Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Military Analysis With Don Shepperd

Aired April 10, 2003 - 13:30   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: Despite coalition gains across Iraq, Central Command says military operations are not slowing down. So where do things stand now?
Joining us now from our military desk with a situation report, CNN's Renay San Miguel and retired U.S. Air Force Major General Don Shepperd -- Renay.

RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Wolf.

There may not be a lot of coalition troops in the north right now, but the coalition is working to correct that and in a hurry.

General Shepperd, let's start with Kirkuk. In the news today. The Kurdish/Turkish question aside, why would the coalition want to have this in friendly hands, and in a hurry?

RET. MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, USAF, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, the Kirkuk is the oil center of the northern area up there, very important oil center. And other thing is the population is greatly Kurdish, and the Turks do not want the Turks to control -- the Kurds to control the oil resources of Kirkuk, so that they have an economic resource for their own country.

SAN MIGUEL: And so, we also have a road that goes from Mosul, up just north of Kirkuk, to Kirkuk. Now the troops -- the coalition wants the Kurds to split that road in two, to cut that right in half, right there. Why would they want to do that?

SHEPPERD: Well, basically, they want to be able to -- they want to prevent troops from being able to resupply and retake areas. Mosul is a large city, about 1.7 million, think of it as a Houston-size or a Philadelphia-size town, and it's still controlled by the regime. You don't want those forces to be able retake ground that has since fallen, such as Erbil and now reportedly Kirkuk.

SAN MIGUEL: And some strategic high ground in the mountains north, taken, I believe, last -- yesterday.

SHEPPERD: Indeed.

SAN MIGUEL: By -- by some of the Kurdish forces.

SHEPPERD: You always want to take the high ground because you can put artillery up there, you can see, you can shoot from high ground. SAN MIGUEL: Now because the north was the last to get troops and armor that is still working its way in there, how important is it for the coalition to maintain its air power over the region?

SHEPPERD: It's very important. You're going to see air power pounding all remaining deployed forces of the Republican Guard and the regular -- the regular Iraqi army, before we send ground troops in there. The ground forces available to the coalition up there are light airborne forces. We do not have armor, don't have APCs. That's being slowly brought in.

SAN MIGUEL: Still the plan is is to really just, you know, lay -- lay some major ordnance down on whatever is available -- is left from the Republican Guard and the Fedayeen in this neighborhood.

SHEPPERD: Yes, support the -- support the Kurdish forces in this area, while you're bringing in heavier forces. The forces may come from the south, may be airlifted in, and keep the Turks out of conflict with the -- with the Kurds.

SAN MIGUEL: We got a report that -- you know this massive ordnance air blast, or the mother of all bombs, however you want to call it, has been brought into the theater here. Is there -- is there anything in this region that would warrant dropping the MOAB?

SHEPPERD: There probably are things in the region, probably in the vicinity of Tikrit you would use that as a psychological weapon, as well as deployed forces in the open and trenches and that type of thing to talk people into surrendering rather than fighting to the death.

SAN MIGUEL: And very quickly, there are five air bases now in the country that are now in coalition hands and I did see on the map that Central Command showed three of those were pretty much in this region.

SHEPPERD: Yes, indeed.

You want to seize these air bases so you can bring in troops and supplies. It's important to have air heads. It shortens the lines of communications and you don't have to protect them in the rear.

SAN MIGUEL: Retired Air Force General Don Shepperd, thanks for your time, as always. We appreciate.

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 10, 2003 - 13:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Despite coalition gains across Iraq, Central Command says military operations are not slowing down. So where do things stand now?
Joining us now from our military desk with a situation report, CNN's Renay San Miguel and retired U.S. Air Force Major General Don Shepperd -- Renay.

RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Wolf.

There may not be a lot of coalition troops in the north right now, but the coalition is working to correct that and in a hurry.

General Shepperd, let's start with Kirkuk. In the news today. The Kurdish/Turkish question aside, why would the coalition want to have this in friendly hands, and in a hurry?

RET. MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, USAF, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, the Kirkuk is the oil center of the northern area up there, very important oil center. And other thing is the population is greatly Kurdish, and the Turks do not want the Turks to control -- the Kurds to control the oil resources of Kirkuk, so that they have an economic resource for their own country.

SAN MIGUEL: And so, we also have a road that goes from Mosul, up just north of Kirkuk, to Kirkuk. Now the troops -- the coalition wants the Kurds to split that road in two, to cut that right in half, right there. Why would they want to do that?

SHEPPERD: Well, basically, they want to be able to -- they want to prevent troops from being able to resupply and retake areas. Mosul is a large city, about 1.7 million, think of it as a Houston-size or a Philadelphia-size town, and it's still controlled by the regime. You don't want those forces to be able retake ground that has since fallen, such as Erbil and now reportedly Kirkuk.

SAN MIGUEL: And some strategic high ground in the mountains north, taken, I believe, last -- yesterday.

SHEPPERD: Indeed.

SAN MIGUEL: By -- by some of the Kurdish forces.

SHEPPERD: You always want to take the high ground because you can put artillery up there, you can see, you can shoot from high ground. SAN MIGUEL: Now because the north was the last to get troops and armor that is still working its way in there, how important is it for the coalition to maintain its air power over the region?

SHEPPERD: It's very important. You're going to see air power pounding all remaining deployed forces of the Republican Guard and the regular -- the regular Iraqi army, before we send ground troops in there. The ground forces available to the coalition up there are light airborne forces. We do not have armor, don't have APCs. That's being slowly brought in.

SAN MIGUEL: Still the plan is is to really just, you know, lay -- lay some major ordnance down on whatever is available -- is left from the Republican Guard and the Fedayeen in this neighborhood.

SHEPPERD: Yes, support the -- support the Kurdish forces in this area, while you're bringing in heavier forces. The forces may come from the south, may be airlifted in, and keep the Turks out of conflict with the -- with the Kurds.

SAN MIGUEL: We got a report that -- you know this massive ordnance air blast, or the mother of all bombs, however you want to call it, has been brought into the theater here. Is there -- is there anything in this region that would warrant dropping the MOAB?

SHEPPERD: There probably are things in the region, probably in the vicinity of Tikrit you would use that as a psychological weapon, as well as deployed forces in the open and trenches and that type of thing to talk people into surrendering rather than fighting to the death.

SAN MIGUEL: And very quickly, there are five air bases now in the country that are now in coalition hands and I did see on the map that Central Command showed three of those were pretty much in this region.

SHEPPERD: Yes, indeed.

You want to seize these air bases so you can bring in troops and supplies. It's important to have air heads. It shortens the lines of communications and you don't have to protect them in the rear.

SAN MIGUEL: Retired Air Force General Don Shepperd, thanks for your time, as always. We appreciate.

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