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CNN Live At Daybreak
More Baghdad Violence
Aired June 18, 2003 - 06:03 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: On to the subject of Iraq now, gunshots and violence again in Baghdad. This time, a protest by former Iraqi soldiers turns very ugly, and U.S. troops open fire.
Live to Baghdad now and Jane Arraf.
Good morning -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Carol. This issue has been simmering for more than a month, and today it erupted in violence.
Now, the issue is former army officers. The army was disbanded a month ago, and these people were told that they had no future, no jobs, but that they would get a little bit of money. Now, they showed up today after they said they were promised, promised, for the third or fourth time that they would receive back wages only to be told that there was no money there.
Now, it seems to have started as a relatively peaceful process, but as television cameras showed up and U.S. soldiers stood guard with their bayonets drawn, some people in the crowd started throwing stones. When an armored vehicle tried to go through and some of the crowd pressed against it, a U.S. military official at the site tells us that they started shooting at a building across the street to fire warning shots, the U.S. soldiers did. But he said, in his words, unfortunately, one of the guards fired into the crowd.
Now, two people were wounded. They were taken away. And one of the demonstrators -- his name Rab Mohammed Ghazi (ph), his shirt stained with what he said was his friend's blood -- said he was trying to take away his wounded friend when soldiers grabbed him by the collar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is the American freedom? That's what the Americans are calling for? That's the American freedom. They built it on blood. We came for a peaceful demonstration. We just want our rights.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now, you can see the anger there. Now, these are people who have no money, no future, and they are furious. Some of them were saying that they planned to blow themselves up with explosives if they don't get paid soon -- Carol. COSTELLO: Jane Arraf live from Baghdad this morning.
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 June 18, 2003 - 06:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: On to the subject of Iraq now, gunshots and violence again in Baghdad. This time, a protest by former Iraqi soldiers turns very ugly, and U.S. troops open fire.
Live to Baghdad now and Jane Arraf.
Good morning -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Carol. This issue has been simmering for more than a month, and today it erupted in violence.
Now, the issue is former army officers. The army was disbanded a month ago, and these people were told that they had no future, no jobs, but that they would get a little bit of money. Now, they showed up today after they said they were promised, promised, for the third or fourth time that they would receive back wages only to be told that there was no money there.
Now, it seems to have started as a relatively peaceful process, but as television cameras showed up and U.S. soldiers stood guard with their bayonets drawn, some people in the crowd started throwing stones. When an armored vehicle tried to go through and some of the crowd pressed against it, a U.S. military official at the site tells us that they started shooting at a building across the street to fire warning shots, the U.S. soldiers did. But he said, in his words, unfortunately, one of the guards fired into the crowd.
Now, two people were wounded. They were taken away. And one of the demonstrators -- his name Rab Mohammed Ghazi (ph), his shirt stained with what he said was his friend's blood -- said he was trying to take away his wounded friend when soldiers grabbed him by the collar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is the American freedom? That's what the Americans are calling for? That's the American freedom. They built it on blood. We came for a peaceful demonstration. We just want our rights.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now, you can see the anger there. Now, these are people who have no money, no future, and they are furious. Some of them were saying that they planned to blow themselves up with explosives if they don't get paid soon -- Carol. COSTELLO: Jane Arraf live from Baghdad this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
