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CNN Live At Daybreak
Iraqi Violence
Aired February 10, 2004 - 06:01 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: For more on the attacks against Iraqi police. We get it right now.
Let's head live to Baghdad. Gaven Morris is there to bring us up-to-date.
What's happened -- Gaven?
GAVEN MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, we get more and more reports of these either attempts or these murders of Iraqi policemen. We have many coming in today. It seems like it's a dangerous day out there.
There first one to tell you about is that explosion you were referring to outside a police station and a courthouse in Iscandaria (ph). That's about 25 miles to the south of Baghdad.
Now, early reports -- this was only about three hours ago -- but we understand that are dozens of casualties, possibly many of those are deaths. So, we're waiting for more information on that event, but it sounds like a very serious explosion at that police station.
Also, this morning, we understand in two separate ambush attacks in Baghdad, four policemen have been assassinated, according to a senior coalition official. We understand that the events were very similar, that essentially two pairs of policeman driving in cars towards their work about 8:00 a.m. were ambushed by gunmen, up to two or three people involved in the attacks, and essentially a major, a captain and two lieutenants have been murdered in those ambushes. As I say, very similar attacks occurring.
A couple of other things just to note quickly for you, Carol. Yesterday, we believe on Tuesday, there was an attack in Ramadi (ph) outside the house of two tribal leaders. Now, this was a suicide bomb. The man detonated it outside, injured three security. Luckily, the tribal leaders remained unscathed from that attack.
But it's just the kind of suicide bomb that the coalition officials here are increasingly blaming on foreign fighters, and you might recall that yesterday we heard about a plot to bring in lots of al Qaeda foreign fighters to take just up these sorts of attacks in the hope of starting some sort of civil conflict -- Carol.
COSTELLO: As far as the attack on the Iraqi police station, do we know of any American injuries or deaths?
MORRIS: No word of that yet. It seems that from the information that we have that it is mainly Iraqi casualties; in fact, all Iraqi casualties is what we've heard so far.
These attacks are growing in number, are growing intensity, and the strategy seems to be moving away from targeting the U.S. troops and towards targeting both police officers and other officials that are working with the U.S.-led coalition or alongside it.
So, it's very indicative of the sort of attack we're seeing -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Gaven Morris 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.
Aired February 10, 2004 - 06:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: For more on the attacks against Iraqi police. We get it right now.
Let's head live to Baghdad. Gaven Morris is there to bring us up-to-date.
What's happened -- Gaven?
GAVEN MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, we get more and more reports of these either attempts or these murders of Iraqi policemen. We have many coming in today. It seems like it's a dangerous day out there.
There first one to tell you about is that explosion you were referring to outside a police station and a courthouse in Iscandaria (ph). That's about 25 miles to the south of Baghdad.
Now, early reports -- this was only about three hours ago -- but we understand that are dozens of casualties, possibly many of those are deaths. So, we're waiting for more information on that event, but it sounds like a very serious explosion at that police station.
Also, this morning, we understand in two separate ambush attacks in Baghdad, four policemen have been assassinated, according to a senior coalition official. We understand that the events were very similar, that essentially two pairs of policeman driving in cars towards their work about 8:00 a.m. were ambushed by gunmen, up to two or three people involved in the attacks, and essentially a major, a captain and two lieutenants have been murdered in those ambushes. As I say, very similar attacks occurring.
A couple of other things just to note quickly for you, Carol. Yesterday, we believe on Tuesday, there was an attack in Ramadi (ph) outside the house of two tribal leaders. Now, this was a suicide bomb. The man detonated it outside, injured three security. Luckily, the tribal leaders remained unscathed from that attack.
But it's just the kind of suicide bomb that the coalition officials here are increasingly blaming on foreign fighters, and you might recall that yesterday we heard about a plot to bring in lots of al Qaeda foreign fighters to take just up these sorts of attacks in the hope of starting some sort of civil conflict -- Carol.
COSTELLO: As far as the attack on the Iraqi police station, do we know of any American injuries or deaths?
MORRIS: No word of that yet. It seems that from the information that we have that it is mainly Iraqi casualties; in fact, all Iraqi casualties is what we've heard so far.
These attacks are growing in number, are growing intensity, and the strategy seems to be moving away from targeting the U.S. troops and towards targeting both police officers and other officials that are working with the U.S.-led coalition or alongside it.
So, it's very indicative of the sort of attack we're seeing -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Gaven Morris 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.
