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Dangerous Duty in Iraq
Aired June 19, 2003 - 13:00 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: First this hour, another American death in Iraq. A soldier was killed south of Baghdad today by a rocket-propelled grenade. It's the second day in a row an ambush has cost an American life.
CNN's Barbara Starr is standing by at the Pentagon with more on that, and another big story as well.
Hi -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
Well, another very difficult day for U.S. forces in Iraq, this attack south of Baghdad, killing one soldier, wounding two. Now, apparently they were riding in an ambulance transporting another wounded soldier from an unrelated incident when this attack occurred, a rocket-propelled grenade, small arms fire against this U.S. military ambulance.
Now, since major combat was declared to be over by President Bush back in early May, 53 soldiers have died, 17 of them from hostile action.
Now, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday talking about whether or not it is possible there is now some sort of organized opposition to U.S. military forces, he's saying there is now a debate in the administration about whether this Iraqi opposition is an organized effort. Here's some of what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: You've got to remember that if Washington, D.C. were the size of Baghdad, we would be having something like 215 murders a month, and it is -- there's going to be violence in a big city. It's 5.5 million people. For the most part, it's in that area I described, that's where the active -- and it tends not to be, at this stage, random killings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Now, what the secretary is talking about when he talks about the area, he's talking about around Baghdad, west of Baghdad, the area of Fallujah that we've heard so much about, and north of the city where they are continuing to see these opposition groups, these Baath Party loyalists if you will. And the U.S. military, he said, is going to continue its sweeps, its raids, in those areas to try and round these people up -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: One other story we've been following, Barbara, we've seen the HUD (ph) tape. We've been on top of what's been taking place. Now movement today in the case of those two Air Force pilots accused of killing Canadian troops in a friendly fire incident. What happened?
STARR: Well, you'll remember, that was last April back in Afghanistan. Two U.S. Air Force pilots accused in this friendly fire incident that killed four Canadians on the ground in Afghanistan during a nighttime mission. Well, after a lengthy proceeding, the U.S. Air Force has decided not to undertake a court martial, not to prosecute these two pilots. They will now face what is now called non-judicial punishment that could range from letters of discipline to some action essentially ending their military career.
So, it may be a very punitive punishment, if you will. They may be forced to stop flying, but they will not face criminal prosecution, and they will not go to jail -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, our Barbara Starr live from the Pentagon, thank you.
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 19, 2003 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: First this hour, another American death in Iraq. A soldier was killed south of Baghdad today by a rocket-propelled grenade. It's the second day in a row an ambush has cost an American life.
CNN's Barbara Starr is standing by at the Pentagon with more on that, and another big story as well.
Hi -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
Well, another very difficult day for U.S. forces in Iraq, this attack south of Baghdad, killing one soldier, wounding two. Now, apparently they were riding in an ambulance transporting another wounded soldier from an unrelated incident when this attack occurred, a rocket-propelled grenade, small arms fire against this U.S. military ambulance.
Now, since major combat was declared to be over by President Bush back in early May, 53 soldiers have died, 17 of them from hostile action.
Now, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday talking about whether or not it is possible there is now some sort of organized opposition to U.S. military forces, he's saying there is now a debate in the administration about whether this Iraqi opposition is an organized effort. Here's some of what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: You've got to remember that if Washington, D.C. were the size of Baghdad, we would be having something like 215 murders a month, and it is -- there's going to be violence in a big city. It's 5.5 million people. For the most part, it's in that area I described, that's where the active -- and it tends not to be, at this stage, random killings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Now, what the secretary is talking about when he talks about the area, he's talking about around Baghdad, west of Baghdad, the area of Fallujah that we've heard so much about, and north of the city where they are continuing to see these opposition groups, these Baath Party loyalists if you will. And the U.S. military, he said, is going to continue its sweeps, its raids, in those areas to try and round these people up -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: One other story we've been following, Barbara, we've seen the HUD (ph) tape. We've been on top of what's been taking place. Now movement today in the case of those two Air Force pilots accused of killing Canadian troops in a friendly fire incident. What happened?
STARR: Well, you'll remember, that was last April back in Afghanistan. Two U.S. Air Force pilots accused in this friendly fire incident that killed four Canadians on the ground in Afghanistan during a nighttime mission. Well, after a lengthy proceeding, the U.S. Air Force has decided not to undertake a court martial, not to prosecute these two pilots. They will now face what is now called non-judicial punishment that could range from letters of discipline to some action essentially ending their military career.
So, it may be a very punitive punishment, if you will. They may be forced to stop flying, but they will not face criminal prosecution, and they will not go to jail -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, our Barbara Starr live from the Pentagon, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
