Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Resistance Light on Road to Baghdad

Aired April 02, 2003 - 09:09   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, ANCHOR: Back to the battlefield. In and around Baghdad right now, U.S. forces moving on a couple of different fronts right now.
Karl Penhaul, embedded with the Army's 5th Corps, joins us by telephone.

Karl, we talked about an hour ago. What's changed in the past hour since?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, the speed of the push to Baghdad has been gathering pace. And indeed, it's been much more rapid than U.S. commanders here seem to have expected.

Early and overnight last night and early this morning the 3rd Infantry Division, backed by Apache helicopters of the 11th Aviation Regiment, punched through Republican Guard defenses in and around the city of Karbala and have now pushed north.

As we speak, U.S. commanders are telling me the 3rd Infantry Division are now within a few miles of Baghdad, and if the pace of the advance continues at this rate, the 3rd Infantry Division, backed by those Apache attack helicopters, could be on the outskirts of Baghdad by nightfall.

Here's what one of the Apache pilots, who saw combat this morning north of Karbala, had to say about the speed of the advance to Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. BRIAN MCCORT, PILOT: The intensity is very quick moving, very fluid battle. The armor and mechanized infantry and artillery pieces and personnel on the ground are moving at rapid speeds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PENHAUL: The rate of -- the amount of resistance the U.S. forces have been encountering has been somewhat lighter than first expected. Nevertheless, U.S. commanders here tell me that aircraft, such as the Apache pilot, we just saw did receive small arms fire. They've also been coming under some kind of anti-artillery fire, as well.

In return, the U.S. forces have been targeting mortar emplacements, some troop carriers, some of the more modern T-72 tanks and also Iraqi foot soldiers. But on the whole, as I say, the resistance, U.S. commanders are telling me, has been lighter than expected.

At this point, we understand that the 3rd Infantry Division is crossing a point of the Euphrates river between there. Between there, the approaches to Baghdad and the speed of the advance there pretty much depends on what kind of resistance they encounter. Military intelligence here looking out particularly for those paramilitary units driving around with machine guns mounted on civilian vehicles -- Bill.

HEMMER: Karl, thanks. Karl Penhaul by telephone, Army's 5th Corps. That is one view right now of the front that continues to move north.

Marty Savidge has another back on video phone. Marty, what's happening now?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, there (UNINTELLIGIBLE) are almost 120 kilometers. Not a significant -- excuse me -- distance but actually the reason the progress has been so slow is not because this battalion's moving slow, it's the fact that the traffic of the Marines moving at the east side of Iraq has been so intense, so heavy, so bumper to bumper that no one has been making a lot of high speed.

There is just so much military hardware, the U.S. Marines pushing more towards Baghdad, that it just keeps rolling in a slow, steady but very methodical pace. We continue to push forward here now. But indications are that we're getting ready to get into a secure area to bed down for the night.

Out on the highway, though, in the distance, you can see a continuous line of all of the Marine hardware getting ready to push across. even bridge making material. So indications more canals, more rivers to be crossed.

We have run across no major resistance. The only gunfire we heard was artillery, and that was outgoing from the U.S. Marines, just mirroring what others have been saying that it does not appear, at least at this point, that the Marines going up the east side of Iraq today, at least, have encountered any heavy fighting, any major problems or any stiff resistance from the Republican Guard or paramilitary units, Bill, and that's the way it stands right now.

HEMMER: Marty, quickly, is there an explanation given from the military side as to why that's the case, little if any resistance at all?

SAVIDGE: No, I would say right now the military commanders of this particular unit are going to go over today's action, the move, and as far as objectives that what may lie ahead, that's bound to come up.

There were obviously concerns today that there was going to be resistance. They had a number of objectives they had to pass through they were worried about. Clearly, though, it didn't materialize. They're probably thankful for that. But of course, the skepticism also raises in your mind, just like it does for the folks at home, why is that? And is there some sort of reason behind it that may not be a good thing? Who knows.

HEMMER: Be good, Marty.

Tonight, nightfall's going to happen at about an hour, 15, and hour 20 minutes from now. Marty Savidge with the Marines by way of videophone. And photographer Scott McGinney (ph) along the ride.

Paula, if you listen to this explanation, appears that there's some sort of traffic jam of the U.S. Marines and the U.S. military going up the east side of Iraq. More from Marty but later. Back to you now in New York.

