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CNN Sunday Morning

Rocket Attack in Iraq Targets Al Rasheed Hotel

Aired October 26, 2003 - 09:32   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.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: A rocket attack in Iraq targeted a hotel housing American officials including visiting Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. As many as eight missiles hit the al- Rasheed Hotel. One U.S. soldier was killed in the attack, 15 other people were wounded.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: We know now that Wolfowitz's room was on the side of the hotel hit by the rockets but he was high above the damaged area. Still a terrifying early morning. Now he addressed the media shortly after that barrage happened. He was clearly shaken.

For more on the story we go to Chris Plante live at the Pentagon. Chris, considering that and what happened earlier in Tikrit, can you tell us if authorities there believe Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz was indeed the target of the attacks?

CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's not crystal clear at this point. Certainly the operating assumption is that the secretary, being a high profile member of the administration, would be the likely target of this type of attack. The attack on the hotel, as you just said, on the side where the secretary was staying, would indicate that they were targeting the secretary. The number two man in the Defense Department, considered to be one of the primary architects of the global war on terrorism and one of the leading advocates of the invasion of Iraq would certainly be a high priority target for anti-U.S. and coalition forces there. But it's not 100 percent clear because you need more information than just this.

He was also in Tikrit yesterday, as you mentioned, and there was an incident there when he was visiting Tikrit, or a short time after his visit to Tikrit, there was an attack on a U.S. helicopter. Rocket-propelled grenade fired at that Blackhawk helicopter which went down. One soldier was injured in that attack. Secretary Wolfowitz was also traveling by helicopter. Not clear at all whether these two incidents were connected, since in Tikrit there has been a lot of anti-coalition violence. Sean?

CALLEBS: Chris, when someone of his stature goes to an area like that what kind of profile does he keep? Seemingly everybody is going to know where he goes to and from.

PLANTE: Security is a very important issue, of course, knowing that he would be a high priority target for the anti-coalition elements there. But it is difficult to maintain a low profile. You travel in a fairly large group, a significant security entourage, press traveling with him from the United States, a number of helicopters, when he moves from point a to point b, and motorcades, heavy security surrounding these motorcades when he moves from helipad to the hotel, for example, and while staying in a hotel such as the al-Rasheed, well-known hotel in Baghdad, certainly people in the area are aware that he is there. But he was, for example, out in a public marketplace yesterday mingling with Iraqi civilians, again flanked by heavy security, but out in public. His profile has been fairly significant.

CALLEBS: OK. And his message remains the same, that the U.S. and coalition forces will not be deterred by this. Chris Plante, thank you very much.

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Aired October 26, 2003 - 09:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: A rocket attack in Iraq targeted a hotel housing American officials including visiting Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. As many as eight missiles hit the al- Rasheed Hotel. One U.S. soldier was killed in the attack, 15 other people were wounded.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: We know now that Wolfowitz's room was on the side of the hotel hit by the rockets but he was high above the damaged area. Still a terrifying early morning. Now he addressed the media shortly after that barrage happened. He was clearly shaken.

For more on the story we go to Chris Plante live at the Pentagon. Chris, considering that and what happened earlier in Tikrit, can you tell us if authorities there believe Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz was indeed the target of the attacks?

CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's not crystal clear at this point. Certainly the operating assumption is that the secretary, being a high profile member of the administration, would be the likely target of this type of attack. The attack on the hotel, as you just said, on the side where the secretary was staying, would indicate that they were targeting the secretary. The number two man in the Defense Department, considered to be one of the primary architects of the global war on terrorism and one of the leading advocates of the invasion of Iraq would certainly be a high priority target for anti-U.S. and coalition forces there. But it's not 100 percent clear because you need more information than just this.

He was also in Tikrit yesterday, as you mentioned, and there was an incident there when he was visiting Tikrit, or a short time after his visit to Tikrit, there was an attack on a U.S. helicopter. Rocket-propelled grenade fired at that Blackhawk helicopter which went down. One soldier was injured in that attack. Secretary Wolfowitz was also traveling by helicopter. Not clear at all whether these two incidents were connected, since in Tikrit there has been a lot of anti-coalition violence. Sean?

CALLEBS: Chris, when someone of his stature goes to an area like that what kind of profile does he keep? Seemingly everybody is going to know where he goes to and from.

PLANTE: Security is a very important issue, of course, knowing that he would be a high priority target for the anti-coalition elements there. But it is difficult to maintain a low profile. You travel in a fairly large group, a significant security entourage, press traveling with him from the United States, a number of helicopters, when he moves from point a to point b, and motorcades, heavy security surrounding these motorcades when he moves from helipad to the hotel, for example, and while staying in a hotel such as the al-Rasheed, well-known hotel in Baghdad, certainly people in the area are aware that he is there. But he was, for example, out in a public marketplace yesterday mingling with Iraqi civilians, again flanked by heavy security, but out in public. His profile has been fairly significant.

CALLEBS: OK. And his message remains the same, that the U.S. and coalition forces will not be deterred by this. Chris Plante, 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