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CNN Live Today
American Soldier Killed South of Baghdad
Aired June 19, 2003 - 11:10 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Iraq and the latest deadly attack on U.S. forces there, one American soldier was killed, two others wounded in today's attack. It happened south of Baghdad.
CNN's Baghdad Bureau Chief Jane Arraf is in the Iraqi capital now and joins us live. Hello to you once again, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Heidi.
Well, the U.S. military says that attack occurred when an unknown assailant fired a rocket-propelled grenade at what is said was a clearly marked ambulance. Now, this ambulance was transporting another patient in an unrelated incident to a military hospital. This was about 30 miles south of Baghdad in the town of Al Iskandariyah.
One of the military people was killed, a medical person, another one injured. Now, it's the latest in a series of attacks. Also in the town of Dora, which is on the outskirts of Baghdad on the southern outskirts, the incident where yesterday an American soldier was killed near a propane filling station.
Another rocket-propelled grenade was thrown at a military truck. Now, the truck seemed to have been parked by the side of the road unoccupied. There was a suggestion it had broken down and that was why there were no soldiers in it but it was burning when we got there.
Another attack, this one not deadly as the others but an indication that things still are far from settled in Baghdad and around the outskirts - Heidi.
COLLINS: Jane, I'm just wondering if you've had a chance or if anyone has really heard much from Paul Bremer in reaction to all of these different attacks, obviously the civilian in charge of running Iraq at this time, any word on that and his reaction?
ARRAF: Bremer is involved in the sense that the more unstable the city is and the country is the harder it is obviously to engage in reconstruction, which is really his mandate to try to get this country back up and running, and the military officials in charge here have made clear that it's their priority to crack down on these people who are attacking not just U.S. forces but other places as well.
For instance, a humanitarian office run by the U.S.-led coalition in the town of Samara (ph) north of here on Wednesday, the military confirmed today, killed one Iraq and wounded 12, so this is a wide series of attacks and it seems to be the start of really a low grade guerilla warfare in a sense. They're extremely hard to combat but Bremer obviously is very worried about them as are humanitarian organizations and the United Nations. This is something that really contributes to that feeling of instability that is preventing this country from getting back working again - Heidi.
COLLINS: Difficult for the families of the soldiers as well back here in the U.S. Thanks so much, Jane Arraf live from Baghdad for us today.
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 - 11:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Iraq and the latest deadly attack on U.S. forces there, one American soldier was killed, two others wounded in today's attack. It happened south of Baghdad.
CNN's Baghdad Bureau Chief Jane Arraf is in the Iraqi capital now and joins us live. Hello to you once again, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Heidi.
Well, the U.S. military says that attack occurred when an unknown assailant fired a rocket-propelled grenade at what is said was a clearly marked ambulance. Now, this ambulance was transporting another patient in an unrelated incident to a military hospital. This was about 30 miles south of Baghdad in the town of Al Iskandariyah.
One of the military people was killed, a medical person, another one injured. Now, it's the latest in a series of attacks. Also in the town of Dora, which is on the outskirts of Baghdad on the southern outskirts, the incident where yesterday an American soldier was killed near a propane filling station.
Another rocket-propelled grenade was thrown at a military truck. Now, the truck seemed to have been parked by the side of the road unoccupied. There was a suggestion it had broken down and that was why there were no soldiers in it but it was burning when we got there.
Another attack, this one not deadly as the others but an indication that things still are far from settled in Baghdad and around the outskirts - Heidi.
COLLINS: Jane, I'm just wondering if you've had a chance or if anyone has really heard much from Paul Bremer in reaction to all of these different attacks, obviously the civilian in charge of running Iraq at this time, any word on that and his reaction?
ARRAF: Bremer is involved in the sense that the more unstable the city is and the country is the harder it is obviously to engage in reconstruction, which is really his mandate to try to get this country back up and running, and the military officials in charge here have made clear that it's their priority to crack down on these people who are attacking not just U.S. forces but other places as well.
For instance, a humanitarian office run by the U.S.-led coalition in the town of Samara (ph) north of here on Wednesday, the military confirmed today, killed one Iraq and wounded 12, so this is a wide series of attacks and it seems to be the start of really a low grade guerilla warfare in a sense. They're extremely hard to combat but Bremer obviously is very worried about them as are humanitarian organizations and the United Nations. This is something that really contributes to that feeling of instability that is preventing this country from getting back working again - Heidi.
COLLINS: Difficult for the families of the soldiers as well back here in the U.S. Thanks so much, Jane Arraf live from Baghdad for us today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
