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CNN Live Today

Marines Raid Palestine Hotel

Aired April 15, 2003 - 10:06   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.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And now back to this morning's military raid on the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad. CNN's Jim Clancy is in Baghdad now with the very latest on that. Good morning to you, Jim.
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, or good afternoon, I should say. You see the orange sky, it's almost a sandstorm here. Well, it is a sandstorm, we have a bit of calm now.

I always thought I needed coffee to wake up in the morning, but when I opened my hotel room door this day, Heidi I was staring right into a 6-foot, 3-inch Marine who was pointing an M-16 at me. He had on a face covering so you couldn't see most of his face, and there was a weapon search, room to room underway. If you don't have a card like this one, you could be in trouble.

This is what it looked like up on the 17th floor, where some of the CNN staff were today as they went room to room. They were searching, as you said, for unauthorized weapons. They were also searching for anyone who was in the hotel that shouldn't have been in the hotel. It's mostly journalists that are here, but there are some Iraqis who are staying in the hotel.

Three apparent Iraqi or Arab nationals were detained for questioning. They were not arrested. I don't know all of the details, we've asked the Marines to follow up on that, and tell us the outcome of this case. But it was quite a surprise waking up today.

Meantime, out on the streets, the demonstrators were out again, and I must say this is one of the bigger demonstrations I've seen. A large boom heard there. Could have been a weapons cache exploding, or something else. I'm not sure, we'll maybe find out a little bit later. But that is the way has been.

We just had some shots fired down in the square, and that is where we found hundreds of demonstrators already this day. The demonstrators came out, they were shouting our blood and our souls, we'll sacrifice for you, Iraq. Another boom here in Baghdad. The demonstrations have become a daily affair as Iraqis stretch out their feelings for freedom of speech and make their voices heard here in front of thousands of journalists, television dishes and cameras that are pointing to TV sets and homes all around the world. Making their point that they want an Iraqi in charge of their government, that they want U.S. troops to provide protection to them on the streets. You name it, they want it, and they are willing to talk about it, protest about it. And that is -- well, what some Marines say, a healthy sign -- Heidi. COLLINS: Jim, we can obviously hear what you are hearing now in the background. Tell us, how far away are you from the Palestine Hotel and any idea if it might be coming from that direction?

CLANCY: Difficult to tell. Difficult to tell. It's coming over from the other side of the Tigris River, I think, and we see some smoke there. That was almost like bombs falling. That wasn't -- see if we can get a shot of that...

(CROSSTALK)

CLANCY: ... wisps of smoke, it's hard to see it -- wisps of smoke that you see there. Not clear to me what it was. Those were very heavy explosions because they shook this hotel. We could feel the reverberation here. It was not a tank round. It was nothing that light. It was something heavier than that.

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: Jim, any planes that you have seen overhead?

CLANCY: Go ahead.

COLLINS: I'm sorry. Any planes that you have heard flying...

CLANCY: No.

COLLINS: ... overhead? No?

CLANCY: No, not a plane. We have got a sandstorm here. I haven't seen any helicopters or planes. You can see that orange sky obfuscating some of the dust, the smoky dust that you see from there. Now, those may have been -- along the Tigris River, those may have been arms caches that were being detonated. We're right along the Tigris.

If you go on the other side of those buildings, the Tigris River runs along there, and I know that in the past, they have used that area to safely dispose of some weaponry.

They seized tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition today, but whatever it was there, really went up. Heidi, back to you.

COLLINS: Jim, just real quickly, can you kind of set the scene a little bit for us as to what you are seeing now as far as military presence goes, in the streets and all around where you are looking? A lot of coalition troops in the streets at this time?

CLANCY: Well, let me see. Go ahead, and we'll pan around here. This isn't going to be the most elegant television, but it's going to be live television. Either way you'd like -- I am going to give the cameraman his choice, because I'll tell you, Heidi, we are surrounded by U.S. Marines.

There you can see some of the amphibious carriers that they have, mixed in with the press, really, satellite dishes up there, along with all the Humvees. In either direction, you can't see -- to the left and to the right, rows of tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles, all kinds of armored vehicles and Humvees. This which is where a lot of the Marines are camped out overnight. The Tigris River just on the other side there behind those tanks that you see in some of the trees. If you go down there, you can see the Tigris River.

So there is a lot of Marines here. They are using this, really, as a communications base to be able to talk to the people of Iraq through the media, from the radio and other ways, the Marines have been using this. It's also a strategic area of the city, as we said right along the Tigris River.

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: Jim, recall for us if you can, in case people are just joining us, what you heard just moments ago, possibly how many booms, and are we still hearing them? I'm hearing a little bit of rumbling in the background. Just wondering if you can characterize a little bit clearer for us what exactly you are hearing now.

CLANCY: Right now all that you are hearing, really, is the rattle of the diesel generators. There must be 150 generators around here that are powering up all the satellite dishes. Earlier though, thunderous booms shaking the hotel, and then plumes of smoke going up into the air. Right now, my best guess on that, Heidi, and I stress here, it's only a guess, my best guess is that was munitions that were being detonated by U.S. Marines, because it just didn't have the sound to it of a bomb that was dropping, didn't have the liftoff of smoke that a bomb would have made if it was launched. We haven't heard any aircraft. That's my best guess right now. I'll try to get a confirmation on all of that for you.

(CROSSTALK)

CLANCY: As I said, this wasn't going to be the most elegant...

(CROSSTALK)

CLANCY: Heidi, it's good to talk to you, another day in Baghdad.

COLLINS: Yes. Another day in Baghdad indeed. We would love it if you would be able to check that out for us and let us know what you do discover. We'll come back to you if there is anything more you can add to it. Jim Clancy in Baghdad for us right now. Thanks so much, Jim.

