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American Morning
Iraqi Police Target of Several Deadly Attacks Today
Aired February 10, 2004 - 09:05 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: Iraqi police have been the target of several deadly attacks today, the worst of them a car bomb outside a police station about 25 miles south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
Our bureau chief now live to talk more about this -- Jane Arraf.
Jane, what are you learning?
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, it appears to have been a truly powerful, horrendously powerful blast packed into a red pickup truck, according to Interior Ministry officials, and timed to go off for maximum casualties. Now, officials are telling us there are at least 45 people dead and more than 150 wounded. Army units have rushed to the scene, including with helicopters, to ferry some of the badly wounded to other hospitals.
Now, the Interior Ministry says this red pickup truck belonged to the former Iraqi secret police. It was a car bomb that went off just as people were lining up to apply for jobs as police officers and it was not the only attack on police today. In Baghdad, four police officers were shot dead in two separate shootings, apparently drive by shootings deliberately targeted -- Bill.
HEMMER: Jane, how much concern has been expressed on behalf of the coalition that the attacks on the Iraqi police are actually inside jobs, people infiltrate these police stations and actually pull it off under the guise of being a police officer themselves?
ARRAF: That seems to be not a very common occurrence. And, in fact, what they're really expressing concern over is related to the release of a letter by a suspected al Qaeda operative yesterday in which he says that the best possible way to destabilize Iraq is to try to foster attacks on police forces and security forces, because that will stop terrorism once they get stood up.
Now, most of these attacks are suicide bombs and those, by definition, have traditionally been foreigners, foreign fighters, al Qaeda linked, other groups, not necessarily Iraqis, not thought to be Iraqis. It's a very complex picture, but that one, according to military officials, is pretty clear. These do seem to be foreign groups at work -- Bill.
HEMMER: Jane Arraf in Baghdad.
Jane, thanks for that.
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 February 10, 2004 - 09:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Iraqi police have been the target of several deadly attacks today, the worst of them a car bomb outside a police station about 25 miles south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
Our bureau chief now live to talk more about this -- Jane Arraf.
Jane, what are you learning?
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, it appears to have been a truly powerful, horrendously powerful blast packed into a red pickup truck, according to Interior Ministry officials, and timed to go off for maximum casualties. Now, officials are telling us there are at least 45 people dead and more than 150 wounded. Army units have rushed to the scene, including with helicopters, to ferry some of the badly wounded to other hospitals.
Now, the Interior Ministry says this red pickup truck belonged to the former Iraqi secret police. It was a car bomb that went off just as people were lining up to apply for jobs as police officers and it was not the only attack on police today. In Baghdad, four police officers were shot dead in two separate shootings, apparently drive by shootings deliberately targeted -- Bill.
HEMMER: Jane, how much concern has been expressed on behalf of the coalition that the attacks on the Iraqi police are actually inside jobs, people infiltrate these police stations and actually pull it off under the guise of being a police officer themselves?
ARRAF: That seems to be not a very common occurrence. And, in fact, what they're really expressing concern over is related to the release of a letter by a suspected al Qaeda operative yesterday in which he says that the best possible way to destabilize Iraq is to try to foster attacks on police forces and security forces, because that will stop terrorism once they get stood up.
Now, most of these attacks are suicide bombs and those, by definition, have traditionally been foreigners, foreign fighters, al Qaeda linked, other groups, not necessarily Iraqis, not thought to be Iraqis. It's a very complex picture, but that one, according to military officials, is pretty clear. These do seem to be foreign groups at work -- Bill.
HEMMER: Jane Arraf in Baghdad.
Jane, thanks for that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