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 2, 2003 - 09:09   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, ANCHOR: Back to the battlefield. In and around Baghdad right now, U.S. forces moving on a couple of different fronts right now.
Karl Penhaul, embedded with the Army's 5th Corps, joins us by telephone.

Karl, we talked about an hour ago. What's changed in the past hour since?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, the speed of the push to Baghdad has been gathering pace. And indeed, it's been much more rapid than U.S. commanders here seem to have expected.

Early and overnight last night and early this morning the 3rd Infantry Division, backed by Apache helicopters of the 11th Aviation Regiment, punched through Republican Guard defenses in and around the city of Karbala and have now pushed north.

As we speak, U.S. commanders are telling me the 3rd Infantry Division are now within a few miles of Baghdad, and if the pace of the advance continues at this rate, the 3rd Infantry Division, backed by those Apache attack helicopters, could be on the outskirts of Baghdad by nightfall.

Here's what one of the Apache pilots, who saw combat this morning north of Karbala, had to say about the speed of the advance to Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. BRIAN MCCORT, PILOT: The intensity is very quick moving, very fluid battle. The armor and mechanized infantry and artillery pieces and personnel on the ground are moving at rapid speeds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PENHAUL: The rate of -- the amount of resistance the U.S. forces have been encountering has been somewhat lighter than first expected. Nevertheless, U.S. commanders here tell me that aircraft, such as the Apache pilot, we just saw did receive small arms fire. They've also been coming under some kind of anti-artillery fire, as well.

In return, the U.S. forces have been targeting mortar emplacements, some troop carriers, some of the more modern T-72 tanks and also Iraqi foot soldiers. But on the whole, as I say, the resistance, U.S. commanders are telling me, has been lighter than expected.

At this point, we understand that the 3rd Infantry Division is crossing a point of the Euphrates river between there. Between there, the approaches to Baghdad and the speed of the advance there pretty much depends on what kind of resistance they encounter. Military intelligence here looking out particularly for those paramilitary units driving around with machine guns mounted on civilian vehicles -- Bill.

HEMMER: Karl, thanks. Karl Penhaul by telephone, Army's 5th Corps. That is one view right now of the front that continues to move north.

Marty Savidge has another back on video phone. Marty, what's happening now?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, there (UNINTELLIGIBLE) are almost 120 kilometers. Not a significant -- excuse me -- distance but actually the reason the progress has been so slow is not because this battalion's moving slow, it's the fact that the traffic of the Marines moving at the east side of Iraq has been so intense, so heavy, so bumper to bumper that no one has been making a lot of high speed.

There is just so much military hardware, the U.S. Marines pushing more towards Baghdad, that it just keeps rolling in a slow, steady but very methodical pace. We continue to push forward here now. But indications are that we're getting ready to get into a secure area to bed down for the night.

Out on the highway, though, in the distance, you can see a continuous line of all of the Marine hardware getting ready to push across. even bridge making material. So indications more canals, more rivers to be crossed.

We have run across no major resistance. The only gunfire we heard was artillery, and that was outgoing from the U.S. Marines, just mirroring what others have been saying that it does not appear, at least at this point, that the Marines going up the east side of Iraq today, at least, have encountered any heavy fighting, any major problems or any stiff resistance from the Republican Guard or paramilitary units, Bill, and that's the way it stands right now.

HEMMER: Marty, quickly, is there an explanation given from the military side as to why that's the case, little if any resistance at all?

SAVIDGE: No, I would say right now the military commanders of this particular unit are going to go over today's action, the move, and as far as objectives that what may lie ahead, that's bound to come up.

There were obviously concerns today that there was going to be resistance. They had a number of objectives they had to pass through they were worried about. Clearly, though, it didn't materialize. They're probably thankful for that. But of course, the skepticism also raises in your mind, just like it does for the folks at home, why is that? And is there some sort of reason behind it that may not be a good thing? Who knows.

HEMMER: Be good, Marty.

Tonight, nightfall's going to happen at about an hour, 15, and hour 20 minutes from now. Marty Savidge with the Marines by way of videophone. And photographer Scott McGinney (ph) along the ride.

Paula, if you listen to this explanation, appears that there's some sort of traffic jam of the U.S. Marines and the U.S. military going up the east side of Iraq. More from Marty but later. Back to you now in New York.

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