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Owner of Mosul Home May Have Been Informant
Aired July 23, 2003 - 13:07 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: Now, another domino falls in Iraq, another key capture. The heat turns up around Saddam Hussein. President Bush applauded, as we mentioned, the deaths of Saddam's feared sons as American forces seize another top official of the former regime. At this hour, officials debate a decision on releasing graphic proof that Uday and Qusay.
CNN's Nic Robertson now at the scene of that shootout in Mosul where the two sons met their maker -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, that is a question that the coalition is giving some consideration to, whether or not they should release, for the Iraqi public, those pictures of Qusay and Uday.
People we've talked to here in Mosul, around this house, seem quite angry they have been killed. They say -- some of them we talked to say, Why were they killed? They weren't come back to power. This was unnecessary. And they say they couldn't condone the fact they were killed because they were Iraqi people. And other people in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq have been celebrating their death. So there is a diversity of opinion.
And certainly the coalition, I think at this stage wants to ponder what the implications are. Certainly, it may favor convincing some parts of the community here that the two brothers are dead. But there are other parts of the community that it may antagonize. So perhaps the coalition wanting to ponder that.
We did hear some very one interesting details from General Sanchez, the commander of ground forces, a little earlier today. He described the battle in the house behind me, he described how the second floor was barricaded. That's where Uday and Qusay fought their last stand from.
Three times troops had to go in the building, withdrawing on two occasions, pouring heavier fire from helicopters, from TOW missiles on the building. Before they finally went in, they were still taking fire from behind the barricades on the second floor. They got up to the top floor and they killed the people still shooting at them.
One of the things we've been discovering from people around here today is they believe the house owner is the one who tipped off coalition forces to the whereabouts of Uday and Qusay. And one U.S. officer we talked to, when we asked him about that, his answer on that issue was, The people of this area know who the house owner was. And some people we've talked to say the house owner had been talking a little bit publicly recently that Uday and Qusay had been in his house -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Nic, does that mean that this house owner will receive the multimillion-dollar reward?
OK. We're having technical problems with Nic's IFB (ph). Nic Robertson live there from Mosul. We appreciate that. 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 July 23, 2003 - 13:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, another domino falls in Iraq, another key capture. The heat turns up around Saddam Hussein. President Bush applauded, as we mentioned, the deaths of Saddam's feared sons as American forces seize another top official of the former regime. At this hour, officials debate a decision on releasing graphic proof that Uday and Qusay.
CNN's Nic Robertson now at the scene of that shootout in Mosul where the two sons met their maker -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, that is a question that the coalition is giving some consideration to, whether or not they should release, for the Iraqi public, those pictures of Qusay and Uday.
People we've talked to here in Mosul, around this house, seem quite angry they have been killed. They say -- some of them we talked to say, Why were they killed? They weren't come back to power. This was unnecessary. And they say they couldn't condone the fact they were killed because they were Iraqi people. And other people in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq have been celebrating their death. So there is a diversity of opinion.
And certainly the coalition, I think at this stage wants to ponder what the implications are. Certainly, it may favor convincing some parts of the community here that the two brothers are dead. But there are other parts of the community that it may antagonize. So perhaps the coalition wanting to ponder that.
We did hear some very one interesting details from General Sanchez, the commander of ground forces, a little earlier today. He described the battle in the house behind me, he described how the second floor was barricaded. That's where Uday and Qusay fought their last stand from.
Three times troops had to go in the building, withdrawing on two occasions, pouring heavier fire from helicopters, from TOW missiles on the building. Before they finally went in, they were still taking fire from behind the barricades on the second floor. They got up to the top floor and they killed the people still shooting at them.
One of the things we've been discovering from people around here today is they believe the house owner is the one who tipped off coalition forces to the whereabouts of Uday and Qusay. And one U.S. officer we talked to, when we asked him about that, his answer on that issue was, The people of this area know who the house owner was. And some people we've talked to say the house owner had been talking a little bit publicly recently that Uday and Qusay had been in his house -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Nic, does that mean that this house owner will receive the multimillion-dollar reward?
OK. We're having technical problems with Nic's IFB (ph). Nic Robertson live there from Mosul. We appreciate that. 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
