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American Morning

U.S. Forces in Iraq Admit to Huge Mistake

Aired May 30, 2003 - 08:15   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: U.S. forces in Iraq admit to a huge mistake. They say they released a former Iraqi official who's suspected in the murders of thousands, accused of being behind that brutal 1991 crackdown on Shiite Muslims. Many mass graves with thousands of bodies have been uncovered since the fall of Saddam Hussein. The mistake right now being
Ahmed Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress, charged yesterday that recent attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq are part of a plan and designed by Saddam Hussein.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AHMED CHALABI, IRAQI NATIONAL CONGRESS: Saddam is still alive and he's still in Iraq and he's, he is renewing his activity, his support, his network.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Restoring law and order in Iraq the main issue right now. And the man who's now behind and hired by the Pentagon to do that and try, anyway, says it is a formidable task.

Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik is in Baghdad to try and help the U.S. military rebuild the police force. He is serving as senior adviser to Iraq's ministry of the interior.

Bernard Kerik is with us live now in Baghdad.

Commissioner, we appreciate your time.

We want to know what you can add on the evidence side for Saddam Hussein engineering these attacks on U.S. soldiers. BERNARD KERIK, FORMER NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: Good morning.

Well, I can't talk about whether it's Saddam engineering. I look at it this way, the more freedom previously throughout Iraq, the more we're going to see these people, the last of what's left of them, fighting, popping up with areas of resistance. I think that's what we're seeing now over the last several days.

But you do notice as you get around Baghdad at night there is much more electricity. During the day the shops are open more. The gas lines are coming down in size. Baghdad is opening up. There's a lot more freedom here. I think people are seeing it. And the people out there that are resisting, you know, they've lost their fight and this is sort of their last chance. HEMMER: There are some numbers I want to put out there for our viewers. When Saddam Hussein was in power, a city of five million in Baghdad, the police force was about 20,000 strong. It's my understanding you're almost at the halfway point, about 9,000 strong on the Iraqi police that's now been rebuilt.

But part of the huge challenge that you've talked about is retraining these police officers, who are used to things like torture and human rights violations. If you consider that, decades ingrained in the minds of these men, how do you change that?

KERIK: Well, the first thing we're doing, as per Ambassador Bremer, we're de-Baathing and eliminating people that have had histories of human rights violations, the senior elements of the police force. Also, the numbers, you know, the numbers, depending on who you talk to, range from 16,000 to 25,000. You have to remember, the police department here was constantly augmented by the military, who wanted to control and be the power of the police for Saddam.

They will be eliminated. They will not be a part of the new police service. And we have to reach down into the police department and teach the police officers, just as we will show the Iraqi government, the Iraqi people that this is now a free society. We have to teach them how to police in a democratic and free environment.

HEMMER: General David McKiernan just yesterday said, and quoting him now, "The war has not ended." His words from Baghdad from a day ago. There is a new plan that will be initiated, by the first of June, I believe, to try and get the massive amount of weapons off the streets and out of the hands of Iraqi people. And, again, you come back to the same issue of culture and what's been done for the past decades.

How is this possible there now?

KERIK: Well, basically the Ambassador and General McKiernan are putting out a weapons policy. We're going to be taking all the weapons off the streets that we can. AK-47s are going to be outlawed. It seems as though they are a big ticket item throughout the streets now. They're going to be taken off the streets. There will be certain exemptions and licensing, processes for people that have to maintain firearms. But for the most part, you're not going to be able to ride around, carry a firearm, unless you're licensed.

If you do, you're going to be arrested. So there's a two week process to let the people turn in the weapons and get them off the streets. And from that point on, anyone found carrying concealing weapons, machine guns, explosives, RPGs, those things, will be confiscated and they will be arrested.

HEMMER: It is a huge challenge ahead. Fifteen seconds left here. When can U.S. soldiers stop becoming policemen and go back to being the job and doing their job as soldiers there?

KERIK: I think it's premature to say. For right now, they are augmenting and assisting the Iraqi police. They are teaching the Iraqi police. Only time will tell. But it's only going to get better from here.

HEMMER: Best of luck to you.

Bernard Kerik live in Baghdad, a big job ahead.

