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Funeral For Assassinated Governing Council Member Today
Aired September 26, 2003 - 10:07 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The volatility of Iraq is underlined by two events today. One, another deadly ambush of U.S. troops. The other the funeral for an Iraqi politician gunned down outside her home.
Let's go to our Michael Holmes who's in Baghdad with the latest. Michael, hello.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn, good morning to you.
Yes, two incidents involving U.S. forces here in Iraq this day. The first happened in Tikrit on what's known as Highway 1. What happened there was what the military calls an IED, it's becoming a familiar acronym now, Improvised Explosive Device. It was set off as a patrol of Humvees was driving past.
Now, in that incident three U.S. soldiers were wounded. They are said to be in stable condition. Can also tell you that one Iraqi who was in an electronics store not far away was taken in for questioning. Still no result from that questioning however.
The other incident a little earlier on was in the northern oil city of Kirkuk. What happened on this occasion, the weapon of choice by those doing the attacking was a Rocket-Propelled Grenade. It was fired at a U.S. vehicle. The result was one U.S. soldier dead and two others wounded. They were from the 173rd Airborne. So a couple of violent incidents there involving U.S. soldiers.
And the culmination, if you like, of a violent episode involving a senior and well regarded Iraqi politician here, too. Dr. Akila al- Hashimi was shot last Saturday. She was wounded in the stomach and the leg by gunmen who ambushed her and her entourage. She died in hospital yesterday.
Today was her funeral. The procession going from Baghdad to, you see there, I think the burial site in Najaf. She was a prominent member of a Sunni family. She was taken to Najaf to be buried there.
Certainly a very emotional day for a lot of Iraqis. She was well regarded not just by the governing council but also by the U.S. civilian administration and was widely eulogized after her passing -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And, Michael, what about this call by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to have Iraq have a new constitution within the next six months? What's actually taking place in Baghdad and Iraq to make that happen?
HOLMES: Yes, interesting. The Iraqi governing council is going to have to get itself into gear, if you like. Colin Powell had been reluctant to set deadlines. This is the first time that he has said this constitution should be drawn up, ratified, in six months time. And as he pointed out himself in a couple of interviews with "The New York Times" and also with David Letterman they need to get going with it if they want to meet the deadline.
What it means is once a constitution is drawn up then planning for elections can take place, which is something, of course, many members of the U.N., perhaps most prominently France, has been wanting to happen. And get the country back in the hand of Iraqi politicians.
After the constitution is ratified it will probably take another year or more, perhaps 18 months, to actually be able to hold free democratic elections in Iraq and get an Iraqi elected government in position here. So certainly a significant thing. No formal reaction from the Governing Council at this moment. They're probably scrambling trying to get things organized -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Michael Holmes in Baghdad, thank you for that.
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 26, 2003 - 10:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The volatility of Iraq is underlined by two events today. One, another deadly ambush of U.S. troops. The other the funeral for an Iraqi politician gunned down outside her home.
Let's go to our Michael Holmes who's in Baghdad with the latest. Michael, hello.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn, good morning to you.
Yes, two incidents involving U.S. forces here in Iraq this day. The first happened in Tikrit on what's known as Highway 1. What happened there was what the military calls an IED, it's becoming a familiar acronym now, Improvised Explosive Device. It was set off as a patrol of Humvees was driving past.
Now, in that incident three U.S. soldiers were wounded. They are said to be in stable condition. Can also tell you that one Iraqi who was in an electronics store not far away was taken in for questioning. Still no result from that questioning however.
The other incident a little earlier on was in the northern oil city of Kirkuk. What happened on this occasion, the weapon of choice by those doing the attacking was a Rocket-Propelled Grenade. It was fired at a U.S. vehicle. The result was one U.S. soldier dead and two others wounded. They were from the 173rd Airborne. So a couple of violent incidents there involving U.S. soldiers.
And the culmination, if you like, of a violent episode involving a senior and well regarded Iraqi politician here, too. Dr. Akila al- Hashimi was shot last Saturday. She was wounded in the stomach and the leg by gunmen who ambushed her and her entourage. She died in hospital yesterday.
Today was her funeral. The procession going from Baghdad to, you see there, I think the burial site in Najaf. She was a prominent member of a Sunni family. She was taken to Najaf to be buried there.
Certainly a very emotional day for a lot of Iraqis. She was well regarded not just by the governing council but also by the U.S. civilian administration and was widely eulogized after her passing -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And, Michael, what about this call by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to have Iraq have a new constitution within the next six months? What's actually taking place in Baghdad and Iraq to make that happen?
HOLMES: Yes, interesting. The Iraqi governing council is going to have to get itself into gear, if you like. Colin Powell had been reluctant to set deadlines. This is the first time that he has said this constitution should be drawn up, ratified, in six months time. And as he pointed out himself in a couple of interviews with "The New York Times" and also with David Letterman they need to get going with it if they want to meet the deadline.
What it means is once a constitution is drawn up then planning for elections can take place, which is something, of course, many members of the U.N., perhaps most prominently France, has been wanting to happen. And get the country back in the hand of Iraqi politicians.
After the constitution is ratified it will probably take another year or more, perhaps 18 months, to actually be able to hold free democratic elections in Iraq and get an Iraqi elected government in position here. So certainly a significant thing. No formal reaction from the Governing Council at this moment. They're probably scrambling trying to get things organized -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Michael Holmes in Baghdad, thank you for that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
