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Heavy Fighting at Baghdad University

Aired April 09, 2003 - 14:12   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: Despite the overall sense that Saddam Hussein's regime has fallen, we know that it is still in Baghdad a very, very dangerous place to be. As we've been reporting, there are widespread reports of looting. And beyond that, many Iraqi fighters have not given up.
These are some new pictures that have just come in to us of that fighting you've been hearing about on the campus of Baghdad University. These pictures have just come in to CNN.

And here now is what CNN's Martin Savidge ran into today when he was at the university campus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As the convoy was moving, we've now run into apparently some opposition up front. There was a sound of explosions, heavy gunfire, heavy machine gun fire. We're now moving, obviously, in a different direction. The Marines apparently changing their strategy somewhat.

We're not told exactly what they're doing, but we're now in tow with the Marines. I can't tell you what road we are on, because we're a little disoriented now with the change of tactics.

An armored personnel carrier now also pushing up on that same position there, and we are trying to ascertain -- it appears that the gunfire is coming from a collection of buildings that are off to our left. You can hear the Marines shouting. There is more fire. It's not confused. And what they are doing is organizing their lines of defenses here. They were obvious -- their lines of defense are basically to protect the convoy and deploy as they move.

That sounds like more tank fire or more missile fire.

The tanks are still poised, you can see, on that overpass. Marines are being advised to keep their eyes on both sides of the street. Just because they are engaged from one side does not mean that they cannot be engaged -- that's M-16 fire now starting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back it up!

SAVIDGE: To be honest, this was not the exact reception we anticipated.

And again, that was a TOW (ph) I believe going off. There's a lot of smoke and dust now, and fire, as you can hear. And a far cry from the jubilant crowds that we left, just hard to imagine, two blocks away.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOODRUFF: So the fighting doesn't get any fiercer than that, and as you just heard Martin Savidge say, that was just a few blocks from where they were celebrating at the center of Baghdad. That firefight broke out on the campus of Baghdad University. A coalition force is there, apparently taken by surprise, and very much at it for almost an hour, if not longer.

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 9, 2003 - 14:12   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Despite the overall sense that Saddam Hussein's regime has fallen, we know that it is still in Baghdad a very, very dangerous place to be. As we've been reporting, there are widespread reports of looting. And beyond that, many Iraqi fighters have not given up.
These are some new pictures that have just come in to us of that fighting you've been hearing about on the campus of Baghdad University. These pictures have just come in to CNN.

And here now is what CNN's Martin Savidge ran into today when he was at the university campus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As the convoy was moving, we've now run into apparently some opposition up front. There was a sound of explosions, heavy gunfire, heavy machine gun fire. We're now moving, obviously, in a different direction. The Marines apparently changing their strategy somewhat.

We're not told exactly what they're doing, but we're now in tow with the Marines. I can't tell you what road we are on, because we're a little disoriented now with the change of tactics.

An armored personnel carrier now also pushing up on that same position there, and we are trying to ascertain -- it appears that the gunfire is coming from a collection of buildings that are off to our left. You can hear the Marines shouting. There is more fire. It's not confused. And what they are doing is organizing their lines of defenses here. They were obvious -- their lines of defense are basically to protect the convoy and deploy as they move.

That sounds like more tank fire or more missile fire.

The tanks are still poised, you can see, on that overpass. Marines are being advised to keep their eyes on both sides of the street. Just because they are engaged from one side does not mean that they cannot be engaged -- that's M-16 fire now starting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back it up!

SAVIDGE: To be honest, this was not the exact reception we anticipated.

And again, that was a TOW (ph) I believe going off. There's a lot of smoke and dust now, and fire, as you can hear. And a far cry from the jubilant crowds that we left, just hard to imagine, two blocks away.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOODRUFF: So the fighting doesn't get any fiercer than that, and as you just heard Martin Savidge say, that was just a few blocks from where they were celebrating at the center of Baghdad. That firefight broke out on the campus of Baghdad University. A coalition force is there, apparently taken by surprise, and very much at it for almost an hour, if not longer.

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