Thanks.

KERIK: 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 May 30, 2003 - 08:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. forces in Iraq admit to a huge mistake. They say they released a former Iraqi official who's suspected in the murders of thousands, accused of being behind that brutal 1991 crackdown on Shiite Muslims. Many mass graves with thousands of bodies have been uncovered since the fall of Saddam Hussein. The mistake right now being
Ahmed Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress, charged yesterday that recent attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq are part of a plan and designed by Saddam Hussein.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AHMED CHALABI, IRAQI NATIONAL CONGRESS: Saddam is still alive and he's still in Iraq and he's, he is renewing his activity, his support, his network.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Restoring law and order in Iraq the main issue right now. And the man who's now behind and hired by the Pentagon to do that and try, anyway, says it is a formidable task.

Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik is in Baghdad to try and help the U.S. military rebuild the police force. He is serving as senior adviser to Iraq's ministry of the interior.

Bernard Kerik is with us live now in Baghdad.

Commissioner, we appreciate your time.

We want to know what you can add on the evidence side for Saddam Hussein engineering these attacks on U.S. soldiers. BERNARD KERIK, FORMER NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: Good morning.

Well, I can't talk about whether it's Saddam engineering. I look at it this way, the more freedom previously throughout Iraq, the more we're going to see these people, the last of what's left of them, fighting, popping up with areas of resistance. I think that's what we're seeing now over the last several days.

But you do notice as you get around Baghdad at night there is much more electricity. During the day the shops are open more. The gas lines are coming down in size. Baghdad is opening up. There's a lot more freedom here. I think people are seeing it. And the people out there that are resisting, you know, they've lost their fight and this is sort of their last chance. HEMMER: There are some numbers I want to put out there for our viewers. When Saddam Hussein was in power, a city of five million in Baghdad, the police force was about 20,000 strong. It's my understanding you're almost at the halfway point, about 9,000 strong on the Iraqi police that's now been rebuilt.

But part of the huge challenge that you've talked about is retraining these police officers, who are used to things like torture and human rights violations. If you consider that, decades ingrained in the minds of these men, how do you change that?

KERIK: Well, the first thing we're doing, as per Ambassador Bremer, we're de-Baathing and eliminating people that have had histories of human rights violations, the senior elements of the police force. Also, the numbers, you know, the numbers, depending on who you talk to, range from 16,000 to 25,000. You have to remember, the police department here was constantly augmented by the military, who wanted to control and be the power of the police for Saddam.

They will be eliminated. They will not be a part of the new police service. And we have to reach down into the police department and teach the police officers, just as we will show the Iraqi government, the Iraqi people that this is now a free society. We have to teach them how to police in a democratic and free environment.

HEMMER: General David McKiernan just yesterday said, and quoting him now, "The war has not ended." His words from Baghdad from a day ago. There is a new plan that will be initiated, by the first of June, I believe, to try and get the massive amount of weapons off the streets and out of the hands of Iraqi people. And, again, you come back to the same issue of culture and what's been done for the past decades.

How is this possible there now?

KERIK: Well, basically the Ambassador and General McKiernan are putting out a weapons policy. We're going to be taking all the weapons off the streets that we can. AK-47s are going to be outlawed. It seems as though they are a big ticket item throughout the streets now. They're going to be taken off the streets. There will be certain exemptions and licensing, processes for people that have to maintain firearms. But for the most part, you're not going to be able to ride around, carry a firearm, unless you're licensed.

If you do, you're going to be arrested. So there's a two week process to let the people turn in the weapons and get them off the streets. And from that point on, anyone found carrying concealing weapons, machine guns, explosives, RPGs, those things, will be confiscated and they will be arrested.

HEMMER: It is a huge challenge ahead. Fifteen seconds left here. When can U.S. soldiers stop becoming policemen and go back to being the job and doing their job as soldiers there?

KERIK: I think it's premature to say. For right now, they are augmenting and assisting the Iraqi police. They are teaching the Iraqi police. Only time will tell. But it's only going to get better from here.

HEMMER: Best of luck to you.

Bernard Kerik live in Baghdad, a big job ahead.

Thanks.

KERIK: 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