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Celebrations in Streets of Erbil

Aired April 09, 2003 - 14:16   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: We move up to the north now, to Erbil, where jubilant Iraqis were described as taking to the streets to celebrate. Some of them threw confetti, they were waving flags and streamers in an impromptu parade, they were flashing the victory sign.
Well, let's go live now to northern Iraq, where, as you just saw, many Kurds are also celebrating coalition victories.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is there now with an update.

Ben -- tell us about the reaction there to what they're hearing is going on elsewhere.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Judy. It's 10:15 at night here, and normally this town is very quiet. But even now we're still hearing honking horns and people clapping and singing, as they celebrate what they believe to be the collapse of the authority of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN (voice-over): It's hard not to love a winner, especially when the guy on your side looks like he's clobbering the neighborhood bully. It didn't take long for the news from Baghdad to reach the Kurdish stronghold of Erbil and send the people here out dancing in the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Bush!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more Saddam! No, No, Saddam! Yes, yes America! Yes, yes, Bush!

WEDEMAN: A new face has joined Kurdistan's collection of old heroes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Mr. Bush, because the leader of the United States like freedom for Kurdish and anywhere.

WEDEMAN: This part of Iraq has been free from Saddam Hussein's control since 1991. The statues and posters of the Iraqi leader torn down years ago. But still pervasive until today was the fear that Saddam Hussein would once again unleash his chemical weapons on the rebellious Kurds.

(END VIDEOTAPE) Now another sobering thought also is that only about a half- hour's drive from here, Judy, is the Iraqi army. They're clearly down, but they're not quite out yet -- Judy.

WOODRUFF: And so, as you look at what the coalition has yet to do in the north, Ben, how would you sum it up? We heard Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld saying there are a number of -- I know we're maybe losing your signal, but we're going to hang in with you as long as we can, Ben. We heard the secretary say there is still a lot of work to be done.

From your perspective, what does the coalition need to do in the north?

WEDEMAN: Well, basically, they need to take all the ground that's still occupied by the Iraqi army, which is most of it outside the three provinces that are controlled by the Kurds. They have to take the strategic commercial hub of Mosul, the largest city in the north with a population of more than one million. They have to take Kirkuk, the oil-rich city to the east of the province. All of these areas have their particular problems, ethnic problems. There are political red lines regarding the Kurdish control of Kirkuk.

The Iraqi army, in fact, around Mosul, for instance, has still put -- is still putting up something of a fight. Now, we're told there is still more than 100,000 Iraqi troops in the north.

Now, we also know from defectors that morale in some of the parts of that force is declining, is really plummeting, but they're still out there. They're still heavily armed.

We were still just yesterday being shelled by Iraqi tanks on the front line. So there is still a lot of work to be done, and really they've barely made a dent in the Iraqi forces in this part of the country -- Judy.

WOODRUFF: All right, Ben Wedeman in the north, in the city of Erbil, giving us a reality check, if you will, describing what the coalition still has to accomplish in the northern part of the country.

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 - 14:16   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: We move up to the north now, to Erbil, where jubilant Iraqis were described as taking to the streets to celebrate. Some of them threw confetti, they were waving flags and streamers in an impromptu parade, they were flashing the victory sign.
Well, let's go live now to northern Iraq, where, as you just saw, many Kurds are also celebrating coalition victories.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is there now with an update.

Ben -- tell us about the reaction there to what they're hearing is going on elsewhere.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Judy. It's 10:15 at night here, and normally this town is very quiet. But even now we're still hearing honking horns and people clapping and singing, as they celebrate what they believe to be the collapse of the authority of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN (voice-over): It's hard not to love a winner, especially when the guy on your side looks like he's clobbering the neighborhood bully. It didn't take long for the news from Baghdad to reach the Kurdish stronghold of Erbil and send the people here out dancing in the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Bush!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No more Saddam! No, No, Saddam! Yes, yes America! Yes, yes, Bush!

WEDEMAN: A new face has joined Kurdistan's collection of old heroes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Mr. Bush, because the leader of the United States like freedom for Kurdish and anywhere.

WEDEMAN: This part of Iraq has been free from Saddam Hussein's control since 1991. The statues and posters of the Iraqi leader torn down years ago. But still pervasive until today was the fear that Saddam Hussein would once again unleash his chemical weapons on the rebellious Kurds.

(END VIDEOTAPE) Now another sobering thought also is that only about a half- hour's drive from here, Judy, is the Iraqi army. They're clearly down, but they're not quite out yet -- Judy.

WOODRUFF: And so, as you look at what the coalition has yet to do in the north, Ben, how would you sum it up? We heard Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld saying there are a number of -- I know we're maybe losing your signal, but we're going to hang in with you as long as we can, Ben. We heard the secretary say there is still a lot of work to be done.

From your perspective, what does the coalition need to do in the north?

WEDEMAN: Well, basically, they need to take all the ground that's still occupied by the Iraqi army, which is most of it outside the three provinces that are controlled by the Kurds. They have to take the strategic commercial hub of Mosul, the largest city in the north with a population of more than one million. They have to take Kirkuk, the oil-rich city to the east of the province. All of these areas have their particular problems, ethnic problems. There are political red lines regarding the Kurdish control of Kirkuk.

The Iraqi army, in fact, around Mosul, for instance, has still put -- is still putting up something of a fight. Now, we're told there is still more than 100,000 Iraqi troops in the north.

Now, we also know from defectors that morale in some of the parts of that force is declining, is really plummeting, but they're still out there. They're still heavily armed.

We were still just yesterday being shelled by Iraqi tanks on the front line. So there is still a lot of work to be done, and really they've barely made a dent in the Iraqi forces in this part of the country -- Judy.

WOODRUFF: All right, Ben Wedeman in the north, in the city of Erbil, giving us a reality check, if you will, describing what the coalition still has to accomplish in the northern part of the country.

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