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CNN Live Saturday

U.S. Military Flexes Muscles In Attempt To Stem Attacks In Iraq

Aired November 08, 2003 - 14:02   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.


KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: Our top stories now, the U.S. military flexes its muscle in Iraq in an effort to stem the mounting attacks. It's a show of force from the sky as well as a search on the ground for insurgence. CNN's Nic Robertson has details from Iraq's capital.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kelli that show of force took place in Tikrit north of Baghdad overnight last night. However, at 8:00 in the morning, the first or perhaps the most recent deadly attack against U.S. forces took place outside the western town of Fallujah in the central restive Sunni triangle. That attack killed two soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Ammunition explodes as flames ripped through the latest U.S. armored vehicle, targeted by the Iraqi resistance. Saturday morning, two soldiers from the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division, killed, and one wounded by a roadside bomb west of Baghdad. In the last seven days, at least 34 U.S. troops have died in combat. A troubling death toll for the visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State.

RICHARD ARMITAGE, U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: We're sobered by the problem, but after discussions today with Commander of the joint task force 7, Lieutenant General Sanchez, I'm absolutely convinced that we have a very solid plan to go out and get these people who are killing us and killing Iraqis.

ROBERTSON: To the north in Tikrit, the heart of the most recent violence, part of that plan, apparently, a show of force. The display of military might including F-16 aircraft dropping 500-pound bombs hours after U.S. black hawk hawk helicopter crashed in suspicious circumstances killing all six people onboard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This intent is to show those anti-coalition forces, Fedayeen subversive elements, that we will not tolerate any subversive action.

ROBERTSON: At their base, two miles, three kilometers from the helicopter crash site, a mortar platoon prepares for the ongoing operation, including shows of force. The latest black hawk crash still under investigation, surface-to-air missiles have been ruled out as the cause, but hostile fire has not.

(on camera): Privately, some soldiers and officers have commented that they are surprised that this black hawk helicopter came down so close to the one that was shot down two weeks ago.

(voice-over): Whatever the U.S. Military plans are for combating their attackers, it seems likely they'll need to adapt quickly to changing circumstances.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: And while the military has its plans it seems the International Committee for the Red Cross has its own set of plans for dealing with the current state of security in Iraq. It has decided to close down its offices in Basra in the south and Baghdad in the center. Its office in the north of Iraq continues to operate, but this does mean that the International Committee for the Red Cross program to work with prisoners and prisoners families here in Iraq, prisoners of the coalition that some elements of that appear to be suspended at this time -- Kelli.

ARENA: Nic, what about the half dozen people that were arrested who all allegedly took part in that attack on the Al Rashid Hotel, what can you tell us?

ROBERTSON: Well, we're being told by coalition officials is that they believe 18 people were behind the attack that took place on the 26th of October. That attack targeted the Al Rashid Hotel, a hotel where many of the very senior coalition provisional authority figures stay. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz who was staying at the hotel when it was attacked and the attack killed one U.S. Colonel who was saying there, wounded 12 other people.

Now, the coalition says it believes 18 people were behind that attack. They rounded up 12 of them. They say they are still looking for another 6. The attackers used a modified rocket launcher disguised as a generator to fire rockets at the hotel. What the coalition says, it believes about another 200 such remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime, anti-coalition forces, or elements, remain in Baghdad. They say that they believe that divided into about 12 or perhaps 18 different cells within the city, and that they are continuing to try and track them all down, but they do still appear at this time to be able to operate at a certain level of effectiveness -- Kelli.

ARENA: All right, Nic Robertson, live in Baghdad, thanks a lot.

END

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Iraq>


Aired November 8, 2003 - 14:02   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: Our top stories now, the U.S. military flexes its muscle in Iraq in an effort to stem the mounting attacks. It's a show of force from the sky as well as a search on the ground for insurgence. CNN's Nic Robertson has details from Iraq's capital.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kelli that show of force took place in Tikrit north of Baghdad overnight last night. However, at 8:00 in the morning, the first or perhaps the most recent deadly attack against U.S. forces took place outside the western town of Fallujah in the central restive Sunni triangle. That attack killed two soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Ammunition explodes as flames ripped through the latest U.S. armored vehicle, targeted by the Iraqi resistance. Saturday morning, two soldiers from the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division, killed, and one wounded by a roadside bomb west of Baghdad. In the last seven days, at least 34 U.S. troops have died in combat. A troubling death toll for the visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State.

RICHARD ARMITAGE, U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: We're sobered by the problem, but after discussions today with Commander of the joint task force 7, Lieutenant General Sanchez, I'm absolutely convinced that we have a very solid plan to go out and get these people who are killing us and killing Iraqis.

ROBERTSON: To the north in Tikrit, the heart of the most recent violence, part of that plan, apparently, a show of force. The display of military might including F-16 aircraft dropping 500-pound bombs hours after U.S. black hawk hawk helicopter crashed in suspicious circumstances killing all six people onboard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This intent is to show those anti-coalition forces, Fedayeen subversive elements, that we will not tolerate any subversive action.

ROBERTSON: At their base, two miles, three kilometers from the helicopter crash site, a mortar platoon prepares for the ongoing operation, including shows of force. The latest black hawk crash still under investigation, surface-to-air missiles have been ruled out as the cause, but hostile fire has not.

(on camera): Privately, some soldiers and officers have commented that they are surprised that this black hawk helicopter came down so close to the one that was shot down two weeks ago.

(voice-over): Whatever the U.S. Military plans are for combating their attackers, it seems likely they'll need to adapt quickly to changing circumstances.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: And while the military has its plans it seems the International Committee for the Red Cross has its own set of plans for dealing with the current state of security in Iraq. It has decided to close down its offices in Basra in the south and Baghdad in the center. Its office in the north of Iraq continues to operate, but this does mean that the International Committee for the Red Cross program to work with prisoners and prisoners families here in Iraq, prisoners of the coalition that some elements of that appear to be suspended at this time -- Kelli.

ARENA: Nic, what about the half dozen people that were arrested who all allegedly took part in that attack on the Al Rashid Hotel, what can you tell us?

ROBERTSON: Well, we're being told by coalition officials is that they believe 18 people were behind the attack that took place on the 26th of October. That attack targeted the Al Rashid Hotel, a hotel where many of the very senior coalition provisional authority figures stay. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz who was staying at the hotel when it was attacked and the attack killed one U.S. Colonel who was saying there, wounded 12 other people.

Now, the coalition says it believes 18 people were behind that attack. They rounded up 12 of them. They say they are still looking for another 6. The attackers used a modified rocket launcher disguised as a generator to fire rockets at the hotel. What the coalition says, it believes about another 200 such remnants of Saddam Hussein's regime, anti-coalition forces, or elements, remain in Baghdad. They say that they believe that divided into about 12 or perhaps 18 different cells within the city, and that they are continuing to try and track them all down, but they do still appear at this time to be able to operate at a certain level of effectiveness -- Kelli.

ARENA: All right, Nic Robertson, live in Baghdad, thanks a lot.

END

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Iraq>