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CNN Live At Daybreak
Donald Rumsfeld in Baghdad Visiting Troops, Allies in Region
Aired February 23, 2004 - 06:31 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Rumsfeld is in Baghdad this morning. He's there to bolster the mood and to say efforts to start a civil war in Iraq are not working.
Live on the phone from Baghdad, our own Barbara Starr, who is traveling with Rumsfeld.
Good morning -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
Well, as you say, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is here in Iraq for the day, having a number of meetings across Baghdad with top coalition and military officials. And very definitely the top issue on the agenda: Iraqi security forces. Can they, in the face of all of these continuing attacks, these suicide attacks, attacks, these car bomb attacks, can the Iraqi security forces really substantially take over and look after the security of this country?
What Donald Rumsfeld is being told so far is they are making progress, but certainly that they are not ready to fully take over security of Iraq, and they won't be ready by that June 30 transition date.
So, look for U.S. forces to stay on in some very substantial role for some period of time, especially to be here to help the Iraqi security forces when these hot spots do flare up -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, Barbara, I know there has been a military investigation into possible prisoner abuse within Iraq. Is Donald Rumsfeld going to talk about that, too, today?
STARR: Well, he's not likely to talk about it. But in our travels with him, I can tell you that CNN, Carol, has learned there has been substantial movement in that military criminal investigation at Abu Ghraib prison here in Baghdad, reports by other U.S. soldiers of abuse of prisoners by U.S. military police.
What we can tell you is we have been told here in Baghdad now that the first criminal charges against U.S. military personnel could come within the next two weeks.
We have also learned that 17 military personnel have been temporarily removed from duty, suspended from their jobs until all of this is sorted out. Twelve of them are military policemen. Two are commanders at the prison -- a battalion commander, a company commander of military police. Three are non-commissioned officers.
And, of course, the reports of abuse were very disturbing to General Sanchez, the top commander here. The reports included the possibility that there are pictures showing prisoners being abused or held up to ridicule, and it was General Sanchez several weeks ago that ordered an immediate investigation.
Now, we have learned 17 people removed from their jobs until all of this is sorted out -- Carol.
COSTELLO: We'll talk much more about that later on CNN. Barbara Starr reporting live on the phone from Baghdad this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
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Aired February 23, 2004 - 06:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Rumsfeld is in Baghdad this morning. He's there to bolster the mood and to say efforts to start a civil war in Iraq are not working.
Live on the phone from Baghdad, our own Barbara Starr, who is traveling with Rumsfeld.
Good morning -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
Well, as you say, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is here in Iraq for the day, having a number of meetings across Baghdad with top coalition and military officials. And very definitely the top issue on the agenda: Iraqi security forces. Can they, in the face of all of these continuing attacks, these suicide attacks, attacks, these car bomb attacks, can the Iraqi security forces really substantially take over and look after the security of this country?
What Donald Rumsfeld is being told so far is they are making progress, but certainly that they are not ready to fully take over security of Iraq, and they won't be ready by that June 30 transition date.
So, look for U.S. forces to stay on in some very substantial role for some period of time, especially to be here to help the Iraqi security forces when these hot spots do flare up -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, Barbara, I know there has been a military investigation into possible prisoner abuse within Iraq. Is Donald Rumsfeld going to talk about that, too, today?
STARR: Well, he's not likely to talk about it. But in our travels with him, I can tell you that CNN, Carol, has learned there has been substantial movement in that military criminal investigation at Abu Ghraib prison here in Baghdad, reports by other U.S. soldiers of abuse of prisoners by U.S. military police.
What we can tell you is we have been told here in Baghdad now that the first criminal charges against U.S. military personnel could come within the next two weeks.
We have also learned that 17 military personnel have been temporarily removed from duty, suspended from their jobs until all of this is sorted out. Twelve of them are military policemen. Two are commanders at the prison -- a battalion commander, a company commander of military police. Three are non-commissioned officers.
And, of course, the reports of abuse were very disturbing to General Sanchez, the top commander here. The reports included the possibility that there are pictures showing prisoners being abused or held up to ridicule, and it was General Sanchez several weeks ago that ordered an immediate investigation.
Now, we have learned 17 people removed from their jobs until all of this is sorted out -- Carol.
COSTELLO: We'll talk much more about that later on CNN. Barbara Starr reporting live on the phone from Baghdad this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Region>
