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Ramadan Bombings: Four Bombs Explode Within One Hour
Aired October 27, 2003 - 12:01 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: First this afternoon, the Ramadan bombings in Baghdad. Suicide bombers start the Muslim holy month with four deadly attacks in less than an hour. Dozens of people are dead and scores more wounded.
With the very latest, CNN's Ben Wedeman is live from the Iraqi capital.
Good afternoon to you -- Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Heidi, it was definitely the bloodiest day here in Baghdad since the end of the war that brought down the regime of Saddam Hussein. It began at 8:30 in the morning, when the entire city shuddered to the blast that went off outside the headquarters of the Red Cross. That blast delivered by a vehicle with Red Crescent emblems on the outside. It slammed into a barrier outside the Red Cross headquarters.
Now, apparently, at least 10 people were killed in that bombing, more than two dozen wounded.
Now, the Red Cross had chosen not to implement the kind of stringent security measures that we've seen outside coalition buildings and other diplomatic facilities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not an option, because if you do militarize the Red Cross and the access to the Red Cross, it will be extremely difficult for the people that are seeking our help and the people that we're supposed to serve to get access to the Red Cross.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WEDEMAN: Now, after the August bombing of the U.N. headquarters here in Baghdad, the Red Cross had diminished or cut down its international staff to 13. They had also removed the Red Cross emblems from their vehicles, because they didn't want them to be confused with coalition medical vehicles.
Now, in addition to the bombing at the U.N. -- rather -- the Red Cross, there were also three apparent attacks -- car bombs attacks on police stations around the Iraqi capital. Those bombings resulted in the deaths of around 20 people, including five Iraqi policemen and two U.S. soldiers.
Now, a fourth bombing was narrowly averted when Iraqi police opened fire on a white vehicle that was rapidly approaching another police station. They shot the driver in the shoulder. They found in that car what they said were five boxes of TNT. And in subsequent interrogations of that driver, they found that he was a Syrian national.
All in all, more than 30 people killed in the four car bombings here in the Iraqi capital, more than 200 people wounded -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Just incredible developments in such a short amount of time, too, Ben.
I'm curious to know at this point, any word from the Red Cross if they will decide to stay in Baghdad? You say their staff had been scaled down a bit. Any word at this point of whether or not they'll pull out altogether?
WEDEMAN: At this point, they haven't made a decision. We were speaking just a little while ago in our bureau with the head of the Red Cross here in Baghdad, Pierre Grossmon (ph), who said that they don't plan to necessarily cut operations altogether. But they may be shifting more and more responsibilities to their local Iraqi staff.
We have seen the same being done, for instance, with the United Nations, which pulled the bulk of its international staff out of Baghdad in August. But they still have a very large and fairly competent Iraqi staff doing a variety of jobs that are essential to this country. And the assumption is the same will be the case with the Red Cross -- Heidi.
COLLINS: CNN's Ben Wedeman live from Baghdad. Ben, thanks so much for the update.
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 27, 2003 - 12:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: First this afternoon, the Ramadan bombings in Baghdad. Suicide bombers start the Muslim holy month with four deadly attacks in less than an hour. Dozens of people are dead and scores more wounded.
With the very latest, CNN's Ben Wedeman is live from the Iraqi capital.
Good afternoon to you -- Ben.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Heidi, it was definitely the bloodiest day here in Baghdad since the end of the war that brought down the regime of Saddam Hussein. It began at 8:30 in the morning, when the entire city shuddered to the blast that went off outside the headquarters of the Red Cross. That blast delivered by a vehicle with Red Crescent emblems on the outside. It slammed into a barrier outside the Red Cross headquarters.
Now, apparently, at least 10 people were killed in that bombing, more than two dozen wounded.
Now, the Red Cross had chosen not to implement the kind of stringent security measures that we've seen outside coalition buildings and other diplomatic facilities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not an option, because if you do militarize the Red Cross and the access to the Red Cross, it will be extremely difficult for the people that are seeking our help and the people that we're supposed to serve to get access to the Red Cross.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WEDEMAN: Now, after the August bombing of the U.N. headquarters here in Baghdad, the Red Cross had diminished or cut down its international staff to 13. They had also removed the Red Cross emblems from their vehicles, because they didn't want them to be confused with coalition medical vehicles.
Now, in addition to the bombing at the U.N. -- rather -- the Red Cross, there were also three apparent attacks -- car bombs attacks on police stations around the Iraqi capital. Those bombings resulted in the deaths of around 20 people, including five Iraqi policemen and two U.S. soldiers.
Now, a fourth bombing was narrowly averted when Iraqi police opened fire on a white vehicle that was rapidly approaching another police station. They shot the driver in the shoulder. They found in that car what they said were five boxes of TNT. And in subsequent interrogations of that driver, they found that he was a Syrian national.
All in all, more than 30 people killed in the four car bombings here in the Iraqi capital, more than 200 people wounded -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Just incredible developments in such a short amount of time, too, Ben.
I'm curious to know at this point, any word from the Red Cross if they will decide to stay in Baghdad? You say their staff had been scaled down a bit. Any word at this point of whether or not they'll pull out altogether?
WEDEMAN: At this point, they haven't made a decision. We were speaking just a little while ago in our bureau with the head of the Red Cross here in Baghdad, Pierre Grossmon (ph), who said that they don't plan to necessarily cut operations altogether. But they may be shifting more and more responsibilities to their local Iraqi staff.
We have seen the same being done, for instance, with the United Nations, which pulled the bulk of its international staff out of Baghdad in August. But they still have a very large and fairly competent Iraqi staff doing a variety of jobs that are essential to this country. And the assumption is the same will be the case with the Red Cross -- Heidi.
COLLINS: CNN's Ben Wedeman live from Baghdad. Ben, thanks so much for the update.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
