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CNN Live At Daybreak

Tortured in Iraq; Operation Extra Eyes

Aired June 24, 2005 - 05:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, and happy Friday. Welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK.

Coming up in the next 30 minutes, would you give up your free time to hunt down drunk drivers? We'll meet some people who think it is time well spent.

And later, a first for the FDA, a race-specific drug. We'll tell you all about it.

But first, "Now in the News."

Iranians voting today in the country's first presidential runoff election. The race pits a well-known political moderate against his hard line rival who calls for embracing the principles of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The new president will have to deal with tensions with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program.

Back in the States, that wildfire north of Phoenix has spread to 46,000 acres, but authorities say it's no longer threatening homes. An evacuation order has now been lifted.

And the game seven showdown goes to San Antonio. The Spurs dethrone Detroit 81-74 and San Antonio's third NBA title. And it's the end of the basketball season.

You can experience the power of CNN video on your computer. Simply log on to CNN.com and click on to Video.

So, Chad, the basketball season comes to the end.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It does.

COSTELLO: And the baseball season,...

MYERS: In full swing.

COSTELLO: ... that's long, too.

MYERS: In full swing. Yes.

COSTELLO: Yes.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Detroit is doing -- the Tigers are doing good.

MYERS: Well because we've got that new stadium up there, Carol. They love that. They love living in that new stadium up there.

COSTELLO: Well, you know, it used to be the wall was really far back, so not many people could hit home runs. So they've shortened it and it's better now.

MYERS: Well then the flagpole was in the middle of the field, too. That really wasn't -- remember that, the flagpole was in the middle of center field, literally?

COSTELLO: It was so big they needed to put something there.

MYERS: Exactly.

Good morning, everybody.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: We'll do. Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: More suicide bombings in Iraq today, just as Iraq's prime minister is getting ready to sit down with President Bush. And freed hostages tell stories of torture.

Let's head live now to Iraq and CNN's Jane Arraf.

Hello -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hi, Carol.

Carol, intelligence experts and translators are still sifting through documents and computer disks seized on raids and bombings in the city of Karabila near the Syrian border. They're trying to determine, as well, whether a senior Saudi member of al Qaeda was killed in that bombing, or previous bombings there, as has been reported via Web site.

But among the survivors of the fighting were four very lucky hostages, held under the most horrible circumstances.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): There was no key to these shackles. A U.S. Marine cut through the metal. An Iraqi soldier removed it. The man was painfully thin. He'd been bound and tortured for three weeks.

There were four men here. Terrified of their captors, they begged us not to identify them in any way. Just after they were discovered, they told us their story. Two were former Iraqi border police and two unemployed young men, held from 8 to 22 days in a house in the city near the Syrian border. Their hands and feet were bound. They were blindfolded. Their ears were stuffed with cotton and covered in tape, so they couldn't hear the voices of their captors. When one of the younger men would say he just wanted to see his mother, a man would whisper in his ear, "There's only death for you."

They were tortured.

(on camera): This is the worst of the rooms, very heavy rope hanging here from the ceiling. They say they were hung here by their feet. One of them tells us that, as he was hung, he was dipped in water, his head dipped first in a bucket of water. They would bring him up again and then they would give him electric shocks.

(voice-over): One of the men is so broken, he can barely sit up or speak. His skull is bandaged. There's a deep wound on his nose from having his head slammed into the floor.

"You saved our lives," he says to the Iraqi soldier who asked him how he feels being freed. Another man was whipped with cables and a rubber hose. His back is crisscrossed with raised welts and dried blood.

Their captors fled when the bombing started. The hostages were held in a complex used to make car bombs. As Marines fired on the adjoining buildings, the men feared the building would collapse around them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We entered the house and I heard them yelling, but the Americans don't understand Iraqi. They were blindfolded and their ears were taped. I took off their blindfolds and wiped their faces and gave them water.

ARRAF: Torture was nothing new under Saddam Hussein, but this is like nothing they've ever seen.

"Why are they trying to destroy Iraq?" this Iraqi soldier asks.

This is, perhaps, the worst, but just one section of a city. A city, it seems, taken over by masters of terror and their students.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And among the documents seized there was a printed book, first edition 2005, essentially the rules for waging jihad, holy war, including how to kidnap victims and threaten to kill them -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jane, a question for you as to why they were holding these men and torturing them? Because, in the end, these men would be killed, so what was the purpose here?

ARRAF: It's a very effective way, Carol, of intimidation. Two of these men were former border police. And when they asked them will you go back to being border police, they said no, we would be killed immediately. What this does is it sends a very chilling message to anyone thinking of working with the Iraqi security forces, the police, the army. Giving out that there is a talk and a rhythm (ph) involved in places like this -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So, in other words, they would kill some of their captives and then release others to tell the tale?

ARRAF: Exactly.

