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CNN Live At Daybreak
Key Iraqi Figure Captured
Aired June 19, 2003 - 06:05 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: To Iraq now and Saddam's right-hand man. Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti is caught and he is being held in Iraq right now. He's a big get. The question now: Does he know what happened to Saddam Hussein?
Live to Baghdad and Jane Arraf.
Do we know anymore about him, where he's being held, what he's saying -- Jane?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Carol, a lot of those details are being held a very close secret by U.S. forces, but he's likely being held where other high-ranking members of the Baath Party who have been caught have been held. It's a detention center at the airport, which was taken over and occupied by U.S. military forces.
Now, if anyone knows where Saddam is, it could be this man. He was inseparable. The man known as General Abid was seen everywhere with Saddam. He controlled access to him, decided on his appointments, who would see him. He was in on the most important meetings. And he probably even had more access and was trusted perhaps more by Saddam than Saddam may have trusted at least one of his sons, his eldest son, Uday.
Now, the hope is, obviously, that he will lead the American forces to Saddam himself, but that's entirely unclear at this point. It's also unclear how much he is going to be willing to talk, but people here are certainly overjoyed that he has been captured. He was the face of the regime. It's almost as good as getting Saddam himself.
Now, also today there was a funeral for two Iraqis who were killed in a demonstration outside the gates of the palace. U.S. forces fired on these demonstrators. They were ex-army officers who were demanding that they be paid.
Now, the army was disbanded by order of the U.S. coalition a month ago, and these people have been left with no jobs, no future and no money, they say. They say they are destitute.
Now, U.S. officials are trying to figure out how to get the money. It's not clear why that hasn't happened yet. They were promised an emergency payment of sorts when the army was disbanded. And these had been peaceful demonstrations in the past, but yesterday it erupted in violence with the deaths of two of these people, their relatives obviously very angry today -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting 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 19, 2003 - 06:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: To Iraq now and Saddam's right-hand man. Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti is caught and he is being held in Iraq right now. He's a big get. The question now: Does he know what happened to Saddam Hussein?
Live to Baghdad and Jane Arraf.
Do we know anymore about him, where he's being held, what he's saying -- Jane?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Carol, a lot of those details are being held a very close secret by U.S. forces, but he's likely being held where other high-ranking members of the Baath Party who have been caught have been held. It's a detention center at the airport, which was taken over and occupied by U.S. military forces.
Now, if anyone knows where Saddam is, it could be this man. He was inseparable. The man known as General Abid was seen everywhere with Saddam. He controlled access to him, decided on his appointments, who would see him. He was in on the most important meetings. And he probably even had more access and was trusted perhaps more by Saddam than Saddam may have trusted at least one of his sons, his eldest son, Uday.
Now, the hope is, obviously, that he will lead the American forces to Saddam himself, but that's entirely unclear at this point. It's also unclear how much he is going to be willing to talk, but people here are certainly overjoyed that he has been captured. He was the face of the regime. It's almost as good as getting Saddam himself.
Now, also today there was a funeral for two Iraqis who were killed in a demonstration outside the gates of the palace. U.S. forces fired on these demonstrators. They were ex-army officers who were demanding that they be paid.
Now, the army was disbanded by order of the U.S. coalition a month ago, and these people have been left with no jobs, no future and no money, they say. They say they are destitute.
Now, U.S. officials are trying to figure out how to get the money. It's not clear why that hasn't happened yet. They were promised an emergency payment of sorts when the army was disbanded. And these had been peaceful demonstrations in the past, but yesterday it erupted in violence with the deaths of two of these people, their relatives obviously very angry today -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting 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.
