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U.S. Soldier Killed by Sniper Fire in Baghdad
Aired June 17, 2003 - 13:05 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. forces continue to make arrests in the ongoing raids in Iraq. But a sniper attack by the enemy has claimed another American life.
CNN's Jane Arraf has the latest from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: The 50th death among U.S. troops in Iraq was a soldier shot on an overnight patrol in the north of Baghdad. The U.S. military says he was shot in the back while sitting in an armored vehicle.
Now, as part of an effort to crack down on suspected attackers and would-be attackers, as well as the huge arms caches that still exists in the country, the U.S. military has launched Operation Desert Scorpion. They say they've launched 69 raids since that operation began Sunday and arrested up to 500 people.
Now, the chief civil administrator, L. Paul Bremer, says among those people were senior Ba'ath Party officials.
L. PAUL BREMER, U.S. ADMINISTRATOR: Coalition military and Iraqi police forces continue to arrest senior members of the old regime and those who are trying to derail the reconstruction and security of this country. For example, earlier this week, we arrested the former chairman of the Ba'ath Party in Karbala, who had held two American Apache pilots during the war. And yesterday, we arrested the former Muhabarrat (ph), or secret police chief in Kirkuk. Both of these men are being detained by coalition authorities today.
ARRAF: And as part of an effort to turn Iraq from what is essentially now a combat zone into what U.S. officials would like to see -- a safe and secure environment -- they're also getting the courts up and running. Bremer announced a judicial review system, a series of procedures in which judges will vet other judges to make sure that they're free of the past regime, free of influence from the Ba'ath Party, and to get that court system up and running again. Now, that's going to be largely based on previous laws, previous court systems. But it is going to have some important changes. Among them, people accused of crimes will now have access to defense lawyers before the trial, and the new laws also outlaw torture.
Jane Arraf, CNN, reporting from Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE) 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 17, 2003 - 13:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. forces continue to make arrests in the ongoing raids in Iraq. But a sniper attack by the enemy has claimed another American life.
CNN's Jane Arraf has the latest from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: The 50th death among U.S. troops in Iraq was a soldier shot on an overnight patrol in the north of Baghdad. The U.S. military says he was shot in the back while sitting in an armored vehicle.
Now, as part of an effort to crack down on suspected attackers and would-be attackers, as well as the huge arms caches that still exists in the country, the U.S. military has launched Operation Desert Scorpion. They say they've launched 69 raids since that operation began Sunday and arrested up to 500 people.
Now, the chief civil administrator, L. Paul Bremer, says among those people were senior Ba'ath Party officials.
L. PAUL BREMER, U.S. ADMINISTRATOR: Coalition military and Iraqi police forces continue to arrest senior members of the old regime and those who are trying to derail the reconstruction and security of this country. For example, earlier this week, we arrested the former chairman of the Ba'ath Party in Karbala, who had held two American Apache pilots during the war. And yesterday, we arrested the former Muhabarrat (ph), or secret police chief in Kirkuk. Both of these men are being detained by coalition authorities today.
ARRAF: And as part of an effort to turn Iraq from what is essentially now a combat zone into what U.S. officials would like to see -- a safe and secure environment -- they're also getting the courts up and running. Bremer announced a judicial review system, a series of procedures in which judges will vet other judges to make sure that they're free of the past regime, free of influence from the Ba'ath Party, and to get that court system up and running again. Now, that's going to be largely based on previous laws, previous court systems. But it is going to have some important changes. Among them, people accused of crimes will now have access to defense lawyers before the trial, and the new laws also outlaw torture.
Jane Arraf, CNN, reporting from Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE) TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
