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Insurgents Increasingly Trying to Intimidate Iraqis

Aired November 25, 2003 - 05:31   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: On to Iraq now, where insurgents increasingly are trying to intimidate Iraqis from cooperating with the United States. But U.S. officials insist that tactic will not succeed.
CNN's senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Predictions of more terrorism in the weeks and months ahead, that was the forecast from the U.S. administrator in Iraq, Ambassador Paul Bremer. Ambassador Bremer said that the targets will be shifting away from coalition military forces and he suspected the Iraqi insurgents will now try to disrupt the coming democratic process here because, he said, they are urn- democratic and want nothing to do with democracy, the democracy which the U.S. and the coalition says it's trying to establish.

L. PAUL BREMER, U.S./IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATOR: The security situation has changed. In the past, attacks against coalition forces were predominant. Now, terrorist attacks against Iraqis are occurring regularly. This is a repugnant but not unexpected tactic.

RODGERS: The U.S. commander in charge of military forces in the region, General John Abizaid, was embarrassed to admit today that they still have not caught Saddam Hussein. But he added, "We will get him." The general said that by June of next year, there will be at least 200,000 Iraqi police and militia in charge, and he said that would indicate that there will be some drawn down of U.S. forces, at least getting U.S. troops out of urban centers.

He also said there has been a reduction in attacks on U.S. forces, but there has been a commensurate increase in attacks on Iraqi civilians.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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 25, 2003 - 05:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: On to Iraq now, where insurgents increasingly are trying to intimidate Iraqis from cooperating with the United States. But U.S. officials insist that tactic will not succeed.
CNN's senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Predictions of more terrorism in the weeks and months ahead, that was the forecast from the U.S. administrator in Iraq, Ambassador Paul Bremer. Ambassador Bremer said that the targets will be shifting away from coalition military forces and he suspected the Iraqi insurgents will now try to disrupt the coming democratic process here because, he said, they are urn- democratic and want nothing to do with democracy, the democracy which the U.S. and the coalition says it's trying to establish.

L. PAUL BREMER, U.S./IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATOR: The security situation has changed. In the past, attacks against coalition forces were predominant. Now, terrorist attacks against Iraqis are occurring regularly. This is a repugnant but not unexpected tactic.

RODGERS: The U.S. commander in charge of military forces in the region, General John Abizaid, was embarrassed to admit today that they still have not caught Saddam Hussein. But he added, "We will get him." The general said that by June of next year, there will be at least 200,000 Iraqi police and militia in charge, and he said that would indicate that there will be some drawn down of U.S. forces, at least getting U.S. troops out of urban centers.

He also said there has been a reduction in attacks on U.S. forces, but there has been a commensurate increase in attacks on Iraqi civilians.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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