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CNN Live At Daybreak
Reports of Explosions in Baghdad
Aired January 02, 2004 - 05:29 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: There are reports of explosions in Baghdad this morning. We don't know if there's anything to these explosions, so let's head live to Baghdad to ask.
Karl Penhaul joins us live -- Karl, what's happening?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
We have heard the sound of explosions in Baghdad this morning. Talking, though, to the coalition authorities and also to Iraqi police, they do tell us that those were a series of controlled explosions. I think what threw us off course a little bit was that normally controlled explosions here happen either on the hour or at half past the hour. These explosion, possibly in Iraqi time, came between those times and so that threw us off a little.
So we have heard explosions, but it doesn't appear at this stage to be anything serious. But there is obviously still a heightened tension here in the capital following that devastating bomb on New Year's Eve, which killed eight people and injured more than 30 others. That was in a Baghdad restaurant.
Now, in an additional piece of news, U.S. forces are saying that they've captured a suspect out towards the Syrian border, about 230 miles west of Baghdad, a suspect who they believe was funneling foreign fighters into the country. So far we have no details of whether any foreign fighters were also captured. We understand not. But certainly this is one of the areas where U.S. forces are concentrating to try and stem the flow of foreign fighters.
It must be said that so far not that many foreigners have been caught here in Iraq. The numbers are relatively low. But U.S. forces suspect that the ones that are coming across are the experts, they're coming across sharing expertise and then leaving the country again -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Karl Penhaul reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
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Aired January 2, 2004 - 05:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: There are reports of explosions in Baghdad this morning. We don't know if there's anything to these explosions, so let's head live to Baghdad to ask.
Karl Penhaul joins us live -- Karl, what's happening?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
We have heard the sound of explosions in Baghdad this morning. Talking, though, to the coalition authorities and also to Iraqi police, they do tell us that those were a series of controlled explosions. I think what threw us off course a little bit was that normally controlled explosions here happen either on the hour or at half past the hour. These explosion, possibly in Iraqi time, came between those times and so that threw us off a little.
So we have heard explosions, but it doesn't appear at this stage to be anything serious. But there is obviously still a heightened tension here in the capital following that devastating bomb on New Year's Eve, which killed eight people and injured more than 30 others. That was in a Baghdad restaurant.
Now, in an additional piece of news, U.S. forces are saying that they've captured a suspect out towards the Syrian border, about 230 miles west of Baghdad, a suspect who they believe was funneling foreign fighters into the country. So far we have no details of whether any foreign fighters were also captured. We understand not. But certainly this is one of the areas where U.S. forces are concentrating to try and stem the flow of foreign fighters.
It must be said that so far not that many foreigners have been caught here in Iraq. The numbers are relatively low. But U.S. forces suspect that the ones that are coming across are the experts, they're coming across sharing expertise and then leaving the country again -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Karl Penhaul reporting live from Baghdad this 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
