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Operation Iron Hammer Launched in Iraq
Aired November 12, 2003 - 15:17 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: Let's check back with our man in Baghdad, Ben Wedeman.
Ben, are you hearing any additional information there about casualties and/or prisoners who might have been captured in the wake of these U.S. operations?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Miles, we have in fact lots of detail. I don't think you want to hear all of it.
But last night, we heard Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, the head of the coalition, talking about a get-tough policy. And it certainly seems to be the case. According to coalition officials here in Baghdad, they have launched what they call Operation Iron Hammer. It is ongoing as I speak. Basically two aspects of this operation.
In one incident in Northwest Baghdad, U.S. troops came under mortar attack. The U.S. troops observed a van from which those mortars were being fired on them. A helicopter latched onto that van, followed it around, watched where it was going, eventually called in Apache attack helicopters that disabled that van, killing two people inside, wounding three. And, subsequently, U.S. troops detained five people.
Now, that van apparently was stopping at various places where they were depositing mortar tubes, for instance. And, apparently, the U.S. troops are currently going to the other stops where that van passed by to investigate if they have anything to do with these attacks.
In the second part of this operation -- and that was the noisy bit we've been running on our TV -- it began at about 9:00 p.m. local time in response to mortar attacks on troops of the 82nd Airborne Division that occurred yesterday. In this case, they had -- the 82nd airborne had received intelligence that there was a warehouse where these people were meeting and planning these attacks, attacks against U.S. forces.
So, tonight, they called out an AC-130 Specter gunship. Now, those are AC-130s mounted with several Gatling guns that fire an incredible amount of firepower out of them, basically very large bullets. And those were used to fire upon the warehouse. The warehouse has clearly been utterly destroyed.
Now, in a statement we received from the 1st Armored Division, they say as many as six Iraqis were killed in this operation, in addition to those who were taken into custody. Now, that is the action in Baghdad.
In Nasiriyah, however, they're still picking up pieces. More than 25 people were killed in a mid-morning explosion there at the Italian paramilitary police headquarters. According to coalition sources, a truck and a car drove inside an Italian military specialized unit compound. The car exploded. They do believe the car and the truck were together.
At this point, we are being told that 17 Italians were killed, 15 soldiers and policemen, in addition to two civilians. As many as eight Iraqis were wounded in that attack -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Ben, is it possible to put these two events together, this event in northwest Baghdad, where it appears it was almost a target of opportunity, and this strike by the AC-130 gunship against a specific target? Or are they sort of separate events, or planned separately?
WEDEMAN: They seem to be completely separate. Nasiriyah is 180 miles to the south of Baghdad. Certainly, some might suggest that there is a political connection between the two, in the morning, a very severe blow to the coalition. This evening, this Operation Iron Hammer, a blow, so to speak, against those who are attacking the coalition -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right, CNN's Ben Wedeman in Baghdad, thanks very much. We appreciate it.
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 November 12, 2003 - 15:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's check back with our man in Baghdad, Ben Wedeman.
Ben, are you hearing any additional information there about casualties and/or prisoners who might have been captured in the wake of these U.S. operations?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Miles, we have in fact lots of detail. I don't think you want to hear all of it.
But last night, we heard Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, the head of the coalition, talking about a get-tough policy. And it certainly seems to be the case. According to coalition officials here in Baghdad, they have launched what they call Operation Iron Hammer. It is ongoing as I speak. Basically two aspects of this operation.
In one incident in Northwest Baghdad, U.S. troops came under mortar attack. The U.S. troops observed a van from which those mortars were being fired on them. A helicopter latched onto that van, followed it around, watched where it was going, eventually called in Apache attack helicopters that disabled that van, killing two people inside, wounding three. And, subsequently, U.S. troops detained five people.
Now, that van apparently was stopping at various places where they were depositing mortar tubes, for instance. And, apparently, the U.S. troops are currently going to the other stops where that van passed by to investigate if they have anything to do with these attacks.
In the second part of this operation -- and that was the noisy bit we've been running on our TV -- it began at about 9:00 p.m. local time in response to mortar attacks on troops of the 82nd Airborne Division that occurred yesterday. In this case, they had -- the 82nd airborne had received intelligence that there was a warehouse where these people were meeting and planning these attacks, attacks against U.S. forces.
So, tonight, they called out an AC-130 Specter gunship. Now, those are AC-130s mounted with several Gatling guns that fire an incredible amount of firepower out of them, basically very large bullets. And those were used to fire upon the warehouse. The warehouse has clearly been utterly destroyed.
Now, in a statement we received from the 1st Armored Division, they say as many as six Iraqis were killed in this operation, in addition to those who were taken into custody. Now, that is the action in Baghdad.
In Nasiriyah, however, they're still picking up pieces. More than 25 people were killed in a mid-morning explosion there at the Italian paramilitary police headquarters. According to coalition sources, a truck and a car drove inside an Italian military specialized unit compound. The car exploded. They do believe the car and the truck were together.
At this point, we are being told that 17 Italians were killed, 15 soldiers and policemen, in addition to two civilians. As many as eight Iraqis were wounded in that attack -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Ben, is it possible to put these two events together, this event in northwest Baghdad, where it appears it was almost a target of opportunity, and this strike by the AC-130 gunship against a specific target? Or are they sort of separate events, or planned separately?
WEDEMAN: They seem to be completely separate. Nasiriyah is 180 miles to the south of Baghdad. Certainly, some might suggest that there is a political connection between the two, in the morning, a very severe blow to the coalition. This evening, this Operation Iron Hammer, a blow, so to speak, against those who are attacking the coalition -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right, CNN's Ben Wedeman in Baghdad, thanks very much. We appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
