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Baghdad Blackout

Aired April 03, 2003 - 15:25   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, CNN ANCHOR: Iraqi television showed some more videotape of Saddam Hussein tonight, not long before the power went out in large sections of the Iraqi capital.
Our Nic Robertson has been in contact with his sources inside Baghdad. He's joining me now live from his post along the border between Jordan and Iraq.

What's the latest -- Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, some very interesting news coming in the last few minutes from one source in Baghdad.

This source telling us that the checkpoints around Baghdad are closed now to Iraqi civilians; that they are not allowed to leave the capital. However, in the neighborhood that is close to Saddam International Airport, that airport about 20 kilometers outside of Baghdad southwest of the city, an airport where there have been reports of sporadic fighting today, in the neighborhood close to that airport, we are being told by our source that Iraqi government vehicles are driving around that neighborhood with loudspeakers on their cars, telling people to leave their houses and head out of the city in the direction of the airport. Now, that what is our source is telling us.

He is also saying that people are following those instructions. That they are leaving their house and that they are headed out towards the airport.

Now, this comes in an evening when the first time we have seen the lights over Baghdad, the street lights, the house lights, the lights in government offices, all go off. Now, Iraqi authorities said this was not because of coalition bombing. Coalition forces say the lights going off in Baghdad was also not because of coalition bombing.

What we understand has happened this evening, for the first time since the aerial bombing campaign began over Baghdad, Iraqi authorities have switched off the lights on the city, perhaps an indication because they feel the city is now under greater threat than it was in the past, certainly through 14 days of aerial bombardment the lights have been on. Tonight, they are off.

It is also the first time that these checkpoints around the city have been closed. These are checkpoints on the main roads that lead into and out of Baghdad. They have been relatively open for Iraqis until very recently. Tonight, we are being told those roads are closed.

Also earlier in the day, the Iraqi minister of information characterized the position of coalition forces, saying that they were nowhere near Baghdad. In fact, saying that so far Iraqi forces are hunting down the coalition forces.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED SAEED AL-SAHAF, IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER (through translator): The mercenaries today, they were surrounded and they sustained heavy losses. And big numbers of them have been killed. And they were backed off -- they backed off to the same place, to the same area which they have been surrounded. The battle is still going on, and today, it will give them the lesson they deserve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, to try and make their point to the journalists here in Baghdad, Iraqi officials this afternoon took them to Saddam -- took the journalists to Saddam International Airport just outside the center of Baghdad to show them that Iraqi authorities still control the airport. That was in daylight. That was this afternoon.

And at that time, journalists could see that the road to the airport was open, that the airport, indeed, at that time did appear to be in the hands of Iraqi authorities. The journalists went back to Baghdad, the road still free for them to travel back to the city, but developments this evening, Wolf, the lights going off, the checkpoints being enforced, a changing situation apparently in Baghdad.

BLITZER: Nic if the lights are off, the power is off in Baghdad, does that mean that Iraqi television is off the air as well?

ROBERTSON: It would mean, Wolf, that people wouldn't have electricity in their houses to turn their television sets on to watch it if it was on. It's not clear if the transmitter itself has been switched off, if the studio is perhaps running on emergency power. But anyone in the city who doesn't have their own power, their own generator to run their television set won't be able to see Iraqi television.

But perhaps the most interesting thing about the checkpoints being closed is the fact that we're being told in the neighborhood near the main airport, the international airport, Saddam International Airport, that residents there are being told by Iraqi authorities to leave their houses and drive towards the international airport there -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And very briefly, Nic, that airport, Saddam International, it's not just the main international airport of Baghdad. It once used to be a thriving airport. But there are also significant Iraqi military facilities in and around that airport. Is that right?

ROBERTSON: It is, as you say, a very large civilian airfield. It is somewhat separate to the center of Baghdad. There's a large presidential palace perhaps just a couple of miles away from the airport.

When I was there just before the war began, I think almost the eve of the day the war began, there were some increased fortifications, but much more defensive positions. Bunkers had been dug at checkpoints beside the road. I didn't see a substantial increase at that time in the number of anti-aircraft gun facilities around the airport. It didn't seem at that time to be heavily militarized just days before the war, but certainly a strategic site, such as that airport, so large, so useful to the coalition, so close to the center of Baghdad, it would seem highly likely that Iraqi forces had sought in the days since the war began to reinforce it. But it is certainly an area that is sort of, if you will, self- contained from the center of Baghdad. There is a gap between the airport and where the civilian population live around the outskirts of Baghdad -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Nic Robertson, who has been monitoring all of these developments for us over the past many, many weeks and months. Thanks very much, Nic, 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 3, 2003 - 15:25   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Iraqi television showed some more videotape of Saddam Hussein tonight, not long before the power went out in large sections of the Iraqi capital.
Our Nic Robertson has been in contact with his sources inside Baghdad. He's joining me now live from his post along the border between Jordan and Iraq.

