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CNN Sunday Morning

Efforts Continue to Bring Order, Aid to Baghdad

Aired April 20, 2003 - 06:07   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's check in on Baghdad this morning. The situation there is far from back to normal. Efforts continue to bring order and aid to the Iraqi capital. Our Rula Amin is following developments there and she joins us now. Rula, hello.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning. It's the U.S. troops now, the U.S. soldiers, who are in charge of Baghdad after the U.S. Marines left Baghdad to go down to the south. This is the time since the fall of Baghdad that we see the U.S. Army here making sure they are in charge of city, taking care of the security on the streets of Baghdad patrolling with former Iraqi policemen.

At the same time, it's Easter Sunday for Christian Iraqi. At St. Joseph's Church in Karada (ph) neighborhood, Christian Iraqis celebrated Easter there. The ceremony was void of any talk of politics. People were only told that they should pray for peace, for those who were killed and those who were wounded.

Though Easter here comes at a time where there is anxiety among Christian Iraqis, about a quarter million of them, they have been living in a secular state for decades and now after the removal of Saddam Hussein, they're starting to hear calls from some Iraqis calling for the establishment of an Islamic state. And some Christians are worried.

At the same time, we're seeing other Iraqis trying to get on with their lives. Today, we went and saw students at Saddam's Medical Center University. They changed the name of that school. Now it's called "Iraq's Medical School." And the students there, they have been going to school for three days. They have been off school for the past -- over six weeks because of the war and the preparations for war. And it's worth noting that the teachers there are teaching the students, fulfilling their duties, without getting paid because they were getting paid by the government of Iraq. Now there is no government and they're not getting any salaries. Still, they are determined to get on with their lives. Daryn?

KAGAN: Rula, an ongoing question about the power and electricity program in Baghdad -- how does that stand today?

AMIN: It's still a problem. The U.S. troops, along with Iraqi engineers, Iraqi workers, are trying hard to restore it, but only a few hundred homes so far have electricity. Most of the five million people in Baghdad are still without power. Daryn.

KAGAN: Rula Amin, from the Iraqi capital. Rula, thank you. 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 April 20, 2003 - 06:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's check in on Baghdad this morning. The situation there is far from back to normal. Efforts continue to bring order and aid to the Iraqi capital. Our Rula Amin is following developments there and she joins us now. Rula, hello.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning. It's the U.S. troops now, the U.S. soldiers, who are in charge of Baghdad after the U.S. Marines left Baghdad to go down to the south. This is the time since the fall of Baghdad that we see the U.S. Army here making sure they are in charge of city, taking care of the security on the streets of Baghdad patrolling with former Iraqi policemen.

At the same time, it's Easter Sunday for Christian Iraqi. At St. Joseph's Church in Karada (ph) neighborhood, Christian Iraqis celebrated Easter there. The ceremony was void of any talk of politics. People were only told that they should pray for peace, for those who were killed and those who were wounded.

Though Easter here comes at a time where there is anxiety among Christian Iraqis, about a quarter million of them, they have been living in a secular state for decades and now after the removal of Saddam Hussein, they're starting to hear calls from some Iraqis calling for the establishment of an Islamic state. And some Christians are worried.

At the same time, we're seeing other Iraqis trying to get on with their lives. Today, we went and saw students at Saddam's Medical Center University. They changed the name of that school. Now it's called "Iraq's Medical School." And the students there, they have been going to school for three days. They have been off school for the past -- over six weeks because of the war and the preparations for war. And it's worth noting that the teachers there are teaching the students, fulfilling their duties, without getting paid because they were getting paid by the government of Iraq. Now there is no government and they're not getting any salaries. Still, they are determined to get on with their lives. Daryn?

KAGAN: Rula, an ongoing question about the power and electricity program in Baghdad -- how does that stand today?

AMIN: It's still a problem. The U.S. troops, along with Iraqi engineers, Iraqi workers, are trying hard to restore it, but only a few hundred homes so far have electricity. Most of the five million people in Baghdad are still without power. Daryn.

KAGAN: Rula Amin, from the Iraqi capital. Rula, thank you. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com