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American Morning

Latest on Violence in Iraq

Aired October 13, 2003 - 08:02   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The latest now on the violence in Iraq. How seriously does it undermine the Bush administration's contention that the policies there are succeeding?
Six Iraqis killed yesterday in a suicide car bombing outside of a hotel in Baghdad. Three American soldiers among the 32 who were injured in that blast. Today, one U.S. soldier was killed, five more hurt in the northern part of the country.

Meanwhile, the White House facing critics who say the administration needs to speak with one voice.

John King live from the front lawn with more on reaction to this -- John, good morning there.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.

And the administration continues to make the case and will continue to make the case this week that it has a strategy for post- war Iraq. But you mentioned today's bombing. That is 95 American servicemen now killed in action since May 1st, when the president made that celebrated trip to an aircraft carrier to say that major combat operations were over.

Now, the White House says yes, Iraq is still a dangerous place, especially for U.S. troops. But a new currency will be introduced this week in Iraq. Schools are opening. Hospitals are opening. The president trying to make the case that things are getting better, despite the focus by the news media on the deaths of U.S. servicemen and other chaotic security concerns.

But, after a week long P.R. offensive, many saying that offensive actually failed. Some are questioning the different tone between the speeches you had last week, the vice president, the PRESS: esident, his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice.

Senator Richard Lugar, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says the president himself must assert control over the policy and a key Democrat on that committee, Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, says yes, there are some improvements, but until the security situation is improved, the president will get no credit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D-DW), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: But it's a little bit like if your neighborhood council was working, but you're afraid to come out of your neighborhood here in suburban Washington and go downtown because someone's going to shoot you or you may get blown up. And so until there's security, you will never be able to sell and make the case that there's genuine progress being made. And there is some progress being made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Now, as the criticism continues from Capitol Hill, the administration this week, Bill, also will make one last effort to try to get a new resolution out of the United Nations Security Council blessing its post-war effort. But Secretary of State Powell leading one last round of negotiations. If he can't round up the votes, the administration could pull the plug on that effort and skip going for a e new resolution as early as the beginning of this week -- Bill.

HEMMER: So, then, John, looking forward to this week, five speeches last week, is there more planned for the coming week to buffer the argument on Iraq?

KING: More planned beginning today from the president himself. The president spoke last week of what he calls the filter of the national news media. He believes it is too skeptical, sometimes even too cynical and negative. The president today will sit down for interviews with five regional television outlets -- Hurst television stations, Tribune television stations, Cox television stations, Bilow (ph) television stations and the Sinclair television stations, a president trying to get his message out through those syndicated services to local stations around the country.

So a series of interviews from the president today as he tries to make the case yes, Iraq is dangerous, but in his view that he has the right approach -- Bill.

HEMMER: John, thanks.

John King, our senior White House correspondent, from the front lawn.

What are resistance fighters in Iraq planning next?

A great question. Wish we could answer it for you.

John Daniszewski is a journalist for the "L.A. Times."

He made a dangerous trek from Baghdad to Fallujah recently to meet with guerrilla leaders there.

He's now live in Baghdad to talk about his experience and what he learned.

And part of what you learned is that the commanders told you, and I want to quote right now, saying, "The American Army will feel that Vietnam was just a playground by comparison."

How did they say they would pull that one off?

JOHN DANISZEWSKI, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": Well, they believe that they are gaining popular support in their area and they plan to use classic guerrilla tactics. The thing that they mentioned last week that I think is starting to show some fruit is they said that they would intensify their attacks in Baghdad and that they would try to expand out of the Sunni Triangle. And in recent days, we've seen more explosions in the south of the country and the north.

HEMMER: Do you believe that the resistance emanates from that part of Iraq, in the Sunni Triangle, in Fallujah? Or is there coordination with other cells or other groups who might be in Tikrit, let's say, in the northern part of the Triangle, or even further north from there?

