Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
Army in Place in Baghdad
Aired April 22, 2003 - 10:35 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: In Baghdad, the Marines are out, and the Army is now in helping to keep the peace. They just held their first briefing on how things are going, and let's check in with our Rula Amin to find out how that went -- hello, Rula.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon. Leon, it was the first official briefing for the U.S. Army here in Baghdad, and the first numbers that we've got on how many troops are here: 19,000 U.S. Army soldiers and troops are here in the Iraqi capital.
We are told that, as it stands now, the western part of the Tigris River is only 20 to 25 percent under security control. However, the eastern part is all under control and is secured. We're also told that there are about 110 locations where the Army is providing security to stop the looters from going there. The locations include the museums, hospitals, and the oil ministry, among other locations.
We're also told that the airport, Saddam International Airport, which is called now Baghdad International Airport, is going to open up in the next few days for humanitarian and aid relief planes, not commercial planes.
Only for the U.N. agencies and NGOs who are trying to bring their personnel and supplies to the Iraqi capital. One of the most important things that the general said is that the troops here are trying to shift now from combat to making sure that there is security on the streets of Baghdad. One of the main problems they spoke about is there is a lot of weapons on the streets here in the capital, and this is a major problem.
Almost on every block there is a cache of weapons, and they're trying to encourage residents to give up these weapons, but it will take time.
Now, still, again, as the general -- as we were told at the briefing, the streets are not exactly secured. Just about three hours ago, there was some shooting very close by to where we are staying here at the Palestine Hotel. It was so close that we could take pictures from our position here on the roof. And you can see there, it was U.S. troops shooting. We don't know what they were shooting at, but it didn't seem that they were panicking or under a threat, but there was a lot of shooting. It was on the eastern part of the Tigris River, as we are here on the western side. So we could see it from across the river, and those soldiers are on one of the presidential palaces compound -- Leon. HARRIS: Still some hot spots to be concerned about there. Thanks, Rula. Rula Amin reporting live for us from Baghdad. Be careful over there -- Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go south of Baghdad now. Thousands of Shiite faithful embarked on a journey in the new Iraq. They poured through the streets of Karbala to celebrate a religious tradition that was banned during Saddam Hussein's regime. Our Karl Penhaul joins us live. He is in Karbala once again today -- Karl, hello.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn. Yes. A sea of pilgrims continuing to stream into the city of Karbala. Throughout the day, throughout the night even, tens if not hundreds of thousands of pilgrims have been making their way here. This has turned in to a celebration of newfound religious freedom. As you say under the regime of Saddam Hussein, these people were not permitted to walk here, they were strictly organized.
They were only allowed to come here in very small numbers, and they were not allowed to walk. One of things that really is demanded of them by the Shiite faith is that they walk here, and this year they have managed to achieve that. Some have walked for many days, from many, many miles from one end of the country to the other. And as I say, it has been a real celebration here.
Let me pause for just a few moments, and soak in some of the energy, some of the sounds of these people who are now celebrating the fact that they can come and pay homage at a shrine of the Imam Hussein.
At the same time as this religious celebration, Daryn, there's also a message that they're sending to the coalition forces. They are thanking them for their intervention, getting rid of Saddam Hussein. They're saying that enough is enough, and the coalition forces should go home, leave Iraqis to resolve their own political future. Many of the people here, many of the normal pilgrims and also many of the clerics have been calling for some form of Islamic law to be instituted here in Iraq, and too early yet to tell whether that equates to a full-blown Islamic state, but certainly a greater role for the Islamic faith in day-to-day political life -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Karl, I was wondering as we watch cities all across Iraq struggle just to deal with the needs of their regular citizens, how is Karbala handling this huge influx of people not just from across Iraq, but other Shi'a from other countries as well?
PENHAUL: Well, Daryn, Karbala is a majority Shiite city, a city of probably 500,000, about half a million. Difficult to say exactly how many visitors they've had, how many pilgrims flooded in. Numbers certainly in the hundreds of thousands. Some of the leaders of the pilgrimage were predicting several million. That figure could quite well have been achieved, impossible to say from here. But people have been bringing their own food. People along the way have been setting up water stations to feed and water these people. It has all been very good spirits, and the minority Sunni population has also been respected. Shiite cleric leaders have said that they're very mindful of the rights of the Sunni Muslims as well, and in fact, calling for the unity of all Muslim faiths, and start taking great care to ensure that nobody is offended in these days, and as far as possible that everybody is fed and watered, although there have been one or two cases of dehydration -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Karl Penhaul in Karbala, Iraq. 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 April 22, 2003 - 10:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: In Baghdad, the Marines are out, and the Army is now in helping to keep the peace. They just held their first briefing on how things are going, and let's check in with our Rula Amin to find out how that went -- hello, Rula.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon. Leon, it was the first official briefing for the U.S. Army here in Baghdad, and the first numbers that we've got on how many troops are here: 19,000 U.S. Army soldiers and troops are here in the Iraqi capital.
