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CNN Sunday Morning
U.S. Soldier Shot, Critically Wounded in Iraq
Aired July 06, 2003 - 09:09 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.
KRIS OSBORN, CNN ANCHOR: There is another developing story out of Baghdad, where yet another American soldier has come under attack. U.S. military officials say he was shot and critically wounded while guarding Baghdad University just a few hours ago. Let's go now for the very latest on this to the Iraqi capital where CNN Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf is standing by with the latest.
Hello, Jane. What are you learning?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Kris. Well, he was shot at close range we know that much. And it was a second such attack in two days.
Now this was an American soldier who was with a group of other soldiers as they were visiting one of the major university campuses. He was apparently, according to witnesses who were talking to us, standing with a group of Iraqi students and other people when someone came up and shot him in the head. He was taken away to a hospital, critically injured, and at last word remained in critical condition.
Now this is just a day after another similar shooting, very close range, in broad daylight, across town, near another university campus. This was a British journalist, a television cameraman, 24-years old only, Richard Wild, who had come here, according to his colleagues, just two weeks ago because he wanted to be a war correspondent.
Now according to witnesses there, he was also in a busy street. He was a former soldier and had been chatting with soldiers, but was on a busy street when he was shot at very close range as well, the latest in a series of incidents.
Now in Ramadi, that town west of Baghdad, residents there are mourning the deaths of seven Iraqis who were killed when a bomb blast went off at a police graduation ceremony. This follows a couple of days after a message from someone purporting to be Saddam Hussein, calling on people to attack collaborators with U.S. and British forces. The fear is, though, that these are not just Saddam loyalists who are launching attacks, that it could be wider than that -- Kris?
OSBORN: You know, Jane, some military officials will tell you that they're very happy to have the -- that the Iraqis are very happy that they're there. Whereas others say the anti-American sentiment is very, very real. What are you hearing from Iraqis?
ARRAF: We're trying to be really balanced about this, Kris, because there is a danger, obviously, of coming across as too negative. But we do hear more and more that sentiment is turning a little bit. And every time a shooting like this happens in daylight outside a university as it's happened, outside various other places, outside a museum, it really creates that climate where people are afraid to go there. And because they're afraid to go there, they tend to associate it with the presence of American soldiers. It's gotten to the point now where really most Iraqis feel it is not safe to be seen around American soldiers, which leads to a cycle where nothing appears safe.
There is -- always has been a considerable sentiment against an American presence in Iraq. It's an Arab and Muslim country. Now at first they welcomed, the troops, but that feeling seems to be wearing off a little bit -- Kris?
OSBORN: CNN Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf. Thank you very much.
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 July 6, 2003 - 09:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KRIS OSBORN, CNN ANCHOR: There is another developing story out of Baghdad, where yet another American soldier has come under attack. U.S. military officials say he was shot and critically wounded while guarding Baghdad University just a few hours ago. Let's go now for the very latest on this to the Iraqi capital where CNN Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf is standing by with the latest.
Hello, Jane. What are you learning?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Kris. Well, he was shot at close range we know that much. And it was a second such attack in two days.
Now this was an American soldier who was with a group of other soldiers as they were visiting one of the major university campuses. He was apparently, according to witnesses who were talking to us, standing with a group of Iraqi students and other people when someone came up and shot him in the head. He was taken away to a hospital, critically injured, and at last word remained in critical condition.
Now this is just a day after another similar shooting, very close range, in broad daylight, across town, near another university campus. This was a British journalist, a television cameraman, 24-years old only, Richard Wild, who had come here, according to his colleagues, just two weeks ago because he wanted to be a war correspondent.
Now according to witnesses there, he was also in a busy street. He was a former soldier and had been chatting with soldiers, but was on a busy street when he was shot at very close range as well, the latest in a series of incidents.
Now in Ramadi, that town west of Baghdad, residents there are mourning the deaths of seven Iraqis who were killed when a bomb blast went off at a police graduation ceremony. This follows a couple of days after a message from someone purporting to be Saddam Hussein, calling on people to attack collaborators with U.S. and British forces. The fear is, though, that these are not just Saddam loyalists who are launching attacks, that it could be wider than that -- Kris?
OSBORN: You know, Jane, some military officials will tell you that they're very happy to have the -- that the Iraqis are very happy that they're there. Whereas others say the anti-American sentiment is very, very real. What are you hearing from Iraqis?
ARRAF: We're trying to be really balanced about this, Kris, because there is a danger, obviously, of coming across as too negative. But we do hear more and more that sentiment is turning a little bit. And every time a shooting like this happens in daylight outside a university as it's happened, outside various other places, outside a museum, it really creates that climate where people are afraid to go there. And because they're afraid to go there, they tend to associate it with the presence of American soldiers. It's gotten to the point now where really most Iraqis feel it is not safe to be seen around American soldiers, which leads to a cycle where nothing appears safe.
There is -- always has been a considerable sentiment against an American presence in Iraq. It's an Arab and Muslim country. Now at first they welcomed, the troops, but that feeling seems to be wearing off a little bit -- Kris?
OSBORN: CNN Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf. Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
