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U.S. Forces Kill 100 Suspected Iraqi Enemies
Aired June 13, 2003 - 13:01 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, ANCHOR: First this hour, the renewal of fighting in post-war Iraq.
By U.S. figures, American forces have killed about 100 enemy fighters in the past two days. Six Americans are listed as wounded and the push to quash enemy holdouts isn't over yet.
CNN's Ben Wedeman has the latest on the fighting from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another day in which the evidence mounts that the combat in Iraq is far from over.
Two major incidents. The first, 45 miles to the north of Baghdad, around the predominantly Arab Sunni town of Balad, where, (voice-over) according to U.S. officials, there was an organized ambush on a U.S. tank patrol. But obviously, not too well organized, because that left 27 Iraqis dead, according to U.S. officials. No word on any American casualties.
Now, that ambush took place in the same area where a massive operation involving (on camera) 4,000 U.S. troops took place earlier this week, in which they were involved in a sweep through an area in which, according to (voice-over) U.S. officials, there were frequent sniper attacks on American troops. And, in an area they believed there were many holdouts to the old regime of Saddam Hussein.
The second incident took place northwest of Baghdad. According to U.S. officials, 70 individuals were killed there in a joint air and ground operation involving troops from the 101st Airborne Division. Now they were focusing their attentions on a training camp, a terrorist training camp, to use the description of U.S. officials.
Those 70 individuals killed, they said, were, they believe, in addition to Iraqis, also Arab volunteers who flocked to Iraq before and during the U.S.-led invasion to fight (on camera) alongside Iraqi forces.
Now, it is believed that this attack -- rather, this operation took place around the predominantly Arab Sunni town of al-Hadisa. Now U.S. forces put out a statement in which they said that they found 70 to 80 surface-to-air missiles, around 75 rocket-propelled grenades, as well as, in their words, scores of AK-47 assault rifles.
This was also in the area where yesterday a U.S. Apache helicopter was brought down by hostile fire, the first U.S. aircraft to be shot down in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime two months ago. That regime fell, but obviously there is still a good deal of resistance to American forces still here in Iraq.
I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: More on Iraq now.
A published report says the major combat phase of the war stayed well within the initial budget of $62.6 billion. According to "USA Today", 26 days of all-out war cost Americans about $220 each.
The paper says the lower than budgeted costs can be explained by a number of factors, mostly traced to less than expected resistance from the Iraqi armed forces.
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 June 13, 2003 - 13:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, ANCHOR: First this hour, the renewal of fighting in post-war Iraq.
By U.S. figures, American forces have killed about 100 enemy fighters in the past two days. Six Americans are listed as wounded and the push to quash enemy holdouts isn't over yet.
CNN's Ben Wedeman has the latest on the fighting from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another day in which the evidence mounts that the combat in Iraq is far from over.
Two major incidents. The first, 45 miles to the north of Baghdad, around the predominantly Arab Sunni town of Balad, where, (voice-over) according to U.S. officials, there was an organized ambush on a U.S. tank patrol. But obviously, not too well organized, because that left 27 Iraqis dead, according to U.S. officials. No word on any American casualties.
Now, that ambush took place in the same area where a massive operation involving (on camera) 4,000 U.S. troops took place earlier this week, in which they were involved in a sweep through an area in which, according to (voice-over) U.S. officials, there were frequent sniper attacks on American troops. And, in an area they believed there were many holdouts to the old regime of Saddam Hussein.
The second incident took place northwest of Baghdad. According to U.S. officials, 70 individuals were killed there in a joint air and ground operation involving troops from the 101st Airborne Division. Now they were focusing their attentions on a training camp, a terrorist training camp, to use the description of U.S. officials.
Those 70 individuals killed, they said, were, they believe, in addition to Iraqis, also Arab volunteers who flocked to Iraq before and during the U.S.-led invasion to fight (on camera) alongside Iraqi forces.
Now, it is believed that this attack -- rather, this operation took place around the predominantly Arab Sunni town of al-Hadisa. Now U.S. forces put out a statement in which they said that they found 70 to 80 surface-to-air missiles, around 75 rocket-propelled grenades, as well as, in their words, scores of AK-47 assault rifles.
This was also in the area where yesterday a U.S. Apache helicopter was brought down by hostile fire, the first U.S. aircraft to be shot down in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime two months ago. That regime fell, but obviously there is still a good deal of resistance to American forces still here in Iraq.
I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: More on Iraq now.
A published report says the major combat phase of the war stayed well within the initial budget of $62.6 billion. According to "USA Today", 26 days of all-out war cost Americans about $220 each.
The paper says the lower than budgeted costs can be explained by a number of factors, mostly traced to less than expected resistance from the Iraqi armed forces.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
