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American Morning
Baghdad Rocket Attacks
Aired November 21, 2003 - 07:16 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: This is the scene earlier in Baghdad, where some high-profile targets in Baghdad took direct hits from missiles on donkey carts of all things. A coalition spokesperson says those attacks were -- quote -- "clearly choreographed for international media attention," targeting hotels, the Palestinian Hotel included, which is where our colleagues work for CNN.
Our Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf, is there now live.
And how close was it -- Jane?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Pretty darn close, Bill.
Now, at least seven rockets slammed into this hotel. My room is directly across from here. We have a lot of rooms across and next to this one. This one suffered a direct hit.
A missile is part of what has caused the damage. It's the nose cone of a rocket, a Russian-made rocket used by the military. The country is awash in them.
Now, seven rockets at least hit this hotel. Several hit the hotel just across the way, all of them heavily secured. And others, eight of them, hit the Oil Ministry. Now, there was no one in the Oil Ministry at the time, lots of people in the hotels very early on this Friday morning. But in the Oil Ministry, it's Friday, a day of rest. And there were very few employees.
The rockets, though, did send a strong message that they could hit one of the most heavily-fortified buildings in Baghdad. It sparked a fire that blazed for hours later. And perhaps one of the most surprising things, according to U.S. military officials, as you mentioned, the method of delivery. These rockets were all carried around on carts pulled by donkeys -- Bill.
HEMMER: Jane, quickly, how do they know that -- the donkey aspect of this attack?
ARRAF: For several reasons. One is they actually found the cart and the donkey nearby, sadly, just near this hotel. That donkey was in relatively bad shape, shell-shocked and singled. They actually diffused, the Iraqi police did, yet another attempt, and that again was a donkey with a cart attached with rockets on it. Those rockets had not gone off. They were not detonated, those others were, by remote control. So, it is, as they say, a new element in this ongoing campaign -- Bill. HEMMER: Jane Arraf, our Baghdad bureau chief. Two people wounded as a result of those attacks. Our colleagues with CNN, though, are said to be OK. Jane, 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.
Aired November 21, 2003 - 07:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: This is the scene earlier in Baghdad, where some high-profile targets in Baghdad took direct hits from missiles on donkey carts of all things. A coalition spokesperson says those attacks were -- quote -- "clearly choreographed for international media attention," targeting hotels, the Palestinian Hotel included, which is where our colleagues work for CNN.
Our Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf, is there now live.
And how close was it -- Jane?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Pretty darn close, Bill.
Now, at least seven rockets slammed into this hotel. My room is directly across from here. We have a lot of rooms across and next to this one. This one suffered a direct hit.
A missile is part of what has caused the damage. It's the nose cone of a rocket, a Russian-made rocket used by the military. The country is awash in them.
Now, seven rockets at least hit this hotel. Several hit the hotel just across the way, all of them heavily secured. And others, eight of them, hit the Oil Ministry. Now, there was no one in the Oil Ministry at the time, lots of people in the hotels very early on this Friday morning. But in the Oil Ministry, it's Friday, a day of rest. And there were very few employees.
The rockets, though, did send a strong message that they could hit one of the most heavily-fortified buildings in Baghdad. It sparked a fire that blazed for hours later. And perhaps one of the most surprising things, according to U.S. military officials, as you mentioned, the method of delivery. These rockets were all carried around on carts pulled by donkeys -- Bill.
HEMMER: Jane, quickly, how do they know that -- the donkey aspect of this attack?
ARRAF: For several reasons. One is they actually found the cart and the donkey nearby, sadly, just near this hotel. That donkey was in relatively bad shape, shell-shocked and singled. They actually diffused, the Iraqi police did, yet another attempt, and that again was a donkey with a cart attached with rockets on it. Those rockets had not gone off. They were not detonated, those others were, by remote control. So, it is, as they say, a new element in this ongoing campaign -- Bill. HEMMER: Jane Arraf, our Baghdad bureau chief. Two people wounded as a result of those attacks. Our colleagues with CNN, though, are said to be OK. Jane, 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.
