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Deaths Continue to Mount in Iraq

Aired September 12, 2003 - 14:14   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: It's been another bloody day in Iraq, meanwhile. An attack in Ramadi killed two coalition soldiers, while in Fallujah a friendly-fire incident left ten people dead. U.S. troops mistakenly attacked a convoy of Iraqi police officers.
Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson has the latest now from Baghdad. Hello, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles. Well there's still a lot of details that are not clear about how that particular incident happened.

What the coalition is telling us is that the 82nd Airborne out on patrol on the highway outside the Jordanian Military Field Hospital were attacked by Rocket-Propelled Grenade fire. They returned fire, they said. One member of the 82nd Airborne was injured. And what the coalition describes as neutral individuals, they say five other neutral individuals, were also injured at the same time.

Now, according to the Iraqi police something different happen to them. They say they were chasing some armed gangsters up that same highway, when they were engaged in a gun battle. According to Fallujah's mayor, one of the Iraqi policemen was killed, seven Iraqi policemen injured. Eight of the Fallujah Protection Force, a paramilitary unit that assists the Iraqi police, were killed. Two of the Fallujah Protection force were injured in the same incident.

We also understand from the Jordanian minister of information that one Jordanian officer was killed and four Jordanian officers injured. It appears that somehow the battle there developed to involve the U.S. forces, the Iraqi police, and the Jordanian military units of their field hospital. We have seen members of the Iraqi polices' family arrive at the Jordanian Field Hospital and the hospital in the center of Fallujah looking for their loved ones. A lot of anger being expressed toward the U.S. troops.

And as that situation was wrapping up, on the other side of Fallujah, another situation was developing. Another U.S. convoy was ambushed. A gun battle broke out when reinforcements were brought in. And according to Iraqi eyewitnesses there, one young Iraqi boy was caught up in the crossfire, shot in the head. Again that really angering some of the people in that particular area.

And overnight in the same region, just 25 miles away in Ramadi, a U.S. raid on a house there apparently went partially wrong. A gun battle broke out. Two soldiers were killed, seven of them injured. That whole area, Miles, to the west of Baghdad is believed to be one of the most dangerous areas for U.S. troops at this time.

O'BRIEN: What about inside Baghdad, Nic? Reports today of more trouble there. What can you tell us?

ROBERTSON: Again, gunfire breaking out very close to this hotel. Many Iraqi people, as we have discussed for the last few months, say the situation is just not secure. And this perhaps an example of that, how very close to the center of Baghdad, very close to this hotel, gunfire erupted, some of it quite heavy gunfire. Apparently, Iraqi policemen trying to stop some car thieves taking a car.

But the gun battle lasted for perhaps about half an hour. Some of the gun fire was very intense, it was right on streets in the center of Baghdad. And it is this sort of thing that the Iraqi people point to when they say our situation isn't secure, that's what they talked about -- miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Nic Robertson in Baghdad, thank you very 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 12, 2003 - 14:14   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's been another bloody day in Iraq, meanwhile. An attack in Ramadi killed two coalition soldiers, while in Fallujah a friendly-fire incident left ten people dead. U.S. troops mistakenly attacked a convoy of Iraqi police officers.
Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson has the latest now from Baghdad. Hello, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles. Well there's still a lot of details that are not clear about how that particular incident happened.

What the coalition is telling us is that the 82nd Airborne out on patrol on the highway outside the Jordanian Military Field Hospital were attacked by Rocket-Propelled Grenade fire. They returned fire, they said. One member of the 82nd Airborne was injured. And what the coalition describes as neutral individuals, they say five other neutral individuals, were also injured at the same time.

Now, according to the Iraqi police something different happen to them. They say they were chasing some armed gangsters up that same highway, when they were engaged in a gun battle. According to Fallujah's mayor, one of the Iraqi policemen was killed, seven Iraqi policemen injured. Eight of the Fallujah Protection Force, a paramilitary unit that assists the Iraqi police, were killed. Two of the Fallujah Protection force were injured in the same incident.

We also understand from the Jordanian minister of information that one Jordanian officer was killed and four Jordanian officers injured. It appears that somehow the battle there developed to involve the U.S. forces, the Iraqi police, and the Jordanian military units of their field hospital. We have seen members of the Iraqi polices' family arrive at the Jordanian Field Hospital and the hospital in the center of Fallujah looking for their loved ones. A lot of anger being expressed toward the U.S. troops.

And as that situation was wrapping up, on the other side of Fallujah, another situation was developing. Another U.S. convoy was ambushed. A gun battle broke out when reinforcements were brought in. And according to Iraqi eyewitnesses there, one young Iraqi boy was caught up in the crossfire, shot in the head. Again that really angering some of the people in that particular area.

And overnight in the same region, just 25 miles away in Ramadi, a U.S. raid on a house there apparently went partially wrong. A gun battle broke out. Two soldiers were killed, seven of them injured. That whole area, Miles, to the west of Baghdad is believed to be one of the most dangerous areas for U.S. troops at this time.

O'BRIEN: What about inside Baghdad, Nic? Reports today of more trouble there. What can you tell us?

ROBERTSON: Again, gunfire breaking out very close to this hotel. Many Iraqi people, as we have discussed for the last few months, say the situation is just not secure. And this perhaps an example of that, how very close to the center of Baghdad, very close to this hotel, gunfire erupted, some of it quite heavy gunfire. Apparently, Iraqi policemen trying to stop some car thieves taking a car.

But the gun battle lasted for perhaps about half an hour. Some of the gun fire was very intense, it was right on streets in the center of Baghdad. And it is this sort of thing that the Iraqi people point to when they say our situation isn't secure, that's what they talked about -- miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Nic Robertson in Baghdad, thank you very 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