Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

U.S. Soldier Shot, Killed by Sniper While Guarding National Museum in Baghdad

Aired July 04, 2003 - 08:04   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: To Iraq now and the latest wave of violence against U.S. forces there. One soldier was shot and killed by a sniper while guarding the National Museum in the capital.
Jane Arraf is live in Baghdad with the latest -- hello, Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles.

Well, U.S. troops are trying to celebrate the Fourth of July with concerts and barbecues and other things. But it certainly doesn't feel like home and this latest news does not help.

Now, U.S. Central Command has a few new details on some of those latest attacks and a major attack on what's called a logistics camp in the town of Balad, north of Baghdad. CENTCOM says that 14 soldiers were wounded and released, lightly wounded and released. Two more were wounded and remain in hospital, undergoing care. That's a total of 16 American soldiers who were wounded in that mortar attack last night.

It says early this morning, as well, U.S. troops encountered an attempted ambush on the road and they tried to open fire with a rocket propelled grenade and small arms. The U.S. soldiers responded, killing all of the would be attackers, according to the statement. And in another development, news that in the town of Bakuga (ph), also north of Baghdad, someone tried to place a bomb near a humanitarian assistance center, blowing themselves up, according to the U.S. military, and wounding three other Iraqis. No U.S. casualties in that one.

But still it keeps coming, the latest in a series of incidents. And it's almost a daily even, just a list of incidents that General Sanchez, the top U.S. general here, says are numbering about 13 a day.

To try to take their mind off things, though, for this Fourth of July, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the movie star, was flown in. He had lunch with the troops and told them that he was proud of them for getting rid of Saddam Hussein. He'll be going on to other parts of the region to try to cheer up other troops on this Fourth of July -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Jane, have you had a chance to ask many people about that $25 million bounty now on Saddam Hussein's head, whether that's going to do any good?

ARRAF: Most people don't think it sill because the problem is they don't really feel it's a matter of money, Miles. If it really were a matter of money, it's known that Saddam and the Baath Party really socked away millions of dollars, quite possibly billions. And there's still a lot of it floating out out there. It's thought to be funding at least some of these attacks on U.S. troops.

In addition, anyone who goes for that $25 million reward would be pretty much in danger themselves. So that's certainly a deterrent.

Now, it's obviously affecting things that Saddam has not been caught, but when you ask people on the street whether they think the $25 million reward would help, a lot of them say that no amount of money in the world is going to help catch Saddam -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, it's a difficult problem.

Jane Arraf in Baghdad, thanks very 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




National Museum in Baghdad>


Aired July 4, 2003 - 08:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: To Iraq now and the latest wave of violence against U.S. forces there. One soldier was shot and killed by a sniper while guarding the National Museum in the capital.
Jane Arraf is live in Baghdad with the latest -- hello, Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles.

Well, U.S. troops are trying to celebrate the Fourth of July with concerts and barbecues and other things. But it certainly doesn't feel like home and this latest news does not help.

Now, U.S. Central Command has a few new details on some of those latest attacks and a major attack on what's called a logistics camp in the town of Balad, north of Baghdad. CENTCOM says that 14 soldiers were wounded and released, lightly wounded and released. Two more were wounded and remain in hospital, undergoing care. That's a total of 16 American soldiers who were wounded in that mortar attack last night.

It says early this morning, as well, U.S. troops encountered an attempted ambush on the road and they tried to open fire with a rocket propelled grenade and small arms. The U.S. soldiers responded, killing all of the would be attackers, according to the statement. And in another development, news that in the town of Bakuga (ph), also north of Baghdad, someone tried to place a bomb near a humanitarian assistance center, blowing themselves up, according to the U.S. military, and wounding three other Iraqis. No U.S. casualties in that one.

But still it keeps coming, the latest in a series of incidents. And it's almost a daily even, just a list of incidents that General Sanchez, the top U.S. general here, says are numbering about 13 a day.

To try to take their mind off things, though, for this Fourth of July, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the movie star, was flown in. He had lunch with the troops and told them that he was proud of them for getting rid of Saddam Hussein. He'll be going on to other parts of the region to try to cheer up other troops on this Fourth of July -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Jane, have you had a chance to ask many people about that $25 million bounty now on Saddam Hussein's head, whether that's going to do any good?

ARRAF: Most people don't think it sill because the problem is they don't really feel it's a matter of money, Miles. If it really were a matter of money, it's known that Saddam and the Baath Party really socked away millions of dollars, quite possibly billions. And there's still a lot of it floating out out there. It's thought to be funding at least some of these attacks on U.S. troops.

In addition, anyone who goes for that $25 million reward would be pretty much in danger themselves. So that's certainly a deterrent.

Now, it's obviously affecting things that Saddam has not been caught, but when you ask people on the street whether they think the $25 million reward would help, a lot of them say that no amount of money in the world is going to help catch Saddam -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, it's a difficult problem.

Jane Arraf in Baghdad, thanks very 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




National Museum in Baghdad>