DANISZEWSKI: Well, these commanders -- I don't know for sure. These commanders were saying that there is some sort of network, some sort of Islamic network, they called it. They were clearly Baathists, former security officers. But they had connections through the mosque, through the Sunni mosque, to other parts of the country, they said.

HEMMER: What kind of a reaction did they tell you when an American soldier is killed?

DANISZEWSKI: Well, they -- I'm sorry, I didn't understand the question. They...

HEMMER: When an American soldier is killed, did they reflect on that incident? Did they point to the success in that area? Or what was their reaction to you?

DANISZEWSKI: Well, their reaction was that the -- that these attacks serve their purposes. Their overall purpose, they say, is for the United States to leave Iraq and they believe that by mounting these sorts of attacks they will eventually break the will and cause America to pull out.

HEMMER: One of the things that concerns you, it is my understanding, in the south the Shiite population could be the next tinderbox to go. Why do you believe that?

DANISZEWSKI: Well, the Shiite community is very divided. But there is -- there are one or two firebrand clerics who are agitating more and more for Americans to leave, too. I think these clerics are probably influenced by Iran, but they are gathering support. They're playing to popular sentiment. They're playing on all these incidents where people are accidentally killed by U.S. forces or they feel that their religious values are insulated by American forces and they're trying to stoke feeling.

And you could argue it's for their narrow political gain, but it creates another area of conflict in the country.

HEMMER: Just a short time left here. Follow up on that answer you just gave. You say they are gaining more support. But are people reacting to them in a way that would elicit violence against U.S. or British troops in the southern part of the country? DANISZEWSKI: Well, you see this phenomenon where they are beginning to try to declare certain towns and certain parts of cities off limits to American troops. They're also organizing their own militia, the Mehdi Army, and almost daring the Americans to take their guns away. So it's a situation that's ripe for conflict.

HEMMER: John Daniszewski, a reporter for the "L.A. Times" with us live in Baghdad talking about the problems, and there are many still in that country.

Thanks again on this Monday morning for joining us.

DANISZEWSKI: Thank you.

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 October 13, 2003 - 08:02   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The latest now on the violence in Iraq. How seriously does it undermine the Bush administration's contention that the policies there are succeeding?
Six Iraqis killed yesterday in a suicide car bombing outside of a hotel in Baghdad. Three American soldiers among the 32 who were injured in that blast. Today, one U.S. soldier was killed, five more hurt in the northern part of the country.

Meanwhile, the White House facing critics who say the administration needs to speak with one voice.

John King live from the front lawn with more on reaction to this -- John, good morning there.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.

And the administration continues to make the case and will continue to make the case this week that it has a strategy for post- war Iraq. But you mentioned today's bombing. That is 95 American servicemen now killed in action since May 1st, when the president made that celebrated trip to an aircraft carrier to say that major combat operations were over.

Now, the White House says yes, Iraq is still a dangerous place, especially for U.S. troops. But a new currency will be introduced this week in Iraq. Schools are opening. Hospitals are opening. The president trying to make the case that things are getting better, despite the focus by the news media on the deaths of U.S. servicemen and other chaotic security concerns.

But, after a week long P.R. offensive, many saying that offensive actually failed. Some are questioning the different tone between the speeches you had last week, the vice president, the PRESS: esident, his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice.

Senator Richard Lugar, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says the president himself must assert control over the policy and a key Democrat on that committee, Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, says yes, there are some improvements, but until the security situation is improved, the president will get no credit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D-DW), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: But it's a little bit like if your neighborhood council was working, but you're afraid to come out of your neighborhood here in suburban Washington and go downtown because someone's going to shoot you or you may get blown up. And so until there's security, you will never be able to sell and make the case that there's genuine progress being made. And there is some progress being made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Now, as the criticism continues from Capitol Hill, the administration this week, Bill, also will make one last effort to try to get a new resolution out of the United Nations Security Council blessing its post-war effort. But Secretary of State Powell leading one last round of negotiations. If he can't round up the votes, the administration could pull the plug on that effort and skip going for a e new resolution as early as the beginning of this week -- Bill.

