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American Morning

Looting, Lack of Electricity Spur Anger in Baghdad

Aired April 15, 2003 - 08:02   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: Now for U.S. forces in Baghdad, keeping order in the capital could prove more difficult than taking it in the first place.
Jim Clancy is in Baghdad following some of these latest developments. He joins us now.

JIM CLANCY, CNNI CORRESPONDENT: Paula, this is -- we're in the midst really of what is a sandstorm as I look across the horizon. But the topic for the marine is not the weather, it's whether they're ever going to find all of the weapons caches, ammunition caches that are in schools and ever place else around the country.

Just about a block from where I'm standing now, they uncovered case after case after case of ammunition destined for AK-47 assault rifles. They hauled away truckloads of it this day for destruction someplace else. Some boxes marked Saudi Arabia or Yemen as a source. But it's important to remember that if there were any illegal arms shipments to Baghdad they would have to be marked as a destination being another country in order for them to pass through the Gulf in case they ran into any U.S. interdiction efforts at sea.

Meantime -- you were touching on this earlier a little bit earlier. All of the concern about the past, the history of Iraq is represented in its national museum. Today the director of the museum took reporters through on a tour of a devastated administrative half of the museum.

Now they're not letting us into the other parts of the museum because they say they want to preserve that for evidence. One of the reasons they want to get evidence, they believe some professional thieves may have been involved. They found glass cutters. They that noted some of the duplicates for important pieces that are on display in the Louvre or at the British Museum are actually -- they were passed over by the thieves who then took only the originals. One original that weighed several hundred pounds carted off the second floor. They say this wasn't looters in off the street that managed to take these important pieces. They're looking for a thorough investigation.

They're also looking for more U.S. Help. They say promises have -- promises to protect that museum were broken.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three days ago, me and Dr. Jaber Halid (ph), chairman of the State Board of Antiquities went to the headquarters of the Marines in Palestine Hotel. We waited there for about four hours till we met a colonel there. And at that day he promised that he will send armored cars to protect what's left from the museum. Three days ago till now, nobody came.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: There were reports, rumors, if you will, U.S. Marines had, in one way or another, been involved in the looting. Perhaps that's what Iraqis wanted to believe. But one eyewitness said that was absolutely untrue. He went to the Marines. They scared off some of the looters. But when they left, thousands came back to take whatever they could -- Paula.

ZAHN: And Jim, a quick update on what life is like now on the streets of Baghdad.

CLANCY: It is getting better. The situation is getting better. I just talked with some police officers that have been working around in the city going back to work. I also talked with the man who's in charge of liaising between U.S. forces -- he's an LAPD sergeant. He's with U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. He says already they're getting out on the job, arresting looters, bringing in stolen cars and other things. He said thousands of them are eager to get back to work. That's what the citizens of Baghdad want to hear. They want security.

ZAHN: Jim Clancy reporting for us from Baghdad, 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 15, 2003 - 08:02   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now for U.S. forces in Baghdad, keeping order in the capital could prove more difficult than taking it in the first place.
Jim Clancy is in Baghdad following some of these latest developments. He joins us now.

JIM CLANCY, CNNI CORRESPONDENT: Paula, this is -- we're in the midst really of what is a sandstorm as I look across the horizon. But the topic for the marine is not the weather, it's whether they're ever going to find all of the weapons caches, ammunition caches that are in schools and ever place else around the country.

Just about a block from where I'm standing now, they uncovered case after case after case of ammunition destined for AK-47 assault rifles. They hauled away truckloads of it this day for destruction someplace else. Some boxes marked Saudi Arabia or Yemen as a source. But it's important to remember that if there were any illegal arms shipments to Baghdad they would have to be marked as a destination being another country in order for them to pass through the Gulf in case they ran into any U.S. interdiction efforts at sea.

Meantime -- you were touching on this earlier a little bit earlier. All of the concern about the past, the history of Iraq is represented in its national museum. Today the director of the museum took reporters through on a tour of a devastated administrative half of the museum.

Now they're not letting us into the other parts of the museum because they say they want to preserve that for evidence. One of the reasons they want to get evidence, they believe some professional thieves may have been involved. They found glass cutters. They that noted some of the duplicates for important pieces that are on display in the Louvre or at the British Museum are actually -- they were passed over by the thieves who then took only the originals. One original that weighed several hundred pounds carted off the second floor. They say this wasn't looters in off the street that managed to take these important pieces. They're looking for a thorough investigation.

They're also looking for more U.S. Help. They say promises have -- promises to protect that museum were broken.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three days ago, me and Dr. Jaber Halid (ph), chairman of the State Board of Antiquities went to the headquarters of the Marines in Palestine Hotel. We waited there for about four hours till we met a colonel there. And at that day he promised that he will send armored cars to protect what's left from the museum. Three days ago till now, nobody came.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: There were reports, rumors, if you will, U.S. Marines had, in one way or another, been involved in the looting. Perhaps that's what Iraqis wanted to believe. But one eyewitness said that was absolutely untrue. He went to the Marines. They scared off some of the looters. But when they left, thousands came back to take whatever they could -- Paula.

ZAHN: And Jim, a quick update on what life is like now on the streets of Baghdad.

CLANCY: It is getting better. The situation is getting better. I just talked with some police officers that have been working around in the city going back to work. I also talked with the man who's in charge of liaising between U.S. forces -- he's an LAPD sergeant. He's with U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. He says already they're getting out on the job, arresting looters, bringing in stolen cars and other things. He said thousands of them are eager to get back to work. That's what the citizens of Baghdad want to hear. They want security.

ZAHN: Jim Clancy reporting for us from Baghdad, 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