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CNN Live At Daybreak
Some U.N., Red Cross Staff Leaving Iraq Temporarily
Aired October 30, 2003 - 06:35 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: On to Iraq now. There are new attacks to talk about this morning, so let's head live to Baghdad right now, because these attacks have just happened.
Ben Wedeman, tell us what happened.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, about two hours ago, a train apparently carrying the supplies for the U.S. Army was attacked in the Fallujah area to the west of Baghdad. According to a CNN stringer there, it's not clear who attacked the train or how, but it apparently was carrying a large amount of water for U.S. troops. He said there were no casualties in this incident, and he says that U.S. troops have secured that area.
Meanwhile here in Baghdad, there was a foiled attempt at an attack on an Iraqi police station. I was there at the time. Apparently a man carrying a hand grenade and a gun was stopped from approaching this police station, which is in the Sahaya (ph) neighborhood of Baghdad, which is right next to where the coalition provisional headquarters is located.
Now, he was taken in for interrogation, and basically, hands tied behind his back, he was thrown to the ground. He did reveal that he was from the town of Fallujah, a persistent problem area for the coalition.
Meanwhile, here in Baghdad, international organizations are reconsidering their presence here. The International Committee for the Red Cross, which, of course, was hit on Monday by that massive car bombing that killed 12 people, says that their international staff is going to be sent out of the country for what they call consultations with officials from the ICRC in Geneva. Other organizations as well are considering similar moves.
The United Nations, for its part, is going to be doing just those kinds of consultations, as we heard from one of their spokesmen here in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The key issue is: Can you be here and can you do your job? If you can't do your job, if your job isn't essential, then you shouldn't be here. This is a security problem here. And I think that message has gotten through to everybody here. If you feel you've got a job, which is saving lives, which is bringing in medicine, which is bringing in food, absolutely essential items, then fine. Those people should stay. (END VIDEO CLIP)
WEDEMAN: Now, the U.N.'s activities in the northern part of the country, which is relatively peaceful, will continue unchanged. Really, the affect of these changes are going to be in the center and the south, where there have been persistent security problems -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman bringing us up-to-date 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 30, 2003 - 06:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: On to Iraq now. There are new attacks to talk about this morning, so let's head live to Baghdad right now, because these attacks have just happened.
Ben Wedeman, tell us what happened.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, about two hours ago, a train apparently carrying the supplies for the U.S. Army was attacked in the Fallujah area to the west of Baghdad. According to a CNN stringer there, it's not clear who attacked the train or how, but it apparently was carrying a large amount of water for U.S. troops. He said there were no casualties in this incident, and he says that U.S. troops have secured that area.
Meanwhile here in Baghdad, there was a foiled attempt at an attack on an Iraqi police station. I was there at the time. Apparently a man carrying a hand grenade and a gun was stopped from approaching this police station, which is in the Sahaya (ph) neighborhood of Baghdad, which is right next to where the coalition provisional headquarters is located.
Now, he was taken in for interrogation, and basically, hands tied behind his back, he was thrown to the ground. He did reveal that he was from the town of Fallujah, a persistent problem area for the coalition.
Meanwhile, here in Baghdad, international organizations are reconsidering their presence here. The International Committee for the Red Cross, which, of course, was hit on Monday by that massive car bombing that killed 12 people, says that their international staff is going to be sent out of the country for what they call consultations with officials from the ICRC in Geneva. Other organizations as well are considering similar moves.
The United Nations, for its part, is going to be doing just those kinds of consultations, as we heard from one of their spokesmen here in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The key issue is: Can you be here and can you do your job? If you can't do your job, if your job isn't essential, then you shouldn't be here. This is a security problem here. And I think that message has gotten through to everybody here. If you feel you've got a job, which is saving lives, which is bringing in medicine, which is bringing in food, absolutely essential items, then fine. Those people should stay. (END VIDEO CLIP)
WEDEMAN: Now, the U.N.'s activities in the northern part of the country, which is relatively peaceful, will continue unchanged. Really, the affect of these changes are going to be in the center and the south, where there have been persistent security problems -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ben Wedeman bringing us up-to-date 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.
