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American Morning
Special Forces Use Iraqi Freedom Fighters
Aired April 04, 2003 - 08:40 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 right now check in with Jason Bellini. He is in Nasiriya embedded with a Marine Expeditionary Unit. He joins us now by videophone -- Jason, good to see you. Haven't seen you in a couple of days.
JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, Paula. We received information from a senior officer of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. It is a report on cooperation that is going on now between U.S. Special Forces and armed Iraqis they have recruited to operate, as they call them, as freedom fighters.
The role as described to us by this Commander as he says that they are used to help them identify the enemy. Again, those are his words. They used these freedom fighters to help them identify the enemy.
Paula, yesterday we were witness to an incident that raised a question for us about their role. The compound we were in with the Marines came under fire. The Marines here returned fire and began shooting at the pickup truck and inside the pickup truck, the Marine say they saw a man with Kalashnikov rifles. They found out later after they were told to stop their firing that these were freedom fighters working with U.S. Special Forces. One of those freedom fighters was injured in the incident very badly, hit in the shoulder we were told. So that is how we learned about this cooperation. It is now going on here in the city of Nasiriya -- Paula.
ZAHN: Well, that sounds like bit of a challenge. These freedom fighters then obviously are not well known to everybody they are coming into contact with. What is the concern about making sure these, in fact, are freedom fighters coming at you in a pickup truck?
BELLINI: That is a very good question. We are just beginning to learn about their role. Just we learned earlier about how an Iraqi helped U.S. Special Forces, helped the Marines to find Jessica Lynch. They are using these freedom fighters in the same way. The toughest thing they are dealing with right now is locating, pinpointing where these attacks are coming from these periodic attacks, ambush attacks, where they are based out off and the way they are getting that intelligent and getting that assistance from these freedom fighters who are armed and who are going in to help ferret them out.
Today has been quiet. We haven't heard anymore of these incidents, but now we know the assistance that they are receiving on the ground. We are also beginning to see here a great deal of appreciation, I think it is fair to call from many Iraqis here who are encountering the Marines who are providing them with water, who are working with them. You have only heard in last few days about some of these attacks that have been going on, but really we are beginning to see here Paula that the Iraqis, the local Iraqis, for the moment seems to be very happy about the US Marines being here. I talked to some earlier, they showed me an Iraqi Dinar with the face of Saddam Hussein and they said to me Saddam bad, Bush good. So, a very encouraging sign for these Marines here. Paula.
ZAHN: And yet Jason there is got to be a high level of concern based on Marines encountering civilians who they know to be soldiers underneath encountering as freedom fighters. So, then, give me more information on the kind of negotiations that have taken place to win the trust of these freedom fighters and to make sure these guys really are who they say they are.
BELLINI: Interesting question. We are just beginning to learn about their role, but we are also learning today that the Marines here are beginning to work with local police forces, that they are beginning to work with them to try have them go back to work, work in the civil administration work to have them out on the street helping to direct traffic and to work with the Marines. In the early steps in it seems rebuilding the country taking place even as these attacks are still occurring but they are meeting now with local Iraqis, Iraqis who used to work under the previous regime -- Paula.
ZAHN: Fascinating new information from Jason Bellini. 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 April 4, 2003 - 08:40 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 right now check in with Jason Bellini. He is in Nasiriya embedded with a Marine Expeditionary Unit. He joins us now by videophone -- Jason, good to see you. Haven't seen you in a couple of days.
JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, Paula. We received information from a senior officer of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. It is a report on cooperation that is going on now between U.S. Special Forces and armed Iraqis they have recruited to operate, as they call them, as freedom fighters.
The role as described to us by this Commander as he says that they are used to help them identify the enemy. Again, those are his words. They used these freedom fighters to help them identify the enemy.
Paula, yesterday we were witness to an incident that raised a question for us about their role. The compound we were in with the Marines came under fire. The Marines here returned fire and began shooting at the pickup truck and inside the pickup truck, the Marine say they saw a man with Kalashnikov rifles. They found out later after they were told to stop their firing that these were freedom fighters working with U.S. Special Forces. One of those freedom fighters was injured in the incident very badly, hit in the shoulder we were told. So that is how we learned about this cooperation. It is now going on here in the city of Nasiriya -- Paula.
ZAHN: Well, that sounds like bit of a challenge. These freedom fighters then obviously are not well known to everybody they are coming into contact with. What is the concern about making sure these, in fact, are freedom fighters coming at you in a pickup truck?
BELLINI: That is a very good question. We are just beginning to learn about their role. Just we learned earlier about how an Iraqi helped U.S. Special Forces, helped the Marines to find Jessica Lynch. They are using these freedom fighters in the same way. The toughest thing they are dealing with right now is locating, pinpointing where these attacks are coming from these periodic attacks, ambush attacks, where they are based out off and the way they are getting that intelligent and getting that assistance from these freedom fighters who are armed and who are going in to help ferret them out.
Today has been quiet. We haven't heard anymore of these incidents, but now we know the assistance that they are receiving on the ground. We are also beginning to see here a great deal of appreciation, I think it is fair to call from many Iraqis here who are encountering the Marines who are providing them with water, who are working with them. You have only heard in last few days about some of these attacks that have been going on, but really we are beginning to see here Paula that the Iraqis, the local Iraqis, for the moment seems to be very happy about the US Marines being here. I talked to some earlier, they showed me an Iraqi Dinar with the face of Saddam Hussein and they said to me Saddam bad, Bush good. So, a very encouraging sign for these Marines here. Paula.
ZAHN: And yet Jason there is got to be a high level of concern based on Marines encountering civilians who they know to be soldiers underneath encountering as freedom fighters. So, then, give me more information on the kind of negotiations that have taken place to win the trust of these freedom fighters and to make sure these guys really are who they say they are.
BELLINI: Interesting question. We are just beginning to learn about their role, but we are also learning today that the Marines here are beginning to work with local police forces, that they are beginning to work with them to try have them go back to work, work in the civil administration work to have them out on the street helping to direct traffic and to work with the Marines. In the early steps in it seems rebuilding the country taking place even as these attacks are still occurring but they are meeting now with local Iraqis, Iraqis who used to work under the previous regime -- Paula.
ZAHN: Fascinating new information from Jason Bellini. 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
