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CNN Live At Daybreak

Deadly Explosion in Baghdad

Aired February 11, 2004 - 05:36   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: We want to get more now on the latest deadly explosion in Baghdad.
For that, we turn to our senior international editor, David Clinch.

David is here to tell us about, what, we got word at 11:30 last night that another suicide car bombing had happened in Baghdad?

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes, right. Right in the middle of our political coverage last night Iraq explodes again. Almost 100 Iraqis killed within the last 24 hours. And the key here being that this is Iraqis being targeted. It's very clear. Even the U.S. military acknowledging that this is clear targeting of Iraqis. In yesterday's case and today's case, Iraqis queuing up for jobs working for either the new Iraqi police force or the new Iraqi Army.

A hundred killed in 24 hours. We're hearing now a total of more than 1,000 both acting and people lining up to work for the Iraqi military and police over the last few months, almost 1,000 have been killed.

COSTELLO: And the interesting thing, we talked about this letter that coalition forces found in a home, supposedly written by Zarqawi, a man with links to al Qaeda.

CLINCH: Right.

COSTELLO: And this very sort of thing was described in that letter.

CLINCH: Right. That was the idea described, to attack Iraqis who would cooperate with the coalition. And the U.S. military today, the officers on the scene there saying that they are acting on the assumption that al Qaeda and Ansar al-Islam, the group linked to al Qaeda previously based in Iraq, are back in Iraq and carrying out these attacks.

Now, that's a very interesting question and we will be looking into that very closely over the next...

COSTELLO: But we shouldn't necessarily link the two just yet?

CLINCH: Right. I mean it's a very easy idea to say there's a letter from Zarqawi and that he is behind these attacks. That remains to be proven and shown. We may never know. But it certainly is the idea that the U.S. military is suggesting to us today on the scene. COSTELLO: To Iran.

CLINCH: Now to Iran. Yes, I mean in Iraq itself, there's the question of what the Shiites are doing there. And in neighboring Iran, we're covering today the 25th anniversary of the Iranian revolution. And 25 years on, this man, President Khatami of Iran, has yet to find what he calls and described in his speech today marking the anniversary, "the third way" in between Western democracy and pure fundamentalist Islam, what he calls the third way. He imagines a reformed Islamic republic.

Well, even in his own country there, he is still having a very hard time creating that reformed Islamic republic. Elections coming up within the next few weeks and he's still in a battle with the conservatives about who will be allowed to run in those elections. And, of course, next door in Iraq, the Shiites still there playing a very key role in what will happen there.

COSTELLO: Sure.

A very strange story coming out of France.

CLINCH: Right. A completely different subject. In France -- we saw this story on the wires and we're working to get some video on this story. A French woman -- actually, here's some video off the Web that we pulled here. This French woman was given special legal permission by the president to marry her dead boyfriend. Now, apparently the idea is here that in France it is legal to marry a dead partner if you can prove that you intended to marry before the partner died. And this woman apparently was able to prove that she intended to marry her boyfriend, who died a while ago. The ceremony took place...

COSTELLO: But what's the reason behind that?

CLINCH: Well, it...

COSTELLO: Is it just emotional reasons? Is it financial?

CLINCH: We're looking into this, but it apparently has to do with the legal reasons of her now getting full status as a widow and therefore financial and other reasons. Just to make clear, though, his body was not there. This ceremony was just her there. There was rice thrown and, you know, a big celebration, but obviously sad for her, too. But a very quirky French law that apparently allows you...

COSTELLO: So can she later divorce her dead husband?

CLINCH: Well, that's a good question.

COSTELLO: I don't mean to joke about it, but it's just so strange.

CLINCH: It is a good question and we're looking into that. But it was, it apparently has to go as high as the president in France to give special permission for somebody to marry in this way. COSTELLO: Well, it'll be interesting to find out more details about that one.

CLINCH: Yes.

COSTELLO: David Clinch, many thanks.

