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American Morning

Rocket Attacks in Baghdad

Aired November 21, 2003 - 09:10   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: Now to Iraq, and a close call this morning for some of our colleagues in Baghdad. A few high-profile targets under missile attack, including the Palestine Hotel. Matthew Chance now with us live inside the very room where one of those missiles hit. Matthew, what happened? Hello there.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Bill. You can see by the state of this room that the barrage of rockets that were fired at this hotel in the early hours of this morning did more than just shatter the early morning calm.

Take a look at the damage that's been caused in this room. Shrapnel pieces have scarred the walls. You can see there the rocket actually penetrated the very thick concrete walls of the hotel, coming in here, causing a great deal of devastation.

And fortunately nobody was injured in this room although we know of one person who suffered an injury here in the Palestine Hotel.

Two other buildings were also hit, very high-profile buildings. The Sheraton Hotel just across the road from here. Another facility which houses what's left of the international community here. And the Iraqi Oil Ministry, as well. U.S. military officials say they've been expecting this kind of attack during the holy month of Ramadan.

Colonel Brad May is a U.S. military spokesman here in Baghdad. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. BRAD MAY, CMDR., 2ND ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT: As you look at Ramadan, and as we move closer to the end of the Ramadan period, naturally there's, you know, more concern and our intelligence collection effort is heightened. Our patrols are heightened. And the security inside the perimeter, as well, is heightened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Indeed, we've been seeing from the U.S. military more than just heightened patrols. We've been witnessing for the past twelve nights, as you may remember, Operation Iron Hammer, which is meant to be cracking down on the insurgents, whoever they are, inside the Iraqi capital.

This attack, these series of attacks certainly amount to a response from those insurgents that no matter how much damage has been done to their infrastructure they are able to plan and importantly, to able to carry out these kinds of high profile attacks still -- Bill.

HEMMER: Matthew, it's been reported very creative use of donkeys to launch these attacks. What happened based on the facts we're learning now?

CHANCE: Yes, well, it seems that donkey carts, carts pulled by donkeys were used to sort of transit these multiple rocket launchers which seem to have been taken off other weapons, platforms that were perhaps owned by the Iraqi military. Transferred on to the back of carts pulled by donkeys, disguised with tarpaulin and with fruits and vegetables to make them look like the kind of donkey carts that quite frankly you see quite regularly up and down the streets of the Iraqi capital and don't normally arouse any kind of security suspicion.

The security guards at this hotel and elsewhere, the U.S. forces, the coalition, they're on the lookout for car bombs and things like that. So a clever use of a local form of transport here. And as you can see, very effective too, Bill.

HEMMER: How do you defend against that? Good question. Matthew Chance, thanks, live in 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 21, 2003 - 09:10   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Iraq, and a close call this morning for some of our colleagues in Baghdad. A few high-profile targets under missile attack, including the Palestine Hotel. Matthew Chance now with us live inside the very room where one of those missiles hit. Matthew, what happened? Hello there.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Bill. You can see by the state of this room that the barrage of rockets that were fired at this hotel in the early hours of this morning did more than just shatter the early morning calm.

Take a look at the damage that's been caused in this room. Shrapnel pieces have scarred the walls. You can see there the rocket actually penetrated the very thick concrete walls of the hotel, coming in here, causing a great deal of devastation.

And fortunately nobody was injured in this room although we know of one person who suffered an injury here in the Palestine Hotel.

Two other buildings were also hit, very high-profile buildings. The Sheraton Hotel just across the road from here. Another facility which houses what's left of the international community here. And the Iraqi Oil Ministry, as well. U.S. military officials say they've been expecting this kind of attack during the holy month of Ramadan.

Colonel Brad May is a U.S. military spokesman here in Baghdad. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. BRAD MAY, CMDR., 2ND ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT: As you look at Ramadan, and as we move closer to the end of the Ramadan period, naturally there's, you know, more concern and our intelligence collection effort is heightened. Our patrols are heightened. And the security inside the perimeter, as well, is heightened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Indeed, we've been seeing from the U.S. military more than just heightened patrols. We've been witnessing for the past twelve nights, as you may remember, Operation Iron Hammer, which is meant to be cracking down on the insurgents, whoever they are, inside the Iraqi capital.

This attack, these series of attacks certainly amount to a response from those insurgents that no matter how much damage has been done to their infrastructure they are able to plan and importantly, to able to carry out these kinds of high profile attacks still -- Bill.

HEMMER: Matthew, it's been reported very creative use of donkeys to launch these attacks. What happened based on the facts we're learning now?

CHANCE: Yes, well, it seems that donkey carts, carts pulled by donkeys were used to sort of transit these multiple rocket launchers which seem to have been taken off other weapons, platforms that were perhaps owned by the Iraqi military. Transferred on to the back of carts pulled by donkeys, disguised with tarpaulin and with fruits and vegetables to make them look like the kind of donkey carts that quite frankly you see quite regularly up and down the streets of the Iraqi capital and don't normally arouse any kind of security suspicion.

The security guards at this hotel and elsewhere, the U.S. forces, the coalition, they're on the lookout for car bombs and things like that. So a clever use of a local form of transport here. And as you can see, very effective too, Bill.

HEMMER: How do you defend against that? Good question. Matthew Chance, thanks, live in 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