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 April 15, 2003 - 10:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And now back to this morning's military raid on the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad. CNN's Jim Clancy is in Baghdad now with the very latest on that. Good morning to you, Jim.
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, or good afternoon, I should say. You see the orange sky, it's almost a sandstorm here. Well, it is a sandstorm, we have a bit of calm now.

I always thought I needed coffee to wake up in the morning, but when I opened my hotel room door this day, Heidi I was staring right into a 6-foot, 3-inch Marine who was pointing an M-16 at me. He had on a face covering so you couldn't see most of his face, and there was a weapon search, room to room underway. If you don't have a card like this one, you could be in trouble.

This is what it looked like up on the 17th floor, where some of the CNN staff were today as they went room to room. They were searching, as you said, for unauthorized weapons. They were also searching for anyone who was in the hotel that shouldn't have been in the hotel. It's mostly journalists that are here, but there are some Iraqis who are staying in the hotel.

Three apparent Iraqi or Arab nationals were detained for questioning. They were not arrested. I don't know all of the details, we've asked the Marines to follow up on that, and tell us the outcome of this case. But it was quite a surprise waking up today.

Meantime, out on the streets, the demonstrators were out again, and I must say this is one of the bigger demonstrations I've seen. A large boom heard there. Could have been a weapons cache exploding, or something else. I'm not sure, we'll maybe find out a little bit later. But that is the way has been.

We just had some shots fired down in the square, and that is where we found hundreds of demonstrators already this day. The demonstrators came out, they were shouting our blood and our souls, we'll sacrifice for you, Iraq. Another boom here in Baghdad. The demonstrations have become a daily affair as Iraqis stretch out their feelings for freedom of speech and make their voices heard here in front of thousands of journalists, television dishes and cameras that are pointing to TV sets and homes all around the world. Making their point that they want an Iraqi in charge of their government, that they want U.S. troops to provide protection to them on the streets. You name it, they want it, and they are willing to talk about it, protest about it. And that is -- well, what some Marines say, a healthy sign -- Heidi. COLLINS: Jim, we can obviously hear what you are hearing now in the background. Tell us, how far away are you from the Palestine Hotel and any idea if it might be coming from that direction?

CLANCY: Difficult to tell. Difficult to tell. It's coming over from the other side of the Tigris River, I think, and we see some smoke there. That was almost like bombs falling. That wasn't -- see if we can get a shot of that...

(CROSSTALK)

CLANCY: ... wisps of smoke, it's hard to see it -- wisps of smoke that you see there. Not clear to me what it was. Those were very heavy explosions because they shook this hotel. We could feel the reverberation here. It was not a tank round. It was nothing that light. It was something heavier than that.

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: Jim, any planes that you have seen overhead?

CLANCY: Go ahead.

COLLINS: I'm sorry. Any planes that you have heard flying...

CLANCY: No.

COLLINS: ... overhead? No?

CLANCY: No, not a plane. We have got a sandstorm here. I haven't seen any helicopters or planes. You can see that orange sky obfuscating some of the dust, the smoky dust that you see from there. Now, those may have been -- along the Tigris River, those may have been arms caches that were being detonated. We're right along the Tigris.

If you go on the other side of those buildings, the Tigris River runs along there, and I know that in the past, they have used that area to safely dispose of some weaponry.

They seized tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition today, but whatever it was there, really went up. Heidi, back to you.

COLLINS: Jim, just real quickly, can you kind of set the scene a little bit for us as to what you are seeing now as far as military presence goes, in the streets and all around where you are looking? A lot of coalition troops in the streets at this time?

CLANCY: Well, let me see. Go ahead, and we'll pan around here. This isn't going to be the most elegant television, but it's going to be live television. Either way you'd like -- I am going to give the cameraman his choice, because I'll tell you, Heidi, we are surrounded by U.S. Marines.

There you can see some of the amphibious carriers that they have, mixed in with the press, really, satellite dishes up there, along with all the Humvees. In either direction, you can't see -- to the left and to the right, rows of tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles, all kinds of armored vehicles and Humvees. This which is where a lot of the Marines are camped out overnight. The Tigris River just on the other side there behind those tanks that you see in some of the trees. If you go down there, you can see the Tigris River.

So there is a lot of Marines here. They are using this, really, as a communications base to be able to talk to the people of Iraq through the media, from the radio and other ways, the Marines have been using this. It's also a strategic area of the city, as we said right along the Tigris River.

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: Jim, recall for us if you can, in case people are just joining us, what you heard just moments ago, possibly how many booms, and are we still hearing them? I'm hearing a little bit of rumbling in the background. Just wondering if you can characterize a little bit clearer for us what exactly you are hearing now.

CLANCY: Right now all that you are hearing, really, is the rattle of the diesel generators. There must be 150 generators around here that are powering up all the satellite dishes. Earlier though, thunderous booms shaking the hotel, and then plumes of smoke going up into the air. Right now, my best guess on that, Heidi, and I stress here, it's only a guess, my best guess is that was munitions that were being detonated by U.S. Marines, because it just didn't have the sound to it of a bomb that was dropping, didn't have the liftoff of smoke that a bomb would have made if it was launched. We haven't heard any aircraft. That's my best guess right now. I'll try to get a confirmation on all of that for you.

(CROSSTALK)

CLANCY: As I said, this wasn't going to be the most elegant...

(CROSSTALK)

CLANCY: Heidi, it's good to talk to you, another day in Baghdad.

COLLINS: Yes. Another day in Baghdad indeed. We would love it if you would be able to check that out for us and let us know what you do discover. We'll come back to you if there is anything more you can add to it. Jim Clancy in Baghdad for us right now. Thanks so much, Jim.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com