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American Morning
Combat in Iraq
Aired August 26, 2003 - 07:16 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: To Iraq right now and a tragic milestone: 138 American service members have died since major combat ended. That's the same number killed during the actual war.
According to the president, the mission in Iraq may have changed, but it is still combat and it is still dangerous.
Our Rym Brahimi updates us now in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Out of the 138 soldiers that have died since President Bush declared the end of major combat operations on May 1, 61 of these died in hostile fire. U.S. military officials say there are about a dozen attacks against U.S. troops in and around the Baghdad area.
Now, the U.S. military also says they will not be deterred by what they call acts of intimidation, and want to continue the various projects they have begun to start rebuilding the country. They also say they've been conducting a series of raids in order to allow the rebuilding of the country, to continue under a safe and secure environment.
In the last 24 hours, U.S. military officials say they've conducted a raid in order to hunt a guerrilla criminal gang that's been operating in the Sunni triangle.
But it's not only in the Sunni triangle that there's been crime. In and around Baghdad and in the south in Basra there's been a lot of crime. Many Iraqis complain of carjackings, kidnappings, rape, theft and murders.
And there were the two massive bombings -- the Jordanian embassy bombing and the United Nations compound headquarters bombing. In addition to which, ethnic violence seems to have been flaring up in certain areas in the north and in the south.
A massive demonstration took place. Thousands of Shias marching to the Republican Palace, where the coalition authorities has some of its offices, basically charging that the United States has failed to provide the security they would want to see here, saying that they haven't prevented ethnic violence in the north, saying also that they didn't prevent the explosion of a bomb near the house of a religious leader in the holy city of Najaf.
All of these security issues raise a certain number of questions. How can a force that's being attacked itself provide security in a country? Secondly, has the U.S. created a haven for terrorists where there was none before? And thirdly, how is it that a coalition force that won the war is finding it so difficult to maintain the peace?
Rym Brahimi, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: There is no immediate plan to increase U.S. troop strength, but Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says he will not rule out that possibility.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: My position is that we ought to have as many forces in the Middle East as is appropriate. And if we're going to make an error, we ought to have too many rather than too few.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: So, then again, the question: Are coalition troops currently spread too thin?
CNN military analyst, retired Major General Don Shepperd, is back with us here on AMERICAN MORNING.
It's been a while, Don. Welcome back. Nice to see you again.
MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: Explain this to me: How is it that veterans in Congress can go to Iraq and say the need is immediate for thousands of more troops there, American troops, yet the commanders on the ground say no, the number is good right now? How to you get that divergent opinion?
SHEPPERD: Well, in short, Bill, I think the congressman are wrong. I'll believe that we need more troops over when General John Abizaid, who is a stand-up guy, says we need more. I am firmly on the side of not rushing a bunch of troops over there that you have to support, that you have to protect and that provide more targets. The key is for us to get out of Iraq and turn it over to the Iraqis, not rush more U.S. troops in there.
On the other hand, if General Abizaid says he needs more to conduct specific missions and they are the right types of troops, then I'll believe it. But tight now, I don't think the answer is to rush a bunch of more people in there.
HEMMER: But you heard what General Richard Myers said over the weekend. He said a third division is welcomed from another country, another international force. Is that not an admission that more men and women are needed on the ground there? SHEPPERD: Well, two things. I think that if you have more troops over there, you can always find a use for them. And secondly, they could replace some of the United States troops that then could be rotated home.
The key, however, is to make sure that the troops that go over there are placed under some type of U.S. control, so that the U.S. can continue to do these aggressive raids based upon intelligence. Just having more troops to stand around guarding intersections and pipelines and electrical outlets is not the answer. That can soak up every troop available from the United States, Bill.
HEMMER: Take a look at a graphic we're going to put up on our screen for you, and show you the troop deployment of the United States around the world. From top to bottom -- well, actually that first figure is wrong. It's not 14,000. It's more like 140,000 in Iraq, South Korea, 37,000, Kuwait, Afghanistan, all the way down to the bottom of the screen in the Balkans.
What concerns you about the possibility that something flares up as a result of what's happening with these North Korean talks?
SHEPPERD: Well, of course, if North Korea should break out, we would be stressed even thinner. The thing that would really be stretched is our sea lift and our air lift. Korea would in a lot of sense be an air war, also backed up by a very capable South Korean army and air force over there.
North Korea also does not have the capability to launch any kind of extended war in that theater. So, although it would stretch us even thinner around the world, where about 60 percent of our combat capability is now being used and deployed, it doesn't mean that we don't have the capability to respond to Korea with everything else going on.
HEMMER: What is the chance General Abizaid changes his mind?
SHEPPERD: Well, I think there's a very good chance that he will say I need extra troops of this type, targeted types that can go out, such as military police, and conduct raids. And also, if indeed Iraq does become a haven for terrorists that are rushing in through Iran and through Syria so that it becomes a jihadist war, as some have proclaimed, then he may need more troops.
On the other hand, it's way too early to say that this is becoming any kind of real jihadist war over there. That's almost hysterical and well beyond what's taking place right now.
HEMMER: Don, thanks. Major General Don Shepperd, well talk again. Always a pleasure to have you on here.
