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American Morning
CENTCOM: Strikes Target Command-Control Sites
Aired April 04, 2003 - 08:08 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: Right now, we're going to straight to the Pentagon. That's exactly where we find Barbara Starr this morning.
Good morning, Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Well, as U.S. forces continue to consolidate their position around the airport -- continue their clean-up operations, as General Brooks said, now looking at some underground bunkers at the airport facility, there may be air operations at that site within hours, coalition wanting to use the airport as a launch site, as they begin to think about moving towards Baghdad. That's what Central Command is looking at now -- looking at Baghdad how to move towards the city, isolate the regime, not lay siege to the city.
General Brooks made it clear, however, there is still plenty of fighting ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. DAVID BROOKS, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: We still anticipate the Special Republican Guard forces are operating from within Baghdad or on the outskirts of Baghdad. Some of those we may have encountered near the airport today with some very uncoordinated small unit attacks. I won't even call them counterattacks. They certainly came after we had positioned our terrain, and they were soundly defeated in each case. Not well integrated, not coordinated, but nevertheless there is a presence of force that's out there still.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: And Paula even if they approach Baghdad, General Brooks saying they will approach the city very deliberately,
Bush administration and Pentagon officials are making it clear there are discussions now about installing a provisional government in Baghdad even before Saddam Hussein is gone -- Paula.
ZAHN: And Barbara, the secretary of defense made it pretty clear yesterday, in spite of efforts of Russia right now and France, there will be no cease fire.
STARR: Exactly. He is saying it doesn't matter that it's over. The regime will be gone. No deals. Unconditional surrender. ZAHN: Barbara Starr, thanks so much.
As we go back to Bill, I wanted to add one little fact to that CENTCOM briefing that I thought was kind of interesting. And they're saying now that one of main benefits of U.S. forces controlling the airfield: it will prevent members of Iraqi leadership from fleeing by air.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Rym Brahimi told us earlier today, Paula, that the government run by Saddam Hussein actually had another part of that airport. A different terminal, a different run-way in which that family only used that part. As we stated before, that was a large area and it may take some time before that entire area is considered secure.
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 - 08:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, we're going to straight to the Pentagon. That's exactly where we find Barbara Starr this morning.
Good morning, Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Well, as U.S. forces continue to consolidate their position around the airport -- continue their clean-up operations, as General Brooks said, now looking at some underground bunkers at the airport facility, there may be air operations at that site within hours, coalition wanting to use the airport as a launch site, as they begin to think about moving towards Baghdad. That's what Central Command is looking at now -- looking at Baghdad how to move towards the city, isolate the regime, not lay siege to the city.
General Brooks made it clear, however, there is still plenty of fighting ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. DAVID BROOKS, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: We still anticipate the Special Republican Guard forces are operating from within Baghdad or on the outskirts of Baghdad. Some of those we may have encountered near the airport today with some very uncoordinated small unit attacks. I won't even call them counterattacks. They certainly came after we had positioned our terrain, and they were soundly defeated in each case. Not well integrated, not coordinated, but nevertheless there is a presence of force that's out there still.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: And Paula even if they approach Baghdad, General Brooks saying they will approach the city very deliberately,
Bush administration and Pentagon officials are making it clear there are discussions now about installing a provisional government in Baghdad even before Saddam Hussein is gone -- Paula.
ZAHN: And Barbara, the secretary of defense made it pretty clear yesterday, in spite of efforts of Russia right now and France, there will be no cease fire.
STARR: Exactly. He is saying it doesn't matter that it's over. The regime will be gone. No deals. Unconditional surrender. ZAHN: Barbara Starr, thanks so much.
As we go back to Bill, I wanted to add one little fact to that CENTCOM briefing that I thought was kind of interesting. And they're saying now that one of main benefits of U.S. forces controlling the airfield: it will prevent members of Iraqi leadership from fleeing by air.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Rym Brahimi told us earlier today, Paula, that the government run by Saddam Hussein actually had another part of that airport. A different terminal, a different run-way in which that family only used that part. As we stated before, that was a large area and it may take some time before that entire area is considered secure.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
