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CNN Live At Daybreak
New Security Concerns Following String of Deadly Bombings
Aired October 28, 2003 - 05:35 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: To Iraq now and new security concerns following the string of deadly bombings in Baghdad. Suicide bombers killed about 30 people and wounded more than 200 others in four attacks, all within 45 minutes of each other. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the synchronized attacks suggest a new level of coordination and sophistication by the attackers.
For some perspective on possible fallout from these attacks now, we're joined by our senior international editor, David Clinch -- David, those are some frightening words, saying that these are more sophisticated and more coordinated.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Right. Yes, foreign fighters was the word that we were hearing yesterday from the U.S. military on the ground in Iraq. There's still some dispute about this. Some people at the Pentagon saying during the day yesterday that they're still not sure whether these are foreign fighters, whether this really is an insurgency, as that would be, you know, foreign fighters coming in from outside.
But I'll tell you what, what we're hearing from the U.S. military today in Baghdad, that there's a lot of thinking going on today into whether they have the right approach, the right intelligence approach, the right military approach, the right political approach to counter an insurgency. If these really are foreign fighters, al Qaeda, we don't know; Arabs, we don't know; but if these really are foreign fighters coming in, planning and carrying out very sophisticated suicide bombing attacks, does the U.S. have the right makeup on the ground militarily and intelligence wise to counter that threat?
You know, President Bush said back in May, I think it was, that major combat was over. He said, I think back in July, bring 'em on when, you know, they were -- he was being asked about attacks on U.S. military there, saying the U.S. has the right military strategy on the ground.
Well, that is the question that's being asked again now today. You look at the picture of that Red Cross building that was hit yesterday, you look at those police stations, I mean that's a live picture from Baghdad right now. The building was not destroyed, but a huge blast outside the building, a suicide attack.
COLLINS: Right.
CLINCH: The same outside. At least three police stations. If they're going to face this kind of sophisticated attack, do they have the right makeup on the ground? And our reporters are talking to the U.S. military there today. And there has been quite a radical change. I mean right up until a couple of days ago, most of the U.S. military people we were talking to there weren't really prepared to talk authoritatively about whether there were foreign fighters. They found a Syrian passport on one man they arrested during one of the attempted attacks yesterday. There is a growing suggestion that there are foreign fighters and that they are organized and these attacks are getting more sophisticated.
They're thinking about whether they have the right makeup to counter that.
COLLINS: And as far as the intelligence approach goes, I know that the U.S. military has relied a lot on the Iraqi people to bring them intelligence information.
CLINCH: Right.
COLLINS: If this is foreign fighters, it's a little bit more difficult.
CLINCH: Yes, exactly. With some success in regard to the, you know, Baath loyalists, Saddam loyalists, as they were being described. Iraqis had been coming with intelligence about where those people were, where those weapons were. There had been some successes. But do those Iraqis, those informers, know anything about who these foreign fighters are, where they are?
COLLINS: Right.
CLINCH: Not sure. The U.S. military is not sure. So they're looking again at whether they're taking the right approach.
COLLINS: Well, it's certainly a challenge.
All right, David Clinch, thanks so much for that.
CLINCH: OK.
COLLINS: Appreciate it.
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 28, 2003 - 05:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: To Iraq now and new security concerns following the string of deadly bombings in Baghdad. Suicide bombers killed about 30 people and wounded more than 200 others in four attacks, all within 45 minutes of each other. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the synchronized attacks suggest a new level of coordination and sophistication by the attackers.
For some perspective on possible fallout from these attacks now, we're joined by our senior international editor, David Clinch -- David, those are some frightening words, saying that these are more sophisticated and more coordinated.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Right. Yes, foreign fighters was the word that we were hearing yesterday from the U.S. military on the ground in Iraq. There's still some dispute about this. Some people at the Pentagon saying during the day yesterday that they're still not sure whether these are foreign fighters, whether this really is an insurgency, as that would be, you know, foreign fighters coming in from outside.
But I'll tell you what, what we're hearing from the U.S. military today in Baghdad, that there's a lot of thinking going on today into whether they have the right approach, the right intelligence approach, the right military approach, the right political approach to counter an insurgency. If these really are foreign fighters, al Qaeda, we don't know; Arabs, we don't know; but if these really are foreign fighters coming in, planning and carrying out very sophisticated suicide bombing attacks, does the U.S. have the right makeup on the ground militarily and intelligence wise to counter that threat?
You know, President Bush said back in May, I think it was, that major combat was over. He said, I think back in July, bring 'em on when, you know, they were -- he was being asked about attacks on U.S. military there, saying the U.S. has the right military strategy on the ground.
Well, that is the question that's being asked again now today. You look at the picture of that Red Cross building that was hit yesterday, you look at those police stations, I mean that's a live picture from Baghdad right now. The building was not destroyed, but a huge blast outside the building, a suicide attack.
COLLINS: Right.
CLINCH: The same outside. At least three police stations. If they're going to face this kind of sophisticated attack, do they have the right makeup on the ground? And our reporters are talking to the U.S. military there today. And there has been quite a radical change. I mean right up until a couple of days ago, most of the U.S. military people we were talking to there weren't really prepared to talk authoritatively about whether there were foreign fighters. They found a Syrian passport on one man they arrested during one of the attempted attacks yesterday. There is a growing suggestion that there are foreign fighters and that they are organized and these attacks are getting more sophisticated.
They're thinking about whether they have the right makeup to counter that.
COLLINS: And as far as the intelligence approach goes, I know that the U.S. military has relied a lot on the Iraqi people to bring them intelligence information.
CLINCH: Right.
COLLINS: If this is foreign fighters, it's a little bit more difficult.
CLINCH: Yes, exactly. With some success in regard to the, you know, Baath loyalists, Saddam loyalists, as they were being described. Iraqis had been coming with intelligence about where those people were, where those weapons were. There had been some successes. But do those Iraqis, those informers, know anything about who these foreign fighters are, where they are?
COLLINS: Right.
CLINCH: Not sure. The U.S. military is not sure. So they're looking again at whether they're taking the right approach.
COLLINS: Well, it's certainly a challenge.
All right, David Clinch, thanks so much for that.
CLINCH: OK.
COLLINS: Appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
