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CNN Live Today
U.S. Launches New Operation to Drive Out Saddam Loyalists in Wake of Latest Attacks
Aired August 11, 2003 - 10:04 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. soldiers have once again come under attack in Iraq. One member of the Army's 4th Infantry Division was killed and two others wounded. In this latest attack, let's go to Tikrit now where CNN's Jane Arraf is standing by. Hello to you, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Heidi. Well it happened at a police station in Baquba south of here. Now that attack, in which one soldier was critically wounded and two others escaping with less serious injuries, happened when an improvised explosive device appeared to have been placed outside a police station. They went to investigate, the device went off, the blast killing one of them who died of his injuries.
It wasn't the only incident of that kind. Another convoy came under attack by Rocket Propelled Grenades and an improvised explosive device as well closer to the town of Kirkuk.
Now to help stop those kind of attacks, the U.S. Army, the 4th I.D. based here announced a major raid today. It calls it "Operation Ivy Lightning" and it's based further north from here. They say the aim is to get those Fedayeen, those fighters and suspected Saddam loyalists who have been essentially, is their, been driven out of Tikrit, Saddam's hometown and surrounding areas and moved to more remote areas further north.
They say they launched those raids with attack helicopters, heavy infantry and several units. They say they've netted several detainees, many in fact and five arms caches. No details on that yet, but they are calling it a success -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Jane, I do have a quick question for you about this Operation Ivy Lightning, the latest of which to help root out Saddam loyalists. This is about the fifth major operation, I think, in place to do the very same thing. Are you hearing anything about how this Operation Ivy Lighting will be any different than past operations?
ARRAF: Essentially geographically, it is according to military officials here, the most sizable number of troops, the most troops they've actually put in those remote areas since the end of the war. It's similar to the rest in that it involves, in their words, precision strikes. And it's aimed at getting these people who they believe are planning attacks against U.S. forces.
But it is different in that it does go further north into more remote areas and it's a bigger force than they've used there before. The intent, they say, is that as these people move out, as their local operations are shut down and start moving out into outlying areas, that they close off those areas, as well.
Now we're seeing still there are obviously attacks taking place such as in Baquba at that police station. It's not entirely over with, the resistance here. There are still a lot of what they call pockets of opposition, but they do say that they have them on the run -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, CNN's Jane Arraf this morning. Thanks so much, Jane.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
in Wake of Latest Attacks>
Aired August 11, 2003 - 10:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. soldiers have once again come under attack in Iraq. One member of the Army's 4th Infantry Division was killed and two others wounded. In this latest attack, let's go to Tikrit now where CNN's Jane Arraf is standing by. Hello to you, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Heidi. Well it happened at a police station in Baquba south of here. Now that attack, in which one soldier was critically wounded and two others escaping with less serious injuries, happened when an improvised explosive device appeared to have been placed outside a police station. They went to investigate, the device went off, the blast killing one of them who died of his injuries.
It wasn't the only incident of that kind. Another convoy came under attack by Rocket Propelled Grenades and an improvised explosive device as well closer to the town of Kirkuk.
Now to help stop those kind of attacks, the U.S. Army, the 4th I.D. based here announced a major raid today. It calls it "Operation Ivy Lightning" and it's based further north from here. They say the aim is to get those Fedayeen, those fighters and suspected Saddam loyalists who have been essentially, is their, been driven out of Tikrit, Saddam's hometown and surrounding areas and moved to more remote areas further north.
They say they launched those raids with attack helicopters, heavy infantry and several units. They say they've netted several detainees, many in fact and five arms caches. No details on that yet, but they are calling it a success -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Jane, I do have a quick question for you about this Operation Ivy Lightning, the latest of which to help root out Saddam loyalists. This is about the fifth major operation, I think, in place to do the very same thing. Are you hearing anything about how this Operation Ivy Lighting will be any different than past operations?
ARRAF: Essentially geographically, it is according to military officials here, the most sizable number of troops, the most troops they've actually put in those remote areas since the end of the war. It's similar to the rest in that it involves, in their words, precision strikes. And it's aimed at getting these people who they believe are planning attacks against U.S. forces.
But it is different in that it does go further north into more remote areas and it's a bigger force than they've used there before. The intent, they say, is that as these people move out, as their local operations are shut down and start moving out into outlying areas, that they close off those areas, as well.
Now we're seeing still there are obviously attacks taking place such as in Baquba at that police station. It's not entirely over with, the resistance here. There are still a lot of what they call pockets of opposition, but they do say that they have them on the run -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, CNN's Jane Arraf this morning. Thanks so much, Jane.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
in Wake of Latest Attacks>
