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U.S. Military Briefing From Baghdad; Return to Rwanda

Aired June 20, 2006 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm John Roberts, in for Miles O'Brien this week. Good Tuesday morning to you.

O'BRIEN: We are expecting a military briefing out of Baghdad any moment now. The Pentagon confirming that two bodies have been found in the area where two American soldiers are missing. The U.S. military, though, is not going as far as the Iraqi Defense Forces. The Iraqis are saying that in fact those bodies are the bodies of Army Privates Thomas Tucker and Kristian Menchaca, and that their bodies show signs of torture.

Let's get right to Barbara Starr. She's live at the Pentagon this morning. What are U.S. military sources telling you, Barbara?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Soledad, at this hour, all they are saying here is that they are very aware of the MOD reports from Baghdad, that the remains of two people have been found. That's the official word. But they are also telling us that they expect to conduct, the U.S. expects to conduct, DNA testing on those two sets of remains if and when they come to the U.S. military. And I say that very awkwardly, because what we're not sure of at this hour is whether those remains have yet been turned over to the U.S. military and whether DNA testing is already underway. This of course is a very sensitive matter, two families in the United States waiting for definitive word from the military first about the fate of their loved ones. They certainly don't want to hear about it from the news media. They are waiting for official word. And so it's not very clear at this point exactly what the current state of the matter is.

As we have discussed procedure is, that when there is something to announce, when there is a finding, the military will directly go to both families, tell them what they know, and then there will be a 24- hour waiting period before there is a public announcement. That of course to give the families several hours of privacy before the word is made public. But with this latest statement from the Iraqi ministry, it's a little unclear how things are really going to play out throughout the rest of the day, what announcements may be forthcoming and whether the families will be making any statements of course themselves -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: We expect, Barbara, a briefing from Baghdad at 8:30 a.m., a couple minutes from now. We can see some of the shots where they're getting it up and running. We're going to bring that to everybody live when it happens. And maybe we'll get some more information we can share.

Thanks, Barbara Starr, at the Pentagon for us.

(NEWSBREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Let's take you right to Baghdad now. Major General William Caldwell is going to begin briefing everybody from Baghdad on the latest developments. Let's listen in.

MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM CALDWELL (USA), SPOKESMAN, MULTINATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ: Ladies and gentlemen, this week has been one of sadness and hope, uncertainty and anticipation.

This afternoon, we're going to provide you an update on the people that are very dear to us and for those who also threaten our very existence, on tangible steps that the Iraqis are making toward a self-sustaining democracy and the genuine struggles that exist along that path.

There have been press reports that have gone on this afternoon saying that we have, in fact, found the remains of our two missing soldiers. What I would just say at this point is we, as an armed force of the United States, have an obligation first and foremost to those families who have either lost or have someone missing. And to them we owe our first responsibility of any reporting.

It would be inappropriate and very inconsiderate for us to say anything further about the ongoing search, and either confirming or denying any reports as to the status and whereabouts of either PFC Menchaca or PFC Tucker.

And I would ask for everybody to please give those families the due respect and dignity they deserve in hearing any reporting first to the armed forces of the United States and not on the national media.

The search has been extremely extensive and continuing to look for our two soldiers whose duty status and whereabouts was unknown.

First slide.

Since Friday evening, on June 16th, when they turned up duty status unknown, whereabouts unknown, we have conducted extensive operations. And as we stated before, over 8,000 coalition forces and Iraqi police and army forces involved in the search.

We have lost one coalition force member in that search and 12 others wounded. As you can see, we have killed two anti-Iraqi element forces and detained 78.

What's key is that we did receive 66 intelligence tips, of which 18 were rated as actionable, and we, in fact, took immediate steps and followed up on those tips.

We continue with an extensive use of all assets from national assets to internal theater assets in that quest to find our two missing soldiers.

But it doesn't stop there. I think everybody realizes that today we still have two other servicemembers, in addition to those two we just discussed, that are listed as missing here in Iraq: Sergeant Matt Maupin, who's been missing since April of 2004, and Captain Speicher, United States Navy. Both, obviously, are two that we continue to carry in a status as missing in action.

There are also 11 American citizens that today are still listed as missing in action; either DOD contractors, civilian contractors or others, but American citizens that have been reported as missing over the last three years.

A great many coalition security personnel continue to study the different kidnapping techniques that are being utilized by these different anti-Iraqi elements and tactics and techniques that they use as they continue to do this.

