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American Morning

CENTCOM Saying Iraqi Forces in Mosul Have Surrendered

Aired April 11, 2003 - 08:07   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: U.S. Central Command also saying Iraqi forces in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul have surrendered to U.S. forces.
Our Jane Arraf is there. She joins us now by phone.

Good morning, Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

It does appear that those forces have surrendered, but it appears that there is no one that has come in to replace them. The city is empty of any forces whatsoever, according to what we've seen and what people here are telling us. There are a handful of Kurdish Peshmerga, there's Kurdish soldiers, but certainly not enough to keep order here. We're actually outside one of Saddam's palaces. It's on the bank of the river near Mosul, and absolutely stunningly beautiful, and up until today, no one could have even come close to this place. They wouldn't dare think it. We're seeing a stream of Iraqis going into what is essentially a very beautiful, but very bare palace. People have been breaking the windows, taking away anything they can. And it's in line with a stream of looting that's been going on all over the city.

Now, starting to get people here a little worried, Paula. They're saying where are those American forces? There is no law and order in this city, and they need someone, they say, to come in.

ZAHN: How bad are things expected to get there, Jane?

ARRAF: So far, it's been contained to anything connected to the government, but, unfortunately, that has included hospitals, as well as colleges. People have been seen running out of the hospitals with medicine and leaving them there, as well as anything that has the vaguest connection to the government or Saddam Hussein has been looted and burned. There is smoke rising over the city in some parts. It's really quite bad. A lot of people have been staying home, because they're waiting to see what happens. People who haven't been staying home are the ones who are actively looting. We were at the central bank, where people broke in and grabbed piles of cash before setting fire to the bank. Even while it was smoldering, they were still running in trying to get more cash. It's basically chaos in some parts of the city.

But again, so far confined to those government buildings, and it hasn't yet spread to private homes and jobs -- Paula.

ZAHN: Jane Arraf, reporting from Mosul this morning, which has fallen to coalition forces. Back to Daryn now in Kuwait City.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I want to show you interesting images. Photographers in Basra captured images from what is left from Saddam Hussein's wealth. It's the presidential yacht. Coalition bombs hit the craft at least 16 times, and then Iraqis moved in and looted it. It was one of the most expensive private yachts when it was launched back in 1982. It was the largest ship in Saddam's Navy. It was decorated in marble, silver and gold. It could seat 200 dinner guests. It had a secret underwater launch pod for escape, escape by submarine.

Well, it's a much different day today inside of Iraq. We want to check in in Baghdad. That's where our Walter Rodgers if following developments.

Walter, hello.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

You wouldn't have believed what we just saw in the last five minutes pass by, I swear. Two guys are pushing a hospital operating table bed, obviously looted, right behind us. It was unbelievable. And, of course, it's just more of the looting which is continuing here with the collapse of law and order in Baghdad. Again, another day of looting, and we also understand there's some scores being settled. One of my Italian journalist colleagues was telling me she was just outside the city and saw two Baath Party members, those were members of Saddam Hussein's regime, had just been lynched. Again, the looting is serious. It continues. West of the city, my colleague, Larry Register, just drove in. He told me what he had seen is a lot of firefighting and skirmishes, Iraqi irregulars, again, soldiers shooting at U.S. Army troops.

KAGAN: It seems like today is different. Yesterday, a day of celebration, but today, many of the people of Baghdad growing restless with the restlessness and wanting order to be restored, and perhaps getting frustrated with the U.S. military there?

RODGERS: That's true. One of my friends saw a sign that said "President Bush, why are you destroying our city?" Of course, it's not the president of the United States that's doing it. The looters are not Americans. The looters are not soldiers. The looters are the Iraqi citizens themselves. These are a people who have no practice in self government, nor civil law. And one of the difficult questions for the U.S. military in a situation like this, is when you see these people pushing hospital beds down the street, what do you do with them? In some military occupations, you shoot looters. The United States Army and the United States Marines are not shooting looters, but it's as if some people are expecting them to do that, and that's not the order of the day -- Daryn.

KAGAN: 180-degree turn going from such a tight fist from Saddam's regime to where they are today.

