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At Least 10 U.S. Soldiers Wounded in Attacks Today
Aired July 03, 2003 - 13:06 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: At least 10 soldiers wounded in attacks in the center of Baghdad. A rocket-propelled grenade hits a Humvee. Iraqis kicked and jumped on the burned-out Humvee. A rocket- propelled grenade was fired from a vehicle going in the opposite direction.
Our Nic Robertson is in Baghdad now with the latest -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, according to General Sanchez, in charge of ground forces here, there are at least 13 different attacks on U.S. troops every day here. The number of attacks does appear to be increasing. The incident you talked about today, wounding three U.S. soldiers. One of them could be seen laying on the ground afterwards with a wounded shoulder. Also, 10 Iraqi civilians wounded in the same attack. It happened in an area of downtown Baghdad, about 60 miles west of Baghdad, an area of Ramadi (ph), a U.S. military convoy targeted. In that instance, two vehicles damaged, six soldiers wounded by an explosive device believed to have been planted in the road. One U.S. soldier injured in a shootout in the area of Baghdad. A 6-year-old boy injured in the same shootout.
There were two overnight shootouts in rural areas. Both of those, through last night, resulted in the deaths of the assailants in those cases, shot by the soldiers, defending their positions when they were shot at. So the number of attacks does seem to be increasing.
And we have heard today the chief U.S. administrator here in Iraq announcing a reward for Saddam Hussein, $25 million, for any Iraqi who provides information on the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein or his two sons, Uday or Qusay, $15 million for each of the two sons, if information is provided on them, locating their whereabouts, or, as with Saddam Hussein, showing that they are dead -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Nic, with the increased violence, what are you hearing there on streets? Are these factions becoming bigger, stronger? Are they having more time to organize? Or is there just not enough resources on the part of the U.S. military?
ROBERTSON: Well, what officers are telling us is that they believe the assailants are becoming better organized, and that is perhaps why their attacks are perhaps being more effective. If one just takes the attack today, that rocket-propelled grenade attack in Baghdad, the vehicle that attacked the Humvee was on the opposite side of the road. They had worked out their getaway, and this is a modus operandi we've seen on a number of operations recently, where the people with the rocket-propelled grenade target the U.S. troops, and they make a clean getaway. This is an indication of organization. There has been indications recently where U.S. troops have been lured into ambushes. That's another indication, we're told, of the organization that goes into these attack.
So it does appear while the incidents themselves may be isolated, the preparation that goes into each attack is being made. And at this time, is still being relatively effective. The assailants still getting away -- Kyra.
SAVIDGE: Our Nic Robertson, live from Baghdad. Thanks, Nic.
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 July 3, 2003 - 13:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: At least 10 soldiers wounded in attacks in the center of Baghdad. A rocket-propelled grenade hits a Humvee. Iraqis kicked and jumped on the burned-out Humvee. A rocket- propelled grenade was fired from a vehicle going in the opposite direction.
Our Nic Robertson is in Baghdad now with the latest -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, according to General Sanchez, in charge of ground forces here, there are at least 13 different attacks on U.S. troops every day here. The number of attacks does appear to be increasing. The incident you talked about today, wounding three U.S. soldiers. One of them could be seen laying on the ground afterwards with a wounded shoulder. Also, 10 Iraqi civilians wounded in the same attack. It happened in an area of downtown Baghdad, about 60 miles west of Baghdad, an area of Ramadi (ph), a U.S. military convoy targeted. In that instance, two vehicles damaged, six soldiers wounded by an explosive device believed to have been planted in the road. One U.S. soldier injured in a shootout in the area of Baghdad. A 6-year-old boy injured in the same shootout.
There were two overnight shootouts in rural areas. Both of those, through last night, resulted in the deaths of the assailants in those cases, shot by the soldiers, defending their positions when they were shot at. So the number of attacks does seem to be increasing.
And we have heard today the chief U.S. administrator here in Iraq announcing a reward for Saddam Hussein, $25 million, for any Iraqi who provides information on the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein or his two sons, Uday or Qusay, $15 million for each of the two sons, if information is provided on them, locating their whereabouts, or, as with Saddam Hussein, showing that they are dead -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Nic, with the increased violence, what are you hearing there on streets? Are these factions becoming bigger, stronger? Are they having more time to organize? Or is there just not enough resources on the part of the U.S. military?
ROBERTSON: Well, what officers are telling us is that they believe the assailants are becoming better organized, and that is perhaps why their attacks are perhaps being more effective. If one just takes the attack today, that rocket-propelled grenade attack in Baghdad, the vehicle that attacked the Humvee was on the opposite side of the road. They had worked out their getaway, and this is a modus operandi we've seen on a number of operations recently, where the people with the rocket-propelled grenade target the U.S. troops, and they make a clean getaway. This is an indication of organization. There has been indications recently where U.S. troops have been lured into ambushes. That's another indication, we're told, of the organization that goes into these attack.
So it does appear while the incidents themselves may be isolated, the preparation that goes into each attack is being made. And at this time, is still being relatively effective. The assailants still getting away -- Kyra.
SAVIDGE: Our Nic Robertson, live from Baghdad. Thanks, Nic.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
