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CNN Live At Daybreak
One U.S. Soldier Killed in Baghdad Today
Aired September 15, 2003 - 06:34 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: Secretary of State Colin Powell has had a busy day. He's in Iraq, where he has met with the Kurds, and he's talked a lot about when a self-ruled Iraq will be possible.
How were his words received? Live to Baghdad now and Walter Rodgers.
Before we talk about Colin Powell, can you tell us anymore about the latest death of a U.S. soldier in Iraq?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A little, Carol. What we can tell you is that the soldier was with the 1st Armored Division. The attack occurred in the Baghdad suburbs -- that is to say not all that far from where we are now. It was an overnight attack on a U.S. soldier apparently on patrol. What happened was someone fired a rocket-propelled grenade at him.
Rocket-propelled grenades are, of course, almost bazooka-like weapons, long tubes. There's a projectile about this big. It's lethal when fired against a soldier, even when that soldier is wearing body armor. The soldier was rushed to the hospital badly wounded, and died in the hospital overnight Carol.
COSTELLO: OK, Walter. Now about Colin Powell. What is he doing right now?
RODGERS: Well, Colin Powell has spent the better part of this day, his second day in Iraq, visiting the Kurdish cities and towns in north-central Iraq. Most notably, he went to the Kurdish town of Halabjah. If that name rings a bell, recall it is where Saddam Hussein's forces used chemical weapons against the Kurds who lived in that town in 1988. Over 5,000 Kurds were killed.
Colin Powell, of course, got a hero's reception in that town. Whenever an American official goes to an area that has been badly persecuted by the forces of Saddam Hussein, like the Kurdish areas, you can expect him to get a triumphant welcome. That's what Colin Powell got in the northern areas of this country today.
Yesterday, the American secretary of state was in Baghdad. He met with the Governing Council, which is the U.S.-appointed nominal governing body for Iraq at this point. He indicated he was extremely pleased with what he saw. He was very upbeat, although he did say that there would be a considerable period of time yet before the Iraqis are responsible for their own security. Still, he was upbeat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm deeply impressed by what I saw. I saw people hard at work rebuilding a nation and rebuilding a society. I saw people hard at work knowing that the United States was going to support them in that work. And that work has a very simple, direct and clear purpose, and that is to help rebuild this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RODGERS: Overnight in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit and in the Tikrit area, U.S. soldiers were very busy -- at least four different raids in the Tikrit area. They were looking for men who are said to have been the money men, the bankrollers of the recent attacks on U.S. soldiers in that particular area. At least seven Iraqis were arrested in these raids and a number of weapons confiscated. Recall this is an extraordinarily dangerous area. This is part of the Sunni Muslim triangle west and northwest of Baghdad -- towns like Fallujah and Tikrit.
And as we pointed out a few moments ago, in Baghdad itself another U.S. soldier was killed overnight -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Walter Rodgers bringing us up to date from Baghdad this morning.
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 15, 2003 - 06:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Secretary of State Colin Powell has had a busy day. He's in Iraq, where he has met with the Kurds, and he's talked a lot about when a self-ruled Iraq will be possible.
How were his words received? Live to Baghdad now and Walter Rodgers.
Before we talk about Colin Powell, can you tell us anymore about the latest death of a U.S. soldier in Iraq?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A little, Carol. What we can tell you is that the soldier was with the 1st Armored Division. The attack occurred in the Baghdad suburbs -- that is to say not all that far from where we are now. It was an overnight attack on a U.S. soldier apparently on patrol. What happened was someone fired a rocket-propelled grenade at him.
Rocket-propelled grenades are, of course, almost bazooka-like weapons, long tubes. There's a projectile about this big. It's lethal when fired against a soldier, even when that soldier is wearing body armor. The soldier was rushed to the hospital badly wounded, and died in the hospital overnight Carol.
COSTELLO: OK, Walter. Now about Colin Powell. What is he doing right now?
RODGERS: Well, Colin Powell has spent the better part of this day, his second day in Iraq, visiting the Kurdish cities and towns in north-central Iraq. Most notably, he went to the Kurdish town of Halabjah. If that name rings a bell, recall it is where Saddam Hussein's forces used chemical weapons against the Kurds who lived in that town in 1988. Over 5,000 Kurds were killed.
Colin Powell, of course, got a hero's reception in that town. Whenever an American official goes to an area that has been badly persecuted by the forces of Saddam Hussein, like the Kurdish areas, you can expect him to get a triumphant welcome. That's what Colin Powell got in the northern areas of this country today.
Yesterday, the American secretary of state was in Baghdad. He met with the Governing Council, which is the U.S.-appointed nominal governing body for Iraq at this point. He indicated he was extremely pleased with what he saw. He was very upbeat, although he did say that there would be a considerable period of time yet before the Iraqis are responsible for their own security. Still, he was upbeat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm deeply impressed by what I saw. I saw people hard at work rebuilding a nation and rebuilding a society. I saw people hard at work knowing that the United States was going to support them in that work. And that work has a very simple, direct and clear purpose, and that is to help rebuild this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RODGERS: Overnight in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit and in the Tikrit area, U.S. soldiers were very busy -- at least four different raids in the Tikrit area. They were looking for men who are said to have been the money men, the bankrollers of the recent attacks on U.S. soldiers in that particular area. At least seven Iraqis were arrested in these raids and a number of weapons confiscated. Recall this is an extraordinarily dangerous area. This is part of the Sunni Muslim triangle west and northwest of Baghdad -- towns like Fallujah and Tikrit.
And as we pointed out a few moments ago, in Baghdad itself another U.S. soldier was killed overnight -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Walter Rodgers bringing us up to date from Baghdad this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
