Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Pentagon: U.S. Did Not Target Al Jazeera

Aired April 08, 2003 - 13:11   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: Joining me with reaction to both of those developments, CNN's Rula Amin.
She of course recently spent a lot of time in Baghdad, is now in Ruwaished, in Jordan, along the Iraqi border.

Rula, first of all, tell us what you're hearing from inside Baghdad.

RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, from inside Baghdad, Wolf, the situation is that the U.S. troops throughout today held on to its position that they took over yesterday. They tried to push forward deeper in the Iraqi capital. Iraqi troops, desperately trying to stop them, fierce fighting. Everything is being used, antiaircraft, tanks, aircraft, heavy artillery, assault rifles, so the streets of Baghdad have become very dangerous. We do know the war today in Baghdad, the battle there has claimed more lives, including those three journalists you just mentioned. At the Palestine hotel, the two cameraman. At the Al Jazeera building, there was another Al Jazeera correspondent from Jordan, and both Al Jazeera reporters at the Palestine Hotel say there was no fire directed at U.S. troops from their positions.

Al Jazeera was even more vocal. They accused the U.S. of deliberately targeting Al Jazeera to silence its reporting. However, Central Command insists the U.S. coalition troops are not targeting journalists, they wouldn't do that, and they were under fire, and that's why they attacked.

Now at that Palestine hotel, where the two cameramen were killed, the information minister, Mohammed Saeed Al Sahaf, was there this morning. He was still defiant, promising more fighting from the Iraqi troops. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED SAEED AL SAHAF, IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER (through translator): It's the same desperate attempts to weaken our resistance, but our forces, especially the commandos, preparing to destroy them. We burn some of the vehicles in Al Rasheed camp. And now they are isolated in the city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMIN: Now, the bottom line is that Baghdad, it seems is witnessing the last round in this war. The Iraqi strong rhetoric that this is going to be the fight, and this is where they are going to inflict losses among the U.S. troops. The U.S. says the regime is over, and it's only a matter of days -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Rula Amin, with the latest, what's happening inside Baghdad, Rula, 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 8, 2003 - 13:11   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Joining me with reaction to both of those developments, CNN's Rula Amin.
She of course recently spent a lot of time in Baghdad, is now in Ruwaished, in Jordan, along the Iraqi border.

Rula, first of all, tell us what you're hearing from inside Baghdad.

RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, from inside Baghdad, Wolf, the situation is that the U.S. troops throughout today held on to its position that they took over yesterday. They tried to push forward deeper in the Iraqi capital. Iraqi troops, desperately trying to stop them, fierce fighting. Everything is being used, antiaircraft, tanks, aircraft, heavy artillery, assault rifles, so the streets of Baghdad have become very dangerous. We do know the war today in Baghdad, the battle there has claimed more lives, including those three journalists you just mentioned. At the Palestine hotel, the two cameraman. At the Al Jazeera building, there was another Al Jazeera correspondent from Jordan, and both Al Jazeera reporters at the Palestine Hotel say there was no fire directed at U.S. troops from their positions.

Al Jazeera was even more vocal. They accused the U.S. of deliberately targeting Al Jazeera to silence its reporting. However, Central Command insists the U.S. coalition troops are not targeting journalists, they wouldn't do that, and they were under fire, and that's why they attacked.

Now at that Palestine hotel, where the two cameramen were killed, the information minister, Mohammed Saeed Al Sahaf, was there this morning. He was still defiant, promising more fighting from the Iraqi troops. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED SAEED AL SAHAF, IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER (through translator): It's the same desperate attempts to weaken our resistance, but our forces, especially the commandos, preparing to destroy them. We burn some of the vehicles in Al Rasheed camp. And now they are isolated in the city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMIN: Now, the bottom line is that Baghdad, it seems is witnessing the last round in this war. The Iraqi strong rhetoric that this is going to be the fight, and this is where they are going to inflict losses among the U.S. troops. The U.S. says the regime is over, and it's only a matter of days -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Rula Amin, with the latest, what's happening inside Baghdad, Rula, 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