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CNN Live At Daybreak

Going After Insurgents

Aired December 22, 2003 - 06:38   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.


CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. forces in Iraq have conducted one of the largest raids since combat was declared over last spring. Nearly 200 people described as terrorists or enemy personnel have been rounded up.
And for details, let's go live now to Baghdad and our Rym Brahimi.

Rym -- what's the situation there?

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Catherine, before we get to those raids, I'd just like to tell you we've just received information of an improvised explosive device -- an IED as they're known here. It just blew up -- detonated, rather, under a routine army patrol of the 1st Armored Division. It happened at about 11:30 a.m. about three hours ago in a neighborhood of Baghdad.

And now we understand that there are some casualties. One of our correspondents was there. But we are still waiting for confirmation on the number and the details with regard to those casualties. One vehicle was put out of action, however, in that explosion.

Now, as you mentioned, there have been a series of operations and sweeps all around the west of the country in particular. We've known from -- we have reports from Fallujah in the west of the country that there have been house-to-house searches -- U.S. military searching for weapons. They've cordoned entire neighborhoods. Nobody is allowed to go in or out of those areas.

And in Baquba, which is some 60 kilometers northeast of Baghdad, well, one major general was captured. He is believed to have been a major general formerly from the intelligence service, and would have been one of the coordinators of the Saddam Fedayeen in recent weeks. Now, he's out of -- he's been captured as well.

And finally, this major operation known as Operation Rifles Fury that's been conducted in the area of Rawah in the west of the country -- and that's the one you were mentioning -- nearly 200 terrorists, we're told, were captured there, including, the military say, 11 high- level targets. In the process, however, one Iraqi woman was killed and two other people were wounded -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, thank you, Rym -- that's Rym Brahimi. Thank you 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.





Aired December 22, 2003 - 06:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. forces in Iraq have conducted one of the largest raids since combat was declared over last spring. Nearly 200 people described as terrorists or enemy personnel have been rounded up.
And for details, let's go live now to Baghdad and our Rym Brahimi.

Rym -- what's the situation there?

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Catherine, before we get to those raids, I'd just like to tell you we've just received information of an improvised explosive device -- an IED as they're known here. It just blew up -- detonated, rather, under a routine army patrol of the 1st Armored Division. It happened at about 11:30 a.m. about three hours ago in a neighborhood of Baghdad.

And now we understand that there are some casualties. One of our correspondents was there. But we are still waiting for confirmation on the number and the details with regard to those casualties. One vehicle was put out of action, however, in that explosion.

Now, as you mentioned, there have been a series of operations and sweeps all around the west of the country in particular. We've known from -- we have reports from Fallujah in the west of the country that there have been house-to-house searches -- U.S. military searching for weapons. They've cordoned entire neighborhoods. Nobody is allowed to go in or out of those areas.

And in Baquba, which is some 60 kilometers northeast of Baghdad, well, one major general was captured. He is believed to have been a major general formerly from the intelligence service, and would have been one of the coordinators of the Saddam Fedayeen in recent weeks. Now, he's out of -- he's been captured as well.

And finally, this major operation known as Operation Rifles Fury that's been conducted in the area of Rawah in the west of the country -- and that's the one you were mentioning -- nearly 200 terrorists, we're told, were captured there, including, the military say, 11 high- level targets. In the process, however, one Iraqi woman was killed and two other people were wounded -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, thank you, Rym -- that's Rym Brahimi. Thank you 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.