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School Children Successfully Evacuated
Aired September 25, 2002 - 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. troops are also on the ground in the Ivory Coast. CNN's Barbara Starr joins us now from the Pentagon with the latest on their mission -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Well, a dramatic rescue indeed for those American schoolchildren trapped in gunfire in the civil unrest in the West African nation of the Ivory Coast.
French military forces earlier today moved to the town of Bouake, where the fighting was, and where this school was located. They of now have evacuated about 150 American schoolchildren, faculty, and staff from the International Christian Academy, and indeed some schoolchildren were waving American flags as they loaded up and left on a French military convoy.
They are moving to the town of Yamoussoukro, where the State Department is going to receive the children, and decide how to best reunite them with their parents, who are now missionaries serving across several West African nations. And in the town of Yamoussoukro, there are also U.S. Special Forces, waiting in case they have to fly the children to some other locations to be reunited with their parents.
Those U.S. Special Forces moved into the Ivory Coast earlier today from their nearby location in Ghana.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD BOUCHER, SPOKESMAN, STATE DEPARTMENT: Our consular people and the military people are there, setting up a reception center for them. They are also, I think, people from the various missions and groups that these children and faculty are associated with, who are there, setting up a staging center, reception center. I'm sure there will be medical care, counseling, help with travel, reuniting families, whatever else we can do for the people involved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Now we are told this afternoon here at the Pentagon there is no timeline for those U.S. forces to be withdrawn from the Ivory Coast. They will stand by for sometime, see how the security situation is developing in the country, and the reason is there are about 2,000 Americans living in the Ivory Coast, and as the unrest continues to plague some sections of the country, these Special Forces may -- may be called in to perform another evacuation of American citizens -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: All right. Barbara Starr from the Pentagon -- thank you.
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 September 25, 2002 - 14:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. troops are also on the ground in the Ivory Coast. CNN's Barbara Starr joins us now from the Pentagon with the latest on their mission -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Well, a dramatic rescue indeed for those American schoolchildren trapped in gunfire in the civil unrest in the West African nation of the Ivory Coast.
French military forces earlier today moved to the town of Bouake, where the fighting was, and where this school was located. They of now have evacuated about 150 American schoolchildren, faculty, and staff from the International Christian Academy, and indeed some schoolchildren were waving American flags as they loaded up and left on a French military convoy.
They are moving to the town of Yamoussoukro, where the State Department is going to receive the children, and decide how to best reunite them with their parents, who are now missionaries serving across several West African nations. And in the town of Yamoussoukro, there are also U.S. Special Forces, waiting in case they have to fly the children to some other locations to be reunited with their parents.
Those U.S. Special Forces moved into the Ivory Coast earlier today from their nearby location in Ghana.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD BOUCHER, SPOKESMAN, STATE DEPARTMENT: Our consular people and the military people are there, setting up a reception center for them. They are also, I think, people from the various missions and groups that these children and faculty are associated with, who are there, setting up a staging center, reception center. I'm sure there will be medical care, counseling, help with travel, reuniting families, whatever else we can do for the people involved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Now we are told this afternoon here at the Pentagon there is no timeline for those U.S. forces to be withdrawn from the Ivory Coast. They will stand by for sometime, see how the security situation is developing in the country, and the reason is there are about 2,000 Americans living in the Ivory Coast, and as the unrest continues to plague some sections of the country, these Special Forces may -- may be called in to perform another evacuation of American citizens -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: All right. Barbara Starr from the Pentagon -- thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
