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CNN Live At Daybreak
138 American Troops Have Died Since May 1
Aired August 26, 2003 - 06:05 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: One more U.S. death in Iraq. It brings the post-combat death toll to 138, a number that now equals those killed in combat. It's a symbolic number, one that underscores the political challenge for President Bush in his reconstruction efforts.
Live to Baghdad now and Rym Brahimi.
Good morning -- Rym.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. And 61 of those 138 deaths are due to hostile fire.
Now, U.S. military officials have told us that there are 12 attacks at least daily against U.S. troops in and around Baghdad. They also tell us that they will not be deterred by what they call these acts of intimidation, and will continue the project of rebuilding the country.
They also carry out regular raids. They capture criminals. They capture loyalists to the previous regime of Saddam Hussein. They confiscate weapons. But that said, a lot of the insecurity problems are still here.
Let me just go through a few of them for you. There are regular kidnappings. There are regular thefts, rapes, carjackings, basically a lot of criminal and gang activity going on.
In addition to that, there have been those two massive bombings -- one at the Jordanian embassy, another one at the United Nations compound that left dozens dead and tens of dozens of injured people as well.
And then, you have ethnic violence that's now coming up in the north and the south. It prompted yesterday a big demonstration. Thousands of Shias marching to the Republican Palace, basically charging that the U.S. has done little to improve security, to control ethnic tensions in the north, and did little to prevent an explosion at the house of a religious cleric in the south in the holy city of Najaf.
Basically, all of this leads to a certain number of questions that may have to be answered soon, in order for this security situation to improve. One of those questions is: How can a force that is being attacked really protect a country that is trying to secure?
And there is the issue of: Has the U.S. created a terrorist haven, where there wasn't one previously?
And thirdly, this coalition force that won the war, well, how is it that it can't maintain the peace? -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Questions that are being asked in Washington, too, at this time. Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad.
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 26, 2003 - 06:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: One more U.S. death in Iraq. It brings the post-combat death toll to 138, a number that now equals those killed in combat. It's a symbolic number, one that underscores the political challenge for President Bush in his reconstruction efforts.
Live to Baghdad now and Rym Brahimi.
Good morning -- Rym.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. And 61 of those 138 deaths are due to hostile fire.
Now, U.S. military officials have told us that there are 12 attacks at least daily against U.S. troops in and around Baghdad. They also tell us that they will not be deterred by what they call these acts of intimidation, and will continue the project of rebuilding the country.
They also carry out regular raids. They capture criminals. They capture loyalists to the previous regime of Saddam Hussein. They confiscate weapons. But that said, a lot of the insecurity problems are still here.
Let me just go through a few of them for you. There are regular kidnappings. There are regular thefts, rapes, carjackings, basically a lot of criminal and gang activity going on.
In addition to that, there have been those two massive bombings -- one at the Jordanian embassy, another one at the United Nations compound that left dozens dead and tens of dozens of injured people as well.
And then, you have ethnic violence that's now coming up in the north and the south. It prompted yesterday a big demonstration. Thousands of Shias marching to the Republican Palace, basically charging that the U.S. has done little to improve security, to control ethnic tensions in the north, and did little to prevent an explosion at the house of a religious cleric in the south in the holy city of Najaf.
Basically, all of this leads to a certain number of questions that may have to be answered soon, in order for this security situation to improve. One of those questions is: How can a force that is being attacked really protect a country that is trying to secure?
And there is the issue of: Has the U.S. created a terrorist haven, where there wasn't one previously?
And thirdly, this coalition force that won the war, well, how is it that it can't maintain the peace? -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Questions that are being asked in Washington, too, at this time. Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
