Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Blast at Italian Police headquarters in Nasiriyah
Aired November 12, 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: There's been so much going on in Iraq this morning it may be hard to keep track. Let's go right to Baghdad, where Ben Wedeman has the latest developments -- Ben, what's happening in Nasiriyah now?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, our understanding is that at about 10:50 a.m. local time a blast occurred either just outside or inside the Italian police headquarters in Nasiriyah. Now, we've heard from the Italian news agency in Rome, Ansa, that as many as six people may have been killed, that there may still be Italian policemen, otherwise known as carobinari (ph), trapped inside the ruins.
Now, we've heard from the Jazeera Arabic news channel that the building is in flames, one of the buildings down there, and that, according to their account, it was caused by a suicide car bomber. But that's not been confirmed yet by any other sources.
Now, the Italians maintain about 2,500 troops in that area in southern Iraq. It's been, until now, a relatively quiet part of the country -- Carol.
COSTELLO: You know, it's easy to draw conclusions at this early stage, but guerrillas, whoever they may be within Iraq, have targeted the U.N., the Red Cross and now the Italian military police. It seems to be systematic almost.
WEDEMAN: Well, it's hard to say whether there's any connection whatsoever between what happened in Nasiriyah and the bombings you referred to. But we have heard a CIA assessment saying that the situation in Iraq, they believe, is going to get worse. We saw that they believe that more and more Iraqis are joining the guerrillas who are fighting the coalition presence, that the problem of this plethora of arms around the country continues to be a headache. Clearly, the situation in Iraq is proving far more difficult seven months after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime than anyone anticipated -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, let's talk about some better news coming out of Iraq this morning. There has been an arrest in the downing of that Black Hawk helicopter.
Can you tell us more about that?
WEDEMAN: Yes, that took place outside of Tikrit. According to 4th Infantry Division sources up there, they carried out a series of raids, they say the largest in the last two months. They netted 36 men, including one man they suspect of having been involved in the shooting down of that Black Hawk helicopter last Friday. That, of course, resulting in the death of six U.S. service personnel.
So in that area, at least, they seem to be taking this far more aggressive approach to those who have been involved, they believe, the U.S. military believes, in attacks on American personnel and other coalition personnel, as well -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Ben Wedeman reporting live out of Baghdad.
We're going to let you go so you can get more new information for us.
We'll talk to Ben again at the bottom of this hour.
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 12, 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: There's been so much going on in Iraq this morning it may be hard to keep track. Let's go right to Baghdad, where Ben Wedeman has the latest developments -- Ben, what's happening in Nasiriyah now?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, our understanding is that at about 10:50 a.m. local time a blast occurred either just outside or inside the Italian police headquarters in Nasiriyah. Now, we've heard from the Italian news agency in Rome, Ansa, that as many as six people may have been killed, that there may still be Italian policemen, otherwise known as carobinari (ph), trapped inside the ruins.
Now, we've heard from the Jazeera Arabic news channel that the building is in flames, one of the buildings down there, and that, according to their account, it was caused by a suicide car bomber. But that's not been confirmed yet by any other sources.
Now, the Italians maintain about 2,500 troops in that area in southern Iraq. It's been, until now, a relatively quiet part of the country -- Carol.
COSTELLO: You know, it's easy to draw conclusions at this early stage, but guerrillas, whoever they may be within Iraq, have targeted the U.N., the Red Cross and now the Italian military police. It seems to be systematic almost.
WEDEMAN: Well, it's hard to say whether there's any connection whatsoever between what happened in Nasiriyah and the bombings you referred to. But we have heard a CIA assessment saying that the situation in Iraq, they believe, is going to get worse. We saw that they believe that more and more Iraqis are joining the guerrillas who are fighting the coalition presence, that the problem of this plethora of arms around the country continues to be a headache. Clearly, the situation in Iraq is proving far more difficult seven months after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime than anyone anticipated -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, let's talk about some better news coming out of Iraq this morning. There has been an arrest in the downing of that Black Hawk helicopter.
Can you tell us more about that?
WEDEMAN: Yes, that took place outside of Tikrit. According to 4th Infantry Division sources up there, they carried out a series of raids, they say the largest in the last two months. They netted 36 men, including one man they suspect of having been involved in the shooting down of that Black Hawk helicopter last Friday. That, of course, resulting in the death of six U.S. service personnel.
So in that area, at least, they seem to be taking this far more aggressive approach to those who have been involved, they believe, the U.S. military believes, in attacks on American personnel and other coalition personnel, as well -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Ben Wedeman reporting live out of Baghdad.
We're going to let you go so you can get more new information for us.
We'll talk to Ben again at the bottom of this hour.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
