Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Insurgents Strength

Aired December 08, 2003 - 05:30   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: Despite the recent drop in the number of insurgent attacks against U.S. troops, the top U.S. commander in Iraq says he doesn't think the lull will last.
From Baghdad, CNN's Nic Robertson shows us what the insurgents say is proof they're now more organized and more capable of fighting back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A fleeting glimpse, played here in slow motion, of what anti-coalition forces boastfully claim is a modified air to air missile, ready to fire at the U.S. run Baghdad International Airport. The missile fires, but we don't know where it is or who these men are.

But they shot this videotape and gave it to "Time" magazine correspondent Michael Ware to bolster claims they are becoming more sophisticated.

MICHAEL WARE, "TIME" CORRESPONDENT: I'm encountering resistance forces now who are far more organized, far more disciplined and they're becoming much more effective than they were three months ago.

ROBERTSON: As attacks against U.S. troops began last summer, Ware made contact with anti-coalition forces. Videotape of attacks they gave him then were verified by coalition officials. Now, he says, he's meeting with more senior insurgents and getting a better insight into their operations.

WARE: The group that I have encountered is not just one cell that has come together to fight its holy war. What I have found is a whole series of cells that now answer up a chain of command. And coming down that chain of command is the money and the instructions.

ROBERTSON: On another videotape Ware was given, the men, who call themselves resistance fighters, can be seen preparing to fire a 120 millimeter mortar at what they say is a U.S. base south of Baghdad. On the tape, one man addresses another as "sir." Shortly after, another who says his job is just to drive refuses to help prepare the mortar, an indication for Michael Ware many have military backgrounds. Some are former intelligence officials, others former Fedayeen Saddam members.

WARE: They are the hard core Fedayeen who were part of Saddam's militia, involved in political repression under the regime. These men very clearly are fighting for Saddam to this day. The others, while they may recognize Saddam, are fighting for broader motives.

ROBERTSON (on camera): What Michael Ware has heard from his sources reflects, in part, what CNN has heard from ours. A U.S. intelligence official recently told me he was concerned about the increasing sophistication of the anti-coalition forces. He described them as having evolved through several phases.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Want to know more? Well, "Time" correspondent Michael Ware will talk more about the insurgents later this morning. He will be a guest in the 7:00 Eastern hour of AMERICAN MORNING.

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 8, 2003 - 05:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Despite the recent drop in the number of insurgent attacks against U.S. troops, the top U.S. commander in Iraq says he doesn't think the lull will last.
From Baghdad, CNN's Nic Robertson shows us what the insurgents say is proof they're now more organized and more capable of fighting back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A fleeting glimpse, played here in slow motion, of what anti-coalition forces boastfully claim is a modified air to air missile, ready to fire at the U.S. run Baghdad International Airport. The missile fires, but we don't know where it is or who these men are.

But they shot this videotape and gave it to "Time" magazine correspondent Michael Ware to bolster claims they are becoming more sophisticated.

MICHAEL WARE, "TIME" CORRESPONDENT: I'm encountering resistance forces now who are far more organized, far more disciplined and they're becoming much more effective than they were three months ago.

ROBERTSON: As attacks against U.S. troops began last summer, Ware made contact with anti-coalition forces. Videotape of attacks they gave him then were verified by coalition officials. Now, he says, he's meeting with more senior insurgents and getting a better insight into their operations.

WARE: The group that I have encountered is not just one cell that has come together to fight its holy war. What I have found is a whole series of cells that now answer up a chain of command. And coming down that chain of command is the money and the instructions.

ROBERTSON: On another videotape Ware was given, the men, who call themselves resistance fighters, can be seen preparing to fire a 120 millimeter mortar at what they say is a U.S. base south of Baghdad. On the tape, one man addresses another as "sir." Shortly after, another who says his job is just to drive refuses to help prepare the mortar, an indication for Michael Ware many have military backgrounds. Some are former intelligence officials, others former Fedayeen Saddam members.

WARE: They are the hard core Fedayeen who were part of Saddam's militia, involved in political repression under the regime. These men very clearly are fighting for Saddam to this day. The others, while they may recognize Saddam, are fighting for broader motives.

ROBERTSON (on camera): What Michael Ware has heard from his sources reflects, in part, what CNN has heard from ours. A U.S. intelligence official recently told me he was concerned about the increasing sophistication of the anti-coalition forces. He described them as having evolved through several phases.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Want to know more? Well, "Time" correspondent Michael Ware will talk more about the insurgents later this morning. He will be a guest in the 7:00 Eastern hour of AMERICAN MORNING.

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