What's the latest -- Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, some very interesting news coming in the last few minutes from one source in Baghdad.

This source telling us that the checkpoints around Baghdad are closed now to Iraqi civilians; that they are not allowed to leave the capital. However, in the neighborhood that is close to Saddam International Airport, that airport about 20 kilometers outside of Baghdad southwest of the city, an airport where there have been reports of sporadic fighting today, in the neighborhood close to that airport, we are being told by our source that Iraqi government vehicles are driving around that neighborhood with loudspeakers on their cars, telling people to leave their houses and head out of the city in the direction of the airport. Now, that what is our source is telling us.

He is also saying that people are following those instructions. That they are leaving their house and that they are headed out towards the airport.

Now, this comes in an evening when the first time we have seen the lights over Baghdad, the street lights, the house lights, the lights in government offices, all go off. Now, Iraqi authorities said this was not because of coalition bombing. Coalition forces say the lights going off in Baghdad was also not because of coalition bombing.

What we understand has happened this evening, for the first time since the aerial bombing campaign began over Baghdad, Iraqi authorities have switched off the lights on the city, perhaps an indication because they feel the city is now under greater threat than it was in the past, certainly through 14 days of aerial bombardment the lights have been on. Tonight, they are off.

It is also the first time that these checkpoints around the city have been closed. These are checkpoints on the main roads that lead into and out of Baghdad. They have been relatively open for Iraqis until very recently. Tonight, we are being told those roads are closed.

Also earlier in the day, the Iraqi minister of information characterized the position of coalition forces, saying that they were nowhere near Baghdad. In fact, saying that so far Iraqi forces are hunting down the coalition forces.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED SAEED AL-SAHAF, IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER (through translator): The mercenaries today, they were surrounded and they sustained heavy losses. And big numbers of them have been killed. And they were backed off -- they backed off to the same place, to the same area which they have been surrounded. The battle is still going on, and today, it will give them the lesson they deserve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, to try and make their point to the journalists here in Baghdad, Iraqi officials this afternoon took them to Saddam -- took the journalists to Saddam International Airport just outside the center of Baghdad to show them that Iraqi authorities still control the airport. That was in daylight. That was this afternoon.

And at that time, journalists could see that the road to the airport was open, that the airport, indeed, at that time did appear to be in the hands of Iraqi authorities. The journalists went back to Baghdad, the road still free for them to travel back to the city, but developments this evening, Wolf, the lights going off, the checkpoints being enforced, a changing situation apparently in Baghdad.

BLITZER: Nic if the lights are off, the power is off in Baghdad, does that mean that Iraqi television is off the air as well?

ROBERTSON: It would mean, Wolf, that people wouldn't have electricity in their houses to turn their television sets on to watch it if it was on. It's not clear if the transmitter itself has been switched off, if the studio is perhaps running on emergency power. But anyone in the city who doesn't have their own power, their own generator to run their television set won't be able to see Iraqi television.

But perhaps the most interesting thing about the checkpoints being closed is the fact that we're being told in the neighborhood near the main airport, the international airport, Saddam International Airport, that residents there are being told by Iraqi authorities to leave their houses and drive towards the international airport there -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And very briefly, Nic, that airport, Saddam International, it's not just the main international airport of Baghdad. It once used to be a thriving airport. But there are also significant Iraqi military facilities in and around that airport. Is that right?

ROBERTSON: It is, as you say, a very large civilian airfield. It is somewhat separate to the center of Baghdad. There's a large presidential palace perhaps just a couple of miles away from the airport.

When I was there just before the war began, I think almost the eve of the day the war began, there were some increased fortifications, but much more defensive positions. Bunkers had been dug at checkpoints beside the road. I didn't see a substantial increase at that time in the number of anti-aircraft gun facilities around the airport. It didn't seem at that time to be heavily militarized just days before the war, but certainly a strategic site, such as that airport, so large, so useful to the coalition, so close to the center of Baghdad, it would seem highly likely that Iraqi forces had sought in the days since the war began to reinforce it. But it is certainly an area that is sort of, if you will, self- contained from the center of Baghdad. There is a gap between the airport and where the civilian population live around the outskirts of Baghdad -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Nic Robertson, who has been monitoring all of these developments for us over the past many, many weeks and months. Thanks very much, Nic, 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.