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Battle For Basra
Aired April 03, 2003 - 15:07 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.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Now we turn back to Iraq and the battle for Basra in the south. British troops have met with pockets of fierce resistance in the southern -- southeastern city. But according to Britain's defense secretary, they now have seen seized some key suburbs of Basra.
British pool correspondent Juliette Bremner says units are now methodically working their way into the city, dipping their toes, if you will.
JULIETTE BREMNER, BRITISH POOL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As dawn breaks, the British take their first tentative steps into the outskirts of Basra. From a rooftop they monitor the progress of tanks heading into the suburbs. This is unchartered territory, a provocative move intended to test Iraqi reaction.
Their arrival at a key road junction brings the answer. Rockets launched from a house in the city are tracked down and the building demolished.
(on camera): This is what the British army calls dipping its toe into Basra. It's the farthest forward that the tanks have been. If their presence doesn't cause too much of a ripple, they'll be persuaded to take greater strides into the heart of the city.
(voice-over): A roadblock set up on the main route into Basra. Groups of men thought to have links to the military are marched away. Even if they aren't directly involved, they may have vital information.
The British fear that the Fedayeen militia could be hidden anywhere amongst this warren of homes. Although they're being slowly worn down, they're not yet defeated.
LT. COL. DAVID PATTERSON, C.O. 1ST FUSIERS: The attacks, though, are becoming increasingly desperate. And in fact last night I can tell you they mortared one of our positions in the south of the city, resulting in a pregnant woman being injured. And we then managed to evacuate her by our own helicopters to a hospital.
BREMNER: As part of their fight to stamp out the paramilitaries, the Army is trying to put out some of the oil fires they use as a smoke screen. But armed with only two fire engines, it's one battle they're still far from winning.
Juliette Bremner, near Basra.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 3, 2003 - 15:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Now we turn back to Iraq and the battle for Basra in the south. British troops have met with pockets of fierce resistance in the southern -- southeastern city. But according to Britain's defense secretary, they now have seen seized some key suburbs of Basra.
British pool correspondent Juliette Bremner says units are now methodically working their way into the city, dipping their toes, if you will.
JULIETTE BREMNER, BRITISH POOL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As dawn breaks, the British take their first tentative steps into the outskirts of Basra. From a rooftop they monitor the progress of tanks heading into the suburbs. This is unchartered territory, a provocative move intended to test Iraqi reaction.
Their arrival at a key road junction brings the answer. Rockets launched from a house in the city are tracked down and the building demolished.
(on camera): This is what the British army calls dipping its toe into Basra. It's the farthest forward that the tanks have been. If their presence doesn't cause too much of a ripple, they'll be persuaded to take greater strides into the heart of the city.
(voice-over): A roadblock set up on the main route into Basra. Groups of men thought to have links to the military are marched away. Even if they aren't directly involved, they may have vital information.
The British fear that the Fedayeen militia could be hidden anywhere amongst this warren of homes. Although they're being slowly worn down, they're not yet defeated.
LT. COL. DAVID PATTERSON, C.O. 1ST FUSIERS: The attacks, though, are becoming increasingly desperate. And in fact last night I can tell you they mortared one of our positions in the south of the city, resulting in a pregnant woman being injured. And we then managed to evacuate her by our own helicopters to a hospital.
BREMNER: As part of their fight to stamp out the paramilitaries, the Army is trying to put out some of the oil fires they use as a smoke screen. But armed with only two fire engines, it's one battle they're still far from winning.
Juliette Bremner, near Basra.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