CLINCH: All right.

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 11, 2004 - 05:36   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get more now on the latest deadly explosion in Baghdad.
For that, we turn to our senior international editor, David Clinch.

David is here to tell us about, what, we got word at 11:30 last night that another suicide car bombing had happened in Baghdad?

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes, right. Right in the middle of our political coverage last night Iraq explodes again. Almost 100 Iraqis killed within the last 24 hours. And the key here being that this is Iraqis being targeted. It's very clear. Even the U.S. military acknowledging that this is clear targeting of Iraqis. In yesterday's case and today's case, Iraqis queuing up for jobs working for either the new Iraqi police force or the new Iraqi Army.

A hundred killed in 24 hours. We're hearing now a total of more than 1,000 both acting and people lining up to work for the Iraqi military and police over the last few months, almost 1,000 have been killed.

COSTELLO: And the interesting thing, we talked about this letter that coalition forces found in a home, supposedly written by Zarqawi, a man with links to al Qaeda.

CLINCH: Right.

COSTELLO: And this very sort of thing was described in that letter.

CLINCH: Right. That was the idea described, to attack Iraqis who would cooperate with the coalition. And the U.S. military today, the officers on the scene there saying that they are acting on the assumption that al Qaeda and Ansar al-Islam, the group linked to al Qaeda previously based in Iraq, are back in Iraq and carrying out these attacks.

Now, that's a very interesting question and we will be looking into that very closely over the next...

COSTELLO: But we shouldn't necessarily link the two just yet?

CLINCH: Right. I mean it's a very easy idea to say there's a letter from Zarqawi and that he is behind these attacks. That remains to be proven and shown. We may never know. But it certainly is the idea that the U.S. military is suggesting to us today on the scene. COSTELLO: To Iran.

CLINCH: Now to Iran. Yes, I mean in Iraq itself, there's the question of what the Shiites are doing there. And in neighboring Iran, we're covering today the 25th anniversary of the Iranian revolution. And 25 years on, this man, President Khatami of Iran, has yet to find what he calls and described in his speech today marking the anniversary, "the third way" in between Western democracy and pure fundamentalist Islam, what he calls the third way. He imagines a reformed Islamic republic.

Well, even in his own country there, he is still having a very hard time creating that reformed Islamic republic. Elections coming up within the next few weeks and he's still in a battle with the conservatives about who will be allowed to run in those elections. And, of course, next door in Iraq, the Shiites still there playing a very key role in what will happen there.

COSTELLO: Sure.

A very strange story coming out of France.

CLINCH: Right. A completely different subject. In France -- we saw this story on the wires and we're working to get some video on this story. A French woman -- actually, here's some video off the Web that we pulled here. This French woman was given special legal permission by the president to marry her dead boyfriend. Now, apparently the idea is here that in France it is legal to marry a dead partner if you can prove that you intended to marry before the partner died. And this woman apparently was able to prove that she intended to marry her boyfriend, who died a while ago. The ceremony took place...

COSTELLO: But what's the reason behind that?

CLINCH: Well, it...

COSTELLO: Is it just emotional reasons? Is it financial?

CLINCH: We're looking into this, but it apparently has to do with the legal reasons of her now getting full status as a widow and therefore financial and other reasons. Just to make clear, though, his body was not there. This ceremony was just her there. There was rice thrown and, you know, a big celebration, but obviously sad for her, too. But a very quirky French law that apparently allows you...

COSTELLO: So can she later divorce her dead husband?

CLINCH: Well, that's a good question.

COSTELLO: I don't mean to joke about it, but it's just so strange.

CLINCH: It is a good question and we're looking into that. But it was, it apparently has to go as high as the president in France to give special permission for somebody to marry in this way. COSTELLO: Well, it'll be interesting to find out more details about that one.

CLINCH: Yes.

COSTELLO: David Clinch, many thanks.

CLINCH: All right.

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