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Coalition Seizes Warehouse Filled with Food
Aired April 02, 2003 - 13:58 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: I want to immediately go right into Iraq. CNN's Mike Boettcher, one of our embedded journalists, he's with Special Operations forces. Mike, tell us what you can, where you are, not necessarily precisely, but what you're seeing.
MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm on the outskirts of Basra, with Special Operations forces, sitting in front of a bunker used if there is incoming artillery. Fortunately, the artillery fired all around Basra in all directions has not been all that accurate. Tonight what I'm watching, has been several barrages from the British side, of what are called MRLs, multiple rocket launch systems, and these are what in World War II would have been called Stalin (UNINTELLIGIBLE) launching these rockets towards Basra.
And then there are air birds (ph) and these particular sorts of weapons I am told by the soldiers here, shower hot lead down on armored columns. These particular kinds of munitions are used against tank columns and armor. So I can only speculate, but apparently they believe or they have spotted some armor -- here comes another barrage now. Actually, just one this time.
Now today in Basra, a very significant event occurred as the British pushed further across the canal into the outer edges of Basra. And they got to a very critical place, a warehouse for the region for the Oil-For-Food distribution program. Now this warehouse had 3,000 tons of food and that is extremely significant because Basra, because of the forces surrounding the coalition forces, and because of the inability to get that food moved from the warehouse and into the city, there has been - have been reports of people who are hungry and people who need water.
Now, as I have traveled around Basra in the last few days on the outskirts, it seems to me most of the problem seems to be with water, a shortage of water. But with this particular warehouse now in coalition hands, as they move into Basra, and if they secure Basra, they will be able to feed a lot of people in a hurry -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And, Mike, the people in Basra, are they showing a greater receptivity to the coalition forces? As you know, they -- a lot of them felt badly burned, almost betrayed a dozen years ago when they were urged to rise up. They did, but they were crushed by Saddam Hussein at that time.
Does there seem to be a mood swing in favor of the coalition happening, as far as you can tell? BOETTCHER: In the cities outside of Basra, yes. In one town in particular, British soldiers are now not wearing their helmets, wearing soft hats, because they feel safer there now.
And as I speak to you, Wolf, there is another huge barrage heading into Basra. We can't from this vantage point swing the camera around. But I will tell you I have seen probably in this barrage probably -- oh, I would say 30 now, maybe getting close to 40 of these MLRs, multiple launch rocket systems, head towards Basra.
But getting back to your question, Wolf, yes. The targeted humanitarian efforts by special operations forces, the civil affairs unit of that, seems to have worked to a great extent. And it's also worked on the British side, as well, as they distribute food and liaison with local clerics in these villages.
The Shiites, as you know, feel betrayed because 12 years ago when they rose up against Saddam Hussein, the coalition then did not back them and there was a severe crackdown on the Shiite population. They had been sitting on the fence for several days here during this period of the assault on Basra and Basra being surrounded.
The big effort has been to win them over to the coalition side. And it looks like it's happening.
And food is power in this particular unconventional war in Basra. So now the coalition controls that 3,000 tons of food. They want to use it to get it to the people inside. And they believe that this is a great tool, even a better tool than these missiles being fired right now at presumably some Iraqi armor in Basra -- Wolf.
BLITZER: CNN's Mike Boettcher with U.S. special operations forces outside Basra, with important information from that second largest city in Iraq, two million -- 1,200,000 people estimated living there, an important development from Mike Boettcher. Thanks very much.
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 2, 2003 - 13:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I want to immediately go right into Iraq. CNN's Mike Boettcher, one of our embedded journalists, he's with Special Operations forces. Mike, tell us what you can, where you are, not necessarily precisely, but what you're seeing.
MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm on the outskirts of Basra, with Special Operations forces, sitting in front of a bunker used if there is incoming artillery. Fortunately, the artillery fired all around Basra in all directions has not been all that accurate. Tonight what I'm watching, has been several barrages from the British side, of what are called MRLs, multiple rocket launch systems, and these are what in World War II would have been called Stalin (UNINTELLIGIBLE) launching these rockets towards Basra.
And then there are air birds (ph) and these particular sorts of weapons I am told by the soldiers here, shower hot lead down on armored columns. These particular kinds of munitions are used against tank columns and armor. So I can only speculate, but apparently they believe or they have spotted some armor -- here comes another barrage now. Actually, just one this time.
Now today in Basra, a very significant event occurred as the British pushed further across the canal into the outer edges of Basra. And they got to a very critical place, a warehouse for the region for the Oil-For-Food distribution program. Now this warehouse had 3,000 tons of food and that is extremely significant because Basra, because of the forces surrounding the coalition forces, and because of the inability to get that food moved from the warehouse and into the city, there has been - have been reports of people who are hungry and people who need water.
Now, as I have traveled around Basra in the last few days on the outskirts, it seems to me most of the problem seems to be with water, a shortage of water. But with this particular warehouse now in coalition hands, as they move into Basra, and if they secure Basra, they will be able to feed a lot of people in a hurry -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And, Mike, the people in Basra, are they showing a greater receptivity to the coalition forces? As you know, they -- a lot of them felt badly burned, almost betrayed a dozen years ago when they were urged to rise up. They did, but they were crushed by Saddam Hussein at that time.
Does there seem to be a mood swing in favor of the coalition happening, as far as you can tell? BOETTCHER: In the cities outside of Basra, yes. In one town in particular, British soldiers are now not wearing their helmets, wearing soft hats, because they feel safer there now.
And as I speak to you, Wolf, there is another huge barrage heading into Basra. We can't from this vantage point swing the camera around. But I will tell you I have seen probably in this barrage probably -- oh, I would say 30 now, maybe getting close to 40 of these MLRs, multiple launch rocket systems, head towards Basra.
But getting back to your question, Wolf, yes. The targeted humanitarian efforts by special operations forces, the civil affairs unit of that, seems to have worked to a great extent. And it's also worked on the British side, as well, as they distribute food and liaison with local clerics in these villages.
The Shiites, as you know, feel betrayed because 12 years ago when they rose up against Saddam Hussein, the coalition then did not back them and there was a severe crackdown on the Shiite population. They had been sitting on the fence for several days here during this period of the assault on Basra and Basra being surrounded.
The big effort has been to win them over to the coalition side. And it looks like it's happening.
And food is power in this particular unconventional war in Basra. So now the coalition controls that 3,000 tons of food. They want to use it to get it to the people inside. And they believe that this is a great tool, even a better tool than these missiles being fired right now at presumably some Iraqi armor in Basra -- Wolf.
BLITZER: CNN's Mike Boettcher with U.S. special operations forces outside Basra, with important information from that second largest city in Iraq, two million -- 1,200,000 people estimated living there, an important development from Mike Boettcher. Thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
