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CNN Live Saturday
U.S. Forces Work to Provide Security in Baghdad
Aired April 19, 2003 - 14:09 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.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN ANCHOR: In Iraq, another one of Saddam Hussein's top officials is now in custody. His arrest comes as U.S. forces and a post-war Iraqi police force press ahead with the huge task of restoring order in Baghdad. CNN's Jim Clancy joins us live in the Iraqi capital with the latest -- Jim.
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jon, let's take a look at that. You know, security really is the foundation of building anything here in Iraq. Whether it's a political system, whether it's the flow of humanitarian aid, whether it's the safety and the security of the citizens so they can come out and do their jobs.
Let's take a look at the humanitarian issue. I will show you what I am talking about tonight. Out in the desert, about 150 kilometers, oh, about 100 miles from Baghdad, are 52 trucks, with the World Food Program. Those 52 trucks are fully loaded with wheat flour and they are trying to get to Baghdad. The problem? No security, no U.S. armed escort to get them safely into Baghdad. The truck drivers say they already tried that; they were fired upon. They have now returned back to a truck stop in the desert near Ramadi (ph), and as a result, the food isn't going in, and the drivers are threatening they are going to turn them around, take them back to Amman, Jordan, unless they get security.
Well, there may not be complete security on the streets of Baghdad this day, but there was at least enough that people turned out in droves.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY (voice-over): A chorus of horns and a crush of traffic signaled a burst of renewed energy in the Iraqi capital. While the U.S. military trumpeted the work of Baghdad police for bringing in the man who may have stashed away billions for Saddam Hussein.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's nice to end on a positive note where they've actually captured someone on our most wanted list. And I think the important thing here is, as one of the generals pointed out, that they want to be independent of politics. They want to win back the respect of the Iraqi people and not be associated with the old regime.
CLANCY: Hikmat Ibrahim al-Azzawi had been a finance minister and deputy prime minister. He may be able to pinpoint hidden cash deposits from the former regime. In a show of confidence, the U.S. authorized police to begin carrying AK-47 assault rifles for protection and enforcement. Across the city, curious Iraqis stood and stared as U.S. armor stood watch outside the national bank and a cache of gold bullion estimated to be worth $1 billion. In another case, U.S. troops uncovered a reported $650 million in U.S. bank notes hidden in a neighborhood where top Baath Party officials lived.
The shift in the mission of U.S. forces from combat to policing was reflected in the replacement of Marines with U.S. Army troops east of the Tigris river. They took up defensive position, mounted patrols, and even directed traffic.
Along the Tigris, two major fires blazed, sending smoke into the skies. The Ministry of Planning flared again, while a new fire ravaged the Iraqi Film Department. With streets still filled with garbage, road blocks against looters and no electricity, some Iraqis are wary of assuming the worst is over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know if the worst is gone. We want to see the good things for the people. I repeated (UNINTELLIGIBLE) before, from the last regime. We want the people live freedom without forcing.
CLANCY: "It's true," said another, "we were living under a tyrannical regime. But there were no such things, there was a sort of stability. Maybe not psychological stability, but security."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY: Security is the word of the day in Baghdad. When there is enough of it, they can enjoy their freedom -- Jon.
KARL: All right, Jim Clancy in Baghdad. 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 19, 2003 - 14:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN ANCHOR: In Iraq, another one of Saddam Hussein's top officials is now in custody. His arrest comes as U.S. forces and a post-war Iraqi police force press ahead with the huge task of restoring order in Baghdad. CNN's Jim Clancy joins us live in the Iraqi capital with the latest -- Jim.
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jon, let's take a look at that. You know, security really is the foundation of building anything here in Iraq. Whether it's a political system, whether it's the flow of humanitarian aid, whether it's the safety and the security of the citizens so they can come out and do their jobs.
Let's take a look at the humanitarian issue. I will show you what I am talking about tonight. Out in the desert, about 150 kilometers, oh, about 100 miles from Baghdad, are 52 trucks, with the World Food Program. Those 52 trucks are fully loaded with wheat flour and they are trying to get to Baghdad. The problem? No security, no U.S. armed escort to get them safely into Baghdad. The truck drivers say they already tried that; they were fired upon. They have now returned back to a truck stop in the desert near Ramadi (ph), and as a result, the food isn't going in, and the drivers are threatening they are going to turn them around, take them back to Amman, Jordan, unless they get security.
Well, there may not be complete security on the streets of Baghdad this day, but there was at least enough that people turned out in droves.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY (voice-over): A chorus of horns and a crush of traffic signaled a burst of renewed energy in the Iraqi capital. While the U.S. military trumpeted the work of Baghdad police for bringing in the man who may have stashed away billions for Saddam Hussein.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's nice to end on a positive note where they've actually captured someone on our most wanted list. And I think the important thing here is, as one of the generals pointed out, that they want to be independent of politics. They want to win back the respect of the Iraqi people and not be associated with the old regime.
CLANCY: Hikmat Ibrahim al-Azzawi had been a finance minister and deputy prime minister. He may be able to pinpoint hidden cash deposits from the former regime. In a show of confidence, the U.S. authorized police to begin carrying AK-47 assault rifles for protection and enforcement. Across the city, curious Iraqis stood and stared as U.S. armor stood watch outside the national bank and a cache of gold bullion estimated to be worth $1 billion. In another case, U.S. troops uncovered a reported $650 million in U.S. bank notes hidden in a neighborhood where top Baath Party officials lived.
The shift in the mission of U.S. forces from combat to policing was reflected in the replacement of Marines with U.S. Army troops east of the Tigris river. They took up defensive position, mounted patrols, and even directed traffic.
Along the Tigris, two major fires blazed, sending smoke into the skies. The Ministry of Planning flared again, while a new fire ravaged the Iraqi Film Department. With streets still filled with garbage, road blocks against looters and no electricity, some Iraqis are wary of assuming the worst is over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know if the worst is gone. We want to see the good things for the people. I repeated (UNINTELLIGIBLE) before, from the last regime. We want the people live freedom without forcing.
CLANCY: "It's true," said another, "we were living under a tyrannical regime. But there were no such things, there was a sort of stability. Maybe not psychological stability, but security."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY: Security is the word of the day in Baghdad. When there is enough of it, they can enjoy their freedom -- Jon.
KARL: All right, Jim Clancy in Baghdad. 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