COSTELLO: Another question for you, because you spent a lot of time embedded with U.S. troops over there, Jane. I want to play you some sound, as we say in the broadcast industry, from General John Abizaid, the top commander of Iraqi forces. This is what he said to the American Congress yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, CMDR., U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: When my soldiers say to me and ask me the question whether or not they've got support from the American people or not, that worries me. And they're starting to do that. And when the people that we're training, Iraqis and Afghans, start asking me whether or not we have the staying power to stick with them, that worries me, too.

So I would say we'd better have a frank discussion with ourselves. I'm not against the debate. We, that are fighting the war, think it's a war worth fighting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And you know he's specifically referring, Jane, to opinion polls that say only 39 percent of Americans support the war in Iraq now. And of course many members of Congress here are calling for a timetable to get U.S. troops out. How is all of this affecting morale? You know, when you talk to troops, do they mention things like this?

ARRAF: You know what's really affecting morale, Carol, is not so much the debates back home as to whether this war is worth it. Because, at the end of the day, the Marines here in the windswept desert and soldiers in other places believe they have a job to do and they are going to carry out that job.

But what is affecting morale and what will affect the ability of the U.S. to maintain this is the fact that families are getting really set up (ph). Some of the (INAUDIBLE) Marines are here for their second or even third time since the end of major combat, since the beginning of major combat, rather. We've spent time with their families on Army bases in Europe and they are increasingly vocal about seeing their husbands, sons, fathers go back to Iraq for a war that they're not quite sure what it's all about anymore.

But not so much the people over here. When they're in the fight, particularly this far forward, the morale is pretty high. It's those people, their family members particularly, sitting back home and missing them that are starting to wonder. It's starting to have an affect on the morale here -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live for us this morning. Thank you for making things clearer for us, Jane.

It's time to get to our e-mail segment now.

Chad, do you want to repeat the question for us?

MYERS: Sure. They want to read, well, and they were, reading the names of the fallen war dead in Iraq in Congress for the congressional record. And reading the names of the war dead is it a fitting tribute or a political ploy? DAYBREAK@CNN.com for your answers. We've got some great ones here.

From Dana (ph) in Montana, I never cease to be amazed with so many of the war hawks who are so vocally and extraneously sold the war in Iraq now seem to go screaming from the room at the mere mention of a lost soldier. Our heroes deserve honor whether our elected officials choose to do so.

As a Vietnam vet, I find it fitting that these names of the fallen soldiers are read into congressional record. Probably be the only recognition that most of these soldiers will ever receive. It's a shame that the House chamber was empty. What kind of tribute is that for our fallen heroes? Are they ashamed to hear all of the names that have died because this war is going so terribly wrong?

And from Abby (ph) in Denver, a true memorial of these fallen heroes would be to read the names in the presence of full Congress. I want them to face reality.

And from James (ph) in -- I don't know -- 312 area code. I think that anything our government does has motive behind it. I was in Vietnam and lost a lot of my friends. Why didn't they ever read those 60,000 names -- Carol?

COSTELLO: You know I really wanted to get a Vietnam vet on yesterday when we decided to do this, because I wondered what they thought from their perspective. Because you know the Vietnam War, those guys and women came home and it was not a nice experience for them.

MYERS: Regret (ph).

COSTELLO: So we'll talk more about this throughout the show.

You're watching DAYBREAK. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:46 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Iraq's new prime minister visits President Bush at the White House this morning. After their meeting, they plan to speak to reporters at 11:25 Eastern. We'll bring that to you live. Crude oil futures hit a whopping $60 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It is the highest level crude oil has ever hit. Prices stayed there only briefly before settling in at a record $59.42 a barrel.

In money news, General Electric is streamlining its businesses and reshuffling its management. The move is designed to save up to $300 million in costs, speed decisions and allow the company's CEO to put his own stamp on GE.

In culture, actor James Earl Jones is suffering from pneumonia, and that's prompted producers to close the Broadway play "On Golden Pond" in which the 74-actor was starring.

In sports, Annika Sorenstam is in contention for an unprecedented grand slam at the U.S. Women's Open. Her even par 71 in round one of the competition pushed her just two strokes off the clubhouse lead. In the meantime, the PGA says Charleston will host the U.S. Open in the year 2012.

So mark it on your calendar -- Chad.

MYERS: I don't know if I'll be around that long, Carol. I never planned to make it past 35.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

That's a look at the latest headlines this morning.

Still to come on DAYBREAK, a group of very dedicated volunteers give up nights and weekends to help keep drunk drivers off the road. We'll take you along for a ride.

You are watching DAYBREAK for a Friday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Ordinary people have enlisted in the fight against drunk driving. They're armed with police radios and a keen set of extra eyes.

CNN's Randi Kaye takes us on patrol in Montgomery County, Maryland for a first of its kind program you will only see on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on, we've got one buying.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want you guys to be prepared. Come out (ph) that Georgia University, be ready to go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the car that the X-rays (ph) people called out with. RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's Friday night in Montgomery County, Maryland, and there are extra eyes on the street. Those extra eyes don't belong to police.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like give you the license plate and you can run it to see who this car belongs to, if he's old enough.

