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CNN Live At Daybreak

Five Killed in 24 Hours in Insurgent Attacks

Aired January 23, 2004 - 06:04   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The latest insurgent attacks in Iraq have taken nine lives -- two American soldiers, three Iraqi police officers and four civilians.
Our Sheila MacVicar talked with Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, commander of coalition ground forces in Iraq, and she joins us live from Baghdad again.

Hello again -- Sheila.

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fredricka.

Well, Lieutenant General Sanchez told me this morning that there has been a steady decline in the number of attacks against coalition forces in Iraq since the capture of Saddam Hussein about six weeks or so ago. He said, however, the complexity is increasing, and the threat is shifting.

We discussed the question of foreign fighters. We've heard lots of stories of foreign fighters in Iraq. He said he believed they were still coming into the country in what he described as very small numbers, a trickle, across the borders of Syria, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia -- saying those foreign fighters might be providing some of the suicide bombers that we have seen do such devastating impacts around Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq in recent months.

We also asked General Sanchez about the question of al Qaeda involvement. That is, of course, one of the hot questions regarding war in Iraq, the reasons for the war in Iraq. This is what the general said about al Qaeda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. RICARDO SANCHEZ, COALITION GROUND FORCES COMMANDER: We're seeing al Qaeda-like tactics. We believe that there is training that's being conducted for some of their terrorists.

MACVICAR: In Iraq?

SANCHEZ: No, not conducted in Iraq, but training provided to those elements that are operating in here. And we think that there is also financing that has been taking place.

And so, you put all of those things together, and you say, well, it's al Qaeda-like tactics, techniques and procedures being used. And you can ask yourself the question: Is this al Qaeda or not al Qaeda? I think the fingerprints are present.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACVICAR: Now, the general also told me that in a raid in Fallujah, U.S. forces had recovered what he described as an al Qaeda manual, a faxed copy of what he described as the history, context and ideology of al Qaeda, an al Qaeda propaganda manual. We asked if it included such things as military tactics, and we're told no. The general going on to say that, again, he believes that the fingerprints of al Qaeda were there, it would be difficult to determine whether it was al Qaeda or other groups or individuals allied to it -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Sheila, you said the general said that attacks are down. But does it seem as though the attacks are bigger, involving more civilians, more Iraqis?

MACVICAR: Well, that's certainly been the case, and the most recent examples we have, of course, is that enormous bomb in Baghdad last Sunday, which killed more than -- at least, 24, rather people, most of them Iraqis. In addition to that, there, of course, was a huge bomb outside a mosque in Najaf sometime ago.

So, we have seen some instances where Iraqis have been targeted. The American forces here call that Iraqi-on-Iraqi violence, and don't necessarily consider that as violence directed against the coalition.

So, there could be no question that last Sunday's blast coming as it did at the front gate of coalition headquarters was clearly meant to target the coalition. We are told at that time that they believed that the intention of the suicide bomber had been to get a bomb inside the coalition premises itself -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sheila MacVicar in Baghdad, thank you.

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 January 23, 2004 - 06:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The latest insurgent attacks in Iraq have taken nine lives -- two American soldiers, three Iraqi police officers and four civilians.
Our Sheila MacVicar talked with Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, commander of coalition ground forces in Iraq, and she joins us live from Baghdad again.

Hello again -- Sheila.

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fredricka.

Well, Lieutenant General Sanchez told me this morning that there has been a steady decline in the number of attacks against coalition forces in Iraq since the capture of Saddam Hussein about six weeks or so ago. He said, however, the complexity is increasing, and the threat is shifting.

We discussed the question of foreign fighters. We've heard lots of stories of foreign fighters in Iraq. He said he believed they were still coming into the country in what he described as very small numbers, a trickle, across the borders of Syria, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia -- saying those foreign fighters might be providing some of the suicide bombers that we have seen do such devastating impacts around Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq in recent months.

We also asked General Sanchez about the question of al Qaeda involvement. That is, of course, one of the hot questions regarding war in Iraq, the reasons for the war in Iraq. This is what the general said about al Qaeda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. RICARDO SANCHEZ, COALITION GROUND FORCES COMMANDER: We're seeing al Qaeda-like tactics. We believe that there is training that's being conducted for some of their terrorists.

MACVICAR: In Iraq?

SANCHEZ: No, not conducted in Iraq, but training provided to those elements that are operating in here. And we think that there is also financing that has been taking place.

And so, you put all of those things together, and you say, well, it's al Qaeda-like tactics, techniques and procedures being used. And you can ask yourself the question: Is this al Qaeda or not al Qaeda? I think the fingerprints are present.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACVICAR: Now, the general also told me that in a raid in Fallujah, U.S. forces had recovered what he described as an al Qaeda manual, a faxed copy of what he described as the history, context and ideology of al Qaeda, an al Qaeda propaganda manual. We asked if it included such things as military tactics, and we're told no. The general going on to say that, again, he believes that the fingerprints of al Qaeda were there, it would be difficult to determine whether it was al Qaeda or other groups or individuals allied to it -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Sheila, you said the general said that attacks are down. But does it seem as though the attacks are bigger, involving more civilians, more Iraqis?

MACVICAR: Well, that's certainly been the case, and the most recent examples we have, of course, is that enormous bomb in Baghdad last Sunday, which killed more than -- at least, 24, rather people, most of them Iraqis. In addition to that, there, of course, was a huge bomb outside a mosque in Najaf sometime ago.

So, we have seen some instances where Iraqis have been targeted. The American forces here call that Iraqi-on-Iraqi violence, and don't necessarily consider that as violence directed against the coalition.

So, there could be no question that last Sunday's blast coming as it did at the front gate of coalition headquarters was clearly meant to target the coalition. We are told at that time that they believed that the intention of the suicide bomber had been to get a bomb inside the coalition premises itself -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sheila MacVicar in Baghdad, thank you.

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