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U.S. Troops Hold Special 9/11 Remembrance
Aired September 11, 2003 - 13:14 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: In Iraq, U.S. troops remember the attacks of 9/11, even as they deal with their own ongoing battles. U.S. forces, once again, came under attack today. This time it happened in Fallujah, a rocket-propelled grenade attack against a truck.
CNN's Nic Robertson is live from Baghdad with as many details as we know so far -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, we do know the attack took place about 50 miles west of Baghdad, just to the west of the town of Fallujah. That town and that area has been a hotbed of trouble for U.S. troops over the last several months in particular, and certainly, according to security experts, have seen an increase in attacks over the last few days in that particular area.
Today, we're told, masked gunmen fired rockets fired rockets at a convoy, immobilizing that convoy. According to eyewitnesses and reporters who were there, they say that the convoy then came under gunfire attack lasting about an hour. Witnesses say a number of U.S. soldiers were severely injured.
However, the coalition press office here cannot yet confirm this incident. There are pictures of this incident. But so far, there is no confirmation and no further details yet from the coalition's press service.
Earlier in the day, for many of the troops here, there were memorial services for September the 11th. In Tikrit, the 4th Infantry Division held a memorial service just outside one of Saddam Hussein's old palaces. The commander of the forces there reminded the troops why two years after September 11th the troops were in Iraq. He said they'd come here to remove a brutal dictator, and that their job was to provide freedom for the people of Iraq.
And in Baghdad, the coalition's top administrator, Paul Bremer, and the coalition's top commander here, General Sanchez, attended a memorial service. A British bagpiper played "Amazing Grace" and a minister had words for the people gathered earlier in the morning. He said that they should attune their hearts to the voices of people calling out for an end to terrorism.
Interestingly, a little later in the day, General Sanchez said that there was so far as his forces found in Iraq, so far no tie between Saddam Hussein's regime and the events of September 11th. There have been ongoing operations as well, trying to secure people attacking U.S. forces in Iraq. In Tikrit, 48 people were detained and an amount of explosives and explosive manufacturing material taken away from what U.S. forces are describing as a bombmaking factory in Tikrit -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Nic Robertson, in Baghdad, thanks much.
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 September 11, 2003 - 13:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: In Iraq, U.S. troops remember the attacks of 9/11, even as they deal with their own ongoing battles. U.S. forces, once again, came under attack today. This time it happened in Fallujah, a rocket-propelled grenade attack against a truck.
CNN's Nic Robertson is live from Baghdad with as many details as we know so far -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, we do know the attack took place about 50 miles west of Baghdad, just to the west of the town of Fallujah. That town and that area has been a hotbed of trouble for U.S. troops over the last several months in particular, and certainly, according to security experts, have seen an increase in attacks over the last few days in that particular area.
Today, we're told, masked gunmen fired rockets fired rockets at a convoy, immobilizing that convoy. According to eyewitnesses and reporters who were there, they say that the convoy then came under gunfire attack lasting about an hour. Witnesses say a number of U.S. soldiers were severely injured.
However, the coalition press office here cannot yet confirm this incident. There are pictures of this incident. But so far, there is no confirmation and no further details yet from the coalition's press service.
Earlier in the day, for many of the troops here, there were memorial services for September the 11th. In Tikrit, the 4th Infantry Division held a memorial service just outside one of Saddam Hussein's old palaces. The commander of the forces there reminded the troops why two years after September 11th the troops were in Iraq. He said they'd come here to remove a brutal dictator, and that their job was to provide freedom for the people of Iraq.
And in Baghdad, the coalition's top administrator, Paul Bremer, and the coalition's top commander here, General Sanchez, attended a memorial service. A British bagpiper played "Amazing Grace" and a minister had words for the people gathered earlier in the morning. He said that they should attune their hearts to the voices of people calling out for an end to terrorism.
Interestingly, a little later in the day, General Sanchez said that there was so far as his forces found in Iraq, so far no tie between Saddam Hussein's regime and the events of September 11th. There have been ongoing operations as well, trying to secure people attacking U.S. forces in Iraq. In Tikrit, 48 people were detained and an amount of explosives and explosive manufacturing material taken away from what U.S. forces are describing as a bombmaking factory in Tikrit -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Nic Robertson, in Baghdad, thanks much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
