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CNN Newsnight Aaron Brown
War Status
Aired April 14, 2003 - 23:02 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.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: 11:02 here in the East, early in the morning in Iraq on what the Pentagon expects to be the first full day in weeks without major fighting. To be sure, there are plenty of challenges ahead in the finding of weapons of mass destruction, securing the cities, dealing with Syria, answering allegations over the administration's ties to companies taking part in the rebuilding of Iraq. We'll examine all of that in the hour ahead.
But we start off with a broad look at how Monday played out in a military way with CNN's Patty Davis who is at the Pentagon tonight.
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Aaron, the U.S. military believes it's seen the last of the major battles in Iraq, and is now sending some aircraft and two aircraft carrier battle groups out of the region.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVIS (voice-over): Cobra helicopters swooped above, as U.S. Marines moved into Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, north of Baghdad. They had expected Iraqi fighters to mount a last stand here, but instead encountered only a few sharp firefights, and little problem securing the presidential palace.
BRIG. GEN. VINCENT BROOKS, U.S. ARMY: There was less resistance than we anticipated. We certainly knew that there was an area that was very important to the regime leadership.
DAVIS: With Saddam Hussein's regime dismantled, U.S. troops worked with Iraqi police to restore order in Baghdad and other cities, but the Pentagon isn't declaring victory yet.
GEN. STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL, JOINT CHIEFS: I would anticipate that the major combat engagements are over, because the major Iraqi units on the ground cease to show coherence.
DAVIS: The air campaign is now phasing out. Some F-117 and B-2 Stealth Bombers have been sent home. Air missions have dropped to 700 to 800 per day, less than half their highest level.
The Pentagon said two aircraft carrier battle groups, the USS Kitty Hawk and the USS Constellation, will leave the Persian Gulf within days. So far, there is no plan to pull ground troops, who continue to face danger from snipers or renegade remnants of the Republican Guard and suicide bombers.
With combat winding down, the hunt for weapons of mass destruction is ratcheting up; so far, though, no confirmed finds.
MCCHRYSTAL: We don't have positive or negative either way. We have gone to some of the major sites, as I said, and, in fact, shipped samples back to the United States for detailed analysis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DAVIS: And the hunt for Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi officials remains a top priority with the U.S. military. Another top priority, Aaron, and that is finding the four Americans that remain unaccounted for -- Aaron.
BROWN: Well, they must have been deliriously happy they found the seven known POWs and got them back safely.
DAVIS: Extremely happy, overjoyed here at the Pentagon. But, of course, that's tempered by the fact that I believe it was something on the order of nine members of the 507th lost their lives in that firefight on March 23, but they got Jessica Lynch back, and now they have the seven back. Extremely happy. Zero POWs remain now in that country -- Aaron.
BROWN: Patty, thank you very much.
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 April 14, 2003 - 23:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: 11:02 here in the East, early in the morning in Iraq on what the Pentagon expects to be the first full day in weeks without major fighting. To be sure, there are plenty of challenges ahead in the finding of weapons of mass destruction, securing the cities, dealing with Syria, answering allegations over the administration's ties to companies taking part in the rebuilding of Iraq. We'll examine all of that in the hour ahead.
But we start off with a broad look at how Monday played out in a military way with CNN's Patty Davis who is at the Pentagon tonight.
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Aaron, the U.S. military believes it's seen the last of the major battles in Iraq, and is now sending some aircraft and two aircraft carrier battle groups out of the region.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVIS (voice-over): Cobra helicopters swooped above, as U.S. Marines moved into Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, north of Baghdad. They had expected Iraqi fighters to mount a last stand here, but instead encountered only a few sharp firefights, and little problem securing the presidential palace.
BRIG. GEN. VINCENT BROOKS, U.S. ARMY: There was less resistance than we anticipated. We certainly knew that there was an area that was very important to the regime leadership.
DAVIS: With Saddam Hussein's regime dismantled, U.S. troops worked with Iraqi police to restore order in Baghdad and other cities, but the Pentagon isn't declaring victory yet.
GEN. STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL, JOINT CHIEFS: I would anticipate that the major combat engagements are over, because the major Iraqi units on the ground cease to show coherence.
DAVIS: The air campaign is now phasing out. Some F-117 and B-2 Stealth Bombers have been sent home. Air missions have dropped to 700 to 800 per day, less than half their highest level.
The Pentagon said two aircraft carrier battle groups, the USS Kitty Hawk and the USS Constellation, will leave the Persian Gulf within days. So far, there is no plan to pull ground troops, who continue to face danger from snipers or renegade remnants of the Republican Guard and suicide bombers.
With combat winding down, the hunt for weapons of mass destruction is ratcheting up; so far, though, no confirmed finds.
MCCHRYSTAL: We don't have positive or negative either way. We have gone to some of the major sites, as I said, and, in fact, shipped samples back to the United States for detailed analysis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DAVIS: And the hunt for Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi officials remains a top priority with the U.S. military. Another top priority, Aaron, and that is finding the four Americans that remain unaccounted for -- Aaron.
BROWN: Well, they must have been deliriously happy they found the seven known POWs and got them back safely.
DAVIS: Extremely happy, overjoyed here at the Pentagon. But, of course, that's tempered by the fact that I believe it was something on the order of nine members of the 507th lost their lives in that firefight on March 23, but they got Jessica Lynch back, and now they have the seven back. Extremely happy. Zero POWs remain now in that country -- Aaron.
BROWN: Patty, thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
