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American Morning

Military Update

Aired April 11, 2003 - 08:17   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: There is a growing lawlessness and looting in Baghdad and other Iraqi towns. What can the U.S. military do to restore order?
We're joined from CNN Center by Air Force Major General Don Shepperd, a CNN military analyst.

General, good morning. Thanks for being with us.

GEN. DON SHEPPERD, (RET.) CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: We heard this problem addressed in the CENTCOM briefing that was on in the last hour. We heard Brigadier General Brooks saying that one option is not to bring back in the Iraqi police, especially in someplace like Baghdad. So if you're not going to go to local police, what are the options for the U.S. military?

SHEPPERD: Yes, Daryn, this is a really tough time. The U.S. military is focused right now on combat operations, cleaning up the remaining pockets of resistance that exist in Baghdad and in the outlying cities and of course further north toward Tikrit. There in a no-win situation. The people hold them responsible for establishing law and order, and yet, if they shoot the looters, they're going to hold them responsible for shooting the looters.

What we need is time, and the time basically to continue with military operations, do what the military can and bring in civil affairs experts that then will work with the local population to establish law and order themselves. Some of it will be bringing back some of the police force that was there before, and some of it will be creating new police force -- Daryn.

KAGAN: This is really going to be a tough job for the military, general. As they move more and more within the civilian population, you're going to have problems and challenges. We saw yesterday another suicide bombing attack. How can the military work it from both sides, working with the civilians, yet protecting themselves at the same time?

SHEPPERD: This is a very dangerous and difficult time, and they simply have to do both. They don't have a choice. There are not enough troops to conduct combat operations and act as a police force across the country. They've got to protect themselves against suicide bombers. They've got to do what they can, but the key to this is not doing it themselves and becoming a police force, but creating the conditions so that Iraqis themselves can take over law and order. It's easier in the outlying countries, in the outlying cities, where they have clerics and the local administrations. It's harder in Baghdad where it was all Baath Party, and now that party is gone or under siege -- Daryn.

KAGAN: You're not kidding. You're talking about a city of more than five million people. As you said, a number of people loyal to Saddam Hussein, and we're still seeing pockets of those people fighting back. How long do you think it's going to be, general, until all of those regime loyalists will be cleared out of Baghdad and the rest of the country?

SHEPPERD: I'm just going to take a wild guess. It will take the better part of a week. In other words, by the end of next week, that semiorganized resistance of pockets in Baghdad will all be gone.

However, I think you face many weeks, perhaps many months and several years of the loyalists with a hidden weapon, a hand grenade, explosives, suicide attacks, that type of thing, the same thing we're seeing in Afghanistan. The key here is to bring law and order slowly, policed by the Iraqis themselves and turn over that law and order to the Iraqis. It's going to be a dangerous period as long as troops are there.

KAGAN: In the meantime, it sounds like Iraq is going to be a dangerous place for a long time to come. Major general, thank you 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 11, 2003 - 08:17   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: There is a growing lawlessness and looting in Baghdad and other Iraqi towns. What can the U.S. military do to restore order?
We're joined from CNN Center by Air Force Major General Don Shepperd, a CNN military analyst.

General, good morning. Thanks for being with us.

GEN. DON SHEPPERD, (RET.) CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: We heard this problem addressed in the CENTCOM briefing that was on in the last hour. We heard Brigadier General Brooks saying that one option is not to bring back in the Iraqi police, especially in someplace like Baghdad. So if you're not going to go to local police, what are the options for the U.S. military?

SHEPPERD: Yes, Daryn, this is a really tough time. The U.S. military is focused right now on combat operations, cleaning up the remaining pockets of resistance that exist in Baghdad and in the outlying cities and of course further north toward Tikrit. There in a no-win situation. The people hold them responsible for establishing law and order, and yet, if they shoot the looters, they're going to hold them responsible for shooting the looters.

What we need is time, and the time basically to continue with military operations, do what the military can and bring in civil affairs experts that then will work with the local population to establish law and order themselves. Some of it will be bringing back some of the police force that was there before, and some of it will be creating new police force -- Daryn.

KAGAN: This is really going to be a tough job for the military, general. As they move more and more within the civilian population, you're going to have problems and challenges. We saw yesterday another suicide bombing attack. How can the military work it from both sides, working with the civilians, yet protecting themselves at the same time?

SHEPPERD: This is a very dangerous and difficult time, and they simply have to do both. They don't have a choice. There are not enough troops to conduct combat operations and act as a police force across the country. They've got to protect themselves against suicide bombers. They've got to do what they can, but the key to this is not doing it themselves and becoming a police force, but creating the conditions so that Iraqis themselves can take over law and order. It's easier in the outlying countries, in the outlying cities, where they have clerics and the local administrations. It's harder in Baghdad where it was all Baath Party, and now that party is gone or under siege -- Daryn.

KAGAN: You're not kidding. You're talking about a city of more than five million people. As you said, a number of people loyal to Saddam Hussein, and we're still seeing pockets of those people fighting back. How long do you think it's going to be, general, until all of those regime loyalists will be cleared out of Baghdad and the rest of the country?

SHEPPERD: I'm just going to take a wild guess. It will take the better part of a week. In other words, by the end of next week, that semiorganized resistance of pockets in Baghdad will all be gone.

However, I think you face many weeks, perhaps many months and several years of the loyalists with a hidden weapon, a hand grenade, explosives, suicide attacks, that type of thing, the same thing we're seeing in Afghanistan. The key here is to bring law and order slowly, policed by the Iraqis themselves and turn over that law and order to the Iraqis. It's going to be a dangerous period as long as troops are there.

KAGAN: In the meantime, it sounds like Iraq is going to be a dangerous place for a long time to come. Major general, thank you 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