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American Morning

Sixteen U.S. Soldiers Killed in Attack on Helicopter in Iraq

Aired November 03, 2003 - 07:04   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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It was America's deadliest day in Iraq since President Bush declared major combat over there. Sixteen soldiers were killed, 20 others wounded, when their transport helicopter was shot down in Iraq yesterday. A total of 19 Americans were killed in Iraq on Sunday.
We've got two reports now. Matthew Chance is live for us in Baghdad. Dana Bash is at the White House for us this morning.

Matthew -- let's begin with you. Good morning.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning to you.

It's been a terrible weekend for U.S. forces here in Iraq. Coalition warnings that there might be an upsurge in attacks against their personnel have proved tragically accurate with the fatal downing of that U.S. helicopter into a field outside the town of Fallujah in the west of Iraq. It is an attack that has very much shaken nerves of very many people here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE (voice-over): As the injured are moved to a medical facility in Germany, the U.S. can reflect on a bleak day for its forces in Iraq, the bloodiest since President Bush declared an end to major combat six months ago.

As many as 16 soldiers are now confirmed dead and 20 others injured, when their helicopter was blasted from the skies near the flashpoint town of Fallujah in western Iraq. Eyewitnesses say a surface-to-air missile was responsible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The flight came over from the direction of Habania (ph) and the strike happened about an hour ago. The area is surrounded now. Helicopters are flying all over the place, and there are American soldiers all around. More than 10 helicopters have already landed in the location.

CHANCE: On the ground, more killings struck U.S. resolve. Two convoys were hit by separate roadside bombs, detonated as they drove past. This one in central Fallujah was celebrated by onlookers. One held up the helmet of a U.S. soldier.

Officials say the U.S. will not be deterred.

L. PAUL BREMER, U.S. ADMINISTRATOR IN IRAQ: The enemies of freedom in this country will stop at nothing. And now, this week, which started with killing lots of Iraqis, has ended with killing Americans, and we've mingled our blood together in this war on terrorism. And, as you just said, we're not going to be deterred. We're going to win this war, and we're going to win it right here in Iraq.

CHANCE: But here in Iraq, what officials admit is an increasingly sophisticated insurgency, is gathering pace. Winning here will mean a fight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Well, one of the strategies the coalition says they're going to use to try and win this battle against the insurgents is getting more intelligence-gathering footwork on the ground by accelerating the training programs of Iraqi police and Iraqi army personnel -- people better equipped with the language and the cultural skills to identify who is behind these attacks -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Matthew, is there any indication of who's behind the helicopter attack? Is there anyone stepping forward to claim responsibility?

CHANCE: Well, no, there isn't. And this is one of the big mysteries of the insurgency we're currently witnessing here in Iraq. There are a number of theories. The U.S. coalition says that there are foreign fighters coming in from the very porous borders around Iraq and using this country as a platform to strike at American interests.

There's also a sense in which there are members of the former regime of Saddam Hussein who are perhaps striking at these U.S. personnel in an attempt to regain some of the power that they have lost, but there is also a faction which is made of up of disgruntled Iraqis, simply unhappy at the fact that their country is still being occupied by U.S. forces -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Matthew Chance live for us in Baghdad this morning. Matthew, thanks.

President Bush is offering his condolences to families who lost loved ones in Iraq, and he vows to keep fighting terrorism with an unshakeable commitment. That's according to the Pentagon now.

Three-hundred and eighty troops have been killed since the U.S. invaded Iraq on March 19; 139 of them died before President Bush declared the end of major combat on May 1, and 241 have died since that declaration by the president.

Dana Bash is live for us at the White House this morning.

Dana -- good morning.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

And President Bush spent the night last night at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. That's where he spent all day yesterday, where he was kept informed about the latest on the attack, but did he not come out and address it publicly.

A spokesman for the White House did on his behalf, however, saying that he does mourn the loss of any men and women. And he also said -- quote -- "The stakes are high in Iraq. The terrorists seek to kill coalition forces and innocent Iraqis, because they want us to run. But our will and resolve are unshakeable" -- that, according to spokesman Trent Duffy. And "resolve" was the watch word administration-wide.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made the TV rounds and talked about, bluntly, the fact that the attack is the inevitable cost of war. He rejected a call from a senior Democratic senator, Joe Biden, to send more U.S. troops into Iraq to help stop the insurgency. Rumsfeld saying that they are sticking to the newest plan, which is to transfer security back to Iraqis more quickly and to get better intelligence on the ground as quickly as possible -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Dana Bash for us at the White House this morning. Dana, thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.




