Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

U.S., Kuwaiti Officials Say Troops Are Training

Aired September 25, 2002 - 08:50   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.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to head straight to Kuwait, where we have the first pictures of some new U.S. troops landing in Kuwait for training exercises. It's believed about 10,000 troops are there now, which is about double the number that have taken part in previous exercises, fueling speculation that it is all part of a military buildup in preparation for an attack on Iraq.
Martin Savidge is in Kuwait City. He joins us now by videophone.

Good morning, Martin.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Paula.

Just after 4:00 in the afternoon here, and the Marines have landed in Kuwait for what is a much anticipated and built up military exercise, carried out jointly with Kuwaiti forces. We want to show you these first images, as the USS Denver and the USS Mount Vernon, these two vessels, Marine vessels, Navy Vessels, that came sailing into the Kuwaiti port of Al Shuwakh (ph). which is just to the north of Kuwait City here.

There are about 1,000 U.S. Marines that are on board here. They are from the 11th Marine expeditionary unit that is out of Camp Pendleton, California, and they are coming here for this month-long military exercise.

Of course, Emu (ph), as its referred to, is pretty much a self- contained unit here. They bring in their tanks, they bring in their armored equipment, their air assets that they're going to need, and of course they bring about 1,000 Marines.

Normally, Emu (ph) has about 2,000 Marines. However, the other large ship that is not here yet is the Bellawood (ph). That was last seen off the Cape Horn of Africa. It may be assisting special forces in operations down there.

When the Kuwaiti forces and the U.S. forces begin their exercises, it's going to be on an island called Babbion (ph). That's to the north of Kuwait city. It's an island that's also off limits to the media and extremely close to the Iraqi border. Of course all of this builds up to speculation that, yes, it's training, yes, it's been planned months ago, but it certainly comes at a very convenient time, and of course, if the military option is a card that is going to be played, you have Marines that have, by this time, practiced, rehearsed, trained, gotten used to their environments, know the conditions under which they are going to work, and if need be, can be held over in Kuwait to supplement force or be active in any other possible military action. And the Army has another exercise that is about to take off.

So the beauty of these exercises from the military strategy point of view is you veil it in this whole surrounding of normalcy, but you also know that you have a very credible powerful force right here on the doorstep of Iraq if called upon -- Paula.

ZAHN: Martin, you just mentioned Kuwait sharing a border with Iraq. Isn't it true that Kuwaiti officials are denying that there have into you mentioned Kuwait sharing a border with Iraq. Isn't it true Kuwaiti officials are denying there have been any buildup of forces along that border?

SAVIDGE: Absolutely true. We were up in that border two days ago, went up there and visited with the United Nations. The U.N. has observers, military observers, that have been up there since the end of the Gulf War. They say that things along the border there have not changed actually in a number of years. They are not seeing any buildup of Iraqi forces or no change in the disposition. They say they have not seen any disposition of coalition or Kuwaiti forces. They say that border is extremely stable and quiet, and they have had no problems from the Iraqi side.

We asked them, are you notified when the Kuwaiti military exercises take place? They say they have to be,. especially when it comes to our turf, that being the border -- Paula.

ZAHN: What is the reaction of the Kuwaiti population to the new infusion of troops?

SAVIDGE: Well, you talk to people on the street here, all of them say that Saddam Hussein has got to go. They have great sympathy for the Iraqi people, they feel for the suffering they have been through, and they that the man to blame is Saddam Hussein. You talk to the official government, the say, look, we'll back any military operation, as long as it's endorsed by the United Nations.

ZAHN: Martin Savidge, thanks so 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 25, 2002 - 08:50   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to head straight to Kuwait, where we have the first pictures of some new U.S. troops landing in Kuwait for training exercises. It's believed about 10,000 troops are there now, which is about double the number that have taken part in previous exercises, fueling speculation that it is all part of a military buildup in preparation for an attack on Iraq.
Martin Savidge is in Kuwait City. He joins us now by videophone.

Good morning, Martin.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Paula.

Just after 4:00 in the afternoon here, and the Marines have landed in Kuwait for what is a much anticipated and built up military exercise, carried out jointly with Kuwaiti forces. We want to show you these first images, as the USS Denver and the USS Mount Vernon, these two vessels, Marine vessels, Navy Vessels, that came sailing into the Kuwaiti port of Al Shuwakh (ph). which is just to the north of Kuwait City here.

There are about 1,000 U.S. Marines that are on board here. They are from the 11th Marine expeditionary unit that is out of Camp Pendleton, California, and they are coming here for this month-long military exercise.

Of course, Emu (ph), as its referred to, is pretty much a self- contained unit here. They bring in their tanks, they bring in their armored equipment, their air assets that they're going to need, and of course they bring about 1,000 Marines.

Normally, Emu (ph) has about 2,000 Marines. However, the other large ship that is not here yet is the Bellawood (ph). That was last seen off the Cape Horn of Africa. It may be assisting special forces in operations down there.

When the Kuwaiti forces and the U.S. forces begin their exercises, it's going to be on an island called Babbion (ph). That's to the north of Kuwait city. It's an island that's also off limits to the media and extremely close to the Iraqi border. Of course all of this builds up to speculation that, yes, it's training, yes, it's been planned months ago, but it certainly comes at a very convenient time, and of course, if the military option is a card that is going to be played, you have Marines that have, by this time, practiced, rehearsed, trained, gotten used to their environments, know the conditions under which they are going to work, and if need be, can be held over in Kuwait to supplement force or be active in any other possible military action. And the Army has another exercise that is about to take off.

So the beauty of these exercises from the military strategy point of view is you veil it in this whole surrounding of normalcy, but you also know that you have a very credible powerful force right here on the doorstep of Iraq if called upon -- Paula.

ZAHN: Martin, you just mentioned Kuwait sharing a border with Iraq. Isn't it true that Kuwaiti officials are denying that there have into you mentioned Kuwait sharing a border with Iraq. Isn't it true Kuwaiti officials are denying there have been any buildup of forces along that border?

SAVIDGE: Absolutely true. We were up in that border two days ago, went up there and visited with the United Nations. The U.N. has observers, military observers, that have been up there since the end of the Gulf War. They say that things along the border there have not changed actually in a number of years. They are not seeing any buildup of Iraqi forces or no change in the disposition. They say they have not seen any disposition of coalition or Kuwaiti forces. They say that border is extremely stable and quiet, and they have had no problems from the Iraqi side.

We asked them, are you notified when the Kuwaiti military exercises take place? They say they have to be,. especially when it comes to our turf, that being the border -- Paula.

ZAHN: What is the reaction of the Kuwaiti population to the new infusion of troops?

SAVIDGE: Well, you talk to people on the street here, all of them say that Saddam Hussein has got to go. They have great sympathy for the Iraqi people, they feel for the suffering they have been through, and they that the man to blame is Saddam Hussein. You talk to the official government, the say, look, we'll back any military operation, as long as it's endorsed by the United Nations.

ZAHN: Martin Savidge, thanks so 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