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Confusing Media Reports Regarding Possibility of U.S., British Citizens Detained in Iraq
Aired September 17, 2003 - 05:33 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: There have been confusing media reports regarding the possibility of United States or British citizens detained in Iraq. Coalition officials said that shortly after the war ended, there were reports of prisoners held by allied forces claiming to be Americans or Britons.
We want to take you live to Iraq now for more on the situation.
CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson standing by in Baghdad.
There are reports this morning in the "New York Times" that those Americans are accused of having a part in some of the guerrilla attacks there.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, I think perhaps we can clear up some of the confusion here. At a briefing given yesterday at Abu Ghurayb, one of the most feared jails here in Iraq, Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, who is the chief M.P. in charge of all U.S. detainees, said that at some period in the past on their records, the U.S. showed that there were six people who claimed to be Americans and two people who claimed to be British.
Now, she said that these people were detained during the war. When I asked her for further clarification, she said call back later. I called back later. She told me that somewhere in the last 30 to 45 days their status had changed. I said why has their status changed? She said it could be because of further questioning that they've discovered their true identities, their true nationalities through identification cards, through fingerprinting, through some other means.
What the U.S. -- what the U.S.-led coalition is saying here now is that these people who were detained during the war who claimed at that time, in their first interview process, to be British or U.S. nationals, that is no longer the case. Their status on the record books is no longer registered that way.
I also asked her, is there a possibility here they could have been transferred out of your jurisdiction, thinking maybe Guantanamo Bay or some other detention facility somewhere else outside of Iraq? She said absolutely not.
So the position from the coalition now is that these people who were picked up during the war, who at one time claimed to be British or U.S. nationals, they are no longer registered that way. What I am told is that there are some 300 foreign nationals, approximately 300 foreign nationals in coalition detention in Iraq. The vast majority, I'm told, were picked up during the war and there are about 20 different nationalities currently being held here -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Wow, that is confusing. So these people might not even be Americans, is that what you're saying?
ROBERTSON: What the coalition is telling us is that these people, in their opinion, are not Americans and not British. And the coalition has been very clear on that issue at this time.
COSTELLO: All right, Nic Robertson reporting live from Baghdad and clearing some things up for us this morning.
We appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
British Citizens Detained in Iraq>
Aired September 17, 2003 - 05:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: There have been confusing media reports regarding the possibility of United States or British citizens detained in Iraq. Coalition officials said that shortly after the war ended, there were reports of prisoners held by allied forces claiming to be Americans or Britons.
We want to take you live to Iraq now for more on the situation.
CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson standing by in Baghdad.
There are reports this morning in the "New York Times" that those Americans are accused of having a part in some of the guerrilla attacks there.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, I think perhaps we can clear up some of the confusion here. At a briefing given yesterday at Abu Ghurayb, one of the most feared jails here in Iraq, Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, who is the chief M.P. in charge of all U.S. detainees, said that at some period in the past on their records, the U.S. showed that there were six people who claimed to be Americans and two people who claimed to be British.
Now, she said that these people were detained during the war. When I asked her for further clarification, she said call back later. I called back later. She told me that somewhere in the last 30 to 45 days their status had changed. I said why has their status changed? She said it could be because of further questioning that they've discovered their true identities, their true nationalities through identification cards, through fingerprinting, through some other means.
What the U.S. -- what the U.S.-led coalition is saying here now is that these people who were detained during the war who claimed at that time, in their first interview process, to be British or U.S. nationals, that is no longer the case. Their status on the record books is no longer registered that way.
I also asked her, is there a possibility here they could have been transferred out of your jurisdiction, thinking maybe Guantanamo Bay or some other detention facility somewhere else outside of Iraq? She said absolutely not.
So the position from the coalition now is that these people who were picked up during the war, who at one time claimed to be British or U.S. nationals, they are no longer registered that way. What I am told is that there are some 300 foreign nationals, approximately 300 foreign nationals in coalition detention in Iraq. The vast majority, I'm told, were picked up during the war and there are about 20 different nationalities currently being held here -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Wow, that is confusing. So these people might not even be Americans, is that what you're saying?
ROBERTSON: What the coalition is telling us is that these people, in their opinion, are not Americans and not British. And the coalition has been very clear on that issue at this time.
COSTELLO: All right, Nic Robertson reporting live from Baghdad and clearing some things up for us this morning.
We appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
British Citizens Detained in Iraq>
