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Security Tight in Iraq

Aired July 17, 2003 - 13:13   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: It used to be a holiday in Iraq, but not this year. On July 17th, 35 years ago, the Baath Party, the party of Saddam Hussein, seized power in a coup. Security in Baghdad is tight today, as U.S. troops guard against a possible major attack.
CNN's Nic Robertson is there.

Nic, what's it like?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, certainly, U.S. forces here have been very aware through intelligence sources that this particular week of this day in particular could be one where they have -- where they see an increase in attacks against them. We see signs at U.S. bases now that say troops can only go out in a minimum of three Humvee vehicles. This is an increase over what they were able to do before. So we see increased security measures being taken.

Now the audio tape appears to have been released because this was that national holiday, the holiday -- national holiday commemorating when the Baath Party came to power. It perhaps -- the audio tape indicates it was recorded recently. That's because the person speaking, who purports to be Saddam Hussein, references the new governing council that was formed last weekend. It condemns the council. It says that people in Iraq shouldn't support it, that the council is dividing and weakening the country.

It goes on to say that support should be given to those fighting against the coalition. This is a message that we've heard before. Interestingly, on this particular broadcast, the third one of this type, it seems to be that Saddam Hussein, or whoever purports to be him, is leaving the door open for Saddam Hussein to possibly come back to power. It says, "The door is open for an honorable Iraqi to come back to power." That is somebody who has not worked with the new governing council, who doesn't work with the coalition forces. So perhaps a warning there that Saddam Hussein or those supporters would want to see him back in power.

Certainly, for the very first time today, we've seen support on the street, in a particularly violent way, if you will, for Saddam Hussein. People, a small crowd, carrying automatic machine guns, firing them in the air, and some masked men, on the west of Baghdad, masked men holding rocket-propelled grenade, a small demonstration to the west of Baghdad in support of Saddam Hussein.

We have not seen anything like this since Saddam Hussein fell from power. The songs this crowd was singing were in praise of Saddam Hussein, exactly the same type of songs people here have been singing through Saddam Hussein's rule, particularly in the last decade -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, Nic, just seeing those weapons and seeing that type of demonstration, soldiers don't react to that? I mean, they're allowed to -- these people are allowed to express themselves with these types of weapons?

ROBERTSON: People are not allowed, according to coalition rules, to possess in their family more than one automatic weapon. That automatic weapon should be in their household. One would imagine, therefore, that if coalition forces had come into contact with that crowd, they would, at the very least, have tried to apprehend the men holding the rocket-propelled grenade. These have become a weapon that increasingly and commonly used to target U.S. and coalition forces here in Iraq. Certainly, that demonstration would be contrary to the new rules and regulations that have been laid down by the coalition here, by sort of the administration.

PHILLIPS: All right, our Nic Robertson, live from Baghdad. Just enough time there.

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 17, 2003 - 13:13   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It used to be a holiday in Iraq, but not this year. On July 17th, 35 years ago, the Baath Party, the party of Saddam Hussein, seized power in a coup. Security in Baghdad is tight today, as U.S. troops guard against a possible major attack.
CNN's Nic Robertson is there.

Nic, what's it like?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, certainly, U.S. forces here have been very aware through intelligence sources that this particular week of this day in particular could be one where they have -- where they see an increase in attacks against them. We see signs at U.S. bases now that say troops can only go out in a minimum of three Humvee vehicles. This is an increase over what they were able to do before. So we see increased security measures being taken.

Now the audio tape appears to have been released because this was that national holiday, the holiday -- national holiday commemorating when the Baath Party came to power. It perhaps -- the audio tape indicates it was recorded recently. That's because the person speaking, who purports to be Saddam Hussein, references the new governing council that was formed last weekend. It condemns the council. It says that people in Iraq shouldn't support it, that the council is dividing and weakening the country.

It goes on to say that support should be given to those fighting against the coalition. This is a message that we've heard before. Interestingly, on this particular broadcast, the third one of this type, it seems to be that Saddam Hussein, or whoever purports to be him, is leaving the door open for Saddam Hussein to possibly come back to power. It says, "The door is open for an honorable Iraqi to come back to power." That is somebody who has not worked with the new governing council, who doesn't work with the coalition forces. So perhaps a warning there that Saddam Hussein or those supporters would want to see him back in power.

Certainly, for the very first time today, we've seen support on the street, in a particularly violent way, if you will, for Saddam Hussein. People, a small crowd, carrying automatic machine guns, firing them in the air, and some masked men, on the west of Baghdad, masked men holding rocket-propelled grenade, a small demonstration to the west of Baghdad in support of Saddam Hussein.

We have not seen anything like this since Saddam Hussein fell from power. The songs this crowd was singing were in praise of Saddam Hussein, exactly the same type of songs people here have been singing through Saddam Hussein's rule, particularly in the last decade -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, Nic, just seeing those weapons and seeing that type of demonstration, soldiers don't react to that? I mean, they're allowed to -- these people are allowed to express themselves with these types of weapons?

ROBERTSON: People are not allowed, according to coalition rules, to possess in their family more than one automatic weapon. That automatic weapon should be in their household. One would imagine, therefore, that if coalition forces had come into contact with that crowd, they would, at the very least, have tried to apprehend the men holding the rocket-propelled grenade. These have become a weapon that increasingly and commonly used to target U.S. and coalition forces here in Iraq. Certainly, that demonstration would be contrary to the new rules and regulations that have been laid down by the coalition here, by sort of the administration.

PHILLIPS: All right, our Nic Robertson, live from Baghdad. Just enough time there.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com