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CNN Sunday Morning

Troops Just Miss Capturing Saddam's Security Chief

Aired July 27, 2003 - 10:04   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.


ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: In Iraq, close but no cigar.
The hunt for Saddam Hussein may have come close to a capture. The Associated Press reports U.S. forces just missed catching Saddam's new security chief and possibly the ex--Iraqi leader himself.

This development is reported as another American is killed in an attack.

With more on these stories, CNN's Rym Brahimi is live in Baghdad, after really what has been, I guess, one of the bloodiest weeks so far since the war ended, Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Andrea.

In this latest incident, one U.S. soldier was killed. He was attached to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

He was killed in a town about 30 kilometers south of Baghdad, and he was killed by grenade attack. It happened at about 2:30 in the morning.

But as you mentioned, there's been some -- in the past eight days, Andrea, 15 U.S. soldiers have died. Just yesterday, four soldiers died in two separate attacks, four others were wounded.

And it's not just the Sunni triangle. It seems where violence seems to erupt between U.S. forces and Iraqis in Karbala, the holy Shiite city of Karbala, which is south of Baghdad, about an hour and a half's drive away from here. Well, there were major clashes, and that's been going on all day today between U.S. troops there and Iraqis.

It happened when Iraqis accused the U.S. troops of having killed a man. They started throwing stones at the U.S. troops there. They accused the troops of wanting to enter the holy shrine in Karbala, and U.S. troops just responded initially by firing gunfire in the air. But that's been a very, very tense day in the southern city of Karbala today.

And, of course, this comes, Andrea, just as we're expecting anytime now, General Richard Myers, the joint chief of staffs, the commander of the -- chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, he's supposed to arrive in Iraq to spend less than 24 hours to be briefed on the situation here. And what a tense time he arrives -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Rym Brahimi in Baghdad, thanks so much.

After the deaths of Saddam Hussein's sons, the U.S. military has its sights set on their father. With reaction to the reports of the near capture of Saddam and his top bodyguard, we go to Chris Plante at the Pentagon.

Are they confirming this yet, Chris?

CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I spoke to some people in Baghdad, a joint task force sent in a short time ago. And what they're confirming is that they launched three raids early this morning against three separate farms in the area of Tikrit, Tikrit being Saddam Hussein's hometown.

The raids were based on intelligence, I'm told, that indicated that Saddam Hussein's security chief, his new security chief, was at one of these locations. It turned out that he was not at any of these locations. In fact, no one was detained in any of the raids. There were no casualties on either side.

But neighbors told them that this man that they were looking for, the security chief, had been there a short time before the raids.

So the question as to whether Saddam Hussein may have been there is a little bit up in the air. According to what the military is saying, they were pew pursuing his security chief and not Saddam himself. But if you find a security chief, can Saddam be far behind? That's sort of the question here.

But for the military, as far as they're concerned and saying publicly, they said they're pursuing the security chief, that it's the next step in pursuing Saddam Hussein. They certainly are, they feel, in hot pursuit of Saddam at this point.

And they're hopeful that his security situation has weakened, given that his sons, Uday and Qusay, who were an important part of his apparatus of fear, of terror, were killed earlier in the week. So the hope is that that's weakened his position and that they are hot on his trail.

But I haven't found anyone who has actually told me that they thought that Saddam was there 24 hours earlier -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: OK. Well, I'm sure a lot of people anxiously waiting to see if, in fact, Saddam could be captured sometime soon.

Chris Plante at the Pentagon, 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 July 27, 2003 - 10:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: In Iraq, close but no cigar.
The hunt for Saddam Hussein may have come close to a capture. The Associated Press reports U.S. forces just missed catching Saddam's new security chief and possibly the ex--Iraqi leader himself.

This development is reported as another American is killed in an attack.

With more on these stories, CNN's Rym Brahimi is live in Baghdad, after really what has been, I guess, one of the bloodiest weeks so far since the war ended, Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Andrea.

In this latest incident, one U.S. soldier was killed. He was attached to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

He was killed in a town about 30 kilometers south of Baghdad, and he was killed by grenade attack. It happened at about 2:30 in the morning.

But as you mentioned, there's been some -- in the past eight days, Andrea, 15 U.S. soldiers have died. Just yesterday, four soldiers died in two separate attacks, four others were wounded.

And it's not just the Sunni triangle. It seems where violence seems to erupt between U.S. forces and Iraqis in Karbala, the holy Shiite city of Karbala, which is south of Baghdad, about an hour and a half's drive away from here. Well, there were major clashes, and that's been going on all day today between U.S. troops there and Iraqis.

It happened when Iraqis accused the U.S. troops of having killed a man. They started throwing stones at the U.S. troops there. They accused the troops of wanting to enter the holy shrine in Karbala, and U.S. troops just responded initially by firing gunfire in the air. But that's been a very, very tense day in the southern city of Karbala today.

And, of course, this comes, Andrea, just as we're expecting anytime now, General Richard Myers, the joint chief of staffs, the commander of the -- chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, he's supposed to arrive in Iraq to spend less than 24 hours to be briefed on the situation here. And what a tense time he arrives -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Rym Brahimi in Baghdad, thanks so much.

After the deaths of Saddam Hussein's sons, the U.S. military has its sights set on their father. With reaction to the reports of the near capture of Saddam and his top bodyguard, we go to Chris Plante at the Pentagon.

Are they confirming this yet, Chris?

CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I spoke to some people in Baghdad, a joint task force sent in a short time ago. And what they're confirming is that they launched three raids early this morning against three separate farms in the area of Tikrit, Tikrit being Saddam Hussein's hometown.

The raids were based on intelligence, I'm told, that indicated that Saddam Hussein's security chief, his new security chief, was at one of these locations. It turned out that he was not at any of these locations. In fact, no one was detained in any of the raids. There were no casualties on either side.

But neighbors told them that this man that they were looking for, the security chief, had been there a short time before the raids.

So the question as to whether Saddam Hussein may have been there is a little bit up in the air. According to what the military is saying, they were pew pursuing his security chief and not Saddam himself. But if you find a security chief, can Saddam be far behind? That's sort of the question here.

But for the military, as far as they're concerned and saying publicly, they said they're pursuing the security chief, that it's the next step in pursuing Saddam Hussein. They certainly are, they feel, in hot pursuit of Saddam at this point.

And they're hopeful that his security situation has weakened, given that his sons, Uday and Qusay, who were an important part of his apparatus of fear, of terror, were killed earlier in the week. So the hope is that that's weakened his position and that they are hot on his trail.

But I haven't found anyone who has actually told me that they thought that Saddam was there 24 hours earlier -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: OK. Well, I'm sure a lot of people anxiously waiting to see if, in fact, Saddam could be captured sometime soon.

Chris Plante at the Pentagon, 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