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CNN Live At Daybreak
American Troops Come Under Fire in Iraq
Aired June 26, 2003 - 05:32 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: It has happened again, American troops come under fire in Iraq.
Our Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf joins us live -- Jane, were you able to find out anything else?
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, it seemed to have happened this morning in west Baghdad on that main road in Baghdad to the military airport. Now, that's the former Saddam International that has been taken over by the military. And that road is very heavily used by military convoys.
Details are still sketchy. The U.S. military here is just confirming that an incident did take place, but on the ground witnesses say one U.S. soldier was killed and possibly another wounded in what appeared to have been either gunfire, in an ambush or an explosive device placed on the road in front of them.
We're still getting details, but at the scene there's blood on the road, as well as a shattered Iraqi civilian vehicle. And also word in from the U.S. Central Command that on Wednesday, about 60 miles south of here, near the town of Hillah, an ambush of U.S. Marines. Now, one Marine was killed and two wounded when the vehicle that they were in rolled over. As they were rushing to help their colleagues in the ambush, three other Marines wounded in that ambush. Again, an indication that even in the south where things had seemed to be relatively calm, things are quite still dangerous -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jane, everybody keeps saying that these attacks are not organized, yet they keep happening, nearly every day it seems now.
ARRAF: It does happen with an alarming regularity. And one of the disturbing things is that what had appeared to be an organized attack on British forces a couple of days ago in the south now has all the hallmarks of erupting into a full scale riot, with gunfire on both sides. That was the one in which six British soldiers were killed and an undetermined number of Iraqis wounded.
But it came after days of hostility over searches of people's homes in that region. And it's an indication that in places where the military is cracking down on illegal weapons, trying to take them away from people who are very used to having those weapons and scared to give them up, that there are really very serious problems. And it is still, as U.S. officials point out, a dangerous place -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And there are so many weapons in Iraq.
Jane Arraf reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
Speaking before the ambush, the chief U.S. administrator in Iraq suggested such attacks will diminish.
Paul Bremmer believes the Iraqi resistance is from small groups without a central command. And he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer U.S. forces will remove that threat in time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL BREMER, U.S. ADMINISTRATOR IN IRAQ: We are faced with a group, small groups of Baathists, ex-members of -- members of the ex- regime, Fedayeen Saddam, maybe some Republican Guards who seem to be operating in small groups and attacking our forces. We are acting forcefully in response and I think as we gradually impose our will on these people, I think we'll find that the security in these isolated areas -- and in most of the country, after all, this is not a problem. But in these isolated areas, we are gradually imposing our will and then I think we'll see things calm down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: On another matter, Bremmer says he hopes to have an interim Iraqi administration in place within six weeks.
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 26, 2003 - 05:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It has happened again, American troops come under fire in Iraq.
Our Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf joins us live -- Jane, were you able to find out anything else?
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, it seemed to have happened this morning in west Baghdad on that main road in Baghdad to the military airport. Now, that's the former Saddam International that has been taken over by the military. And that road is very heavily used by military convoys.
Details are still sketchy. The U.S. military here is just confirming that an incident did take place, but on the ground witnesses say one U.S. soldier was killed and possibly another wounded in what appeared to have been either gunfire, in an ambush or an explosive device placed on the road in front of them.
We're still getting details, but at the scene there's blood on the road, as well as a shattered Iraqi civilian vehicle. And also word in from the U.S. Central Command that on Wednesday, about 60 miles south of here, near the town of Hillah, an ambush of U.S. Marines. Now, one Marine was killed and two wounded when the vehicle that they were in rolled over. As they were rushing to help their colleagues in the ambush, three other Marines wounded in that ambush. Again, an indication that even in the south where things had seemed to be relatively calm, things are quite still dangerous -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jane, everybody keeps saying that these attacks are not organized, yet they keep happening, nearly every day it seems now.
ARRAF: It does happen with an alarming regularity. And one of the disturbing things is that what had appeared to be an organized attack on British forces a couple of days ago in the south now has all the hallmarks of erupting into a full scale riot, with gunfire on both sides. That was the one in which six British soldiers were killed and an undetermined number of Iraqis wounded.
But it came after days of hostility over searches of people's homes in that region. And it's an indication that in places where the military is cracking down on illegal weapons, trying to take them away from people who are very used to having those weapons and scared to give them up, that there are really very serious problems. And it is still, as U.S. officials point out, a dangerous place -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And there are so many weapons in Iraq.
Jane Arraf reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
Speaking before the ambush, the chief U.S. administrator in Iraq suggested such attacks will diminish.
Paul Bremmer believes the Iraqi resistance is from small groups without a central command. And he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer U.S. forces will remove that threat in time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL BREMER, U.S. ADMINISTRATOR IN IRAQ: We are faced with a group, small groups of Baathists, ex-members of -- members of the ex- regime, Fedayeen Saddam, maybe some Republican Guards who seem to be operating in small groups and attacking our forces. We are acting forcefully in response and I think as we gradually impose our will on these people, I think we'll find that the security in these isolated areas -- and in most of the country, after all, this is not a problem. But in these isolated areas, we are gradually imposing our will and then I think we'll see things calm down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: On another matter, Bremmer says he hopes to have an interim Iraqi administration in place within six weeks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
