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American Morning

Baghdad Pounded by Overnight Explosions

Aired April 01, 2003 - 08:11   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We talked to Brent Sadler a few hours ago.
Brent joins us again live in the northeastern part of the country, where there appears to be critical information now being sifted through, based on what's coming out of this what used to be a terrorist training camp, Ansar Al Islam.

Brent, good afternoon.

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Bill.

I'm standing amid the rubble here of what U.S. special force commanders and Kurdish fighters say was the very heart of Ansar Al Islam, a terrorist organization with direct links, its claimed, by U.S. forces on the ground to Al Qaeda. U.S. forces say they have found amidst of the rubble here and other locations documents and equipment that will -- quote -- indicate the presence of chemical or biological weapons. That information is being sent back to the United States for closer examination and analysis.

A quick look around at where I'm standing here. This is the mosque Ab Viara (ph). You see the damage there by coalition air strikes in the dome on that mosque, peppered with pieces of shrapnel, unavoidable damage, say Kurdish officials on the ground here, who say they had to root out this terrorist web of stronghold throughout the 250-square mile area, well dug in, well entrenched. There was ferocious fighting for 36 hours. Now the Kurdish fighters themselves, about 10,000 of them, linked for the first time in the battlefield with U.S. special forces. This is what special forces had to say about the competence of the local elements they fought with here on the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's a classic example.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's an outstanding example of what special forces train for in the United States, unconventional warfare, working with an indigenous force to add to their capabilities and add assistance and advice where we can. This, to put this in perspective this was a division-scale attack against about a brigade minus sized force on well-entrenched, difficult terrain. And I would say that they did it in a more rapid fashion than most armies of the world would.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SADLER: Praise indeed.

This also begs the question that if American and Kurdish forces can work so well on the ground here, then why not expand operations to break Saddam Hussein's hold over the key northern cities of Kirkuk and Mosul? There is no plan for that right now. But Kurdish forces here are certainly pushing for that to happen.

Back to you, Bill.

HEMMER: Brent, thank you. Brent Sadler in northeastern Iraq.

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 1, 2003 - 08:11   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We talked to Brent Sadler a few hours ago.
Brent joins us again live in the northeastern part of the country, where there appears to be critical information now being sifted through, based on what's coming out of this what used to be a terrorist training camp, Ansar Al Islam.

Brent, good afternoon.

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Bill.

I'm standing amid the rubble here of what U.S. special force commanders and Kurdish fighters say was the very heart of Ansar Al Islam, a terrorist organization with direct links, its claimed, by U.S. forces on the ground to Al Qaeda. U.S. forces say they have found amidst of the rubble here and other locations documents and equipment that will -- quote -- indicate the presence of chemical or biological weapons. That information is being sent back to the United States for closer examination and analysis.

A quick look around at where I'm standing here. This is the mosque Ab Viara (ph). You see the damage there by coalition air strikes in the dome on that mosque, peppered with pieces of shrapnel, unavoidable damage, say Kurdish officials on the ground here, who say they had to root out this terrorist web of stronghold throughout the 250-square mile area, well dug in, well entrenched. There was ferocious fighting for 36 hours. Now the Kurdish fighters themselves, about 10,000 of them, linked for the first time in the battlefield with U.S. special forces. This is what special forces had to say about the competence of the local elements they fought with here on the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's a classic example.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's an outstanding example of what special forces train for in the United States, unconventional warfare, working with an indigenous force to add to their capabilities and add assistance and advice where we can. This, to put this in perspective this was a division-scale attack against about a brigade minus sized force on well-entrenched, difficult terrain. And I would say that they did it in a more rapid fashion than most armies of the world would.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SADLER: Praise indeed.

This also begs the question that if American and Kurdish forces can work so well on the ground here, then why not expand operations to break Saddam Hussein's hold over the key northern cities of Kirkuk and Mosul? There is no plan for that right now. But Kurdish forces here are certainly pushing for that to happen.

Back to you, Bill.

HEMMER: Brent, thank you. Brent Sadler in northeastern Iraq.

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