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CNN Live At Daybreak
Another American Soldier Killed
Aired July 16, 2003 - 05:03 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: Another day in Iraq, another American soldier killed, this time by a bomb that exploded as a military convoy passed an abandoned vehicle.
For details, let's go live to Baghdad and Harris Whitbeck -- Harris, what happened?
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, that convoy was a 20 vehicle convoy that belonged to the Third Corps Support Command based in Puerto Rico. It was rolling along Highway 1 west of Baghdad when, as it approached this abandoned vehicle, was hit by an explosion. The U.S. soldier who was killed apparently was blasted out of the truck that was nearest to the car bomb. Two other soldiers were injured and they were evacuated almost immediately to a nearby military hospital.
There were several Iraqi civilians who happened to be nearby. They came out and looked at the activity around the aftermath. Some of them started cheering as they saw the activity going on, and that just goes to show how difficult the situation in Iraq has become for U.S. forces here. The U.S. forces continue to be in a state of heightened alert. Tomorrow is the anniversary of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party's rise to power and the fear is that some of his loyalists might try to commemorate that anniversary by launching even more attacks against U.S. forces here.
Meanwhile, U.S. Administrator Paul Bremmer says that the U.S. presence in Iraq is linked to the drafting and adoption of a new constitution. He insisted, however, that that constitution will be an Iraqi creation. Now, for that to happen, several steps must be taken. Iraq's new governing council must meet to assemble a constitutional assembly. About 200 or between 200 and 300 people, members of this constitutional assembly, would meet to draft the new constitution. This process could take between nine months and a year and only after that would new elections be held.
But as the U.N. officials in Iraq told us yesterday, before that can happen, a census must be organized. It's been about 30 years since a census has been taken in Iraq, and that, of course, is a very important first step before elections could be held. So it could be quite a while here before things get back to normal -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Harris Whitbeck live from Baghdad this morning.
Log onto our Website at cnn.com for animation of various urban combat patrol scenarios in Iraq as well as the latest on U.S. troops there. You know the address, cnn.com, AOL keyword: CNN.
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 July 16, 2003 - 05:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Another day in Iraq, another American soldier killed, this time by a bomb that exploded as a military convoy passed an abandoned vehicle.
For details, let's go live to Baghdad and Harris Whitbeck -- Harris, what happened?
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, that convoy was a 20 vehicle convoy that belonged to the Third Corps Support Command based in Puerto Rico. It was rolling along Highway 1 west of Baghdad when, as it approached this abandoned vehicle, was hit by an explosion. The U.S. soldier who was killed apparently was blasted out of the truck that was nearest to the car bomb. Two other soldiers were injured and they were evacuated almost immediately to a nearby military hospital.
There were several Iraqi civilians who happened to be nearby. They came out and looked at the activity around the aftermath. Some of them started cheering as they saw the activity going on, and that just goes to show how difficult the situation in Iraq has become for U.S. forces here. The U.S. forces continue to be in a state of heightened alert. Tomorrow is the anniversary of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party's rise to power and the fear is that some of his loyalists might try to commemorate that anniversary by launching even more attacks against U.S. forces here.
Meanwhile, U.S. Administrator Paul Bremmer says that the U.S. presence in Iraq is linked to the drafting and adoption of a new constitution. He insisted, however, that that constitution will be an Iraqi creation. Now, for that to happen, several steps must be taken. Iraq's new governing council must meet to assemble a constitutional assembly. About 200 or between 200 and 300 people, members of this constitutional assembly, would meet to draft the new constitution. This process could take between nine months and a year and only after that would new elections be held.
But as the U.N. officials in Iraq told us yesterday, before that can happen, a census must be organized. It's been about 30 years since a census has been taken in Iraq, and that, of course, is a very important first step before elections could be held. So it could be quite a while here before things get back to normal -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Harris Whitbeck live from Baghdad this morning.
Log onto our Website at cnn.com for animation of various urban combat patrol scenarios in Iraq as well as the latest on U.S. troops there. You know the address, cnn.com, AOL keyword: CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