Iraq>


Aired November 3, 2003 - 07:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It was America's deadliest day in Iraq since President Bush declared major combat over there. Sixteen soldiers were killed, 20 others wounded, when their transport helicopter was shot down in Iraq yesterday. A total of 19 Americans were killed in Iraq on Sunday.
We've got two reports now. Matthew Chance is live for us in Baghdad. Dana Bash is at the White House for us this morning.

Matthew -- let's begin with you. Good morning.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning to you.

It's been a terrible weekend for U.S. forces here in Iraq. Coalition warnings that there might be an upsurge in attacks against their personnel have proved tragically accurate with the fatal downing of that U.S. helicopter into a field outside the town of Fallujah in the west of Iraq. It is an attack that has very much shaken nerves of very many people here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE (voice-over): As the injured are moved to a medical facility in Germany, the U.S. can reflect on a bleak day for its forces in Iraq, the bloodiest since President Bush declared an end to major combat six months ago.

As many as 16 soldiers are now confirmed dead and 20 others injured, when their helicopter was blasted from the skies near the flashpoint town of Fallujah in western Iraq. Eyewitnesses say a surface-to-air missile was responsible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The flight came over from the direction of Habania (ph) and the strike happened about an hour ago. The area is surrounded now. Helicopters are flying all over the place, and there are American soldiers all around. More than 10 helicopters have already landed in the location.

CHANCE: On the ground, more killings struck U.S. resolve. Two convoys were hit by separate roadside bombs, detonated as they drove past. This one in central Fallujah was celebrated by onlookers. One held up the helmet of a U.S. soldier.

Officials say the U.S. will not be deterred.

L. PAUL BREMER, U.S. ADMINISTRATOR IN IRAQ: The enemies of freedom in this country will stop at nothing. And now, this week, which started with killing lots of Iraqis, has ended with killing Americans, and we've mingled our blood together in this war on terrorism. And, as you just said, we're not going to be deterred. We're going to win this war, and we're going to win it right here in Iraq.

CHANCE: But here in Iraq, what officials admit is an increasingly sophisticated insurgency, is gathering pace. Winning here will mean a fight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Well, one of the strategies the coalition says they're going to use to try and win this battle against the insurgents is getting more intelligence-gathering footwork on the ground by accelerating the training programs of Iraqi police and Iraqi army personnel -- people better equipped with the language and the cultural skills to identify who is behind these attacks -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Matthew, is there any indication of who's behind the helicopter attack? Is there anyone stepping forward to claim responsibility?

CHANCE: Well, no, there isn't. And this is one of the big mysteries of the insurgency we're currently witnessing here in Iraq. There are a number of theories. The U.S. coalition says that there are foreign fighters coming in from the very porous borders around Iraq and using this country as a platform to strike at American interests.

There's also a sense in which there are members of the former regime of Saddam Hussein who are perhaps striking at these U.S. personnel in an attempt to regain some of the power that they have lost, but there is also a faction which is made of up of disgruntled Iraqis, simply unhappy at the fact that their country is still being occupied by U.S. forces -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Matthew Chance live for us in Baghdad this morning. Matthew, thanks.

President Bush is offering his condolences to families who lost loved ones in Iraq, and he vows to keep fighting terrorism with an unshakeable commitment. That's according to the Pentagon now.

Three-hundred and eighty troops have been killed since the U.S. invaded Iraq on March 19; 139 of them died before President Bush declared the end of major combat on May 1, and 241 have died since that declaration by the president.

Dana Bash is live for us at the White House this morning.

Dana -- good morning.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

And President Bush spent the night last night at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. That's where he spent all day yesterday, where he was kept informed about the latest on the attack, but did he not come out and address it publicly.

A spokesman for the White House did on his behalf, however, saying that he does mourn the loss of any men and women. And he also said -- quote -- "The stakes are high in Iraq. The terrorists seek to kill coalition forces and innocent Iraqis, because they want us to run. But our will and resolve are unshakeable" -- that, according to spokesman Trent Duffy. And "resolve" was the watch word administration-wide.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made the TV rounds and talked about, bluntly, the fact that the attack is the inevitable cost of war. He rejected a call from a senior Democratic senator, Joe Biden, to send more U.S. troops into Iraq to help stop the insurgency. Rumsfeld saying that they are sticking to the newest plan, which is to transfer security back to Iraqis more quickly and to get better intelligence on the ground as quickly as possible -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Dana Bash for us at the White House this morning. Dana, thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.




Iraq>