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CNN Live At Daybreak
Bomb Aimed at U.N. Offices in Iraq
Aired September 22, 2003 - 05:02 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: We must take you to Iraq now. For the second time in as many months, a bomb is aimed at the United Nations offices.
Walter Rodgers live in Baghdad with details for us this morning -- Walter, what happened?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
This second attack on United Nations headquarters in Baghdad was not nearly as deadly as the previous month, when 23 people were killed here. It happened a little after eight o'clock in the morning. There was a thunderous explosion that shook the entire city of Baghdad. You could hear it everywhere. And what happened was someone tried to breach the perimeter.
The difference this time was the security perimeter was much farther back than it was August 19 on the first more deadly of the U.N. blasts.
Captain Holly Meeker described who the U.S. Army thinks is responsible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPT. HOLLY MEEKER, U.S. ARMY: This is yet another example of former regime loyalists hurting the Iraqi people. Coalition forces call on all Iraqi people to help fight these terrorists by providing the coalition with any information that could lead to their capture and to help prevent further attacks of this kind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RODGERS: On this occasion, the suicide bomber was killed and a security guard was killed. There are some 16 to 18 people in hospital. Again, what made the difference this time is that the perimeter was considerably farther back than on the August 19 attack. Again, it was a near miss, a very deadly attack this morning.
U.N. officials now say they are going to be reviewing their position here in Iraq, suggesting it may be just getting too risky.
Here's the U.N. spokeswoman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIA PARADELLA, WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: How many more people needs to die for the U.N. to operate here? I mean we need to operate in safe conditions, in conditions where we can work with the Iraqis to improve the infrastructure, to give key humanitarian assistance in a very difficult time in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RODGERS: This is not, however, a safe condition. This is a high risk war zone. The United Nations recognizes it and they're reviewing their position here, once again, after the second attack on U.N. headquarters in just about a month -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes, Walter, the timing is so interesting on this because, of course, President Bush appears before the United Nations tomorrow. Now this bombing took place at the very same place the last bombing did. Maybe many people aren't aware of how many U.N. staff still in that building.
How many were there?
RODGERS: I think it's a skeletal staff. When we inquired about that this morning, most of the regular United Nations staff assigned to the facility here in Baghdad were on holiday. They were out of the country. It was mostly local Iraqi workers, some foreign workers, but mostly Iraqi workers in here at the time. And this time, again, the U.S. security position here is much smaller and tighter in towards the center. No U.S. military personnel were close to the outer perimeter, where the explosion occurred -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Walter Rodgers reporting live 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 22, 2003 - 05:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We must take you to Iraq now. For the second time in as many months, a bomb is aimed at the United Nations offices.
Walter Rodgers live in Baghdad with details for us this morning -- Walter, what happened?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
This second attack on United Nations headquarters in Baghdad was not nearly as deadly as the previous month, when 23 people were killed here. It happened a little after eight o'clock in the morning. There was a thunderous explosion that shook the entire city of Baghdad. You could hear it everywhere. And what happened was someone tried to breach the perimeter.
The difference this time was the security perimeter was much farther back than it was August 19 on the first more deadly of the U.N. blasts.
Captain Holly Meeker described who the U.S. Army thinks is responsible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPT. HOLLY MEEKER, U.S. ARMY: This is yet another example of former regime loyalists hurting the Iraqi people. Coalition forces call on all Iraqi people to help fight these terrorists by providing the coalition with any information that could lead to their capture and to help prevent further attacks of this kind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RODGERS: On this occasion, the suicide bomber was killed and a security guard was killed. There are some 16 to 18 people in hospital. Again, what made the difference this time is that the perimeter was considerably farther back than on the August 19 attack. Again, it was a near miss, a very deadly attack this morning.
U.N. officials now say they are going to be reviewing their position here in Iraq, suggesting it may be just getting too risky.
Here's the U.N. spokeswoman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIA PARADELLA, WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: How many more people needs to die for the U.N. to operate here? I mean we need to operate in safe conditions, in conditions where we can work with the Iraqis to improve the infrastructure, to give key humanitarian assistance in a very difficult time in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RODGERS: This is not, however, a safe condition. This is a high risk war zone. The United Nations recognizes it and they're reviewing their position here, once again, after the second attack on U.N. headquarters in just about a month -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes, Walter, the timing is so interesting on this because, of course, President Bush appears before the United Nations tomorrow. Now this bombing took place at the very same place the last bombing did. Maybe many people aren't aware of how many U.N. staff still in that building.
How many were there?
RODGERS: I think it's a skeletal staff. When we inquired about that this morning, most of the regular United Nations staff assigned to the facility here in Baghdad were on holiday. They were out of the country. It was mostly local Iraqi workers, some foreign workers, but mostly Iraqi workers in here at the time. And this time, again, the U.S. security position here is much smaller and tighter in towards the center. No U.S. military personnel were close to the outer perimeter, where the explosion occurred -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Walter Rodgers reporting live 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
