Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Memorial Today For Soldiers Killed in Chopper

Aired November 06, 2003 - 06:32   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: With more now on the soldiers killed and a memorial service for the 15 U.S. soldiers who were killed when their helicopter was shot down on Sunday, we go to Matthew Chance live this morning in Baghdad -- Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, thank you.

And just to illustrate the kind of growing insurgency U.S. troops have to confront now on a daily basis. There have been another two incidents confirmed to us within the last few minutes by the coalition authorities here in Baghdad involving the killings of U.S. soldiers.

The first incident taking place in the town of Mamodia (ph) to the south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, where we understand a U.S. patrol was ambushed with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire from unknown assailants. At least one U.S. soldier was killed, another two injured, as a result of that attack.

Separately, in the early hours of this morning, about 6:00 a.m. local time on this Thursday morning, another soldier was killed of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment near the town of al-Assad (ph), which is on a road near to the Syrian border where they were patrolling. Apparently, the vehicle in which they were in struck some kind of landmine or an improvised explosive device that was detonated as their vehicle drove past -- exactly the kind of incident that now has become something of a daily occurrence for U.S. forces on the ground here in Iraq.

COLLINS: All right, Matthew Chance, thanks so much.

We also want to quickly touch on the memorial service that we're expecting a little bit later today for those soldiers killed in the helicopter crash.

CHANCE: That's right. A memorial service for those 15 U.S. soldiers killed when, according to eyewitnesses, their helicopter was blasted out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile. Again, it is members of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment out in the Western desert to the west of the Iraqi capital that will be holding that memorial service. Obviously a big psychological blow to the many thousands of U.S. soldiers who have been out here for many months to see so many of their comrades die in this way.

COLLINS: All right, Matthew Chance, thank you so much, 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 November 6, 2003 - 06:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: With more now on the soldiers killed and a memorial service for the 15 U.S. soldiers who were killed when their helicopter was shot down on Sunday, we go to Matthew Chance live this morning in Baghdad -- Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, thank you.

And just to illustrate the kind of growing insurgency U.S. troops have to confront now on a daily basis. There have been another two incidents confirmed to us within the last few minutes by the coalition authorities here in Baghdad involving the killings of U.S. soldiers.

The first incident taking place in the town of Mamodia (ph) to the south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, where we understand a U.S. patrol was ambushed with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire from unknown assailants. At least one U.S. soldier was killed, another two injured, as a result of that attack.

Separately, in the early hours of this morning, about 6:00 a.m. local time on this Thursday morning, another soldier was killed of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment near the town of al-Assad (ph), which is on a road near to the Syrian border where they were patrolling. Apparently, the vehicle in which they were in struck some kind of landmine or an improvised explosive device that was detonated as their vehicle drove past -- exactly the kind of incident that now has become something of a daily occurrence for U.S. forces on the ground here in Iraq.

COLLINS: All right, Matthew Chance, thanks so much.

We also want to quickly touch on the memorial service that we're expecting a little bit later today for those soldiers killed in the helicopter crash.

CHANCE: That's right. A memorial service for those 15 U.S. soldiers killed when, according to eyewitnesses, their helicopter was blasted out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile. Again, it is members of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment out in the Western desert to the west of the Iraqi capital that will be holding that memorial service. Obviously a big psychological blow to the many thousands of U.S. soldiers who have been out here for many months to see so many of their comrades die in this way.

COLLINS: All right, Matthew Chance, thank you so much, 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.