacks against U.S. forces.
Secondly, though, trying to convince and impose a sort of degree of security for the ordinary people of Baghdad and elsewhere in the country. They feel that the U.S., they say, has let them down on this front. They're saying they still feel under threat from criminals and roaming gangs in their own homes and they want the U.S. to do more.
HARRIS: Thank you, Matthew.
Be careful over there.
Matthew Chance reporting live for us from west central Iraq.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
