Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Another U.S. Soldier Killed This Morning

Aired November 04, 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: We want to get back to Iraq right now. Another U.S. soldier was killed this morning. Those casualties follow Sunday's deadly crash of a U.S. helicopter near Fallujah. The latest attack today happened in the Baghdad area.
That's where Matthew Chance is again live -- Matthew, what happened?

Good afternoon there.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, thank you very much.

And so many events taking place over the past 24 hours, undermining whatever fragile sense of security there is in this country. That event we're talking about, another killing of another U.S. soldier as he drove through the streets in his convoy of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. A roadside bomb or a land mine was detonated as that convoy drove past. The soldier from the 1st Armored Division that was confirmed dead to us. Two of his colleagues also said to have been injured and evacuated to a medical facility here in the city.

There's been so many attacks on U.S. soldiers, this kind of attack one of the sort of daily occurrences of life in this city and areas across the country. But it's not just U.S. soldiers that are coming under attack, as is testified to by the fact that last night a bomb exploded in the town of Karbala, about 60 miles to the south of Baghdad, where the target was apparently Iraqi civilian Shiite worshippers in that town, which is sacred for those who follow the Shiite sect of Islam. We understand from the reports there three people killed, another 12 injured.

Perhaps that's the reason, the fact that Iraqis and U.S. soldiers are being killed in this intensifying insurgency, that this rebellion doesn't have the kind of popular support that perhaps the insurgents would hope for -- Bill.

HEMMER: Matthew, back to this helicopter crash on Sunday. Eyewitnesses say a missile was fired at it. CENTCOM not confirming that, yet anyway. What's the update as to what happened there in Fallujah?

CHANCE: Well, they're still carrying out their investigations. But as we know, eyewitnesses at the scene of this downing of the helicopter said they saw a surface to air missile being fired at it. Certainly this is something that the coalition have identified as being a problem. They say there are hundreds, if not thousands, of these kinds of very sophisticated weapons that have been allowed to proliferate across Iraq since the fall of the regime of Saddam Hussein. And they say it would be no surprise if some of these sophisticated weapons have fallen into the hands of the insurgents, whoever they are.

HEMMER: Matthew Chance from Baghdad.

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 November 4, 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: We want to get back to Iraq right now. Another U.S. soldier was killed this morning. Those casualties follow Sunday's deadly crash of a U.S. helicopter near Fallujah. The latest attack today happened in the Baghdad area.
That's where Matthew Chance is again live -- Matthew, what happened?

Good afternoon there.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, thank you very much.

And so many events taking place over the past 24 hours, undermining whatever fragile sense of security there is in this country. That event we're talking about, another killing of another U.S. soldier as he drove through the streets in his convoy of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. A roadside bomb or a land mine was detonated as that convoy drove past. The soldier from the 1st Armored Division that was confirmed dead to us. Two of his colleagues also said to have been injured and evacuated to a medical facility here in the city.

There's been so many attacks on U.S. soldiers, this kind of attack one of the sort of daily occurrences of life in this city and areas across the country. But it's not just U.S. soldiers that are coming under attack, as is testified to by the fact that last night a bomb exploded in the town of Karbala, about 60 miles to the south of Baghdad, where the target was apparently Iraqi civilian Shiite worshippers in that town, which is sacred for those who follow the Shiite sect of Islam. We understand from the reports there three people killed, another 12 injured.

Perhaps that's the reason, the fact that Iraqis and U.S. soldiers are being killed in this intensifying insurgency, that this rebellion doesn't have the kind of popular support that perhaps the insurgents would hope for -- Bill.

HEMMER: Matthew, back to this helicopter crash on Sunday. Eyewitnesses say a missile was fired at it. CENTCOM not confirming that, yet anyway. What's the update as to what happened there in Fallujah?

CHANCE: Well, they're still carrying out their investigations. But as we know, eyewitnesses at the scene of this downing of the helicopter said they saw a surface to air missile being fired at it. Certainly this is something that the coalition have identified as being a problem. They say there are hundreds, if not thousands, of these kinds of very sophisticated weapons that have been allowed to proliferate across Iraq since the fall of the regime of Saddam Hussein. And they say it would be no surprise if some of these sophisticated weapons have fallen into the hands of the insurgents, whoever they are.

HEMMER: Matthew Chance from Baghdad.

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