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Attack Kills Three U.S. MPs, Two Iraqi Policemen
Aired October 17, 2003 - 06:01 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: A fierce gun battle in Iraq, as American troops try to disarm what they're calling an unknown faction. Three Americans died in the fight.
Live to Baghdad now and Harris Whitbeck.
Good morning -- Harris.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
That military patrol was a joint effort between the U.S. military police and Iraqi policemen. And they were on a routine patrol, when they came upon this group of between 20 and 30 armed men. They tried to disarm those men, and that is when this very fierce gun battle ensued.
Three U.S. military policemen are dead, two Iraqi police officers dead, a total of seven wounded.
This gun battle occurred, as you said, in the holy city of Karbala, one of the Shia's strongholds in Iraq. And there have been reports of divisions within the Shia community of different factions vying for control for power within that group, which is a majority in Iraq, but until the American occupation did not enjoy much political power.
One of the Shia clerics, Muqtada al-Sadr, tried to declare a new Iraqi government about a week ago. He went so far as to even name ministers for the new Iraqi government. But when he received very little popular support, he backed down from that declaration.
Again, the latest we've heard, Carol, as of about an hour ago, that gun battle was still going on. Three U.S. military policemen dead and two Iraqi police officers dead as well -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Just a little more information on this gun battle. Were U.S. troops on routine patrol and they were attacked by this band of 20 to 30 Iraqis? Or did the military go out to find this unknown faction?
WHITBECK: We understand they were on a routine patrol in Karbala, and then they tried to disarm this band of men, and that is when the gun battle ensued. And this group was armed with rocket- propelled grenade launchers and with AK-47s, which made for a very fierce gun battle -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Harris Whitbeck 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 October 17, 2003 - 06:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A fierce gun battle in Iraq, as American troops try to disarm what they're calling an unknown faction. Three Americans died in the fight.
Live to Baghdad now and Harris Whitbeck.
Good morning -- Harris.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
That military patrol was a joint effort between the U.S. military police and Iraqi policemen. And they were on a routine patrol, when they came upon this group of between 20 and 30 armed men. They tried to disarm those men, and that is when this very fierce gun battle ensued.
Three U.S. military policemen are dead, two Iraqi police officers dead, a total of seven wounded.
This gun battle occurred, as you said, in the holy city of Karbala, one of the Shia's strongholds in Iraq. And there have been reports of divisions within the Shia community of different factions vying for control for power within that group, which is a majority in Iraq, but until the American occupation did not enjoy much political power.
One of the Shia clerics, Muqtada al-Sadr, tried to declare a new Iraqi government about a week ago. He went so far as to even name ministers for the new Iraqi government. But when he received very little popular support, he backed down from that declaration.
Again, the latest we've heard, Carol, as of about an hour ago, that gun battle was still going on. Three U.S. military policemen dead and two Iraqi police officers dead as well -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Just a little more information on this gun battle. Were U.S. troops on routine patrol and they were attacked by this band of 20 to 30 Iraqis? Or did the military go out to find this unknown faction?
WHITBECK: We understand they were on a routine patrol in Karbala, and then they tried to disarm this band of men, and that is when the gun battle ensued. And this group was armed with rocket- propelled grenade launchers and with AK-47s, which made for a very fierce gun battle -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Harris Whitbeck 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.
