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CNN Live At Daybreak

American Soldier Killed in Iraq

Aired July 16, 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 is becoming almost commonplace, another American soldier killed in Iraq. This time a roadside bomb believed planted in a wrecked vehicle.
For details, we turn to our Harris Whitbeck.

He's live in Baghdad -- what happened this time, Harris?

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

This 20 vehicle convoy which belonged to the 3rd Corps Support Command based in Puerto Rico, was rolling along Highway 1 west of Baghdad. And as it approached this abandoned wreckage of a vehicle, that wreckage blew up. It blew one U.S. soldier out of the truck in which he was traveling. That soldier was killed. Two more were injured. The injured were evacuated almost immediately to a nearby military combat hospital.

And as the soldiers tried to deal with the aftermath, several Iraqi civilians who were nearby showed up and started cheering as they saw that once again U.S. forces have been attacked in Iraq.

The U.S. forces here are, of course, in a heightened state of alert. Tomorrow is the anniversary of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party and many feel that Saddam Hussein's loyalists might try to commemorate that anniversary by launching more attacks on U.S. forces here -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So, Harris, those pictures we're seeing, those are the Iraqis cheering this latest attack against an American soldier?

WHITBECK: That's correct. That's the information we have -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Tell us -- I don't know, let's talk about some bright news out of Iraq. I know the new Iraqi governing council is meeting and its going to elect a president, write a new constitution. How is that moving along?

WHITBECK: Well, they still haven't chosen a new leader. We are expecting that announcement soon. What they are doing is getting ready a three person delegation that will go to New York to meet with the U.N. Security Council. The idea is to garner international support for their effort here. Now, one of the next steps that they must take is the drafting of a new constitution that would be presented to the Iraqi people to be voted on, and only after that occurs, a process which could take up to a year, would new elections be called here.

But as U.N. officials in Iraq tell us, one of the most important steps to have to be taken is the taking of a census. It's been more than three decades since the Iraqi people were actually counted and that, of course, would have to take place before elections could be held -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Harris Whitbeck 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 July 16, 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 is becoming almost commonplace, another American soldier killed in Iraq. This time a roadside bomb believed planted in a wrecked vehicle.
For details, we turn to our Harris Whitbeck.

He's live in Baghdad -- what happened this time, Harris?

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

This 20 vehicle convoy which belonged to the 3rd Corps Support Command based in Puerto Rico, was rolling along Highway 1 west of Baghdad. And as it approached this abandoned wreckage of a vehicle, that wreckage blew up. It blew one U.S. soldier out of the truck in which he was traveling. That soldier was killed. Two more were injured. The injured were evacuated almost immediately to a nearby military combat hospital.

And as the soldiers tried to deal with the aftermath, several Iraqi civilians who were nearby showed up and started cheering as they saw that once again U.S. forces have been attacked in Iraq.

The U.S. forces here are, of course, in a heightened state of alert. Tomorrow is the anniversary of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party and many feel that Saddam Hussein's loyalists might try to commemorate that anniversary by launching more attacks on U.S. forces here -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So, Harris, those pictures we're seeing, those are the Iraqis cheering this latest attack against an American soldier?

WHITBECK: That's correct. That's the information we have -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Tell us -- I don't know, let's talk about some bright news out of Iraq. I know the new Iraqi governing council is meeting and its going to elect a president, write a new constitution. How is that moving along?

WHITBECK: Well, they still haven't chosen a new leader. We are expecting that announcement soon. What they are doing is getting ready a three person delegation that will go to New York to meet with the U.N. Security Council. The idea is to garner international support for their effort here. Now, one of the next steps that they must take is the drafting of a new constitution that would be presented to the Iraqi people to be voted on, and only after that occurs, a process which could take up to a year, would new elections be called here.

But as U.N. officials in Iraq tell us, one of the most important steps to have to be taken is the taking of a census. It's been more than three decades since the Iraqi people were actually counted and that, of course, would have to take place before elections could be held -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Harris Whitbeck 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