Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Three Iraqi Police Officers, Civilian Killed in Ambush in Sunni Triangle

Aired January 23, 2004 - 05:37   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: In Iraq, insurgents have been busy attacking both civilians and coalition forces. In the latest incident, three Iraqi police officers and a civilian were killed in an ambush in the Sunni Triangle.
Our senior international correspondent, Sheila MacVicar, spoke with the head of the coalition forces, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, earlier today, and she joins us live from Baghdad -- Sheila, what's the general's explanation for the increase in the attacks there?

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, Fredricka, the general says that since the capture of Saddam Hussein about six weeks or so ago, attacks against coalition forces are down by about 50 percent. Now, he said that they -- we are also at a stage, he said, where what he described as the complexity is increasing, the threat is shifting. He said that in the months ahead, he continues to expect a decline, but that he is not there yet. His forces are not there yet.

As an example of some of the kinds of success that they are having, the general told me that in recent days, they are beginning to see more crude weaponry used by these insurgents. In the past, of course, they had access to the weapons and ammunition which belonged to the former regime. He said now we are beginning to see things like oil tins, large empty tins packed with plastic explosives and nails, very much cruder kinds of weaponry.

In talking also to the general about the question of foreign fighters, something that's been discussed often, who these people are, how many might be in the country, whether or not they're still coming in, General Sanchez told me that they believe now that the number of foreign fighters in Iraq is actually very small. They do continue to trickle in across Iraq's border, but it is just a trickle, he said.

Now, he also said that they believe that these foreign fighters are, if you will, making up a cadre of would be suicide bombers. We talked about what happened in Baghdad last Sunday, that devastating blast at what U.S. soldiers called the assassin's gate. That, of course, is the main entrance to the coalition headquarters. A devastating blast there eight o'clock last Sunday morning.

Its Iraqi workers and others were lining up, some in vehicles, some on foot, waiting to go through a security check. At least 24 people died as a result of that and there were dozens wounded. We asked the general what he now knew as a result of that investigation, whether he knew the identity of the bomber, what the investigation had shown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIEUT. GEN. RICARDO SANCHEZ, COMMANDER, COALITION GROUND FORCES: No, we don't know at this point. That was a fairly catastrophic event and it'll take a while for us to really, if ever, be able to establish who was responsible for that. Unless somebody claims responsibility, we will never know who the person was. As you may have seen, that was a pretty, a pretty violent explosion that occurred there.

MACVICAR: Any arrests in connection with that? Any notion of what the stream was that...

SANCHEZ: No, not at this point.

MACVICAR: Nothing?

SANCHEZ: Nothing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACVICAR: An example there, Fredricka, of the kinds of frustration coalition forces face here in trying to investigate and track down. So, clearly, the general said there are still people out there who are still capable, as of last weekend, of carrying out a major attack and, of course, may be planning more -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So, Sheila, as a result of that particular attack, have they fortified security outside of the coalition headquarters now, knowing about the vulnerabilities?

MACVICAR: You can see that there have been a number of changes made to the security system there over the course of the last number of days. The gate, of course, assassin's gate, where that bomb went off, has not yet been reopened to full traffic, if you will. People are using other entrances, and, in fact, they've kind of pushed their perimeter back, if you will. So there is now more distance between those gates and where U.S. soldiers and others are actually located.

Again, there is some improvement in security evident and there is improvement in security evident in various locations throughout Baghdad where there are coalition forces or others who might be vulnerable to targeting -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Sheila MacVicar from 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




Sunni Triangle>


Aired January 23, 2004 - 05:37   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: In Iraq, insurgents have been busy attacking both civilians and coalition forces. In the latest incident, three Iraqi police officers and a civilian were killed in an ambush in the Sunni Triangle.
Our senior international correspondent, Sheila MacVicar, spoke with the head of the coalition forces, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, earlier today, and she joins us live from Baghdad -- Sheila, what's the general's explanation for the increase in the attacks there?

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, Fredricka, the general says that since the capture of Saddam Hussein about six weeks or so ago, attacks against coalition forces are down by about 50 percent. Now, he said that they -- we are also at a stage, he said, where what he described as the complexity is increasing, the threat is shifting. He said that in the months ahead, he continues to expect a decline, but that he is not there yet. His forces are not there yet.

As an example of some of the kinds of success that they are having, the general told me that in recent days, they are beginning to see more crude weaponry used by these insurgents. In the past, of course, they had access to the weapons and ammunition which belonged to the former regime. He said now we are beginning to see things like oil tins, large empty tins packed with plastic explosives and nails, very much cruder kinds of weaponry.

In talking also to the general about the question of foreign fighters, something that's been discussed often, who these people are, how many might be in the country, whether or not they're still coming in, General Sanchez told me that they believe now that the number of foreign fighters in Iraq is actually very small. They do continue to trickle in across Iraq's border, but it is just a trickle, he said.

Now, he also said that they believe that these foreign fighters are, if you will, making up a cadre of would be suicide bombers. We talked about what happened in Baghdad last Sunday, that devastating blast at what U.S. soldiers called the assassin's gate. That, of course, is the main entrance to the coalition headquarters. A devastating blast there eight o'clock last Sunday morning.

Its Iraqi workers and others were lining up, some in vehicles, some on foot, waiting to go through a security check. At least 24 people died as a result of that and there were dozens wounded. We asked the general what he now knew as a result of that investigation, whether he knew the identity of the bomber, what the investigation had shown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIEUT. GEN. RICARDO SANCHEZ, COMMANDER, COALITION GROUND FORCES: No, we don't know at this point. That was a fairly catastrophic event and it'll take a while for us to really, if ever, be able to establish who was responsible for that. Unless somebody claims responsibility, we will never know who the person was. As you may have seen, that was a pretty, a pretty violent explosion that occurred there.

MACVICAR: Any arrests in connection with that? Any notion of what the stream was that...

SANCHEZ: No, not at this point.

MACVICAR: Nothing?

SANCHEZ: Nothing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACVICAR: An example there, Fredricka, of the kinds of frustration coalition forces face here in trying to investigate and track down. So, clearly, the general said there are still people out there who are still capable, as of last weekend, of carrying out a major attack and, of course, may be planning more -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So, Sheila, as a result of that particular attack, have they fortified security outside of the coalition headquarters now, knowing about the vulnerabilities?

MACVICAR: You can see that there have been a number of changes made to the security system there over the course of the last number of days. The gate, of course, assassin's gate, where that bomb went off, has not yet been reopened to full traffic, if you will. People are using other entrances, and, in fact, they've kind of pushed their perimeter back, if you will. So there is now more distance between those gates and where U.S. soldiers and others are actually located.

Again, there is some improvement in security evident and there is improvement in security evident in various locations throughout Baghdad where there are coalition forces or others who might be vulnerable to targeting -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Sheila MacVicar from 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




Sunni Triangle>