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Iraqi TV Continues Broadcasting Despite Bomb, Blames Coalition for Civilian Deaths

Aired March 26, 2003 - 13:25   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.


WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR: As we've been reporting, U.S. officials say a Baghdad market was not the target of a U.S. attack earlier today. Iraq blames the coalition for an explosion at the market that killed 15 people, but the U.S. says the explosion could have been caused by an Iraqi missile or Iraqi anti-aircraft artillery.
For more on the developments inside the Iraqi capital, we turn to CNN's Nic Robertson. He's in Jordan, along the Iraqi border.

Nic, you know that area quite well, the northern part of Baghdad, that marketplace, where those civilians were killed. The Pentagon says no part of that area was in any target range of the U.S. military.

They're not ruling out, necessarily, an errant missile, but they're suggesting strongly that the Iraqis themselves are to blame.

First of all, talk to us a little bit about that part of the Iraqi capital.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, this is an area where there are restaurants, where there are mechanics who have workshops for cars, where there are shops. It's the sort of area where on the ground floor of the shop fronts and stores, and above that, the store owners or other people live.

It's sort of -- it's a community that gets very busy when people go out shopping. We have seen, over the past few days, more and more people coming out on the streets of Baghdad, as they try to put some part of their lives into daily order, if you will. Perhaps it was crowded, as Iraqi officials say, when this particular incident happened.

We have heard a lot from Iraqi officials, today, one in particular, again, the information minister, who seems to speak almost every day, trying to put down coalition reports.

Today, he was saying that there were -- that the coalition forces are not in control of that southern port town of Umm Qasr, also saying that in another town in the center of Iraq, An Nasiriya, he said that some 500 civilians have been injured and some 200 houses had been destroyed.

Now of course, it's absolutely impossible to get independent verification on it -- on that. But, certainly, possible to get some insights into what's happened in Baghdad today, because of the pictures we've seen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Chaos and anger in the smoldering ruins of Baghdad's Al-Shahad (ph) shopping district. Fifteen dead and many more injured, according to Iraqi officials. The result, they say, of a coalition cruise missile strike.

For residents here, no doubt, coalition forces responsible.

"Damn them, damn them," she says. "What were they trying to hit? There are no military targets around here."

A boost for Iraq's leaders battling to keep popular support.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They are attacking and bombarding the residential civilian areas. They are killing innocent people. This is a fact and please go and confirm that freely on your own.

ROBERTSON: But as CNN is banned from Baghdad, it is hard to independently confirm casualties. However, other correspondents who witnessed the damage do report seeing bodies in the debris.

In a nearby hospital, the injured received treatment, the obvious innocence of some heightening international concerns.

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: I just heard the reports that a missile struck a market in Baghdad. And I would want to remind all belligerents that they should respect international humanitarian law and take all necessary steps to protect civilians. Besides, they are responsible for the welfare of the civilian population in the area.

ROBERTSON: At coalition central command, too soon to say what caused the devastation in the Al Shahad (ph) market.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we have something like that, we will go back and examine flight paths, weapons released, what the circumstances were, and try to determine whether or not we had an impact on something like that. Right now, we simply don't know.

ROBERTSON: Coalition planners, however, do confirm a strike on Iraq state-run television station. It seems on a day when military planners attempted to lesson Iraq's propaganda capabilities, they may have given Baghdad more fuel to fan the flames of anti-Americanism.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: And despite the fact Iraq's television stations were targeted in the early hours of the day in Baghdad, Iraq's information minister we were talking about before did appear on Iraqi television. Iraq still has the capability there, Judy, to put out its message to its people. And likely, this particular incident will be a big part of that message in the coming days.

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Nic. I'm sure they're looking for every opportunity they can to continue to communicate with the public: television and radio and whatever means that they have.

Nic Robertson, reporting for us from just across the Iraqi border in Jordan.

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




Coalition for Civilian Deaths>


Aired March 26, 2003 - 13:25   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR: As we've been reporting, U.S. officials say a Baghdad market was not the target of a U.S. attack earlier today. Iraq blames the coalition for an explosion at the market that killed 15 people, but the U.S. says the explosion could have been caused by an Iraqi missile or Iraqi anti-aircraft artillery.
For more on the developments inside the Iraqi capital, we turn to CNN's Nic Robertson. He's in Jordan, along the Iraqi border.

Nic, you know that area quite well, the northern part of Baghdad, that marketplace, where those civilians were killed. The Pentagon says no part of that area was in any target range of the U.S. military.

They're not ruling out, necessarily, an errant missile, but they're suggesting strongly that the Iraqis themselves are to blame.

First of all, talk to us a little bit about that part of the Iraqi capital.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, this is an area where there are restaurants, where there are mechanics who have workshops for cars, where there are shops. It's the sort of area where on the ground floor of the shop fronts and stores, and above that, the store owners or other people live.

It's sort of -- it's a community that gets very busy when people go out shopping. We have seen, over the past few days, more and more people coming out on the streets of Baghdad, as they try to put some part of their lives into daily order, if you will. Perhaps it was crowded, as Iraqi officials say, when this particular incident happened.

We have heard a lot from Iraqi officials, today, one in particular, again, the information minister, who seems to speak almost every day, trying to put down coalition reports.

Today, he was saying that there were -- that the coalition forces are not in control of that southern port town of Umm Qasr, also saying that in another town in the center of Iraq, An Nasiriya, he said that some 500 civilians have been injured and some 200 houses had been destroyed.

Now of course, it's absolutely impossible to get independent verification on it -- on that. But, certainly, possible to get some insights into what's happened in Baghdad today, because of the pictures we've seen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Chaos and anger in the smoldering ruins of Baghdad's Al-Shahad (ph) shopping district. Fifteen dead and many more injured, according to Iraqi officials. The result, they say, of a coalition cruise missile strike.

For residents here, no doubt, coalition forces responsible.

"Damn them, damn them," she says. "What were they trying to hit? There are no military targets around here."

A boost for Iraq's leaders battling to keep popular support.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They are attacking and bombarding the residential civilian areas. They are killing innocent people. This is a fact and please go and confirm that freely on your own.

ROBERTSON: But as CNN is banned from Baghdad, it is hard to independently confirm casualties. However, other correspondents who witnessed the damage do report seeing bodies in the debris.

In a nearby hospital, the injured received treatment, the obvious innocence of some heightening international concerns.

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: I just heard the reports that a missile struck a market in Baghdad. And I would want to remind all belligerents that they should respect international humanitarian law and take all necessary steps to protect civilians. Besides, they are responsible for the welfare of the civilian population in the area.

ROBERTSON: At coalition central command, too soon to say what caused the devastation in the Al Shahad (ph) market.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we have something like that, we will go back and examine flight paths, weapons released, what the circumstances were, and try to determine whether or not we had an impact on something like that. Right now, we simply don't know.

ROBERTSON: Coalition planners, however, do confirm a strike on Iraq state-run television station. It seems on a day when military planners attempted to lesson Iraq's propaganda capabilities, they may have given Baghdad more fuel to fan the flames of anti-Americanism.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: And despite the fact Iraq's television stations were targeted in the early hours of the day in Baghdad, Iraq's information minister we were talking about before did appear on Iraqi television. Iraq still has the capability there, Judy, to put out its message to its people. And likely, this particular incident will be a big part of that message in the coming days.

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Nic. I'm sure they're looking for every opportunity they can to continue to communicate with the public: television and radio and whatever means that they have.

Nic Robertson, reporting for us from just across the Iraqi border in Jordan.

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




Coalition for Civilian Deaths>