Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

International Wrap, Eye on World

Aired August 18, 2003 - 06:35   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: British troops in Iraq have made quite a discovery, in a locked weapons box of all places.
Our senior international editor, David Clinch, is back with more details on that.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning, Fredricka. Well...

WHITFIELD: I like this story.

CLINCH: Yes. We mentioned it earlier. We've got a slight update on this story. It's not all sabotage and blood and guts in Iraq today. A story -- the Ministry of Defense in London telling us today that two young British soldiers searching a building in Basra in southern Iraq found an ammunition box surrounded by weapons, a locked box. They were searching for suspected terrorists. The box was locked. They unlocked the box, and what do they find? A 2-year-old -- a 2-day-old baby, and also the baby not breathing.

The two soldiers, according to the Ministry of Defense, immediately administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for quite some few minutes apparently. One of the young soldiers said it was only when the young baby grasped his finger...

WHITFIELD: Oh, my God!

CLINCH: ... that they realized that they had brought the baby back to life.

They then apparently were able to identify the mother, who was there in the building -- or she identified herself. It's not clear why the baby was locked in the box. Apparently, the baby had been born prematurely.

They were then able to get the baby to a hospital in Basra, get her proper care -- a 2-day-old baby girl. They've named her Rose, these two young soldiers from the Lancashire Regiment of the British Army. So, she's a Lancashire Rose for now until we find out her real name.

And, again, not clear exactly why she was locked in the box and whether or not the mother, who is now being reunited with her, will actually get to take her home -- that's not clear.

But the two soldiers have promised to keep a very close eye on the baby's progress. So, some good news there from Basra.

And then this interesting story we've been telling. We actually, again, reported this on Friday, but it was somewhat in the background because of the power outage story -- so, the photographs of Saddam Hussein.

Now, again, we need to make it clear this is the 4th Infantry Division in Iraq around the Tikrit area, sick and tired of being fired upon and attacked by what they say are Feyadeen Saddam loyalists in the area. They have found these photographs of Saddam Hussein doctored already, and they found them on the Internet -- Saddam in drag, Saddam as Elvis, Saddam in all sorts of get-ups.

Again, they found these on the Internet, decided to cheer themselves up by printing them up and putting them up on the walls all over their headquarters in Tikrit. And they tell us -- and they've been telling us -- that what they want to do is put them up all over Tikrit to annoy these Saddam loyalists so much that they'll -- apparently, the idea is to annoy them so much they'll actually come out and face them face to face and put up a fight.

WHITFIELD: I cannot imagine that that's actually being advised.

CLINCH: Well, perhaps not. You wouldn't believe it. But we've heard from very senior officers that the frustration level is so high that they're thinking about it. It remains to be seen whether they actually will do it. And, of course, if they do, what the general populace in the Tikrit area, which is also generally quite sympathetic still to Saddam Hussein...

WHITFIELD: Yes.

CLINCH: ... what they would think about it. And, of course, it remains to be seen whether these guys would actually come out and fight face to face.

But the point, of course, really from the U.S. point of view is that the soldiers are tired of just being dummy targets.

WHITFIELD: So, they want to incite more (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

CLINCH: They want to just basically bait them and come out and fight face to face.

WHITFIELD: Oh.

CLINCH: Now, you know, that may not be the right tactic. We don't know.

WHITFIELD: And it may not do what they...

(CROSSTALK)

CLINCH: But it clearly illustrates the level of frustration the U.S. soldiers are feeling there on the ground. So, an interesting story, somewhat silly, but the real point is that they are tired of being shot at, and they want to fight face to face.

WHITFIELD: Mixed reviews on what actually is found humorous they'll find there.

CLINCH: Exactly, yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, David Clinch, thanks very much.

CLINCH: OK.

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 August 18, 2003 - 06:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: British troops in Iraq have made quite a discovery, in a locked weapons box of all places.
Our senior international editor, David Clinch, is back with more details on that.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning, Fredricka. Well...

WHITFIELD: I like this story.

CLINCH: Yes. We mentioned it earlier. We've got a slight update on this story. It's not all sabotage and blood and guts in Iraq today. A story -- the Ministry of Defense in London telling us today that two young British soldiers searching a building in Basra in southern Iraq found an ammunition box surrounded by weapons, a locked box. They were searching for suspected terrorists. The box was locked. They unlocked the box, and what do they find? A 2-year-old -- a 2-day-old baby, and also the baby not breathing.

The two soldiers, according to the Ministry of Defense, immediately administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for quite some few minutes apparently. One of the young soldiers said it was only when the young baby grasped his finger...

WHITFIELD: Oh, my God!

CLINCH: ... that they realized that they had brought the baby back to life.

They then apparently were able to identify the mother, who was there in the building -- or she identified herself. It's not clear why the baby was locked in the box. Apparently, the baby had been born prematurely.

They were then able to get the baby to a hospital in Basra, get her proper care -- a 2-day-old baby girl. They've named her Rose, these two young soldiers from the Lancashire Regiment of the British Army. So, she's a Lancashire Rose for now until we find out her real name.

And, again, not clear exactly why she was locked in the box and whether or not the mother, who is now being reunited with her, will actually get to take her home -- that's not clear.

But the two soldiers have promised to keep a very close eye on the baby's progress. So, some good news there from Basra.

And then this interesting story we've been telling. We actually, again, reported this on Friday, but it was somewhat in the background because of the power outage story -- so, the photographs of Saddam Hussein.

Now, again, we need to make it clear this is the 4th Infantry Division in Iraq around the Tikrit area, sick and tired of being fired upon and attacked by what they say are Feyadeen Saddam loyalists in the area. They have found these photographs of Saddam Hussein doctored already, and they found them on the Internet -- Saddam in drag, Saddam as Elvis, Saddam in all sorts of get-ups.

Again, they found these on the Internet, decided to cheer themselves up by printing them up and putting them up on the walls all over their headquarters in Tikrit. And they tell us -- and they've been telling us -- that what they want to do is put them up all over Tikrit to annoy these Saddam loyalists so much that they'll -- apparently, the idea is to annoy them so much they'll actually come out and face them face to face and put up a fight.

WHITFIELD: I cannot imagine that that's actually being advised.

CLINCH: Well, perhaps not. You wouldn't believe it. But we've heard from very senior officers that the frustration level is so high that they're thinking about it. It remains to be seen whether they actually will do it. And, of course, if they do, what the general populace in the Tikrit area, which is also generally quite sympathetic still to Saddam Hussein...

WHITFIELD: Yes.

CLINCH: ... what they would think about it. And, of course, it remains to be seen whether these guys would actually come out and fight face to face.

But the point, of course, really from the U.S. point of view is that the soldiers are tired of just being dummy targets.

WHITFIELD: So, they want to incite more (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

CLINCH: They want to just basically bait them and come out and fight face to face.

WHITFIELD: Oh.

CLINCH: Now, you know, that may not be the right tactic. We don't know.

WHITFIELD: And it may not do what they...

(CROSSTALK)

CLINCH: But it clearly illustrates the level of frustration the U.S. soldiers are feeling there on the ground. So, an interesting story, somewhat silly, but the real point is that they are tired of being shot at, and they want to fight face to face.

WHITFIELD: Mixed reviews on what actually is found humorous they'll find there.

CLINCH: Exactly, yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, David Clinch, thanks very much.

CLINCH: OK.

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