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CNN Live Saturday
Iraqis Blame U.S. For Bombin In Najaf
Aired August 30, 2003 - 18:32 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.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: Those responsible for the deadly mosque bombing in Najaf may still be on the run, but regardless of who actually carried out the massacre, a lot of Iraqis and Muslims around the world are indirectly blaming the United States. Rym Brahimi explains why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the streets of the Iraqi capital, an outpouring of grief over the attack that killed more than 100 people in the holy city of Najaf. Thousands demonstrated in front of coalition headquarters in Baghdad. Anger vented in many directions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): All of this is the work of the Ba'athists and the remnants of the old regime. We can also say the fundamentalists and the Zionists.
BRAHIMI: But ultimately, however, many of these protesters hold the United States responsible for not restoring security to Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Either the Americans maintain security themselves, or they let the people do it, but they didn't maintain it themselves nor did they allow the people to do it, and left the country in chaos, which means they contributed to this crime, directly or indirectly.
BRAHIMI: Some members of the U.S.-appointed governing council blame a lack of post-war planning for the security vacuum in Iraq, which they say has allowed a variety of groups, Ba'athists and others, to spread chaos.
The U.S.-led coalition rejects that accusation.
CHARLES HEATLEY, PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY SPOKESMAN: And as time goes on, and there are more Iraqis providing security, working alongside the coalition military, and alongside the civilian authority, the security situation in this country will continue to improve.
BRAHIMI: This month, Iraq has seen three massive car bomb attacks. First on the Jordanian embassy. Then on the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad. And now, on the Shiites' holiest shrine.
The latest attack may be the most perilous for Iraq's future. It raises the specter of sectarian violence in a fragile, multi-ethnic society where Shiite Muslims represent a long-repressed majority. (on camera): Some Iraqis fear a slide towards civil war. Others reject that possibility. But all are increasingly apprehensive in the wake of the attack in Najaf, and ask what will happen next.
Rym Brahimi, CNN, Baghdad.
(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 August 30, 2003 - 18:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: Those responsible for the deadly mosque bombing in Najaf may still be on the run, but regardless of who actually carried out the massacre, a lot of Iraqis and Muslims around the world are indirectly blaming the United States. Rym Brahimi explains why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the streets of the Iraqi capital, an outpouring of grief over the attack that killed more than 100 people in the holy city of Najaf. Thousands demonstrated in front of coalition headquarters in Baghdad. Anger vented in many directions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): All of this is the work of the Ba'athists and the remnants of the old regime. We can also say the fundamentalists and the Zionists.
BRAHIMI: But ultimately, however, many of these protesters hold the United States responsible for not restoring security to Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Either the Americans maintain security themselves, or they let the people do it, but they didn't maintain it themselves nor did they allow the people to do it, and left the country in chaos, which means they contributed to this crime, directly or indirectly.
BRAHIMI: Some members of the U.S.-appointed governing council blame a lack of post-war planning for the security vacuum in Iraq, which they say has allowed a variety of groups, Ba'athists and others, to spread chaos.
The U.S.-led coalition rejects that accusation.
CHARLES HEATLEY, PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY SPOKESMAN: And as time goes on, and there are more Iraqis providing security, working alongside the coalition military, and alongside the civilian authority, the security situation in this country will continue to improve.
BRAHIMI: This month, Iraq has seen three massive car bomb attacks. First on the Jordanian embassy. Then on the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad. And now, on the Shiites' holiest shrine.
The latest attack may be the most perilous for Iraq's future. It raises the specter of sectarian violence in a fragile, multi-ethnic society where Shiite Muslims represent a long-repressed majority. (on camera): Some Iraqis fear a slide towards civil war. Others reject that possibility. But all are increasingly apprehensive in the wake of the attack in Najaf, and ask what will happen next.
Rym Brahimi, CNN, Baghdad.
(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
