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CNN Live At Daybreak
The New Iraq: Baghdad Shooting
Aired June 18, 2003 - 05:11 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: Live to Iraq now. A demonstration by Saddam's former soldiers turns violent.
Ben Wedeman, live in Baghdad, has details for us.
What happened -- Ben?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, it's been another hot and tense day in Baghdad. Basically what happened was is around mid-morning there was a demonstration of hundreds of former members of the Iraqi army outside the main headquarters of the provisional coalition authorities here. Now their protest is focusing on the fact that they haven't been paid in more than three months and that the U.S. authorities have basically disbanded the army, leaving them out of a job, about 250,000.
What happened was that the demonstrators were a bit rowdy. They started throwing rocks in the direction of the U.S. troops who are protecting that headquarters. And the -- we were told by the captain, who's responsible for security in that area, that the situation, despite the rock throwing, was pretty much under control until an American convoy showed up trying to enter those headquarters.
The convoy was stoned as well. Many of the glass -- the glasses of the cars, the vehicles coming in were damaged. Some of the passengers in the convoy were hurt; and therefore, one of the guards on board the vehicles opened fire with his M-16 automatic rifle, wounding two of those demonstrators, one of them apparently fairly seriously. The situation outside the headquarters now, we are told, and I saw with my own eyes, is fairly calm.
Now meanwhile, Operation Desert Scorpion continues a pace. I spent the night with one of the -- with the 1st Brigade of the 4th Army Division Infantry, a division who were going through the area of Tikrit. They are continuing to round up individuals suspected of involvement on attacks in U.S. troops, also looking for illegal weapons and cash and other things that might be funding or assisting in what appears to be a spate of attacks on U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Yesterday, one American soldier killed by a sniper here in Baghdad. So that continues a pace as well. Situation here in Iraq, Carol, continues to be very tense.
COSTELLO: All right. Ben Wedeman 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 - 05:11 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Live to Iraq now. A demonstration by Saddam's former soldiers turns violent.
Ben Wedeman, live in Baghdad, has details for us.
What happened -- Ben?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, it's been another hot and tense day in Baghdad. Basically what happened was is around mid-morning there was a demonstration of hundreds of former members of the Iraqi army outside the main headquarters of the provisional coalition authorities here. Now their protest is focusing on the fact that they haven't been paid in more than three months and that the U.S. authorities have basically disbanded the army, leaving them out of a job, about 250,000.
What happened was that the demonstrators were a bit rowdy. They started throwing rocks in the direction of the U.S. troops who are protecting that headquarters. And the -- we were told by the captain, who's responsible for security in that area, that the situation, despite the rock throwing, was pretty much under control until an American convoy showed up trying to enter those headquarters.
The convoy was stoned as well. Many of the glass -- the glasses of the cars, the vehicles coming in were damaged. Some of the passengers in the convoy were hurt; and therefore, one of the guards on board the vehicles opened fire with his M-16 automatic rifle, wounding two of those demonstrators, one of them apparently fairly seriously. The situation outside the headquarters now, we are told, and I saw with my own eyes, is fairly calm.
Now meanwhile, Operation Desert Scorpion continues a pace. I spent the night with one of the -- with the 1st Brigade of the 4th Army Division Infantry, a division who were going through the area of Tikrit. They are continuing to round up individuals suspected of involvement on attacks in U.S. troops, also looking for illegal weapons and cash and other things that might be funding or assisting in what appears to be a spate of attacks on U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Yesterday, one American soldier killed by a sniper here in Baghdad. So that continues a pace as well. Situation here in Iraq, Carol, continues to be very tense.
COSTELLO: All right. Ben Wedeman 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
