Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Update From Pentagon
Aired April 04, 2003 - 07:05 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: As we await CENTCOM, I want to check in at the Pentagon right now and see what's on Barbara Starr's radar as we await here.
Barbara -- good morning to you for the first time today on this Friday.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.
Well, officials here are closely watching the airport situation, some fighting still going on there, but the airport increasingly now coming under U.S. military control. Clearly, the plan is to use it as a launch pad for military operations into Baghdad.
But yesterday perhaps the most interesting thing was the unveiling of what appears to be the strategy now, which is not to lay siege to the city, but essentially isolate the regime of Saddam Hussein, both militarily and politically, and basically make it irrelevant.
There is every indication now that plans are under way to possibly install some sort of new provisional government, possibly moving in through the airport, bringing people in. And even if Saddam Hussein is still somewhere in a bunker in Baghdad, he simply will be declared irrelevant to the process.
So that push by the 3rd ID up through the airport area continues. We are told southeast of Baghdad the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force is continuing to press ahead, encountering some elements of the Al-Nida Republican Guard Division, but they are pressing ahead as well.
And, Bill, there is also at this briefing. We do expect to hear about a number of friendly fire incidents, confirming now yesterday a U.S. F-15E accidentally struck a U.S. Army position on the ground, killing three soldiers, wounding six.
And there was another blue-on-blue incident. Apparently a U.S. military person was looking at a T-72 tank, an Iraqi tank, at the side of the road. Another unit came alongside, believed that man was an Iraqi and shot him accidentally.
So we expect to hear more details about all of that at this briefing -- Bill.
HEMMER: Barbara, is it too early to get a gauge of the Iraqi resistance that's believed to be inside the city of Baghdad? There are some reports that suggest that special forces right now under the cover of darkness are operating certain probing missions into the Iraqi capital. Or, at this point, can they gauge that, No. 1?
And at what point would the U.S. be able to say whether or not there is resistance inside that may include the Special Republican Guard, perhaps 20,000 strong?
STARR: There are Special Republican Guard in Baghdad, along with the security services. There is knowledge that they are there in some defensive positions.
I think one of the questions they're trying to determine right now is the Republican Guard units, the troops that have sort of melted away as the U.S. has pressed against the Republican Guard. Did those people withdraw back into the city? Are they going to be part of the defense of Baghdad? And how will the five million people of Baghdad react as U.S. forces begin to move in?
So the strategy will be to move very soberly, very strategically, perhaps only go initially to key sites with U.S. military personnel, trying to eliminate opposition in that fashion, no siege of the city.
And we see the briefing is about to begin.
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 4, 2003 - 07:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: As we await CENTCOM, I want to check in at the Pentagon right now and see what's on Barbara Starr's radar as we await here.
Barbara -- good morning to you for the first time today on this Friday.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.
Well, officials here are closely watching the airport situation, some fighting still going on there, but the airport increasingly now coming under U.S. military control. Clearly, the plan is to use it as a launch pad for military operations into Baghdad.
But yesterday perhaps the most interesting thing was the unveiling of what appears to be the strategy now, which is not to lay siege to the city, but essentially isolate the regime of Saddam Hussein, both militarily and politically, and basically make it irrelevant.
There is every indication now that plans are under way to possibly install some sort of new provisional government, possibly moving in through the airport, bringing people in. And even if Saddam Hussein is still somewhere in a bunker in Baghdad, he simply will be declared irrelevant to the process.
So that push by the 3rd ID up through the airport area continues. We are told southeast of Baghdad the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force is continuing to press ahead, encountering some elements of the Al-Nida Republican Guard Division, but they are pressing ahead as well.
And, Bill, there is also at this briefing. We do expect to hear about a number of friendly fire incidents, confirming now yesterday a U.S. F-15E accidentally struck a U.S. Army position on the ground, killing three soldiers, wounding six.
And there was another blue-on-blue incident. Apparently a U.S. military person was looking at a T-72 tank, an Iraqi tank, at the side of the road. Another unit came alongside, believed that man was an Iraqi and shot him accidentally.
So we expect to hear more details about all of that at this briefing -- Bill.
HEMMER: Barbara, is it too early to get a gauge of the Iraqi resistance that's believed to be inside the city of Baghdad? There are some reports that suggest that special forces right now under the cover of darkness are operating certain probing missions into the Iraqi capital. Or, at this point, can they gauge that, No. 1?
And at what point would the U.S. be able to say whether or not there is resistance inside that may include the Special Republican Guard, perhaps 20,000 strong?
STARR: There are Special Republican Guard in Baghdad, along with the security services. There is knowledge that they are there in some defensive positions.
I think one of the questions they're trying to determine right now is the Republican Guard units, the troops that have sort of melted away as the U.S. has pressed against the Republican Guard. Did those people withdraw back into the city? Are they going to be part of the defense of Baghdad? And how will the five million people of Baghdad react as U.S. forces begin to move in?
So the strategy will be to move very soberly, very strategically, perhaps only go initially to key sites with U.S. military personnel, trying to eliminate opposition in that fashion, no siege of the city.
And we see the briefing is about to begin.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