Walter Rodgers in Baghdad, thank you.

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 11, 2003 - 08:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. Central Command also saying Iraqi forces in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul have surrendered to U.S. forces.
Our Jane Arraf is there. She joins us now by phone.

Good morning, Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

It does appear that those forces have surrendered, but it appears that there is no one that has come in to replace them. The city is empty of any forces whatsoever, according to what we've seen and what people here are telling us. There are a handful of Kurdish Peshmerga, there's Kurdish soldiers, but certainly not enough to keep order here. We're actually outside one of Saddam's palaces. It's on the bank of the river near Mosul, and absolutely stunningly beautiful, and up until today, no one could have even come close to this place. They wouldn't dare think it. We're seeing a stream of Iraqis going into what is essentially a very beautiful, but very bare palace. People have been breaking the windows, taking away anything they can. And it's in line with a stream of looting that's been going on all over the city.

Now, starting to get people here a little worried, Paula. They're saying where are those American forces? There is no law and order in this city, and they need someone, they say, to come in.

ZAHN: How bad are things expected to get there, Jane?

ARRAF: So far, it's been contained to anything connected to the government, but, unfortunately, that has included hospitals, as well as colleges. People have been seen running out of the hospitals with medicine and leaving them there, as well as anything that has the vaguest connection to the government or Saddam Hussein has been looted and burned. There is smoke rising over the city in some parts. It's really quite bad. A lot of people have been staying home, because they're waiting to see what happens. People who haven't been staying home are the ones who are actively looting. We were at the central bank, where people broke in and grabbed piles of cash before setting fire to the bank. Even while it was smoldering, they were still running in trying to get more cash. It's basically chaos in some parts of the city.

But again, so far confined to those government buildings, and it hasn't yet spread to private homes and jobs -- Paula.

ZAHN: Jane Arraf, reporting from Mosul this morning, which has fallen to coalition forces. Back to Daryn now in Kuwait City.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I want to show you interesting images. Photographers in Basra captured images from what is left from Saddam Hussein's wealth. It's the presidential yacht. Coalition bombs hit the craft at least 16 times, and then Iraqis moved in and looted it. It was one of the most expensive private yachts when it was launched back in 1982. It was the largest ship in Saddam's Navy. It was decorated in marble, silver and gold. It could seat 200 dinner guests. It had a secret underwater launch pod for escape, escape by submarine.

Well, it's a much different day today inside of Iraq. We want to check in in Baghdad. That's where our Walter Rodgers if following developments.

Walter, hello.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

You wouldn't have believed what we just saw in the last five minutes pass by, I swear. Two guys are pushing a hospital operating table bed, obviously looted, right behind us. It was unbelievable. And, of course, it's just more of the looting which is continuing here with the collapse of law and order in Baghdad. Again, another day of looting, and we also understand there's some scores being settled. One of my Italian journalist colleagues was telling me she was just outside the city and saw two Baath Party members, those were members of Saddam Hussein's regime, had just been lynched. Again, the looting is serious. It continues. West of the city, my colleague, Larry Register, just drove in. He told me what he had seen is a lot of firefighting and skirmishes, Iraqi irregulars, again, soldiers shooting at U.S. Army troops.

KAGAN: It seems like today is different. Yesterday, a day of celebration, but today, many of the people of Baghdad growing restless with the restlessness and wanting order to be restored, and perhaps getting frustrated with the U.S. military there?

RODGERS: That's true. One of my friends saw a sign that said "President Bush, why are you destroying our city?" Of course, it's not the president of the United States that's doing it. The looters are not Americans. The looters are not soldiers. The looters are the Iraqi citizens themselves. These are a people who have no practice in self government, nor civil law. And one of the difficult questions for the U.S. military in a situation like this, is when you see these people pushing hospital beds down the street, what do you do with them? In some military occupations, you shoot looters. The United States Army and the United States Marines are not shooting looters, but it's as if some people are expecting them to do that, and that's not the order of the day -- Daryn.

KAGAN: 180-degree turn going from such a tight fist from Saddam's regime to where they are today.

Walter Rodgers in Baghdad, thank you.

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