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CNN Live At Daybreak

Iraqi Police Say Three Men Fire on Sunni Mosque

Aired September 05, 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: There has been a shooting today at a Sunni mosque in Baghdad. It comes one week after a deadly attack on a Shiite mosque.
For the latest on Iraq's growing security problem we go live to our Ben Wedeman in Baghdad -- Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Fredricka, that attack occurred at about 5:45 local time, when three men drove up in a pickup truck. They were armed with AK-47 assault rifles and handguns. They opened fire as people were leaving that mosque. There were about 30 or 40 people inside. They wounded three of those prayer-goers, one of them apparently in critical condition, according to the police.

Now, this attack on a Sunni mosque in a Shiite area has raised concerns of sectarian clashes. People were very shaken by last week's bombing in Najaf of the Imam Ali mosque, which left at least 83 people dead.

Now, because of these concerns, there are not as many people going to mosques as would normally be expected. I just spoke with someone who returned from the Kazamia (ph) mosque, the biggest Shiite mosque in Baghdad, and he said there are far fewer people than would normally be there, many of them staying away for fear of another bomb -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ben Wedeman in Baghdad, thank you.

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 September 5, 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: There has been a shooting today at a Sunni mosque in Baghdad. It comes one week after a deadly attack on a Shiite mosque.
For the latest on Iraq's growing security problem we go live to our Ben Wedeman in Baghdad -- Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Fredricka, that attack occurred at about 5:45 local time, when three men drove up in a pickup truck. They were armed with AK-47 assault rifles and handguns. They opened fire as people were leaving that mosque. There were about 30 or 40 people inside. They wounded three of those prayer-goers, one of them apparently in critical condition, according to the police.

Now, this attack on a Sunni mosque in a Shiite area has raised concerns of sectarian clashes. People were very shaken by last week's bombing in Najaf of the Imam Ali mosque, which left at least 83 people dead.

Now, because of these concerns, there are not as many people going to mosques as would normally be expected. I just spoke with someone who returned from the Kazamia (ph) mosque, the biggest Shiite mosque in Baghdad, and he said there are far fewer people than would normally be there, many of them staying away for fear of another bomb -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ben Wedeman in Baghdad, thank you.

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