KAYE: The extra eyes that local police depend on to help catch under age drinkers and drunken drivers are citizen volunteers. Armed with walkie-talkies, they're part of a late night sting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything going on over there?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, it's quiet.

KAYE: We can't identify them and blow their cover, but they are all average suburbanites with a keen interest in keeping drunks off the roads in their community. They include moms who get their nails done, grandmas who sport reading glasses. Every couple of months they leave their families at home and put their eyes to work. A hobby so unusual even close friends are surprised.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were totally aghast and just couldn't believe that I would spend the night sitting in a car watching a garage or watching a retail store or watching a hotel. So I guess, no, I don't fit in whatever the mold would be.

KAYE: Operation Extra Eyes is the first program of its kind in the country. Volunteers are trained to spot people who may be involved in alcohol-related crimes. Some nights they work surveillance until 2:00 a.m.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go ahead and come out because a really young looking kid.

KAYE: Sitting outside the beer and wine store in Wheaton this Friday night, the team thinks they've spotted what they call a Mr. Wouldya. That's someone under age who asks an adult to go in and buy alcohol for them. The police check out the citizen's lead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm 21. I (INAUDIBLE) trying to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where's your I.D. at? You had an I.D.?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean when I lost it, it was in a club. You know what I'm saying?

KAYE: It turns out this man had just lost his I.D. He's free to go. But the night is young.

(on camera): It's about 9:15 here on this Friday night. We've been in this parking lot here in Wheaton, Maryland now for about three hours. Just to give you an idea of how big this Operation Extra Eyes is, we not only have our ladies in the van, but we have undercover officers keeping an eye on the bus stop, keeping an eye on the liquor stores surrounding the area. There are also sheriff's deputies, all part of Operation Extra Eyes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When he walked into the store, he wasn't very steady.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What I want you to do is I want you to step right on over here for me.

KAYE (voice-over): The volunteers had police tail this man. We watched him buy a case of beer, then, so unsteady, struggle to get it into his trunk.

OFC. BILL MORRISON, MONTGOMERY CO., MARYLAND: If you heard his alphabet, that was really bad.

KAYE: The driver also fails the balance test and the Breathalyzer.

MORRISON: The gentleman that the civilians just spot had had way too much to drink. He was a .21.

KAYE: Point 21, in Maryland, that's three times the legal limit. Imagine what might have happened if those extra eyes hadn't been watching.

(on camera): Well how do you feel now knowing that you got him off the road?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm happy about that. That's one less person that's on the road tonight.

KAYE (voice-over): Officer Bill Morrison started Extra Eyes three years ago. He had knocked on too many doors, told too many people loved ones had been killed by a drunken driver. His award- winning program helps Montgomery County lead the region in drunken driving arrests.

MORRISON: We're watching one establishment. They're actually watching someplace totally different and we can double our efforts.

KAYE (on camera): Right now it's about 11:00, we've moved to Bethesda, Maryland. We're on top of a parking garage. And what they do here using their extra eyes, they peer right down there to that bar. And they're close enough to tell when anybody too intoxicated might be heading back into this garage to get inside their car, and that's when they get them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This guy in the white shirt, they're walking, but he was drinking out of a beer can and just dropped it in the -- threw it in the garage.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The troopers are going to head that way.

KAYE (voice-over): The troopers have the group identified and surrounded in minutes. Only one of the men owns up to drinking a beer. The citizens saw two.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who had a beer and threw it out on the ground?

KAYE: The volunteers pick up the evidence and identify the men for police. Two citations are given for public intoxication. The volunteers hope that's enough to make these guys think twice about getting behind the wheel.

(on camera): So I have to ask, why do you spend your nights like this, driving around in your own car, using your own gas, and you don't get paid a penny for it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To make it a safer community. I mean that's what it's for. To get the people, like the one in the white Cougar was a .21, off the street or to make sure that the kids don't buy alcohol and get so intoxicated that they get alcohol poisoning.

KAYE (voice-over): Their time, their eyes, determined to make a difference in their community.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Montgomery County, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has just approved the program to go nationwide. So Operation Extra Eyes may be coming to a neighborhood near you very soon.

Still to come this morning, how a ruling on First Street in Washington is hitting Main Street, U.S.A.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You never know when your home or business is going to be targeted by your government and a large corporation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: New at 6:00, how you could lose your home to Uncle Sam and not be able to do anything about it.

Also at 6:00, protecting your iPod, not from scratches or dings, but from thieves. A new product is hitting stores that claims to cool the kleptomaniacs. A reality check straight ahead.

But first, you know it's National Bring Your Dog to Work Day. And our staff, well, they love their dogs. So here's a look.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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