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U.S. General Comes Under Attack in Iraq
Aired February 12, 2004 - 15:01 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: Iraqi insurgents shooting for the stars, Four-Star General John Abizaid, commander of U.S. forces throughout the Middle East. Well, he came under RPG attack today during a nonpublicized visit to a civil defense post in Fallujah. He and his entourage were unscathed, but CENTCOM won't leave it at that.
And that brings us to CNN's Barbara Starr following events from the Pentagon.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, what officials are certainly looking into now is whether these unknown assailants had some advance word that General Abizaid was going to be in Fallujah earlier today.
This video showing the aftermath, as U.S. forces moved out quickly to try and find the assailants when this gunfight broke out. Let's listen for just a minute. So, you can see that U.S. forces moved quickly once these unknown assailants had small arms -- used small-arms fire and fired rocket-propelled grenades at a compound in Fallujah where General Abizaid was visiting Iraqi civil defense forces.
General Abizaid, of course, not hurt, no one in the U.S. party hurt. They completed their business and then left. But, still, a question about really whether the assailants knew.
Earlier today, in Baghdad, Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt offered a couple of additional details.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. DEPUTY CHIEF OF OPERATIONS: Today, at 13:30 in Fallujah, General Abizaid and General Swannack were visiting the local Iraq civil defense corps battalion headquarters compound when three rocket-propelled grenades were fired at their convoy from rooftops in the vicinity.
No soldiers or civilians were injured. And both coalition and Iraqi civil defense soldiers returned fire and pursued the attackers. A local mosque was thought to be harboring the attackers. And Iraqi civil defense corps soldiers conducted a search of the mosque without result.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Now, General Abizaid, of course, always moves around Iraq with a great deal of personal security around him. He is very well protected.
But he goes places. He moves around Iraq. He goes on the streets. He moves through cities and takes what is believed to certainly be an acceptable risk. This, however, today being the closest any assailants have come to a potential tragedy -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr from the Pentagon, 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 February 12, 2004 - 15:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Iraqi insurgents shooting for the stars, Four-Star General John Abizaid, commander of U.S. forces throughout the Middle East. Well, he came under RPG attack today during a nonpublicized visit to a civil defense post in Fallujah. He and his entourage were unscathed, but CENTCOM won't leave it at that.
And that brings us to CNN's Barbara Starr following events from the Pentagon.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, what officials are certainly looking into now is whether these unknown assailants had some advance word that General Abizaid was going to be in Fallujah earlier today.
This video showing the aftermath, as U.S. forces moved out quickly to try and find the assailants when this gunfight broke out. Let's listen for just a minute. So, you can see that U.S. forces moved quickly once these unknown assailants had small arms -- used small-arms fire and fired rocket-propelled grenades at a compound in Fallujah where General Abizaid was visiting Iraqi civil defense forces.
General Abizaid, of course, not hurt, no one in the U.S. party hurt. They completed their business and then left. But, still, a question about really whether the assailants knew.
Earlier today, in Baghdad, Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt offered a couple of additional details.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. MARK KIMMITT, U.S. DEPUTY CHIEF OF OPERATIONS: Today, at 13:30 in Fallujah, General Abizaid and General Swannack were visiting the local Iraq civil defense corps battalion headquarters compound when three rocket-propelled grenades were fired at their convoy from rooftops in the vicinity.
No soldiers or civilians were injured. And both coalition and Iraqi civil defense soldiers returned fire and pursued the attackers. A local mosque was thought to be harboring the attackers. And Iraqi civil defense corps soldiers conducted a search of the mosque without result.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Now, General Abizaid, of course, always moves around Iraq with a great deal of personal security around him. He is very well protected.
But he goes places. He moves around Iraq. He goes on the streets. He moves through cities and takes what is believed to certainly be an acceptable risk. This, however, today being the closest any assailants have come to a potential tragedy -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr from the Pentagon, 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