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 - 07:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: To Iraq right now and a tragic milestone: 138 American service members have died since major combat ended. That's the same number killed during the actual war.
According to the president, the mission in Iraq may have changed, but it is still combat and it is still dangerous.
Our Rym Brahimi updates us now in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Out of the 138 soldiers that have died since President Bush declared the end of major combat operations on May 1, 61 of these died in hostile fire. U.S. military officials say there are about a dozen attacks against U.S. troops in and around the Baghdad area.
Now, the U.S. military also says they will not be deterred by what they call acts of intimidation, and want to continue the various projects they have begun to start rebuilding the country. They also say they've been conducting a series of raids in order to allow the rebuilding of the country, to continue under a safe and secure environment.
In the last 24 hours, U.S. military officials say they've conducted a raid in order to hunt a guerrilla criminal gang that's been operating in the Sunni triangle.
But it's not only in the Sunni triangle that there's been crime. In and around Baghdad and in the south in Basra there's been a lot of crime. Many Iraqis complain of carjackings, kidnappings, rape, theft and murders.
And there were the two massive bombings -- the Jordanian embassy bombing and the United Nations compound headquarters bombing. In addition to which, ethnic violence seems to have been flaring up in certain areas in the north and in the south.
A massive demonstration took place. Thousands of Shias marching to the Republican Palace, where the coalition authorities has some of its offices, basically charging that the United States has failed to provide the security they would want to see here, saying that they haven't prevented ethnic violence in the north, saying also that they didn't prevent the explosion of a bomb near the house of a religious leader in the holy city of Najaf.
All of these security issues raise a certain number of questions. How can a force that's being attacked itself provide security in a country? Secondly, has the U.S. created a haven for terrorists where there was none before? And thirdly, how is it that a coalition force that won the war is finding it so difficult to maintain the peace?
Rym Brahimi, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: There is no immediate plan to increase U.S. troop strength, but Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says he will not rule out that possibility.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: My position is that we ought to have as many forces in the Middle East as is appropriate. And if we're going to make an error, we ought to have too many rather than too few.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: So, then again, the question: Are coalition troops currently spread too thin?
CNN military analyst, retired Major General Don Shepperd, is back with us here on AMERICAN MORNING.
It's been a while, Don. Welcome back. Nice to see you again.
MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, U.S. AIR FORCE (RET.): Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: Explain this to me: How is it that veterans in Congress can go to Iraq and say the need is immediate for thousands of more troops there, American troops, yet the commanders on the ground say no, the number is good right now? How to you get that divergent opinion?
SHEPPERD: Well, in short, Bill, I think the congressman are wrong. I'll believe that we need more troops over when General John Abizaid, who is a stand-up guy, says we need more. I am firmly on the side of not rushing a bunch of troops over there that you have to support, that you have to protect and that provide more targets. The key is for us to get out of Iraq and turn it over to the Iraqis, not rush more U.S. troops in there.
On the other hand, if General Abizaid says he needs more to conduct specific missions and they are the right types of troops, then I'll believe it. But tight now, I don't think the answer is to rush a bunch of more people in there.
HEMMER: But you heard what General Richard Myers said over the weekend. He said a third division is welcomed from another country, another international force. Is that not an admission that more men and women are needed on the ground there? SHEPPERD: Well, two things. I think that if you have more troops over there, you can always find a use for them. And secondly, they could replace some of the United States troops that then could be rotated home.
The key, however, is to make sure that the troops that go over there are placed under some type of U.S. control, so that the U.S. can continue to do these aggressive raids based upon intelligence. Just having more troops to stand around guarding intersections and pipelines and electrical outlets is not the answer. That can soak up every troop available from the United States, Bill.
HEMMER: Take a look at a graphic we're going to put up on our screen for you, and show you the troop deployment of the United States around the world. From top to bottom -- well, actually that first figure is wrong. It's not 14,000. It's more like 140,000 in Iraq, South Korea, 37,000, Kuwait, Afghanistan, all the way down to the bottom of the screen in the Balkans.
What concerns you about the possibility that something flares up as a result of what's happening with these North Korean talks?
SHEPPERD: Well, of course, if North Korea should break out, we would be stressed even thinner. The thing that would really be stretched is our sea lift and our air lift. Korea would in a lot of sense be an air war, also backed up by a very capable South Korean army and air force over there.
North Korea also does not have the capability to launch any kind of extended war in that theater. So, although it would stretch us even thinner around the world, where about 60 percent of our combat capability is now being used and deployed, it doesn't mean that we don't have the capability to respond to Korea with everything else going on.
HEMMER: What is the chance General Abizaid changes his mind?
SHEPPERD: Well, I think there's a very good chance that he will say I need extra troops of this type, targeted types that can go out, such as military police, and conduct raids. And also, if indeed Iraq does become a haven for terrorists that are rushing in through Iran and through Syria so that it becomes a jihadist war, as some have proclaimed, then he may need more troops.
On the other hand, it's way too early to say that this is becoming any kind of real jihadist war over there. That's almost hysterical and well beyond what's taking place right now.
HEMMER: Don, thanks. Major General Don Shepperd, well talk again. Always a pleasure to have you on here.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
