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Bombing in Direction of Mosul, Kirkuk Has Resumed
Aired April 01, 2003 - 15:44 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: In northern Iraq today, the first pause in intense coalition air raids since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. For an update on the situation in and around Kalak, let's go to CNN's Jane Arraf. She's up there -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I think we might have spoke a little too soon earlier today, because after that day-long lull, the bombing has resumed. Now just a short while ago, on the ridge behind us, which is the Iraqi front line, there were several explosions. And along with those, bombing in the direction of Mosul, one of the major targets, as well as in the direction of Kirkuk, the major oil city. So the bombing has again resumed.
Now this was to have been the area for a northern front. Of course that major ground assault with ground troops coming in through Turkey. So far it's been confined to air attacks. This, after Turkey rejected the use of ground troops. But U.S. forces are still continuing to come in.
At the Harir Air Base they are beefing up troops. Still not a whole lot of them there, but believed to be around several thousand. They're also bringing in things like APCs, armored personnel carriers, other armored vehicles, as well as construction equipment. They are essentially building up that base, providing very heavy security along the perimeter.
Also today, we were shown a crater from an Iraqi missile. One of the very few that has landed across Kurdish-controlled lines. This was in a small town just a few miles away from Salah Hadim (ph), which is the administrative capital. Now ironically, this was a town where people had fled to from the cities, thinking it was safer. And it's another reminder that this war is taking quite a few unpredictable turns -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Not all that far away in the northern part of Iraq is Saddam Hussein's ancestral hometown of Tikrit. Are you getting any sense from where you are, Jane, what's happening around Tikrit? Because we've heard that there have been extensive air strikes around there as well.
ARRAF: We have heard that. Extensive air strikes, and also the Iraqi defenses pulling in to protect that city of Tikrit in what's believed to be a tactical maneuver as opposed to panic-driven retreat by those Iraqi forces. Apart from that, much less is known about what's happening in Tikrit than is known in Mosul and in Kirkuk. Now Kirkuk is one of the most important places. And the thing that U.S. officials had worried about, if they didn't get that northern front with ground troops through Turkey, how to secure those northern oilfields. Now, as you know, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is in Turkey, arriving tonight for more talks with the Turkish government. But it doesn't appear to be a possibility that Turkey is going to reverse its decision to allow those ground troops to come in. So that is still very much in the air, what they are going to do with the forces already here -- Wolf.
BLITZER: CNN's Jane Arraf in northern Iraq. Thanks very much, Jane, for that report.
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 - 15:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: In northern Iraq today, the first pause in intense coalition air raids since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. For an update on the situation in and around Kalak, let's go to CNN's Jane Arraf. She's up there -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I think we might have spoke a little too soon earlier today, because after that day-long lull, the bombing has resumed. Now just a short while ago, on the ridge behind us, which is the Iraqi front line, there were several explosions. And along with those, bombing in the direction of Mosul, one of the major targets, as well as in the direction of Kirkuk, the major oil city. So the bombing has again resumed.
Now this was to have been the area for a northern front. Of course that major ground assault with ground troops coming in through Turkey. So far it's been confined to air attacks. This, after Turkey rejected the use of ground troops. But U.S. forces are still continuing to come in.
At the Harir Air Base they are beefing up troops. Still not a whole lot of them there, but believed to be around several thousand. They're also bringing in things like APCs, armored personnel carriers, other armored vehicles, as well as construction equipment. They are essentially building up that base, providing very heavy security along the perimeter.
Also today, we were shown a crater from an Iraqi missile. One of the very few that has landed across Kurdish-controlled lines. This was in a small town just a few miles away from Salah Hadim (ph), which is the administrative capital. Now ironically, this was a town where people had fled to from the cities, thinking it was safer. And it's another reminder that this war is taking quite a few unpredictable turns -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Not all that far away in the northern part of Iraq is Saddam Hussein's ancestral hometown of Tikrit. Are you getting any sense from where you are, Jane, what's happening around Tikrit? Because we've heard that there have been extensive air strikes around there as well.
ARRAF: We have heard that. Extensive air strikes, and also the Iraqi defenses pulling in to protect that city of Tikrit in what's believed to be a tactical maneuver as opposed to panic-driven retreat by those Iraqi forces. Apart from that, much less is known about what's happening in Tikrit than is known in Mosul and in Kirkuk. Now Kirkuk is one of the most important places. And the thing that U.S. officials had worried about, if they didn't get that northern front with ground troops through Turkey, how to secure those northern oilfields. Now, as you know, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is in Turkey, arriving tonight for more talks with the Turkish government. But it doesn't appear to be a possibility that Turkey is going to reverse its decision to allow those ground troops to come in. So that is still very much in the air, what they are going to do with the forces already here -- Wolf.
BLITZER: CNN's Jane Arraf in northern Iraq. Thanks very much, Jane, for that report.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