We are told that, as it stands now, the western part of the Tigris River is only 20 to 25 percent under security control. However, the eastern part is all under control and is secured. We're also told that there are about 110 locations where the Army is providing security to stop the looters from going there. The locations include the museums, hospitals, and the oil ministry, among other locations.
We're also told that the airport, Saddam International Airport, which is called now Baghdad International Airport, is going to open up in the next few days for humanitarian and aid relief planes, not commercial planes.
Only for the U.N. agencies and NGOs who are trying to bring their personnel and supplies to the Iraqi capital. One of the most important things that the general said is that the troops here are trying to shift now from combat to making sure that there is security on the streets of Baghdad. One of the main problems they spoke about is there is a lot of weapons on the streets here in the capital, and this is a major problem.
Almost on every block there is a cache of weapons, and they're trying to encourage residents to give up these weapons, but it will take time.
Now, still, again, as the general -- as we were told at the briefing, the streets are not exactly secured. Just about three hours ago, there was some shooting very close by to where we are staying here at the Palestine Hotel. It was so close that we could take pictures from our position here on the roof. And you can see there, it was U.S. troops shooting. We don't know what they were shooting at, but it didn't seem that they were panicking or under a threat, but there was a lot of shooting. It was on the eastern part of the Tigris River, as we are here on the western side. So we could see it from across the river, and those soldiers are on one of the presidential palaces compound -- Leon. HARRIS: Still some hot spots to be concerned about there. Thanks, Rula. Rula Amin reporting live for us from Baghdad. Be careful over there -- Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go south of Baghdad now. Thousands of Shiite faithful embarked on a journey in the new Iraq. They poured through the streets of Karbala to celebrate a religious tradition that was banned during Saddam Hussein's regime. Our Karl Penhaul joins us live. He is in Karbala once again today -- Karl, hello.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn. Yes. A sea of pilgrims continuing to stream into the city of Karbala. Throughout the day, throughout the night even, tens if not hundreds of thousands of pilgrims have been making their way here. This has turned in to a celebration of newfound religious freedom. As you say under the regime of Saddam Hussein, these people were not permitted to walk here, they were strictly organized.
They were only allowed to come here in very small numbers, and they were not allowed to walk. One of things that really is demanded of them by the Shiite faith is that they walk here, and this year they have managed to achieve that. Some have walked for many days, from many, many miles from one end of the country to the other. And as I say, it has been a real celebration here.
Let me pause for just a few moments, and soak in some of the energy, some of the sounds of these people who are now celebrating the fact that they can come and pay homage at a shrine of the Imam Hussein.
At the same time as this religious celebration, Daryn, there's also a message that they're sending to the coalition forces. They are thanking them for their intervention, getting rid of Saddam Hussein. They're saying that enough is enough, and the coalition forces should go home, leave Iraqis to resolve their own political future. Many of the people here, many of the normal pilgrims and also many of the clerics have been calling for some form of Islamic law to be instituted here in Iraq, and too early yet to tell whether that equates to a full-blown Islamic state, but certainly a greater role for the Islamic faith in day-to-day political life -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Karl, I was wondering as we watch cities all across Iraq struggle just to deal with the needs of their regular citizens, how is Karbala handling this huge influx of people not just from across Iraq, but other Shi'a from other countries as well?
PENHAUL: Well, Daryn, Karbala is a majority Shiite city, a city of probably 500,000, about half a million. Difficult to say exactly how many visitors they've had, how many pilgrims flooded in. Numbers certainly in the hundreds of thousands. Some of the leaders of the pilgrimage were predicting several million. That figure could quite well have been achieved, impossible to say from here. But people have been bringing their own food. People along the way have been setting up water stations to feed and water these people. It has all been very good spirits, and the minority Sunni population has also been respected. Shiite cleric leaders have said that they're very mindful of the rights of the Sunni Muslims as well, and in fact, calling for the unity of all Muslim faiths, and start taking great care to ensure that nobody is offended in these days, and as far as possible that everybody is fed and watered, although there have been one or two cases of dehydration -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Karl Penhaul in Karbala, Iraq. 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
