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CNN Live At Daybreak

At Least Two U.S. Soldiers Wounded in Baghdad Today

Aired September 08, 2003 - 06:06   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: On the heels of President Bush's address, U.S. troops come under attack again in Iraq.
CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us from the Iraqi capital of Baghdad with more on that, as well as reaction to Bush's speech.

But first, Ben, some discrepancies over how many troops were actually injured in this incident.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF: That's correct, Fredricka. According to the U.S. military, two soldiers were injured, were wounded, when their convoy was hit by a homemade bomb. Now, according to the Iraqi eyewitnesses, three soldiers were wounded, two seriously according to those eyewitnesses, when they say a man dropped a hand grenade from an overpass onto their convoy of Humvees.

Now, this is the latest attack in which U.S. soldiers were wounded, but, in fact, attacks occur every day several times a day. This is just the first one in two days that there are casualties.

Now, as far as reaction to President Bush's speech goes, many people, in fact, haven't watched it yet, because it ran very early in the morning. But those we spoke to were a little bit taken aback by the president's declaration that Iraq has become a central front in the war on terror. One Iraqi we spoke to said that he believes this is just American propaganda intended to make Iraqis look like terrorists.

Now, earlier we spoke to one analyst, who also, in fact, watched that speech. This is what he said:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)


Aired September 8, 2003 - 06:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: On the heels of President Bush's address, U.S. troops come under attack again in Iraq.
CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us from the Iraqi capital of Baghdad with more on that, as well as reaction to Bush's speech.

But first, Ben, some discrepancies over how many troops were actually injured in this incident.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF: That's correct, Fredricka. According to the U.S. military, two soldiers were injured, were wounded, when their convoy was hit by a homemade bomb. Now, according to the Iraqi eyewitnesses, three soldiers were wounded, two seriously according to those eyewitnesses, when they say a man dropped a hand grenade from an overpass onto their convoy of Humvees.

Now, this is the latest attack in which U.S. soldiers were wounded, but, in fact, attacks occur every day several times a day. This is just the first one in two days that there are casualties.

Now, as far as reaction to President Bush's speech goes, many people, in fact, haven't watched it yet, because it ran very early in the morning. But those we spoke to were a little bit taken aback by the president's declaration that Iraq has become a central front in the war on terror. One Iraqi we spoke to said that he believes this is just American propaganda intended to make Iraqis look like terrorists.

Now, earlier we spoke to one analyst, who also, in fact, watched that speech. This is what he said:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)