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American Morning

Source: Saddam Tape May Have Been Double

Aired March 20, 2003 - 09:36   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: Let's go to Nic Robertson standing by on the telephone from the Iraqi capital. I know in your last report you said Iraqi information minister said the fact that we saw Saddam Hussein on TV was proof that he was still alive. Are they still saying that?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, and that address given by President Saddam Hussein has been played out on Iraqi Television again a number of times during the day today. Again, Iraqi officials have been saying they believe what's been going on has been a psychological warfare, putting Saddam Hussein on television to knock down any rumors he may be dead. Clearly this very important time for the Iraqi leadership to show they are in control and show they are firm and intend to resist any attacks on Iraq.

My fellow correspondent here, Rym Brahimi, has just returned from a hospital, Al-Quindi (ph), one of Baghdad's main hospitals here. She had been visiting some of the war wounded there with members of the ICRC, the International Committee for the Red Cross. She's able to see that hospital a man and a woman who were injured.

Now the man was a worker at a television station. He was taking the woman who was his sister, he said, to a shelter. They were both injured as they were going to that shelter.

Also another man in his 40s in hospital there. He was a guard at a school. He has injuries to his forearm. Now according to sources at that hospital, and we had heard before that one person had died in the bombing this morning -- according to sources at that hospital, it was a woman who was killed, the person who died was a woman. We also understand from the International Committee for the Red Cross that they delivered first aid kits to treat 100 people. They have delivered those to the hospitals, and the director of the hospital saying they are short of external fixtures for setting fractures, those metal frames that are often seen externally holding wounds together. We also understand, and we have seen from pictures from another hospital that at least two women and one child were injured. That was at another hospital, and according to Iraq's information minister, a total of 14 people injured this day and one person killed. According to the hospital sources at the Al-Kindi (ph) hospital in Baghdad, the person who was killed was a woman -- Paula.

ZAHN: Nic, the Pentagon is confirming it was indeed a large complex -- excuse me, a small complex of buildings that were targeted in Baghdad last night, where the intelligence suggests perhaps the top Iraqi leadership was. They also, Mohammed AlDouri, the Iraqi ambassador to the U.N., confirmed there was another site far west of Baghdad that was hit, I think you reported some 250 miles west of this city.

Can you give us details on what was struck last night?

ROBERTSON: Very difficult to say at this time, Paula. A group of journalists were taken out of Baghdad further to the edges of Baghdad, to the Al-Dura (ph) area, on the southern side of the city. They say they were driven around residential neighborhoods, but they didn't see any signs of damage.

What we know from where our position in the center of the city, that the impacts that could be seen appeared to be on the southern side of the city, appeared to be at a number of different locations, but impossible for us to say where we stand right now, what the targets were, what the damage may have been.

The only accounting that we've been able to do independently is to visit one hospital here in Baghdad, and to see three of injured people, and also another television station has been another international television station has been to visit another hospital in Baghdad, where they saw four injured people. So the locations in that part of the city, on the southern side, the Al-Dura (ph) area, an area of Iraq's one of the large oil refineries, an area also on that periphery, on those outskirts of the city, of some up-market neighborhoods, some large houses, a residential area. But without being able to go there and seeing buildings, impossible to say what those buildings were involved in.

ZAHN: I do want to say at this point, one official has told CNN, that if Saddam did not die last night, it's got to leave him wondering about the loyalty of some of those around him that we hit the target we did.

Nic, as soon as you can put that into better focus telling what that small complex of buildings would typically be used for, that would be helpful.

Nic Robertson, on the ground in Baghdad, thanks for that update.

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Aired March 20, 2003 - 09:36   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go to Nic Robertson standing by on the telephone from the Iraqi capital. I know in your last report you said Iraqi information minister said the fact that we saw Saddam Hussein on TV was proof that he was still alive. Are they still saying that?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, and that address given by President Saddam Hussein has been played out on Iraqi Television again a number of times during the day today. Again, Iraqi officials have been saying they believe what's been going on has been a psychological warfare, putting Saddam Hussein on television to knock down any rumors he may be dead. Clearly this very important time for the Iraqi leadership to show they are in control and show they are firm and intend to resist any attacks on Iraq.

My fellow correspondent here, Rym Brahimi, has just returned from a hospital, Al-Quindi (ph), one of Baghdad's main hospitals here. She had been visiting some of the war wounded there with members of the ICRC, the International Committee for the Red Cross. She's able to see that hospital a man and a woman who were injured.

Now the man was a worker at a television station. He was taking the woman who was his sister, he said, to a shelter. They were both injured as they were going to that shelter.

Also another man in his 40s in hospital there. He was a guard at a school. He has injuries to his forearm. Now according to sources at that hospital, and we had heard before that one person had died in the bombing this morning -- according to sources at that hospital, it was a woman who was killed, the person who died was a woman. We also understand from the International Committee for the Red Cross that they delivered first aid kits to treat 100 people. They have delivered those to the hospitals, and the director of the hospital saying they are short of external fixtures for setting fractures, those metal frames that are often seen externally holding wounds together. We also understand, and we have seen from pictures from another hospital that at least two women and one child were injured. That was at another hospital, and according to Iraq's information minister, a total of 14 people injured this day and one person killed. According to the hospital sources at the Al-Kindi (ph) hospital in Baghdad, the person who was killed was a woman -- Paula.

ZAHN: Nic, the Pentagon is confirming it was indeed a large complex -- excuse me, a small complex of buildings that were targeted in Baghdad last night, where the intelligence suggests perhaps the top Iraqi leadership was. They also, Mohammed AlDouri, the Iraqi ambassador to the U.N., confirmed there was another site far west of Baghdad that was hit, I think you reported some 250 miles west of this city.

Can you give us details on what was struck last night?

ROBERTSON: Very difficult to say at this time, Paula. A group of journalists were taken out of Baghdad further to the edges of Baghdad, to the Al-Dura (ph) area, on the southern side of the city. They say they were driven around residential neighborhoods, but they didn't see any signs of damage.

What we know from where our position in the center of the city, that the impacts that could be seen appeared to be on the southern side of the city, appeared to be at a number of different locations, but impossible for us to say where we stand right now, what the targets were, what the damage may have been.

The only accounting that we've been able to do independently is to visit one hospital here in Baghdad, and to see three of injured people, and also another television station has been another international television station has been to visit another hospital in Baghdad, where they saw four injured people. So the locations in that part of the city, on the southern side, the Al-Dura (ph) area, an area of Iraq's one of the large oil refineries, an area also on that periphery, on those outskirts of the city, of some up-market neighborhoods, some large houses, a residential area. But without being able to go there and seeing buildings, impossible to say what those buildings were involved in.

ZAHN: I do want to say at this point, one official has told CNN, that if Saddam did not die last night, it's got to leave him wondering about the loyalty of some of those around him that we hit the target we did.

Nic, as soon as you can put that into better focus telling what that small complex of buildings would typically be used for, that would be helpful.

Nic Robertson, on the ground in Baghdad, thanks for that update.

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