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CNN Live At Daybreak
Two U.S. Soldiers Killed in Separate Attacks in Iraq
Aired July 23, 2003 - 06:34 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: Just before we got word of that audiotape, we got word of those two separate attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq that Rym was just talking of. One of the attacks, though, happened in Mosul, and that's where Uday and Qusay were killed yesterday.
Let's go live to Mosul and Harris Whitbeck for an update.
Good morning -- Harris.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
The U.S. troops that are guarding this place have asked the Iraqi civilians that have been gathered here for several hours to leave the area. They told them that if they did not leave the area, they would be detained. A lot of interest among the population here in what transpired here. Again, this is the site where last night an intense firefight led to the deaths of Uday and Qusay, Saddam Hussein's two older sons, who are Nos. 2 and 3 on the most-wanted list that has been put out by American forces in Iraq.
Reaction to the news of the deaths of Saddam Hussein's two older brothers (sic) has been mixed. Many of the people who were out here this morning were actually chanting pro-Saddam Hussein slogans and criticizing American actions in Iraq. However, last night in Baghdad there was celebratory gunfire. The skies of Baghdad were lit up with very, very -- at times -- intense gunfire of people celebrating the news that Uday and Qusay had been killed.
Now, we do have some more information on the operation itself. We have been told that U.S. troops were led here by one person. It was one source, who told U.S. troops on the ground that these people were, in fact, in this house. And U.S. military planners had about 24 hours to launch this operation. They initially came here with megaphones, asked the occupants of the house to leave, and the occupants responded with small arms gunfire, and that is when the firefight ensued and the four occupants of the house killed.
We have also been told that the source of that information will receive the two $15 million rewards that had been offered by the United States for information leading to Saddam Hussein's two older sons -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So, he gets $30 million. He remains in protective custody, right? You also told us earlier that they found some important documents in the home. WHITBECK: That's correct. The source is in protective custody, and the military people on the ground here say they did find important documents that might help intelligence agents, who continue searching for several other members of the Saddam Hussein regime, including Saddam Hussein himself. So, that information is considered to be important.
They also found several packed suitcases in the house, and there's really nothing much that we can read into that information yet. I'm sure that as the days go by and as investigators -- military investigators here comb through that house, more details will come out.
COSTELLO: Harris Whitbeck live from Mosul 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 23, 2003 - 06:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Just before we got word of that audiotape, we got word of those two separate attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq that Rym was just talking of. One of the attacks, though, happened in Mosul, and that's where Uday and Qusay were killed yesterday.
Let's go live to Mosul and Harris Whitbeck for an update.
Good morning -- Harris.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
The U.S. troops that are guarding this place have asked the Iraqi civilians that have been gathered here for several hours to leave the area. They told them that if they did not leave the area, they would be detained. A lot of interest among the population here in what transpired here. Again, this is the site where last night an intense firefight led to the deaths of Uday and Qusay, Saddam Hussein's two older sons, who are Nos. 2 and 3 on the most-wanted list that has been put out by American forces in Iraq.
Reaction to the news of the deaths of Saddam Hussein's two older brothers (sic) has been mixed. Many of the people who were out here this morning were actually chanting pro-Saddam Hussein slogans and criticizing American actions in Iraq. However, last night in Baghdad there was celebratory gunfire. The skies of Baghdad were lit up with very, very -- at times -- intense gunfire of people celebrating the news that Uday and Qusay had been killed.
Now, we do have some more information on the operation itself. We have been told that U.S. troops were led here by one person. It was one source, who told U.S. troops on the ground that these people were, in fact, in this house. And U.S. military planners had about 24 hours to launch this operation. They initially came here with megaphones, asked the occupants of the house to leave, and the occupants responded with small arms gunfire, and that is when the firefight ensued and the four occupants of the house killed.
We have also been told that the source of that information will receive the two $15 million rewards that had been offered by the United States for information leading to Saddam Hussein's two older sons -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So, he gets $30 million. He remains in protective custody, right? You also told us earlier that they found some important documents in the home. WHITBECK: That's correct. The source is in protective custody, and the military people on the ground here say they did find important documents that might help intelligence agents, who continue searching for several other members of the Saddam Hussein regime, including Saddam Hussein himself. So, that information is considered to be important.
They also found several packed suitcases in the house, and there's really nothing much that we can read into that information yet. I'm sure that as the days go by and as investigators -- military investigators here comb through that house, more details will come out.
COSTELLO: Harris Whitbeck live from Mosul 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.
