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Reuters: Explosions Hit Center of Baghdad

Aired April 05, 2003 - 15:12   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: Well, we heard Nic was reporting that he's hearing from inside Baghdad. Let's get a sense now of what the war planners here in Washington are thinking and doing. Chris Plante, our correspondent at the Pentagon, joins us now.
Chris, we know they're sharing some of that war plan and part of it involves the kind of incursion we saw into Baghdad last night from the south.

CHRIS PLANTE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Judy.

I think everyone was pretty much surprised when the 3rd Infantry Division was suddenly driving around in parts of downtown Baghdad early this morning. It was a daylight foray recognizance in force. American tanks and Bradley armored vehicles going in in significant numbers and directly confronting Iraqi troops, Republican Guard units.

Walt Rodgers, who is there, estimates that in the last 24 hours the unit that he is with alone which is one of the smaller units has destroyed 30 to 35 of the Iraqi tanks. So clearly a signal being sent to the administration in Baghdad that the U.S. military is there, that they are present and flies in the face of what Iraqis have been hearing from their officials there and we can expect to see much more of the same.

The 1st Marine Expeditionary force coming into the city from the south and the east now expected to also be making forays in and we are told that we can expect a significant pickup in air strikes inside the city with close air support going after artillery pieces and other defenses that would make it more difficult for the United States to come in and easily dominate the city. At the same time we have reports that senior members of the Baath party and Republican Guard are taking the opportunity to flee in some cases with suitcases full of cash -- Judy.

WOODRUFF: All of that very interesting and Chris, as we talk to you, we're showing our audience live pictures of the night scope pictures of downtown Baghdad. Reuters -- as you've just been seeing on the bottom of your screen -- Reuters' news service is reporting a couple of large explosions in the capital city just in the last few moments. We're going to listen just a moment here.

What you're hearing is the call to prayer but as you're seeing at the bottom of your screen, Reuters reporting just moments ago two more loud explosions in the city center. Chris Plante is still with us from the Pentagon. Chris, as we listen and we look at these pictures of Baghdad at night, the Pentagon Central Command also giving more details today of the rescue of American POW Jessica Lynch.

PLANTE: That's right. Even as Jessica's family left West Virginia today and boarded an Air Force jet to go to Germany to see their daughter, who is undergoing medical treatment, a series of surgeries there at Landstool (ph) Hospital near Ramstein, General Renuart who is briefing in Doha, Qatar offered some more details as to what happened when these Special Operations Forces kicked down the door at the hospital where she was being held and started calling for an effort to locate her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJOR GENERAL VICTOR RENUART, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: As the team entered the hospital room, they found Private Lynch in a hospital bed. The first man approached the door and came in and called her name. She had been scared, had the sheet up over her head because she didn't know what was happening. She lowered the sheet from her head. She didn't really respond yet because I think she was probably pretty scared. The soldier again said, "Jessica Lynch, we're the United States soldiers and we're here to protect you and take you home." She seemed to understand that.

As he walked over, took his helmet off, she looked up to him to and said, "I'm an American soldier too." The team members carried her down the stairwell out to the front door to the waiting helicopter. Jessica held up her hand and grabbed the ranger doctor's hand, held onto it for the entire time and said, "Please don't let anybody leave me." It was clear she knew where she was and she didn't want to be left anywhere in the hands of the enemy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLANTE: Pretty dramatic telling of a dramatic story particularly from a general at a podium -- Judy.

WOODRUFF: It certainly is, Chris Plante. That story is just remarkable and we've now heard several different pieces of it. It adds up to something else and when we hear from Jessica herself it is going to a moving experience.

All right. Chris Plante reporting for us from the Pentagon.

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 5, 2003 - 15:12   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we heard Nic was reporting that he's hearing from inside Baghdad. Let's get a sense now of what the war planners here in Washington are thinking and doing. Chris Plante, our correspondent at the Pentagon, joins us now.
Chris, we know they're sharing some of that war plan and part of it involves the kind of incursion we saw into Baghdad last night from the south.

CHRIS PLANTE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Judy.

I think everyone was pretty much surprised when the 3rd Infantry Division was suddenly driving around in parts of downtown Baghdad early this morning. It was a daylight foray recognizance in force. American tanks and Bradley armored vehicles going in in significant numbers and directly confronting Iraqi troops, Republican Guard units.

Walt Rodgers, who is there, estimates that in the last 24 hours the unit that he is with alone which is one of the smaller units has destroyed 30 to 35 of the Iraqi tanks. So clearly a signal being sent to the administration in Baghdad that the U.S. military is there, that they are present and flies in the face of what Iraqis have been hearing from their officials there and we can expect to see much more of the same.

The 1st Marine Expeditionary force coming into the city from the south and the east now expected to also be making forays in and we are told that we can expect a significant pickup in air strikes inside the city with close air support going after artillery pieces and other defenses that would make it more difficult for the United States to come in and easily dominate the city. At the same time we have reports that senior members of the Baath party and Republican Guard are taking the opportunity to flee in some cases with suitcases full of cash -- Judy.

WOODRUFF: All of that very interesting and Chris, as we talk to you, we're showing our audience live pictures of the night scope pictures of downtown Baghdad. Reuters -- as you've just been seeing on the bottom of your screen -- Reuters' news service is reporting a couple of large explosions in the capital city just in the last few moments. We're going to listen just a moment here.

What you're hearing is the call to prayer but as you're seeing at the bottom of your screen, Reuters reporting just moments ago two more loud explosions in the city center. Chris Plante is still with us from the Pentagon. Chris, as we listen and we look at these pictures of Baghdad at night, the Pentagon Central Command also giving more details today of the rescue of American POW Jessica Lynch.

PLANTE: That's right. Even as Jessica's family left West Virginia today and boarded an Air Force jet to go to Germany to see their daughter, who is undergoing medical treatment, a series of surgeries there at Landstool (ph) Hospital near Ramstein, General Renuart who is briefing in Doha, Qatar offered some more details as to what happened when these Special Operations Forces kicked down the door at the hospital where she was being held and started calling for an effort to locate her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJOR GENERAL VICTOR RENUART, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: As the team entered the hospital room, they found Private Lynch in a hospital bed. The first man approached the door and came in and called her name. She had been scared, had the sheet up over her head because she didn't know what was happening. She lowered the sheet from her head. She didn't really respond yet because I think she was probably pretty scared. The soldier again said, "Jessica Lynch, we're the United States soldiers and we're here to protect you and take you home." She seemed to understand that.

As he walked over, took his helmet off, she looked up to him to and said, "I'm an American soldier too." The team members carried her down the stairwell out to the front door to the waiting helicopter. Jessica held up her hand and grabbed the ranger doctor's hand, held onto it for the entire time and said, "Please don't let anybody leave me." It was clear she knew where she was and she didn't want to be left anywhere in the hands of the enemy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLANTE: Pretty dramatic telling of a dramatic story particularly from a general at a podium -- Judy.

WOODRUFF: It certainly is, Chris Plante. That story is just remarkable and we've now heard several different pieces of it. It adds up to something else and when we hear from Jessica herself it is going to a moving experience.

All right. Chris Plante reporting for us from the Pentagon.

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