We are all very much aware of the atrocities that they commit, normally by the foreign fighters and some of the indigenous groups with their victims that they take into their custody.

It pains us to realize what fellow servicemembers may go through and other American citizens.

I can just say that our resolve is we'll continue until we find the final disposition and take the appropriate action against those who perpetrated this event.

What I'd like to do is go on and talk about these terrorist elements that continue to operate here within Iraq. The intensity with which we continue to work at the Al Qaida network continues.

We have stated before that the fact that we took out Al Zarqawi and decapitated the head of the outfit doesn't mean that it will not have the ability to regenerate. But during that time period of which it is attempting to return -- to regenerate, it is very vulnerable and very susceptible to further attrition by us.

During this past three or four days now -- if you would, the first slide -- we took out another very senior member of the Al Qaida network.

On Friday morning, Mansur Suliman Mansur Khalifi al-Mashhadani (ph), or known as Sheikh Mansur (ph), was killed by coalition forces in the very vicinity where we have been searching for our two missing servicemembers.

Also killed with him were two other foreign fighters. One of them was a cell leader, Abu Tariq (ph).

But this picture here is Sheikh Mansur (ph), probably identified as being probably in the top five of the Al Qaida organization. Coalition forces initially targeted a vehicle in which he and two others were inside. They attempted to flee. Coalition forces pursued them and during that time engaged the vehicle and destroyed it. We do know that Sheikh Mansur (ph) was a key leader of Al Qaida in Iraq, with excellent religious, military and leadership credentials within that organization. He was tied to the senior leadership, including having relationships with both Zarqawi and with al-Masri.

We do think that his death will significantly continue to impact on the ability of this organization to regenerate and reorganize itself.

Sheikh Mansur (ph) was approximately 35 to 37 years old; had received religious training in Jordan sometime around in the 1990s.

We had had him in our possession at one time as a captive. He was captured by the multinational forces in July of 2004, at which time we had attributed him to be working for Ansar al-Islam and Ansar al-Sunna as their religious emir.

He joined Al Qaeda in Iraq, as we understand, sometime after his release in the fall of 2004. And at the time of his death we believe him to have been the religious emir for all of Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Like Abu Masri, Sheikh Mansur (ph) was considered highly qualified to take Zarqawi's place due to his leadership abilities, military experience and religious training. Mansur (ph) was a multifunctional person within the Al Qaeda in Iraq network, and was involved in recruiting, leadership and in spiritual advice.

In addition to being a top leader -- next slide -- Sheikh Mansur (ph) was -- reportedly served as a right-hand man of Zarqawi's, and also served as a liaison between Al Qaeda in Iraq and the various tribes in the Yusufiyah area, as well as playing a key role in their media operations.

O'BRIEN: You are listening to Major General William Caldwell as he does his daily briefing from Baghdad. He's talking about Sheikh Mansour, an al Qaeda operative, killed. The latest progress, he says, against the insurgents in Iraq.

More importantly he began his update trying to clarify some of the conflicting information we've been getting out of Baghdad this morning. He confirmed that in fact bodies had been found, but no confirmation of the identity of the two bodies found. He especially asked for sensitivity for family members of the two soldiers who are missing, and the bodies were found in the area where these two men are believed to have been missing. Private First Class Thomas Tucker, 25 years old, and Private First Class Kristian Menchaca, 23 years old, no confirmation at this point of identity. Asked, though, for sensitivity for the family members at this time, and referred all questions back to official military briefings and updates for the final confirmation, or confirmation at some point when it comes.

So we're continuing to monitor this briefing coming to us from the major general. We're going to take a short break. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROBERTS: His name is J.B. Rutagarama and his story is a remarkable one. Born and raised in Rwanda, he was marked for murder during the country's genocide and fled. When he returned years later, he had a camera to chronicle his journey back home. The result is an award-winning documentary.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eventually they made it to my house, and they came looking for me. They asked, where is that tall Tutsi boy who lives here? My brother said he didn't know, but I was hiding in the bushes, shaking. My best friend Olivier (ph) and his whole family has just been found chopped up, and I thought for sure these were going to be my last moments alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: It really is an extraordinary first person perspective, titled "Back Home: How One Boy Found Hope in the Scars of Rwanda." And hope is the theme of this United Nations World Refugee Day.

J.B. Rutagarama joins us now. Good morning to you. I've watched the whole thing from stem to stern, and it is a fascinating, fascinating story. You escaped Rwanda in 1994, you went back after the 9/11 attacks. Why did they spur you to go back and what did you find when you went back home?

