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Live From...
On Patrol with the 101st Airborne
Aired April 01, 2003 - 12:33 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, CNN ANCHOR: Members of the 101st Airborne spent the day near the Shiite holy city of Najaf in an area that some thought -- which was the scene of some of the toughest fighting of the war so far.
Let's check in with CNN's Ryan Chilcote. He's covering the story, one of our embedded correspondents -- Ryan.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf.
Today was the second day of the attack. This was the 101st Airborne's 1st Brigade specifically. Specifically, I was with the 2nd Battalion, also known as "no slack." If yesterday was -- was -- could be noted for the use of force for the -- the air -- the power, for the helicopter power, for artillery, then today was troops on the ground, boots on the ground, a lot of infantry. More than 500 troops moving in to the city of An-Najaf.
Now with me I have Lieutenant Colonel Chris Hughes. He is the battalion commander of no slack, or the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Brigade of the 101st. Why bring troops into the city?
LT. COL. CHRIS HUGHES, 101ST AIRBORNE: Well, the -- the first offensive operations we saw from the Iraqis when we arrived here, they were forcing the local populous to come out and fight us. They were holding their families and their loved ones hostage and massacring them if they didn't send the individuals out to fight us.
We don't want to fight those guys. Those are the guys we want to keep in charge of this country. So we decided to come into town to get those who were murdering their families and their loved ones.
CHILCOTE: There's obviously a lot of concern about the holy sites in An-Najaf. What can you say to assure people that those sites won't be hurt?
HUGHES: Part of what we believe we're doing here is protecting this most holy site here in the Middle East. We, and all my soldiers are very, very sensitive to the fact that this is an extremely sensitive site. All planning -- we have lost many hours of sleep ensuring the right weapons are used, the right tactics are used and that we're talking to the local population so they understand we're here to protect their site and not damage it in any way. We're only here for the Fedayeen.
CHILCOTE: And you were -- you were telling me about how that hasn't been easy. That the main mosque in the city has actually been used as a sanctuary for the Fedayeen. Is that right?
HUGHES: Yes.
During yesterday's attack, it was very difficult to continue to target the enemy. They were using the compound itself to hide behind. Then they would come out and shoot their mortars and their artillery. And they would occupy the buildings and shoot snipers and heavy weapons both sides of the mosque. And as we put pressure on them, they would return to the mosque for the sanctuary and hide. So we had to work our timing to ensure that when they came out, we had to use precision weapons, our anti-tank weapons systems, out (UNINTELLIGIBLE) missiles, eye test systems were very effective in pinpointing windows and destroying the enemy forces in that sector.
CHILCOTE: Now we've got pictures of your soldiers moving through the streets of An-Najaf. Can you explain to people -- what are they doing? What are they looking for as they move through the streets?
HUGHES: The -- the first mission today was -- as we approach the city, intentionally showed a massive show of force of infantry. We used the desert approaches that came into the city through the oasis areas. The escarpment (ph) up here in An-Najaf is, as you've seen, is about 200-300 feet higher than the desert floor as we came in.
They saw tanks. They saw infantry. They felt the effects of artillery and close air support. So when the infantry came up into the town, our mission was to seize a large foothold so we can begin to develop combat offensive operations and launch combat power anywhere that we decide to launch it within An-Najaf.
CHILCOTE: How do you think you did, two days? Successful?
HUGHES: Very successful, in my opinion. The most important thing for the families of "no slack" is we have had no casualties through the two days of fighting. And to me, that's success. And the fact that we're here in the town and we control a large portion of this area, to me that's also success.
CHILCOTE: How about the Fedayeen?
HUGHES: The Fedayeen, I believe, has done a number of different things here.
First, they have surrendered to us because of the pressure we put on them yesterday. They've also tried to escape to the north and we've destroyed them with attack helicopters and artillery. But the rest of them have gone into civilian attire, they have blended into the local populous.
CHILCOTE: It's hard to distinguish civilian from...
HUGHES: Oh yes, it's very hard to distinguish.
They -- they made some classic mistakes up front. We were able to identify those mistakes. And of course, I won't tell you what those mistakes are because we hope they continue to do that. But it is very hard to weed through that especially in a foreign land and culture that you're not used to.
CHILCOTE: Sure. OK. Lieutenant Colonel Chris Hughes from the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Brigade, 101st Airbone, now actually camped out in the city of An-Najaf. This is the first night that U.S. forces have had such a substantial presence in this most important city -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Ryan Chilcote, one of our embedded correspondent with the 101st Airborne Division. Ryan, thanks very much.
Before I left Washington to come out here, there was considerable fear over at the Pentagon, elsewhere in Washington that Iraqis might deliberately seek to bomb one of those holy sites in Najaf or Karbala where there are religious symbols as a way to blame the United States for that. Let's hope that that does not happen, obviously. We're going to continue to monitor those holy sites in Karbala and Najaf as well.
