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CNN Sunday Morning

Another Bloody Day in Iraq

Aired July 27, 2003 - 08:00   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.


CHUCK ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Iraq, where U.S. troops say they came this close to capturing Saddam Hussein's security chief and possibly Saddam himself. The Associated Press reports troops stormed three farms in Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. About 25 men were briefly detained. A brigade commander told the AP the troops missed Saddam by 24 hours but said and we, quote, "the noose is tightening around these guys."
Meanwhile, another U.S. soldier has died in Iraq. The soldier was killed and another wounded in a grenade attack south of Baghdad. The latest violence comes as the Joint Chiefs' Chairman General Richard Myers visits for a firsthand look at the mission.

And CNN's Rym Brahimi joins us live from Baghdad with more -- Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Chuck, we said earlier on that the U.S. soldier that had been killed was from the First Marine Expeditionary Force. I'd like to correct that. He was actually a U.S. Army soldier detached -- or rather attached with the First Marine Expeditionary Force. At any rate, he died in a grenade attack in the very early hours of the morning, it was 2:30 a.m. roughly, and it was about 30 kilometers south of Baghdad.

And of course, this is the deadliest week for U.S. soldiers, Chuck, in a long time. In the past three months, about 15 U.S. soldiers have been killed in the past eight days alone. Yesterday, three U.S. soldiers were killed when they were guarding a children's hospital in the town of Baquba, which is a 45-minute drive northeast of the Iraqi capital. They were killed by grenade attack as well. And another soldier, in a separate incident, was killed when his convoy came under small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire on the west end highway from Baghdad.

All this, Chuck, as you mentioned, as Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers plans to arrive to Baghdad. He's here for less than 24 hours to assess the situation.

And interestingly enough, it's not just the so-called Sunni Triangle, where there's resistance with regards to the U.S. troops here. In the southern city of Najaf, the holy Shiite city of Na-- Karbala, excuse me, soldiers clashed with Iraqis. Iraqis accused U.S. troops there are of killing an Iraqi. They started throwing stones at the soldiers. The soldiers started firing shots in the air to disperse the crowds. All in all, Chuck, not a very happy picture for U.S. soldiers here in Iraq these days -- Chuck. ROBERTS: No, and that leads me to ask you, is this up tick in assaults on the U.S. forces the result of the raid in Mosul on Tuesday? Do they think that's the case? This is the catalyst for that?

BRAHIMI: Well, nobody's really saying whether they think it's increased because of that. But definitely, I think, whatever hopes there may have been among U.S. officials or U.S. military officials that the raids that killed the Uday and Qusay, the two sons of Saddam Hussein would actually reduce actions or discourage, if you will, any remnants of the Baath Party regime, well, that clearly isn't been the case. There have been as many attacks, if not more, since the deaths of the two sons of the former Iraqi president -- Chuck.

ROBERTS: Rym Brahimi in Baghdad, Rym thank you very much.

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 27, 2003 - 08:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHUCK ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Iraq, where U.S. troops say they came this close to capturing Saddam Hussein's security chief and possibly Saddam himself. The Associated Press reports troops stormed three farms in Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. About 25 men were briefly detained. A brigade commander told the AP the troops missed Saddam by 24 hours but said and we, quote, "the noose is tightening around these guys."
Meanwhile, another U.S. soldier has died in Iraq. The soldier was killed and another wounded in a grenade attack south of Baghdad. The latest violence comes as the Joint Chiefs' Chairman General Richard Myers visits for a firsthand look at the mission.

And CNN's Rym Brahimi joins us live from Baghdad with more -- Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Chuck, we said earlier on that the U.S. soldier that had been killed was from the First Marine Expeditionary Force. I'd like to correct that. He was actually a U.S. Army soldier detached -- or rather attached with the First Marine Expeditionary Force. At any rate, he died in a grenade attack in the very early hours of the morning, it was 2:30 a.m. roughly, and it was about 30 kilometers south of Baghdad.

And of course, this is the deadliest week for U.S. soldiers, Chuck, in a long time. In the past three months, about 15 U.S. soldiers have been killed in the past eight days alone. Yesterday, three U.S. soldiers were killed when they were guarding a children's hospital in the town of Baquba, which is a 45-minute drive northeast of the Iraqi capital. They were killed by grenade attack as well. And another soldier, in a separate incident, was killed when his convoy came under small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire on the west end highway from Baghdad.

All this, Chuck, as you mentioned, as Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers plans to arrive to Baghdad. He's here for less than 24 hours to assess the situation.

And interestingly enough, it's not just the so-called Sunni Triangle, where there's resistance with regards to the U.S. troops here. In the southern city of Najaf, the holy Shiite city of Na-- Karbala, excuse me, soldiers clashed with Iraqis. Iraqis accused U.S. troops there are of killing an Iraqi. They started throwing stones at the soldiers. The soldiers started firing shots in the air to disperse the crowds. All in all, Chuck, not a very happy picture for U.S. soldiers here in Iraq these days -- Chuck. ROBERTS: No, and that leads me to ask you, is this up tick in assaults on the U.S. forces the result of the raid in Mosul on Tuesday? Do they think that's the case? This is the catalyst for that?

BRAHIMI: Well, nobody's really saying whether they think it's increased because of that. But definitely, I think, whatever hopes there may have been among U.S. officials or U.S. military officials that the raids that killed the Uday and Qusay, the two sons of Saddam Hussein would actually reduce actions or discourage, if you will, any remnants of the Baath Party regime, well, that clearly isn't been the case. There have been as many attacks, if not more, since the deaths of the two sons of the former Iraqi president -- Chuck.

ROBERTS: Rym Brahimi in Baghdad, Rym thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com