Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
'Operation Ivy Blizzard'
Aired December 17, 2003 - 07:33 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: It's known as Operation Ivy Blizzard, two straight days running right now. The 4th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army going through the town of Samarra, a hotbed for insurgent activity.
Nic Robertson now live in Samarra, joining us now for the latest on what he is finding out from the U.S. military -- Nic, good afternoon there.
What do you know?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, we know some details now about what happened in the initial phases of Operation Ivy Blizzard overnight last night. At least 30 people were taken captive during that raid. Many of these people, we are told, are people the 4th Infantry Division are looking for. These believe these people are behind anti-coalition activities. They say that they've come into the town with a very high security presence, working with the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, working with the Iraqi police. They say their mission is to provide security to the town.
We were in the town a few minutes ago. There are several rings of security checkpoints now run by coalition, U.S. troops and Iraqi troops, carefully checking vehicles as they come into the town.
What this presence is designed to do is to essentially contain within the town and stop anti-coalition elements collecting, planning, communicating and otherwise perpetrating their attacks, which have been many over the recent weeks and months against the coalition troops as they go about their duties in Samarra.
Now, there was just before this particular operation, Operation Ivy Blizzard, began, just before that, coalition troops here got a very valuable piece of intelligence which led them to a high value target.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. FREDERICK RUDESHEIM, COMMANDING OFFICER, 3RD BRIGADE, 4TH INFANTRY DIVISION: The individual that we caught was a, as you called him earlier, a high value target for us. And we had a target of opportunity. An informant sought us out here as we were preparing for this operation and asked us to come. Hew knew that we were looking for this individual. He gave us the information.
It wasn't in the city of Samarra, but it was immediately south of it, in an area very familiar to one of the companies that normally operates in that area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Well, Bill, as you can hear, this is a very active base. Helicopters coming in and out. Colonel Rudesheim said that the operation will go on as long as it needs to -- Bill.
HEMMER: Nic Robertson, thanks, live in Samarra, 60 miles north of our location here in Baghdad.
In a moment, live again in the Iraqi capital, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council. Just within the past hour, some members on that group saying Saddam Hussein never left this country, he's still in custody here in Iraq. We're talking about what they are saying so far today -- Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Bill, thanks.
We'll check back in with you in just a moment.
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 December 17, 2003 - 07:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It's known as Operation Ivy Blizzard, two straight days running right now. The 4th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army going through the town of Samarra, a hotbed for insurgent activity.
Nic Robertson now live in Samarra, joining us now for the latest on what he is finding out from the U.S. military -- Nic, good afternoon there.
What do you know?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, we know some details now about what happened in the initial phases of Operation Ivy Blizzard overnight last night. At least 30 people were taken captive during that raid. Many of these people, we are told, are people the 4th Infantry Division are looking for. These believe these people are behind anti-coalition activities. They say that they've come into the town with a very high security presence, working with the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, working with the Iraqi police. They say their mission is to provide security to the town.
We were in the town a few minutes ago. There are several rings of security checkpoints now run by coalition, U.S. troops and Iraqi troops, carefully checking vehicles as they come into the town.
What this presence is designed to do is to essentially contain within the town and stop anti-coalition elements collecting, planning, communicating and otherwise perpetrating their attacks, which have been many over the recent weeks and months against the coalition troops as they go about their duties in Samarra.
Now, there was just before this particular operation, Operation Ivy Blizzard, began, just before that, coalition troops here got a very valuable piece of intelligence which led them to a high value target.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. FREDERICK RUDESHEIM, COMMANDING OFFICER, 3RD BRIGADE, 4TH INFANTRY DIVISION: The individual that we caught was a, as you called him earlier, a high value target for us. And we had a target of opportunity. An informant sought us out here as we were preparing for this operation and asked us to come. Hew knew that we were looking for this individual. He gave us the information.
It wasn't in the city of Samarra, but it was immediately south of it, in an area very familiar to one of the companies that normally operates in that area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Well, Bill, as you can hear, this is a very active base. Helicopters coming in and out. Colonel Rudesheim said that the operation will go on as long as it needs to -- Bill.
HEMMER: Nic Robertson, thanks, live in Samarra, 60 miles north of our location here in Baghdad.
In a moment, live again in the Iraqi capital, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council. Just within the past hour, some members on that group saying Saddam Hussein never left this country, he's still in custody here in Iraq. We're talking about what they are saying so far today -- Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Bill, thanks.
We'll check back in with you in just a moment.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
