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American Morning

U.S. Soldiers Open Fire Near Mosul

Aired May 15, 2003 - 08:03   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back to Baghdad right now. In addition to last night's raid by U.S. forces searching for Saddam Hussein loyalists in Tikrit, this morning soldiers also opened fire near Mosul, in the northern part of the country.
To the Pentagon and Barbara Starr for more on this -- Barbara, good morning there.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

Well, you'll remember yesterday an awful lot of controversy about whether U.S. soldiers had the authority to fire upon looters. Officials yesterday saying that would happen only if U.S. soldiers came under attack by looters and today that is exactly what apparently did happen.

In Mosul, in northern Iraq, soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division reported they were taking fire from looters and to defend themselves they returned fire, now reporting that they wounded one looter and that four other escaped. So this is the first incident since the controversy yesterday about whether or not U.S. soldiers had the authority to shoot looters when they came under attack -- Bill.

HEMMER: Barbara, what do you know about this raid in Tikrit? Who was taken? Do we know that yet?

STARR: We are still gathering information on it. According to sources here in the Pentagon, there were upwards of perhaps 200 people taken into custody. They believe a number of them were Republican Guard Baath loyalists and possibly someone from that most wanted list. This raid was conducted by the 4th Infantry Division and sources are telling us that this village outside Tikrit had been under observation for several days. There had been a number of tips that people the U.S. wanted to take into custody were hiding in that town -- Bill.

HEMMER: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.

Barbara, thanks there.

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 May 15, 2003 - 08:03   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back to Baghdad right now. In addition to last night's raid by U.S. forces searching for Saddam Hussein loyalists in Tikrit, this morning soldiers also opened fire near Mosul, in the northern part of the country.
To the Pentagon and Barbara Starr for more on this -- Barbara, good morning there.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

Well, you'll remember yesterday an awful lot of controversy about whether U.S. soldiers had the authority to fire upon looters. Officials yesterday saying that would happen only if U.S. soldiers came under attack by looters and today that is exactly what apparently did happen.

In Mosul, in northern Iraq, soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division reported they were taking fire from looters and to defend themselves they returned fire, now reporting that they wounded one looter and that four other escaped. So this is the first incident since the controversy yesterday about whether or not U.S. soldiers had the authority to shoot looters when they came under attack -- Bill.

HEMMER: Barbara, what do you know about this raid in Tikrit? Who was taken? Do we know that yet?

STARR: We are still gathering information on it. According to sources here in the Pentagon, there were upwards of perhaps 200 people taken into custody. They believe a number of them were Republican Guard Baath loyalists and possibly someone from that most wanted list. This raid was conducted by the 4th Infantry Division and sources are telling us that this village outside Tikrit had been under observation for several days. There had been a number of tips that people the U.S. wanted to take into custody were hiding in that town -- Bill.

HEMMER: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.

Barbara, thanks there.

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