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CNN Live Today
Another U.S. Soldier Killed in Attack Near Baghdad
Aired July 16, 2003 - 10:32 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Major combat in Iraq was declared over a month ago but American troops in the region are reminded every day that the fight still goes on. Today another U.S. soldier was killed in an attack near Baghdad. Our Harris Whitbeck is following the latest developments in the Iraqi capital and he joins us now with the latest. Harris, hello.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. We have a couple of incidents to report. The first one occurred earlier this morning. One soldier was killed and three were wounded when the convoy that they were traveling in on Highway 1 west of Baghdad was hit by an explosive device.
The convoy had just passed an abandoned -- wreckage of an abandoned vehicle when an explosion was heard. One truck in that convoy was destroyed and the soldier who was killed was in that truck. Those who were wounded were evacuated to a military hospital.
Now once -- when that explosion was heard, a group of Iraqi civilians, who were nearby gathered at the site of the aftermath, were watching what was going on. And when they apparently realized that this was an attack on a U.S. military force, they erupted in cheers. And that cheering went on for several minutes.
Meanwhile, later today in western Baghdad, one U.S. soldier was injured when a grenade was thrown at his truck which was parked in front of a bank in the al Monzur (ph) of western Baghdad. Again, that was another apparent attack on U.S. forces here.
The U.S. military authorities here are very concerned about what might happen over the next few hours. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Ba'ath Party's rise to power in Iraq. That is Saddam Hussein's former political party. And people feel that Saddam Hussein's loyalists might try to launch more attacks on U.S. forces here as a way of commemorating that event.
Now there are some steps being taken to improve security in the Iraqi capital, and today the first 96 graduates of the Baghdad Police Academy were graduated. U.S. Administrator Paul Bremer was at that ceremony.
And the idea of this training course which lasts for about three weeks is to provide the trainees with knowledge of basic policing techniques and also knowledge of basic human rights issues that the police force would have to be dealing with as they patrol the city's streets. The idea of the Baghdad Police Academy is to graduate eventually about 900 officers who would take over a lot of the policing work that's now being handled by the U.S. military -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Harris Whitbeck in Baghdad. Harris, thank you for that.
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 - 10:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Major combat in Iraq was declared over a month ago but American troops in the region are reminded every day that the fight still goes on. Today another U.S. soldier was killed in an attack near Baghdad. Our Harris Whitbeck is following the latest developments in the Iraqi capital and he joins us now with the latest. Harris, hello.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. We have a couple of incidents to report. The first one occurred earlier this morning. One soldier was killed and three were wounded when the convoy that they were traveling in on Highway 1 west of Baghdad was hit by an explosive device.
The convoy had just passed an abandoned -- wreckage of an abandoned vehicle when an explosion was heard. One truck in that convoy was destroyed and the soldier who was killed was in that truck. Those who were wounded were evacuated to a military hospital.
Now once -- when that explosion was heard, a group of Iraqi civilians, who were nearby gathered at the site of the aftermath, were watching what was going on. And when they apparently realized that this was an attack on a U.S. military force, they erupted in cheers. And that cheering went on for several minutes.
Meanwhile, later today in western Baghdad, one U.S. soldier was injured when a grenade was thrown at his truck which was parked in front of a bank in the al Monzur (ph) of western Baghdad. Again, that was another apparent attack on U.S. forces here.
The U.S. military authorities here are very concerned about what might happen over the next few hours. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Ba'ath Party's rise to power in Iraq. That is Saddam Hussein's former political party. And people feel that Saddam Hussein's loyalists might try to launch more attacks on U.S. forces here as a way of commemorating that event.
Now there are some steps being taken to improve security in the Iraqi capital, and today the first 96 graduates of the Baghdad Police Academy were graduated. U.S. Administrator Paul Bremer was at that ceremony.
And the idea of this training course which lasts for about three weeks is to provide the trainees with knowledge of basic policing techniques and also knowledge of basic human rights issues that the police force would have to be dealing with as they patrol the city's streets. The idea of the Baghdad Police Academy is to graduate eventually about 900 officers who would take over a lot of the policing work that's now being handled by the U.S. military -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Harris Whitbeck in Baghdad. Harris, thank you for that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
