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The New Iraq: American Casualties
Aired July 07, 2003 - 13:08 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now, Iraq and the daily drumbeat of Americans killed or wounded in action. Two more Americans died overnight.
CNN's Nic Robertson is standing by in Baghdad with the latest on that much and more.
Hello, Nic?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, we have seen an increase in security here for U.S. troops. We've seen surveillance helicopters flying throughout the city today, much more active than we've seen recently. The killings you talked about took place overnight last night. All the incidents that have happened in the last 24 hours took place in the hours of darkness about.
About 9:30 p.m. yesterday, a patrol in Baghdad, a U.S. military patrol in Baghdad, came under gunfire. One U.S. soldier killed, one Iraqi killed, one Iraqi wounded. A few hours later, again, in Baghdad, a patrol went by an explosive device. That explosive device went off, one soldier killed in that particular incident.
An overnight as well in Ramadi (ph), a town particularly loyal in the past to Saddam Hussein, about 60 miles west of Baghdad, an explosive device went off there close to a patrol. That device injured four soldiers.
Now the soldier who was shot in Baghdad on Sunday, shot at close range in the back of the head, he died today. That is a total casualty of three U.S. soldiers died today.
On the political front, there has been some movement. A new Baghdad council has been formed. The top U.S. administrator here, Paul Bremer, was here to help inaugurate it. He called it a positive step forward for Iraq's democracy.
This council has been nominated. Iraqis nominated from different areas of Baghdad, but it doesn't have real powers here. It has the capacity to advise the new interim civilian administration here, but it cannot make decisions for itself.
But Paul Bremer promised them that they were being listened to very carefully, and perhaps a significant step forward for the Iraqi people. The Iraqi dinars, the currency here, the civilian authority here, say that they will begin printing new Iraqi dinars, and issuing them by the middle of October. The new dinar will be the so-called Swiss dinar. That is the same dinar that was in Iraq up until 1991. Significantly, it does not have the face of Saddam Hussein on it. And one other news note from Baghdad today. The CIA say it is more likely than not, after analyzing that so-called tape of that Saddam Hussein speech a few days ago, more likely than not that it was the voice of Saddam Hussein on that tape a few days ago -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right, well, there's lots of to ask you about.
Unfortunately, we don't have time this time, 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 7, 2003 - 13:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now, Iraq and the daily drumbeat of Americans killed or wounded in action. Two more Americans died overnight.
CNN's Nic Robertson is standing by in Baghdad with the latest on that much and more.
Hello, Nic?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, we have seen an increase in security here for U.S. troops. We've seen surveillance helicopters flying throughout the city today, much more active than we've seen recently. The killings you talked about took place overnight last night. All the incidents that have happened in the last 24 hours took place in the hours of darkness about.
About 9:30 p.m. yesterday, a patrol in Baghdad, a U.S. military patrol in Baghdad, came under gunfire. One U.S. soldier killed, one Iraqi killed, one Iraqi wounded. A few hours later, again, in Baghdad, a patrol went by an explosive device. That explosive device went off, one soldier killed in that particular incident.
An overnight as well in Ramadi (ph), a town particularly loyal in the past to Saddam Hussein, about 60 miles west of Baghdad, an explosive device went off there close to a patrol. That device injured four soldiers.
Now the soldier who was shot in Baghdad on Sunday, shot at close range in the back of the head, he died today. That is a total casualty of three U.S. soldiers died today.
On the political front, there has been some movement. A new Baghdad council has been formed. The top U.S. administrator here, Paul Bremer, was here to help inaugurate it. He called it a positive step forward for Iraq's democracy.
This council has been nominated. Iraqis nominated from different areas of Baghdad, but it doesn't have real powers here. It has the capacity to advise the new interim civilian administration here, but it cannot make decisions for itself.
But Paul Bremer promised them that they were being listened to very carefully, and perhaps a significant step forward for the Iraqi people. The Iraqi dinars, the currency here, the civilian authority here, say that they will begin printing new Iraqi dinars, and issuing them by the middle of October. The new dinar will be the so-called Swiss dinar. That is the same dinar that was in Iraq up until 1991. Significantly, it does not have the face of Saddam Hussein on it. And one other news note from Baghdad today. The CIA say it is more likely than not, after analyzing that so-called tape of that Saddam Hussein speech a few days ago, more likely than not that it was the voice of Saddam Hussein on that tape a few days ago -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right, well, there's lots of to ask you about.
Unfortunately, we don't have time this time, 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
