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CNN Sunday Morning

U.S. Forces Launch Offensive in Najaf

Aired May 09, 2004 - 09:00   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.


THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi everybody. Good morning. Great to have you with us. This is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there. I'm Thomas Roberts.
SOPHIA CHOI, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Sophia Choi. Good morning, and thanks to all of you for starting your day with us.

We are watching a briefing from Baghdad this morning. Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt and coalition spokesman Dan Senor are expected to speak anytime now. When they do, we will bring it to you live.

ROBERTS: We certainly do.

We want to move on this morning and bring you what's coming up right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. We start with this: an explosion at a stadium in Chechen killed several people, including the Chechen president. We're going to have the very latest on that coming up.

The focus in Iraq today on Najaf, as U.S. troops try to take back parts of that city from a radical cleric's militia. We're going to get the very latest on the scene there from our Jane Arraf.

And then remembering mom from a world away. This is really an amazing story from Iraq to California, saying happy Mother's Day to the one you love. We reunite a mom and her daughter. That's coming up in 15 minutes. But first, here's what's happening this hour.

CHOI: An explosion in a crowded stadium this morning killed the president of Chechnya, Akhmad Kadyrov, and three other people. Forty- four people in all were injured in that blast under the stadium's VIP stand in the Chechen capital of Grozny. One of those hurt is the top commander of Russian forces in Chechnya.

In Iraq, at least five people are dead after an explosion in a crowded market in western Baghdad. Thirteen people were injured in that blast, six of them police officers. Police say a homemade bomb caused the explosion.

And happening right now, a ceremony at the Vietnam Memorial for mothers whose children served and sacrificed in the Vietnam War and other wars. Mother's Day cards made by local students are being read allowed. Later, a group of mothers will demonstrate at the Capitol, launching a campaign to keep the assault weapons ban, a campaign called Halt the Assault.

ROBERTS: U.S. forces launch a major offensive to take control over parts of the city of Najaf. That's the stronghold of anti- American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The operation's main goal is to capture or kill members of his militia. CNN's Jane Arraf is embedded with the troops and filed this report within the hour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Thomas, the tanks and troops have come back to base, but for a few hours out there, there was quite intense firing. We were out with some of those troops from the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment close to here, close to this base.

The intention was to move forward, move the U.S. military presence forward about a mile out south of the base, expanding the area that it has control of, and to kill or capture members of the Mehdi militia, that banned militia loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr. Officials here say that they have captured two to three of the militia members and killed between five and seven of them. No word of civilian casualties, and no U.S. casualties. But while we were out there, Thomas, there was mortar flying over head, rocket-propelled grenades whizzing by, and a lot of small arm's fire.

What they are trying to do here, and what they did some of today, was to capture some of those weapons. They say they detonated a major arms cache of rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. And they continue these military operations while hoping there will be some sort of political solution that will lead to an end to this -- Thomas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: Our Jane Arraf reporting from Baghdad -- or from Najaf, rather.

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 May 9, 2004 - 09:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi everybody. Good morning. Great to have you with us. This is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there. I'm Thomas Roberts.
SOPHIA CHOI, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Sophia Choi. Good morning, and thanks to all of you for starting your day with us.

We are watching a briefing from Baghdad this morning. Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt and coalition spokesman Dan Senor are expected to speak anytime now. When they do, we will bring it to you live.

ROBERTS: We certainly do.

We want to move on this morning and bring you what's coming up right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. We start with this: an explosion at a stadium in Chechen killed several people, including the Chechen president. We're going to have the very latest on that coming up.

The focus in Iraq today on Najaf, as U.S. troops try to take back parts of that city from a radical cleric's militia. We're going to get the very latest on the scene there from our Jane Arraf.

And then remembering mom from a world away. This is really an amazing story from Iraq to California, saying happy Mother's Day to the one you love. We reunite a mom and her daughter. That's coming up in 15 minutes. But first, here's what's happening this hour.

CHOI: An explosion in a crowded stadium this morning killed the president of Chechnya, Akhmad Kadyrov, and three other people. Forty- four people in all were injured in that blast under the stadium's VIP stand in the Chechen capital of Grozny. One of those hurt is the top commander of Russian forces in Chechnya.

In Iraq, at least five people are dead after an explosion in a crowded market in western Baghdad. Thirteen people were injured in that blast, six of them police officers. Police say a homemade bomb caused the explosion.

And happening right now, a ceremony at the Vietnam Memorial for mothers whose children served and sacrificed in the Vietnam War and other wars. Mother's Day cards made by local students are being read allowed. Later, a group of mothers will demonstrate at the Capitol, launching a campaign to keep the assault weapons ban, a campaign called Halt the Assault.

ROBERTS: U.S. forces launch a major offensive to take control over parts of the city of Najaf. That's the stronghold of anti- American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The operation's main goal is to capture or kill members of his militia. CNN's Jane Arraf is embedded with the troops and filed this report within the hour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Thomas, the tanks and troops have come back to base, but for a few hours out there, there was quite intense firing. We were out with some of those troops from the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment close to here, close to this base.

The intention was to move forward, move the U.S. military presence forward about a mile out south of the base, expanding the area that it has control of, and to kill or capture members of the Mehdi militia, that banned militia loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr. Officials here say that they have captured two to three of the militia members and killed between five and seven of them. No word of civilian casualties, and no U.S. casualties. But while we were out there, Thomas, there was mortar flying over head, rocket-propelled grenades whizzing by, and a lot of small arm's fire.

What they are trying to do here, and what they did some of today, was to capture some of those weapons. They say they detonated a major arms cache of rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. And they continue these military operations while hoping there will be some sort of political solution that will lead to an end to this -- Thomas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: Our Jane Arraf reporting from Baghdad -- or from Najaf, rather.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com