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CNN Live At Daybreak
Sixteen Americans Killed When Army Transport Chopper Went Down
Aired November 03, 2003 - 05:01 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: Many of the survivors of that helicopter downing in Iraq are now in Germany for medical treatment. They arrived overnight. Sixteen Americans were killed when their Army transport chopper went down Sunday southwest of Fallujah. Twenty are injured.
Jane Arraf has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In this idyllic landscape, death from the sky. Helicopters circled for hours after the crash. On the ground, soldiers kept everyone away. Witnesses described seeing heat seeking missiles tracking the helicopters. The downed helicopter had been on its way to Baghdad. In the middle of an extended and difficult mission, some of the soldiers were headed for R&R.
(on camera): Attacks on American soldiers in this area aren't new. But using a missile to down a helicopter is, and along with the recent waves of suicide bombings, this could be a new phase in what no one is now disputing is a guerilla war.
L. PAUL BREMER, U.S./IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATOR: The enemies of freedom there are using more sophisticated techniques to attack our forces.
ARRAF (voice-over): Near the crash site in this farming area four miles southwest of Fallujah, none of the residents seemed unhappy about the attack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Frankly, we don't like Saddam nor America. When they first came here, they were liberators. But now they have turned to occupiers. Our children are scared. Our women are scared. And it still doesn't make sense to us. This shouldn't happen this way.
ARRAF: In Fallujah Sunday morning, a bomb exploded on a major street as a vehicle passed, killing at least two American contractors. Some bystanders celebrated, posing with the victims' helmets and hats. Near the helicopter crash site, we asked why there were so many attacks in Fallujah. "Fallujah is mainly a tribal town," said long time resident Fallad Matar (ph). "They're very protective of their religion, women, pride and homes. If your country is occupied, you should move and strike. You would only be defending yourself."
Those strikes finding fertile support on the ground in this area, seemed to be widening to the air.
Jane Arraf, CNN, southwest of Fallujah, in al-Amaria, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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Aired November 3, 2003 - 05:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Many of the survivors of that helicopter downing in Iraq are now in Germany for medical treatment. They arrived overnight. Sixteen Americans were killed when their Army transport chopper went down Sunday southwest of Fallujah. Twenty are injured.
Jane Arraf has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In this idyllic landscape, death from the sky. Helicopters circled for hours after the crash. On the ground, soldiers kept everyone away. Witnesses described seeing heat seeking missiles tracking the helicopters. The downed helicopter had been on its way to Baghdad. In the middle of an extended and difficult mission, some of the soldiers were headed for R&R.
(on camera): Attacks on American soldiers in this area aren't new. But using a missile to down a helicopter is, and along with the recent waves of suicide bombings, this could be a new phase in what no one is now disputing is a guerilla war.
L. PAUL BREMER, U.S./IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATOR: The enemies of freedom there are using more sophisticated techniques to attack our forces.
ARRAF (voice-over): Near the crash site in this farming area four miles southwest of Fallujah, none of the residents seemed unhappy about the attack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Frankly, we don't like Saddam nor America. When they first came here, they were liberators. But now they have turned to occupiers. Our children are scared. Our women are scared. And it still doesn't make sense to us. This shouldn't happen this way.
ARRAF: In Fallujah Sunday morning, a bomb exploded on a major street as a vehicle passed, killing at least two American contractors. Some bystanders celebrated, posing with the victims' helmets and hats. Near the helicopter crash site, we asked why there were so many attacks in Fallujah. "Fallujah is mainly a tribal town," said long time resident Fallad Matar (ph). "They're very protective of their religion, women, pride and homes. If your country is occupied, you should move and strike. You would only be defending yourself."
Those strikes finding fertile support on the ground in this area, seemed to be widening to the air.
Jane Arraf, CNN, southwest of Fallujah, in al-Amaria, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Down>
