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American Morning

Interview With Ahmed Kadhim Ibrahim

Aired January 01, 2004 - 09:08   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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: We turn to a serious story this morning. Like so much of the past year, there was no tranquility in Iraq. At least seven Iraqis were killed last night when a car bomb exploded near a crowded Baghdad restaurant. People had gathered at the popular eatery to celebrate new year's.
So what can Iraqis do as they move closer to self-government to fight the insurgency?

For answers, we are joined by General Ahmed Kadhim Ibrahim.

He is the Iraqi national chief of police and he joins us this morning from Baghdad.

Sir, good morning.

Thank you for being with us.

It's rather unusual to have a restaurant targeted, to have Iraqis targeted, as well.

How shocked are you by this incident?

Mr. Ibrahim, I'm not sure if you can hear me, so let me see if we're having any audio problems.

Can you hear me, sir?

GEN. AHMED KADHIM IBRAHIM, IRAQI NATIONAL POLICE CHIEF: Now I hear you OK.

O'BRIEN: Oh, terrific.

Excellent.

I'm going to repeat my question for you.

IBRAHIM: Yes, please.

O'BRIEN: Obviously we know that the targeting of restaurants and the targeting of Iraqi citizens, as well, is very unusual.

How shocked are you in the wake of this attack that this attack happened?

IBRAHIM: This is a big car bomb and put a lot of TNT. I think more for one time. And this is surely for the civilian people. They have the party for new year's and that happened. And we lose five persons and they injured 14 persons. And the Iraqi police take it out, many of them, and also coalition forces with our help, to take it up many of these people inside this building, inside this restaurant.

O'BRIEN: Who do you think was responsible, sir?

IBRAHIM: What? Say it again.

O'BRIEN: Who do you think was responsible? Who did it?

IBRAHIM: They must be terrorists. I won't say this one or this one. There is terrorism in all (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And we must follow them. We, all (UNINTELLIGIBLE) they must work together. They must help one by one to follow the terrorism and kill them. And you know that has happened in Turkey and in Saudi and there is no good for all the world. And then we must stop it. We must work together.

O'BRIEN: A final question for you, sir.

How can you possibly prevent this from happening again? How do you protect your people?

IBRAHIM: We'll protect the people with many checkpoints and we must control for the border. That's very necessity, to control for the border and now we do it many checkpoints for around another city, in all, in each city in Iraq, we make it, do many checkpoints. And, also, inside Baghdad we do many checkpoints and we can control soon maybe. And I want in that time I find the leader of the freedom and all the world, President Bush, and Blair, and each one help Iraqi people and also Mr. Bernard Kerik and Mr. Bremer, to help Iraqi people for that freedom, because that very hard job. And now the criminals, they still follow us. The terrorism, they still follow us. They won't take the freedom from Iraqi people, because that will not happen. We will still fight and the freedom is still (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

I thank you very much.

O'BRIEN: A tough job ahead for you, as well.

That was General Ahmed Kadhim Ibrahim joining us this morning from Baghdad.

Thank you for your time, sir.

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 January 1, 2004 - 09:08   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: We turn to a serious story this morning. Like so much of the past year, there was no tranquility in Iraq. At least seven Iraqis were killed last night when a car bomb exploded near a crowded Baghdad restaurant. People had gathered at the popular eatery to celebrate new year's.
So what can Iraqis do as they move closer to self-government to fight the insurgency?

For answers, we are joined by General Ahmed Kadhim Ibrahim.

He is the Iraqi national chief of police and he joins us this morning from Baghdad.

Sir, good morning.

Thank you for being with us.

It's rather unusual to have a restaurant targeted, to have Iraqis targeted, as well.

How shocked are you by this incident?

Mr. Ibrahim, I'm not sure if you can hear me, so let me see if we're having any audio problems.

Can you hear me, sir?

GEN. AHMED KADHIM IBRAHIM, IRAQI NATIONAL POLICE CHIEF: Now I hear you OK.

O'BRIEN: Oh, terrific.

Excellent.

I'm going to repeat my question for you.

IBRAHIM: Yes, please.

O'BRIEN: Obviously we know that the targeting of restaurants and the targeting of Iraqi citizens, as well, is very unusual.

How shocked are you in the wake of this attack that this attack happened?

IBRAHIM: This is a big car bomb and put a lot of TNT. I think more for one time. And this is surely for the civilian people. They have the party for new year's and that happened. And we lose five persons and they injured 14 persons. And the Iraqi police take it out, many of them, and also coalition forces with our help, to take it up many of these people inside this building, inside this restaurant.

O'BRIEN: Who do you think was responsible, sir?

IBRAHIM: What? Say it again.

O'BRIEN: Who do you think was responsible? Who did it?

IBRAHIM: They must be terrorists. I won't say this one or this one. There is terrorism in all (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And we must follow them. We, all (UNINTELLIGIBLE) they must work together. They must help one by one to follow the terrorism and kill them. And you know that has happened in Turkey and in Saudi and there is no good for all the world. And then we must stop it. We must work together.

O'BRIEN: A final question for you, sir.

How can you possibly prevent this from happening again? How do you protect your people?

IBRAHIM: We'll protect the people with many checkpoints and we must control for the border. That's very necessity, to control for the border and now we do it many checkpoints for around another city, in all, in each city in Iraq, we make it, do many checkpoints. And, also, inside Baghdad we do many checkpoints and we can control soon maybe. And I want in that time I find the leader of the freedom and all the world, President Bush, and Blair, and each one help Iraqi people and also Mr. Bernard Kerik and Mr. Bremer, to help Iraqi people for that freedom, because that very hard job. And now the criminals, they still follow us. The terrorism, they still follow us. They won't take the freedom from Iraqi people, because that will not happen. We will still fight and the freedom is still (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

I thank you very much.

O'BRIEN: A tough job ahead for you, as well.

That was General Ahmed Kadhim Ibrahim joining us this morning from Baghdad.

Thank you for your time, sir.

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