HEMMER: So, then, John, looking forward to this week, five speeches last week, is there more planned for the coming week to buffer the argument on Iraq?

KING: More planned beginning today from the president himself. The president spoke last week of what he calls the filter of the national news media. He believes it is too skeptical, sometimes even too cynical and negative. The president today will sit down for interviews with five regional television outlets -- Hurst television stations, Tribune television stations, Cox television stations, Bilow (ph) television stations and the Sinclair television stations, a president trying to get his message out through those syndicated services to local stations around the country.

So a series of interviews from the president today as he tries to make the case yes, Iraq is dangerous, but in his view that he has the right approach -- Bill.

HEMMER: John, thanks.

John King, our senior White House correspondent, from the front lawn.

What are resistance fighters in Iraq planning next?

A great question. Wish we could answer it for you.

John Daniszewski is a journalist for the "L.A. Times."

He made a dangerous trek from Baghdad to Fallujah recently to meet with guerrilla leaders there.

He's now live in Baghdad to talk about his experience and what he learned.

And part of what you learned is that the commanders told you, and I want to quote right now, saying, "The American Army will feel that Vietnam was just a playground by comparison."

How did they say they would pull that one off?

JOHN DANISZEWSKI, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": Well, they believe that they are gaining popular support in their area and they plan to use classic guerrilla tactics. The thing that they mentioned last week that I think is starting to show some fruit is they said that they would intensify their attacks in Baghdad and that they would try to expand out of the Sunni Triangle. And in recent days, we've seen more explosions in the south of the country and the north.

HEMMER: Do you believe that the resistance emanates from that part of Iraq, in the Sunni Triangle, in Fallujah? Or is there coordination with other cells or other groups who might be in Tikrit, let's say, in the northern part of the Triangle, or even further north from there?

DANISZEWSKI: Well, these commanders -- I don't know for sure. These commanders were saying that there is some sort of network, some sort of Islamic network, they called it. They were clearly Baathists, former security officers. But they had connections through the mosque, through the Sunni mosque, to other parts of the country, they said.

HEMMER: What kind of a reaction did they tell you when an American soldier is killed?

DANISZEWSKI: Well, they -- I'm sorry, I didn't understand the question. They...

HEMMER: When an American soldier is killed, did they reflect on that incident? Did they point to the success in that area? Or what was their reaction to you?

DANISZEWSKI: Well, their reaction was that the -- that these attacks serve their purposes. Their overall purpose, they say, is for the United States to leave Iraq and they believe that by mounting these sorts of attacks they will eventually break the will and cause America to pull out.

HEMMER: One of the things that concerns you, it is my understanding, in the south the Shiite population could be the next tinderbox to go. Why do you believe that?

DANISZEWSKI: Well, the Shiite community is very divided. But there is -- there are one or two firebrand clerics who are agitating more and more for Americans to leave, too. I think these clerics are probably influenced by Iran, but they are gathering support. They're playing to popular sentiment. They're playing on all these incidents where people are accidentally killed by U.S. forces or they feel that their religious values are insulated by American forces and they're trying to stoke feeling.

And you could argue it's for their narrow political gain, but it creates another area of conflict in the country.

HEMMER: Just a short time left here. Follow up on that answer you just gave. You say they are gaining more support. But are people reacting to them in a way that would elicit violence against U.S. or British troops in the southern part of the country? DANISZEWSKI: Well, you see this phenomenon where they are beginning to try to declare certain towns and certain parts of cities off limits to American troops. They're also organizing their own militia, the Mehdi Army, and almost daring the Americans to take their guns away. So it's a situation that's ripe for conflict.

HEMMER: John Daniszewski, a reporter for the "L.A. Times" with us live in Baghdad talking about the problems, and there are many still in that country.

Thanks again on this Monday morning for joining us.

DANISZEWSKI: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com