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CNN Live At Daybreak

Insurgents Stage Simultaneous Attacks in Iraq

Aired December 01, 2003 - 06:01   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.


COSTELLO: Now to Iraq, where the guerrilla campaign against U.S. coalition forces appears to be taking a sharp turn. In Samarra, a large insurgent force staged simultaneous attacks on American convoys. There was a fierce and deadly battle, and when the smoke cleared, the heavy enemy casualties included some fighters wearing familiar uniforms.
Let's go live to Samarra now and Nic Robertson.

Hello -- Nic. Has the press conference started yet?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, the press conference is due to start in a few minutes. Officers involved in the operation in Samarra will shortly be briefing us.

That operation took place in the hours of Sunday afternoon. Fifty-four Iraqis were killed, 18 wounded, and 8 taken prisoner, according to intelligence officers. There were six major contacts within the space of one hour, indicating operations and planning by people they described as Fedayeen. They say that some of those people who had been captured and some of those killed have tattoos indicating that they may be members of Saddam Hussein's Fedayeen forces.

The people in Samarra are very angry today. Some of them say they have no, what they call, resistance in the town. And the people there say that their resistance, the insurgent fighters in Samarra, have been, in fact, preparing for a major attack. But what the townspeople of Samarra and coalition forces agree on is that the battle took place for several hours Sunday afternoon in many locations around the town of Samarra.

Iraqi police, however, can only confirm eight people dead at this time -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And you said before that there was a lot of evidence that these were coordinated attacks. Can you tell us more about that, Nic?

ROBERTSON: Well, according to intelligence officers here, they have interrogated some of the people they have taken prisoner. They say they also have intelligence sources in the town of Samarra who have provided them with information. They say that at least three of the six contacts within that first hour were organized by the same cell. They say that this is an indication that there was a level of sophistication, that there was a level of coordination, and they say that they can see that built up through the day. In the words of one soldier, the attacks started off very small and built up to become very big. It started off, according to intelligence officers, when money was being delivered to the Central Bank in Samarra. U.S. MPs were involved in protecting that delivery of money. The streets suddenly became barricaded off by cars. They started receiving fire from the end of the street; also from a nearby mosque. They say they returned fire, and after that they were then fired at with rocket-propelled grenades and mortars -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Nic Robertson live from Samarra. And we're still awaiting that news conference to start.

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 December 1, 2003 - 06:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COSTELLO: Now to Iraq, where the guerrilla campaign against U.S. coalition forces appears to be taking a sharp turn. In Samarra, a large insurgent force staged simultaneous attacks on American convoys. There was a fierce and deadly battle, and when the smoke cleared, the heavy enemy casualties included some fighters wearing familiar uniforms.
Let's go live to Samarra now and Nic Robertson.

Hello -- Nic. Has the press conference started yet?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, the press conference is due to start in a few minutes. Officers involved in the operation in Samarra will shortly be briefing us.

That operation took place in the hours of Sunday afternoon. Fifty-four Iraqis were killed, 18 wounded, and 8 taken prisoner, according to intelligence officers. There were six major contacts within the space of one hour, indicating operations and planning by people they described as Fedayeen. They say that some of those people who had been captured and some of those killed have tattoos indicating that they may be members of Saddam Hussein's Fedayeen forces.

The people in Samarra are very angry today. Some of them say they have no, what they call, resistance in the town. And the people there say that their resistance, the insurgent fighters in Samarra, have been, in fact, preparing for a major attack. But what the townspeople of Samarra and coalition forces agree on is that the battle took place for several hours Sunday afternoon in many locations around the town of Samarra.

Iraqi police, however, can only confirm eight people dead at this time -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And you said before that there was a lot of evidence that these were coordinated attacks. Can you tell us more about that, Nic?

ROBERTSON: Well, according to intelligence officers here, they have interrogated some of the people they have taken prisoner. They say they also have intelligence sources in the town of Samarra who have provided them with information. They say that at least three of the six contacts within that first hour were organized by the same cell. They say that this is an indication that there was a level of sophistication, that there was a level of coordination, and they say that they can see that built up through the day. In the words of one soldier, the attacks started off very small and built up to become very big. It started off, according to intelligence officers, when money was being delivered to the Central Bank in Samarra. U.S. MPs were involved in protecting that delivery of money. The streets suddenly became barricaded off by cars. They started receiving fire from the end of the street; also from a nearby mosque. They say they returned fire, and after that they were then fired at with rocket-propelled grenades and mortars -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Nic Robertson live from Samarra. And we're still awaiting that news conference to start.

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