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CNN Newsnight Aaron Brown
Battle For Tikrit
Aired April 14, 2003 - 23:05 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: Saddam Hussein's mythmakers made Tikrit seem much more than just another place, just another city. They turned his ancestral village into something like the magical source of the dictator's powers, as if it were another worldly layer or an unapproachable castle.
His "stronghold" is what everyone called it. So much for the magic.
British journalist Julian Manyon has the latest from Tikrit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIAN MANYON, ITV NEWS (voice-over): U.S. helicopter gunships blast Iraqi positions on the outskirts of Tikrit, but this was not the battle royal that many had predicted. And tonight, Saddam Hussein's hometown is firmly in American hands.
Earlier, we drove in from the north on a dangerous road, where a little later militant Arabs fired on another group of journalists. We were lucky and got through to American positions at a half-destroyed bridge. We found U.S. Marines already in occupation of Tikrit's main square, still dominated by an equestrian statue of the fallen dictator.
We joined the Marines as they pushed forward to secure the main populated area of the city. Ahead of us, helicopter gunships swooped over the rooftops.
(on camera): We are with a forward group of U.S. Marines, which is advancing extremely cautiously towards what we believe is the central mosque of the city of Tikrit. The situation at the moment is calm, there is no shooting, but it is extremely tense. And it's clear that these American soldiers believe that they could come under fire at any moment.
(voice-over): Many Tikritis had fled. Those who remained watched the American seizure of their city calmly but with little warmth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): We support anyone who comes here, Saddam or anyone else. All we want is peace.
MANYON: The Americans occupied government complexes and carefully secured the police headquarters, already half destroyed by bombing. Then suddenly, the gunships went into action. (on camera): American helicopters, and now jets, have been striking targets just beyond the outskirts of the city behind me over there. We've been told by local people that until yesterday, this area was full of what they called Fedayeen, the irregular fighters who have been fighting on behalf of Saddam Hussein. And it's possible that those units have now tried to pull out northwards, and are being attacked by the Americans from the air.
(voice-over): In fact, the Iraqi fighters had withdrawn to a military base just outside the city, and it was immediately bombed by the Americans. The fight for Tikrit was effectively over.
What remains are grandiose monuments to Saddam's rule. This was one of his favorite palaces, but today American armor filled his drive. Looters had already emptied the once magnificent buildings. The Americans find only empty chambers, and no answer to the question of where the fallen tyrant may now be.
Julian Manyon, ITV News, Tikrit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 - 23:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Saddam Hussein's mythmakers made Tikrit seem much more than just another place, just another city. They turned his ancestral village into something like the magical source of the dictator's powers, as if it were another worldly layer or an unapproachable castle.
His "stronghold" is what everyone called it. So much for the magic.
British journalist Julian Manyon has the latest from Tikrit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIAN MANYON, ITV NEWS (voice-over): U.S. helicopter gunships blast Iraqi positions on the outskirts of Tikrit, but this was not the battle royal that many had predicted. And tonight, Saddam Hussein's hometown is firmly in American hands.
Earlier, we drove in from the north on a dangerous road, where a little later militant Arabs fired on another group of journalists. We were lucky and got through to American positions at a half-destroyed bridge. We found U.S. Marines already in occupation of Tikrit's main square, still dominated by an equestrian statue of the fallen dictator.
We joined the Marines as they pushed forward to secure the main populated area of the city. Ahead of us, helicopter gunships swooped over the rooftops.
(on camera): We are with a forward group of U.S. Marines, which is advancing extremely cautiously towards what we believe is the central mosque of the city of Tikrit. The situation at the moment is calm, there is no shooting, but it is extremely tense. And it's clear that these American soldiers believe that they could come under fire at any moment.
(voice-over): Many Tikritis had fled. Those who remained watched the American seizure of their city calmly but with little warmth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): We support anyone who comes here, Saddam or anyone else. All we want is peace.
MANYON: The Americans occupied government complexes and carefully secured the police headquarters, already half destroyed by bombing. Then suddenly, the gunships went into action. (on camera): American helicopters, and now jets, have been striking targets just beyond the outskirts of the city behind me over there. We've been told by local people that until yesterday, this area was full of what they called Fedayeen, the irregular fighters who have been fighting on behalf of Saddam Hussein. And it's possible that those units have now tried to pull out northwards, and are being attacked by the Americans from the air.
(voice-over): In fact, the Iraqi fighters had withdrawn to a military base just outside the city, and it was immediately bombed by the Americans. The fight for Tikrit was effectively over.
What remains are grandiose monuments to Saddam's rule. This was one of his favorite palaces, but today American armor filled his drive. Looters had already emptied the once magnificent buildings. The Americans find only empty chambers, and no answer to the question of where the fallen tyrant may now be.
Julian Manyon, ITV News, Tikrit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
