Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Saturday
Shia Muslims Begin Pilgrimage to Karbala
Aired April 19, 2003 - 18:22 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Millions of Shiite Muslims in Iraq could soon be heading to Karbala. They are making the pilgrimage to one of their holiest sites. It's something they were not allowed to do when Saddam Hussein was in power. CNN's Nic Robertson joins us from Baghdad with the very latest -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, we are seeing a number of changes today. On the east side of the city of Baghdad today, Marines who fought their way into the city have now pulled out. They have been replaced by the 3rd Infantry Division. This is essentially a change from a combat force to a force that will be here to control and ensure the stability and security of this part of the city. Not exactly a policing force, but definitely here to establish and maintain security that everybody wants.
And towards that, that we have seen the Iraqi police -- or at least some of the traffic police -- begin handed out AK-47 weapons on the street. That comes with the U. S. Infantry's blessing. This time this is an effort to help restore security and make sure that Iraqis begin to abide by their old laws and stop the looting. The looting does seem to be going on, and security is still certainly an issue.
One of the groups -- international aid groups -- is having a problem with security with now. The World Food Program has 52 trucks of food stuck some 60 miles west of Baghdad in a town called Rumadi (ph).
CNN's correspondent Rym Brahimi was passing there earlier in the day. Some of those truck drivers carrying the wheat flower came up and asked her if it was safe to continue. She said she couldn't tell them. But they said they had shots fired near their convoy five days before, and they had been stuck waiting for the Military -- waiting for the U. S. Military -- to tell them that it was safe to drive into Baghdad. Indeed, they said if they weren't told that it was safe pretty soon, then they were going to turn around and drive the 150 miles back to Jordan, which is where they came from five days ago.
We have also seen, as you said, those Shiite Muslims walking towards Karbala, Karbala some 60 miles south of Baghdad. It has been historic resting places of imam Abbas and imam Hussein, the sons of imam Ali, the most revered Shia leader whose own shrine is fairly close by in the town of Najaf, about 120 miles south of Baghdad.
The Shias expect to get there for a big celebration, the 40th day after the anniversary of the death of imam Ali. They will be there in Karbala on Wednesday to celebrate that. Likely many, many millions of them making their way there, and some of them we saw today, Fredricka, walking barefoot down the road towards Karbala.
WHITFIELD: And, Nic, we saw from those pictures that police are back on the beat. They've got new arms, as you have explained. But, what's the hold up with the water and the power? Why is it that people still don't have those resources?
ROBERTSON: Everyone is asking that question, Fredricka. From what we are being told, the power lines are the issue. The power generating station, engineers say, is ready to go back on line. The oil flow they need from the neighboring -- from the nearby oil refinery is ready and working.
But what they believe are broken at this time are the electricity power lines, the power grid. The U.S. military has been lending Iraqi engineers helicopters to fly them up and down those power lines to find out where the problems -- where the breaks are. What they say they need is enough electricity to provide a huge power surge into the grid when they switch it back on.
It's also very possible that some of the looters have been looting from some of the smaller electrical substations. So, of course, switching on the power could be dangerous. And so, those problems are fixed as well -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, still a volatile situation. Nic 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 - 18:22 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Millions of Shiite Muslims in Iraq could soon be heading to Karbala. They are making the pilgrimage to one of their holiest sites. It's something they were not allowed to do when Saddam Hussein was in power. CNN's Nic Robertson joins us from Baghdad with the very latest -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, we are seeing a number of changes today. On the east side of the city of Baghdad today, Marines who fought their way into the city have now pulled out. They have been replaced by the 3rd Infantry Division. This is essentially a change from a combat force to a force that will be here to control and ensure the stability and security of this part of the city. Not exactly a policing force, but definitely here to establish and maintain security that everybody wants.
And towards that, that we have seen the Iraqi police -- or at least some of the traffic police -- begin handed out AK-47 weapons on the street. That comes with the U. S. Infantry's blessing. This time this is an effort to help restore security and make sure that Iraqis begin to abide by their old laws and stop the looting. The looting does seem to be going on, and security is still certainly an issue.
One of the groups -- international aid groups -- is having a problem with security with now. The World Food Program has 52 trucks of food stuck some 60 miles west of Baghdad in a town called Rumadi (ph).
CNN's correspondent Rym Brahimi was passing there earlier in the day. Some of those truck drivers carrying the wheat flower came up and asked her if it was safe to continue. She said she couldn't tell them. But they said they had shots fired near their convoy five days before, and they had been stuck waiting for the Military -- waiting for the U. S. Military -- to tell them that it was safe to drive into Baghdad. Indeed, they said if they weren't told that it was safe pretty soon, then they were going to turn around and drive the 150 miles back to Jordan, which is where they came from five days ago.
We have also seen, as you said, those Shiite Muslims walking towards Karbala, Karbala some 60 miles south of Baghdad. It has been historic resting places of imam Abbas and imam Hussein, the sons of imam Ali, the most revered Shia leader whose own shrine is fairly close by in the town of Najaf, about 120 miles south of Baghdad.
The Shias expect to get there for a big celebration, the 40th day after the anniversary of the death of imam Ali. They will be there in Karbala on Wednesday to celebrate that. Likely many, many millions of them making their way there, and some of them we saw today, Fredricka, walking barefoot down the road towards Karbala.
WHITFIELD: And, Nic, we saw from those pictures that police are back on the beat. They've got new arms, as you have explained. But, what's the hold up with the water and the power? Why is it that people still don't have those resources?
ROBERTSON: Everyone is asking that question, Fredricka. From what we are being told, the power lines are the issue. The power generating station, engineers say, is ready to go back on line. The oil flow they need from the neighboring -- from the nearby oil refinery is ready and working.
But what they believe are broken at this time are the electricity power lines, the power grid. The U.S. military has been lending Iraqi engineers helicopters to fly them up and down those power lines to find out where the problems -- where the breaks are. What they say they need is enough electricity to provide a huge power surge into the grid when they switch it back on.
It's also very possible that some of the looters have been looting from some of the smaller electrical substations. So, of course, switching on the power could be dangerous. And so, those problems are fixed as well -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, still a volatile situation. Nic 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
