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CNN Saturday Morning News

Two Separate Suicie Car Bomb Attacks Leave Dozens of Iraqi's Dead

Aired November 22, 2003 - 07:01   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.


MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get more details now on the situation in Iraq. It's been another bloody day in the so-called Sunni triangle, where there has been the most resistance to the U.S.- led occupation.
Two separate suicide car bomb attacks leave dozens of Iraqi casualties. MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get more details now on the situation in Iraq. It's been another bloody day in the so- called Sunni triangle, where there has been the most resistance to the U.S.-led occupation.

Two separate suicide car bomb attacks leave dozens of Iraqi casualties.

Jane Arraf, our Baghdad bureau chief, joins us now with more -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Martin, quite early this morning, two car bombs exploded in what appeared to be a coordinated attack at two separate police stations in towns north of Baghdad.

The first one in Ba'qubah, about 40 miles northeast of Baghdad. Now, that has been a place where there have been frequent attacks on U.S. soldiers, but this one appears to have been aimed exclusively at the Iraqi police. This was a car packed with explosives that detonated, strewing body parts hundreds of meters away.

There is still confusion about how many people exactly have been killed and wounded, but military and local officials are telling us in the two places at least 14 people have died, many of them policemen, and perhaps dozens more wounded.

The other car bomb appeared to have been a suicide bomb set off moments later in the town of Khan Bani Sa'ad, which is just about 20 miles northeast of Baghdad. Witnesses say that car detonated as police shot at it. It exploded in front of it, killing an unknown number of Iraqi police and civilians, apparently.

And here in Baghdad, Martin, earlier this morning a DHL plane, a cargo plane, an Airbus, was targeted by a surface-to-air missile. That missile hit, it was a heat-seeking missile, SAM-7, according to military officials. It hit, an engine caught fire, and the plane made an emergency landing. No one was hurt in that, but it is the first time known that a missile has successfully hit a fixed-wing aircraft, and particularly one leaving at Baghdad's main international airport, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Jane, there's a lot of concern in this country about the winding down of Ramadan and future terrorism attacks possibly happening. Is the same concern echoed there in Baghdad?

ARRAF: And there's an awful lot of concern. These incidents just keep happening, and not only happening, but widening. Now, the backdrop to this is the U.S. military here in Baghdad, top military officials, tell us that attacks against U.S. soldiers have been decreasing, at least for the past few weeks.

But, in fact, it's not helping Iraqis much. These attacks on Iraqi police, for instance, continue. And they're at the front lines of this war against car bombs, suicide bombs, and all the rest of it, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Jane Arraf, joining us live from Baghdad. Thanks very much.

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




Iraqi's Dead>


Aired November 22, 2003 - 07:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get more details now on the situation in Iraq. It's been another bloody day in the so-called Sunni triangle, where there has been the most resistance to the U.S.- led occupation.
Two separate suicide car bomb attacks leave dozens of Iraqi casualties. MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get more details now on the situation in Iraq. It's been another bloody day in the so- called Sunni triangle, where there has been the most resistance to the U.S.-led occupation.

Two separate suicide car bomb attacks leave dozens of Iraqi casualties.

Jane Arraf, our Baghdad bureau chief, joins us now with more -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Martin, quite early this morning, two car bombs exploded in what appeared to be a coordinated attack at two separate police stations in towns north of Baghdad.

The first one in Ba'qubah, about 40 miles northeast of Baghdad. Now, that has been a place where there have been frequent attacks on U.S. soldiers, but this one appears to have been aimed exclusively at the Iraqi police. This was a car packed with explosives that detonated, strewing body parts hundreds of meters away.

There is still confusion about how many people exactly have been killed and wounded, but military and local officials are telling us in the two places at least 14 people have died, many of them policemen, and perhaps dozens more wounded.

The other car bomb appeared to have been a suicide bomb set off moments later in the town of Khan Bani Sa'ad, which is just about 20 miles northeast of Baghdad. Witnesses say that car detonated as police shot at it. It exploded in front of it, killing an unknown number of Iraqi police and civilians, apparently.

And here in Baghdad, Martin, earlier this morning a DHL plane, a cargo plane, an Airbus, was targeted by a surface-to-air missile. That missile hit, it was a heat-seeking missile, SAM-7, according to military officials. It hit, an engine caught fire, and the plane made an emergency landing. No one was hurt in that, but it is the first time known that a missile has successfully hit a fixed-wing aircraft, and particularly one leaving at Baghdad's main international airport, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Jane, there's a lot of concern in this country about the winding down of Ramadan and future terrorism attacks possibly happening. Is the same concern echoed there in Baghdad?

ARRAF: And there's an awful lot of concern. These incidents just keep happening, and not only happening, but widening. Now, the backdrop to this is the U.S. military here in Baghdad, top military officials, tell us that attacks against U.S. soldiers have been decreasing, at least for the past few weeks.

But, in fact, it's not helping Iraqis much. These attacks on Iraqi police, for instance, continue. And they're at the front lines of this war against car bombs, suicide bombs, and all the rest of it, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Jane Arraf, joining us live from Baghdad. Thanks very much.

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




Iraqi's Dead>