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Interview With Alex Perry

Aired April 04, 2003 - 12:48   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: On the phone with us right now is Alex Perry of "TIME" magazine. He's got some new information on the cyanide that was reportedly discovered in the Euphrates river. Alex, tell us what you're hearing and what you're seeing.
ALEX PERRY, TIME MAGAZINE: Well, just that there was a brief intel report; these things are sent out, you know, almost 24 hours (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in the region. And there was an intel report that persons unknown have been spotted pouring cyanide into the water supply in Baghdad. There was no sort of further details on that of who the people have been and what purpose this was serving. But, yes, that has been mentioned and it is something that American forces here are working on.

BLITZER: The Euphrates river, Alex, is a long river. Do they know precisely where this cyanide or other poison was being dumped into the river?

PERRY: It was said to be in the city's center itself. Presumably that would then flow south toward American forces. But, I mean, one has to say it would be a fairly unguided attack, if that was intended to sort of hit American forces, apart from (UNINTELLIGIBLE) they are not getting in the river. They've constructed their own bridges over it. It seems -- it was very sort of odd intelligence report. And I'm not sure how much stock people are putting in it at the moment.

BLITZER: As far as you know, Alex, this intelligence report -- and you know there are intelligence reports and there are other intelligence reports. Some are pretty vague. Some are just sort of hearsay. Some are really, really hard and definitive. This one sounds like it's a little weak, this intelligence report. It sort of almost sounds like a potential warning out there that it might be going on. But the U.S. would need a lot more hard evidence. Is that what you're picking up?

PERRY: Yes. To me, I mean, I have asked around. And to me, you know, what I was told was it was simply something that U.S. intelligence sources, some eyewitnesses had seen. And they reported it because it sounded so serious. It's one of those thins that gets flagged and distributed widely. Again, you know, the problem with some sort of, I guess you would call it an attack like this, or a plan like this, is it's very difficult to get further confirmation. This is -- you pour a barrel of cyanide into the river. It only takes 15 seconds and then no one else sees it. It's a very odd one, it's a very difficult one for people to try and confirm. But it is out there as a warning to all U.S. forces. So they are taking it (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

BLITZER: Well, obviously it's very ominous, it's very disturbing and it should get a lot of distribution, but obviously they also have to make sure that it's a legitimate fear, it's a legitimate threat that is out there. Alex, while I have you, there have been some reports, I think you're familiar with them, of Iraqis throwing themselves in front of advancing U.S. tanks and other armored vehicles. What, if anything, do you know about this?

PERRY: Yes, certainly, I think Iraqi attacks are forming a bit of a pattern. One lieutenant colonel I was talking to today told me that generally in the evening between 6:00 and 10:00, there will be sort of probing attacks on U.S. forces, generally surrounding towns like Karbala, where I am, or Najaf and so on. And more than once they've had these sort of suicide attacks. Last night in Karbala, a man was spotted running toward a tank. Seemed to be carrying some sort of weapon. Warning shots were fired over his head. He didn't stop. And so he was shot, and when he was shot, he exploded. So he was obviously strapped to his body he was carrying a large amount of explosives designed to cripple an Abrams tank. This is the sort of pattern that we are seeing in these sort of attacks. Lone sort of suicide attacks.

BLITZER: All right, Alex Perry with "TIME" magazine. He's one of the embedded journalists with the U.S. forces not far from Karbala in central Iraq. Alex, thanks very much for that report. We'll get back in touch with you or hopefully you'll get back in touch with us very, very soon.

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 4, 2003 - 12:48   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: On the phone with us right now is Alex Perry of "TIME" magazine. He's got some new information on the cyanide that was reportedly discovered in the Euphrates river. Alex, tell us what you're hearing and what you're seeing.
ALEX PERRY, TIME MAGAZINE: Well, just that there was a brief intel report; these things are sent out, you know, almost 24 hours (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in the region. And there was an intel report that persons unknown have been spotted pouring cyanide into the water supply in Baghdad. There was no sort of further details on that of who the people have been and what purpose this was serving. But, yes, that has been mentioned and it is something that American forces here are working on.

BLITZER: The Euphrates river, Alex, is a long river. Do they know precisely where this cyanide or other poison was being dumped into the river?

PERRY: It was said to be in the city's center itself. Presumably that would then flow south toward American forces. But, I mean, one has to say it would be a fairly unguided attack, if that was intended to sort of hit American forces, apart from (UNINTELLIGIBLE) they are not getting in the river. They've constructed their own bridges over it. It seems -- it was very sort of odd intelligence report. And I'm not sure how much stock people are putting in it at the moment.

BLITZER: As far as you know, Alex, this intelligence report -- and you know there are intelligence reports and there are other intelligence reports. Some are pretty vague. Some are just sort of hearsay. Some are really, really hard and definitive. This one sounds like it's a little weak, this intelligence report. It sort of almost sounds like a potential warning out there that it might be going on. But the U.S. would need a lot more hard evidence. Is that what you're picking up?

PERRY: Yes. To me, I mean, I have asked around. And to me, you know, what I was told was it was simply something that U.S. intelligence sources, some eyewitnesses had seen. And they reported it because it sounded so serious. It's one of those thins that gets flagged and distributed widely. Again, you know, the problem with some sort of, I guess you would call it an attack like this, or a plan like this, is it's very difficult to get further confirmation. This is -- you pour a barrel of cyanide into the river. It only takes 15 seconds and then no one else sees it. It's a very odd one, it's a very difficult one for people to try and confirm. But it is out there as a warning to all U.S. forces. So they are taking it (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

BLITZER: Well, obviously it's very ominous, it's very disturbing and it should get a lot of distribution, but obviously they also have to make sure that it's a legitimate fear, it's a legitimate threat that is out there. Alex, while I have you, there have been some reports, I think you're familiar with them, of Iraqis throwing themselves in front of advancing U.S. tanks and other armored vehicles. What, if anything, do you know about this?

PERRY: Yes, certainly, I think Iraqi attacks are forming a bit of a pattern. One lieutenant colonel I was talking to today told me that generally in the evening between 6:00 and 10:00, there will be sort of probing attacks on U.S. forces, generally surrounding towns like Karbala, where I am, or Najaf and so on. And more than once they've had these sort of suicide attacks. Last night in Karbala, a man was spotted running toward a tank. Seemed to be carrying some sort of weapon. Warning shots were fired over his head. He didn't stop. And so he was shot, and when he was shot, he exploded. So he was obviously strapped to his body he was carrying a large amount of explosives designed to cripple an Abrams tank. This is the sort of pattern that we are seeing in these sort of attacks. Lone sort of suicide attacks.

BLITZER: All right, Alex Perry with "TIME" magazine. He's one of the embedded journalists with the U.S. forces not far from Karbala in central Iraq. Alex, thanks very much for that report. We'll get back in touch with you or hopefully you'll get back in touch with us very, very soon.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com