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CNN Sunday Morning

Details About U.S. Military Action Against Iraq

Aired April 28, 2002 - 08:05   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.
MILES O'BRIEN: Some new details are emerging about possible United States military action against Iraq.

The goal would be to topple Saddam Hussein, no secret there.

"The New York Times" reports the Bush administration is considering an air and ground attack on Iraq in 2003. Sources tell CNN the objectives and tactics would be radically different from the first Gulf War.

We should note that the Pentagon says the president has not issued any mobilization orders and there are no official invasion plans.

Iraq is marking President Saddam Hussein's 65th birthday today. Today is an annual display of loyalty to the president.

CNN's Nic Robertson joining us from the Iraqi capital of Baghdad with more on that.

Nic, what are they doing to celebrate this birthday there?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, today, as you say, in previous years, a lot of the Iraqi people come out onto the streets to demonstrate their support for President Saddam Hussein.

No different this year. We were about 100 miles north of here, in the president's hometown of Tikrit. There were tens of thousands of people there, filing past government officials and diplomats and other dignitaries that were there to watch them go by.

It was really a procession of people on the street with banners proclaiming their loyalty to President Saddam Hussein. People we talked to told us that they were celebrating his victories, of what he had done for the country, but also woven in to this well-rehearsed tapestry of demonstration for support for President Saddam Hussein was also the theme of the Palestinians.

This year, President Saddam Hussein has wanted to show his support for the Palestinian cause, and certainly some of the choreography we saw, some of the groups of schoolgirl dancers, some of them were dressed as suicide bombers, martyrs, as they call them here. Others also celebrating the Palestinian cause, dancing around a symbol of one of Islam's holiest shrines in Jerusalem. Also today, government officials here saying that the demonstrations very much to show, at this time, while the United States is threatening to topple President Saddam Hussein, they say these demonstrations designed to show how much the people of Iraq support President Saddam Hussein.

O'BRIEN: All right. CNN's Nic Robertson -- thank you very much. Appreciate it.

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