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CNN Live Today
Crews Search for More Victims of Truck Bombing in Iraq
Aired August 20, 2003 - 11:08 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The United Nations vows to continue its mission in Iraq, despite the deadly truck bombing at its Baghdad headquarters. Workers there are digging through the debris, as you see here in these live pictures. They are still there on the scene, searching for any victims who may still be buried beneath the rubble there.
CNN's Jane Arraf checks in now from Baghdad. She's got the very latest for us on this story.
Hello -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Leon.
Well, there are a couple of searches going on here -- the search for victims of the bombing and the search for evidence. Now, they pulled out one body from the rubble earlier today. It wasn't entirely clear whether it was someone who had died in the rubble, but it did appear to be so.
They're still looking for several more people considered missing, and they may very well be in that huge devastated complex where the bomb hit.
Now, last night they seemed to have suspended rescue operations, but they are trying to take away those very big pieces of concrete and metal that will give them better access to what is essentially now a bomb site.
The FBI here has been sifting through that rubble as well, roping it off with yellow tape and looking for remnants of what might have exploded when that cement truck detonated.
Now, the FBI agent in charge, Tom Fuentes (ph), says one of the keys will be the triggering device. If they can find that, he says, that may provide clues as to which organization might have been responsible for this.
Here in Baghdad, the top civilian administrator, L. Paul Bremer, says that this kind of attack is the reason why American troops are here and the reason why they'll stay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL BREMER, U.S. CIVILIAN ADMINISTRATOR: We're not going to rest until we find these terrorists. It's part of a global war against terrorism that was declared really officially on us on September 11, and it's a war we're going to have to fight where the terrorists are. And unfortunately, the terrorists are now here in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: And in other parts of the country, attacks on U.S. soldiers continue. In Tikrit, Saddam's hometown, two American soldiers were wounded, and an American, who was a contractor for the Army translating for the solders, was killed in a rocket-propelled grenade attack last night -- Leon.
HARRIS: Thank you so much, Jane -- Jane Arraf reporting live for us from Baghdad, there at the scene of the bombing of yesterday. Jane was there all day and all night last night. We appreciate that, 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.
Aired August 20, 2003 - 11:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The United Nations vows to continue its mission in Iraq, despite the deadly truck bombing at its Baghdad headquarters. Workers there are digging through the debris, as you see here in these live pictures. They are still there on the scene, searching for any victims who may still be buried beneath the rubble there.
CNN's Jane Arraf checks in now from Baghdad. She's got the very latest for us on this story.
Hello -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Leon.
Well, there are a couple of searches going on here -- the search for victims of the bombing and the search for evidence. Now, they pulled out one body from the rubble earlier today. It wasn't entirely clear whether it was someone who had died in the rubble, but it did appear to be so.
They're still looking for several more people considered missing, and they may very well be in that huge devastated complex where the bomb hit.
Now, last night they seemed to have suspended rescue operations, but they are trying to take away those very big pieces of concrete and metal that will give them better access to what is essentially now a bomb site.
The FBI here has been sifting through that rubble as well, roping it off with yellow tape and looking for remnants of what might have exploded when that cement truck detonated.
Now, the FBI agent in charge, Tom Fuentes (ph), says one of the keys will be the triggering device. If they can find that, he says, that may provide clues as to which organization might have been responsible for this.
Here in Baghdad, the top civilian administrator, L. Paul Bremer, says that this kind of attack is the reason why American troops are here and the reason why they'll stay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL BREMER, U.S. CIVILIAN ADMINISTRATOR: We're not going to rest until we find these terrorists. It's part of a global war against terrorism that was declared really officially on us on September 11, and it's a war we're going to have to fight where the terrorists are. And unfortunately, the terrorists are now here in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: And in other parts of the country, attacks on U.S. soldiers continue. In Tikrit, Saddam's hometown, two American soldiers were wounded, and an American, who was a contractor for the Army translating for the solders, was killed in a rocket-propelled grenade attack last night -- Leon.
HARRIS: Thank you so much, Jane -- Jane Arraf reporting live for us from Baghdad, there at the scene of the bombing of yesterday. Jane was there all day and all night last night. We appreciate that, 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.