Thanks to Ryan.
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 April 1, 2003 - 12:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Members of the 101st Airborne spent the day near the Shiite holy city of Najaf in an area that some thought -- which was the scene of some of the toughest fighting of the war so far.
Let's check in with CNN's Ryan Chilcote. He's covering the story, one of our embedded correspondents -- Ryan.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf.
Today was the second day of the attack. This was the 101st Airborne's 1st Brigade specifically. Specifically, I was with the 2nd Battalion, also known as "no slack." If yesterday was -- was -- could be noted for the use of force for the -- the air -- the power, for the helicopter power, for artillery, then today was troops on the ground, boots on the ground, a lot of infantry. More than 500 troops moving in to the city of An-Najaf.
Now with me I have Lieutenant Colonel Chris Hughes. He is the battalion commander of no slack, or the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Brigade of the 101st. Why bring troops into the city?
LT. COL. CHRIS HUGHES, 101ST AIRBORNE: Well, the -- the first offensive operations we saw from the Iraqis when we arrived here, they were forcing the local populous to come out and fight us. They were holding their families and their loved ones hostage and massacring them if they didn't send the individuals out to fight us.
We don't want to fight those guys. Those are the guys we want to keep in charge of this country. So we decided to come into town to get those who were murdering their families and their loved ones.
CHILCOTE: There's obviously a lot of concern about the holy sites in An-Najaf. What can you say to assure people that those sites won't be hurt?
HUGHES: Part of what we believe we're doing here is protecting this most holy site here in the Middle East. We, and all my soldiers are very, very sensitive to the fact that this is an extremely sensitive site. All planning -- we have lost many hours of sleep ensuring the right weapons are used, the right tactics are used and that we're talking to the local population so they understand we're here to protect their site and not damage it in any way. We're only here for the Fedayeen.
CHILCOTE: And you were -- you were telling me about how that hasn't been easy. That the main mosque in the city has actually been used as a sanctuary for the Fedayeen. Is that right?
HUGHES: Yes.
During yesterday's attack, it was very difficult to continue to target the enemy. They were using the compound itself to hide behind. Then they would come out and shoot their mortars and their artillery. And they would occupy the buildings and shoot snipers and heavy weapons both sides of the mosque. And as we put pressure on them, they would return to the mosque for the sanctuary and hide. So we had to work our timing to ensure that when they came out, we had to use precision weapons, our anti-tank weapons systems, out (UNINTELLIGIBLE) missiles, eye test systems were very effective in pinpointing windows and destroying the enemy forces in that sector.
CHILCOTE: Now we've got pictures of your soldiers moving through the streets of An-Najaf. Can you explain to people -- what are they doing? What are they looking for as they move through the streets?
HUGHES: The -- the first mission today was -- as we approach the city, intentionally showed a massive show of force of infantry. We used the desert approaches that came into the city through the oasis areas. The escarpment (ph) up here in An-Najaf is, as you've seen, is about 200-300 feet higher than the desert floor as we came in.
They saw tanks. They saw infantry. They felt the effects of artillery and close air support. So when the infantry came up into the town, our mission was to seize a large foothold so we can begin to develop combat offensive operations and launch combat power anywhere that we decide to launch it within An-Najaf.
CHILCOTE: How do you think you did, two days? Successful?
HUGHES: Very successful, in my opinion. The most important thing for the families of "no slack" is we have had no casualties through the two days of fighting. And to me, that's success. And the fact that we're here in the town and we control a large portion of this area, to me that's also success.
CHILCOTE: How about the Fedayeen?
HUGHES: The Fedayeen, I believe, has done a number of different things here.
First, they have surrendered to us because of the pressure we put on them yesterday. They've also tried to escape to the north and we've destroyed them with attack helicopters and artillery. But the rest of them have gone into civilian attire, they have blended into the local populous.
CHILCOTE: It's hard to distinguish civilian from...
HUGHES: Oh yes, it's very hard to distinguish.
They -- they made some classic mistakes up front. We were able to identify those mistakes. And of course, I won't tell you what those mistakes are because we hope they continue to do that. But it is very hard to weed through that especially in a foreign land and culture that you're not used to.
CHILCOTE: Sure. OK. Lieutenant Colonel Chris Hughes from the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Brigade, 101st Airbone, now actually camped out in the city of An-Najaf. This is the first night that U.S. forces have had such a substantial presence in this most important city -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Ryan Chilcote, one of our embedded correspondent with the 101st Airborne Division. Ryan, thanks very much.
Before I left Washington to come out here, there was considerable fear over at the Pentagon, elsewhere in Washington that Iraqis might deliberately seek to bomb one of those holy sites in Najaf or Karbala where there are religious symbols as a way to blame the United States for that. Let's hope that that does not happen, obviously. We're going to continue to monitor those holy sites in Karbala and Najaf as well.
Thanks to Ryan.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