J.B. RUTAGARAMA, SURVIVOR OF RWANDAN GENOCIDE: I was lucky enough to get out alive. And for me to have gone back was more of just searching for the answers and also the remaining of my family members.

ROBERTS: You were very uneasy when you first got back to Kigali.

RUTAGARAMA: It was quite daunting because I didn't leave in the best of circumstances, and I was not accepted when I went back. So it was kind of hard to deal with my own issues, my own identity.

ROBERTS: Well, I mean, it's no wonder you fled. Your father, according to the documentary and your story, packs you and your brothers into a car, left your mother behind in Kigali and fled for the border. You -- we saw that one episode from the documentary of you nearly being captured. You were almost captured again and thought you were probably going to die when you got very near to the airport. What happened? Or very near to the border -- what happened?

RUTAGARAMA: We got lucky enough, me and my brother, to get out of the country. But when we got on the other side, it was even worse, the refugee conditions, you know, we didn't have nothing to eat and we were threatened by cholera and other diseases. And I had a chance to meet two NBC reporters that we worked for, and they took us in and they became my new parents.

ROBERTS: Yes. Linda Vestor (ph), who's an old friend of mine, was one of them and it was terrific that she did that. But let me just back you up for a second. Before you got to the border, wasn't the car stopped at a checkpoint by Hutu rebels, and weren't you pulled out of the car?

RUTAGARAMA: Yes. We got to one of the checkpoints and then they -- they approached the car, and they asked everybody for an I.D. card, which determined if you should live or die. And I didn't have any because I was young, I was not an adult at the time. And when I stepped out of the car, I was very tall, and I stood a foot, foot-and- half taller than the militia...

ROBERTS: Did you think that was it for you?

RUTAGARAMA: The way he looked at me, in his eyes, he really, you know, he really wanted to kill me on the spot.

ROBERTS: And you were saying one of the things that they do -- were doing as well is tall Tutsi boys, they were cutting their legs off if they were so tall?

RUTAGARAMA: That's the first thing I thought they were going to do to me. Because he looked at my legs and looked at my face, and -- with the machete. And it was a very frightening experience.

ROBERTS: As we heard Anderson Cooper say just a little while ago, Angelina Jolie has said she doesn't know what would have happened to her children in the long-term if she hadn't adopted them. What would have happened to you had you not met Linda Vestor and her colleague and met up with them in London, where they took such care of you, even putting you -- helping you to go to college?

RUTAGARAMA: I can't imagine life would have been if I had not met them. I could have end up dying in a refugee camp from cholera or any other diseases. It's -- I can't even comprehend what -- it's -- I'm just really grateful for everything they've done. If each person -- if one person could help, you know, somebody else, another refugee or anyone from the third world country, there is hope for everybody.

ROBERTS: We're getting short on time here, but one of the things that I did want to highlight is this touching scene in the movie where you meet your mother for the first time. You had been away from her for seven years, you didn't know if she lived or died in the genocide. She was staying at the hotel Mil Colin (ph), which, of course, everybody knows from the movie "Hotel Rwanda." What was it like that moment that you saw her in the streets of that town outside of Kigali?

RUTAGARAMA: I can't describe it. That was probably best moment of my life. And just being able to hug her again, it was something I never thought I would have been able to do again.

ROBERTS: And you were crying more than she was. And she said don't cry, my son. Don't cry. How could you not?

RUTAGARAMA: It's just natural. It was natural. It was really happy. It was more tears of joy. ROBERTS: Well, it really is quite an amazing film, and something that everybody should see if they get a chance. It really does bring home on a personal level what happened in those terrible, terrible times in Rwanda.

RUTAGARAMA: Thanks. Thanks for watching it.

ROBERTS: J.B. Rutagarama, Thanks very much.

RUTAGARAMA: I really appreciate it.

ROBERTS: Appreciate it. Thanks for being with us -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: We are taking a look at business news coming up next.

Andy, good morning.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Soledad.

Which big businesses are pitching in on World Refugee Day? What are they doing, and what can you do to help?

Soledad?

O'BRIEN: Andy, thanks.

Also ahead this morning, a refugee-turned-supermodel tries to bring joy to refugees in her native land. Alek Wek joins us live to talk about her mission in Sudan. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

O'BRIEN: Today's top stories are straight ahead, plus much more global coverage of World Refugee Day, right after the short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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