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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview With Mark Stainbrook
Aired April 19, 2003 - 09:08 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: Let's go live to Baghdad now. There were more anti-U.S. protests in the city today.
Our Baghdad bureau chief, Rula Amin, is joining us now with details on that. Hello once again, Rula.
RULA AMIN, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Heidi.
Every day we've been having professors coming here to the Palestine Hotel to talk and make their voices heard to the Marines and to the journalists who are staying here at the Palestine Hotel.
Today they were asking the U.S. troops to leave Iraq. They were saying these are occupying forces, and they wanted them to leave the country. They said they wanted to make sure that it's only Iraqis who rule Iraq and decide its future.
But it's not all Iraqis are having this opinion. We have seen Iraqis in the past few days actually helping the U.S. troops here to capture Iraqi officials. On Friday, an Iraqi civilian went to the Iraqi police and told them that the he thought the Iraqi former finance minister and Saddam Hussein's deputy prime minister in one of the neighborhoods.
The Iraqi policemen went on their own to one of the homes where they suspected that he was there. They knocked on the door. He opened the door for them did not resist the arrest. And he actually told them that he considered surrendering, but he didn't know how to do it. And they told us he seemed relieved that he was being arrested.
Now, with us here is Major Stainbrook. He is with the U.S. Marines. And he is going to tell us more about this.
Can you tell me first about this incident? How significant is his capture?
MAJ. MARK STAINBROOK, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Oh, it's very significant. A week ago, we started working with the Iraqi police. We had nothing but a looted station, no vehicles, no officers. Now we can field approximately 600 officers, in conjunction with U.S. military patrols. We are working on the station, we're making arrests, and getting thing done.
AMIN: How is the relationship? I mean, we have people here saying that you are an occupying force, and yet you're working with Iraqi policemen who used to work for Saddam Hussein. How does it work?
STAINBROOK: It's an excellent relationship. I'm a police officer in the United States, and the police officers here are very much similar to us. We work together well as a team. We have made numerous arrests of looters. And I would say it's very important to note that yesterday's arrest was made just by Iraqi policemen. There was no U.S. military presence at the time.
AMIN: Well, let me ask you, how important for you to do your job, in order -- that you should have the help of the local people?
STAINBROOK: It's very important. The U.S. military wants the Iraqi people to take charge and to help rebuild Iraq, help rebuild their country. And we want to help them do it so we can turn it back over to them so they can start- restart their own government.
AMIN: The U.S. Marines is turning over Baghdad, the care of Baghdad, to the U.S. troops, and you're leaving Baghdad tomorrow. How does it feel to be in Baghdad, how did it feel to be here, and how does is it feel now that you're leaving? Are you relieved?
STAINBROOK: I've enjoyed my stay here. Everyone has treated me with hospitality and as a guest. I will miss my Iraqi counterparts in the police. I thank them for everything. I think we've left something good to start to turn over to the Army. And they seem very motivated and should do well in the future with the start that we've made for the Baghdad police department.
AMIN: What was the most difficult part in your journey here in Iraq?
STAINBROOK: Well, there are cultural and language difficulties that we've had to overcome, and we've had to start with nothing. But because of the overwhelming support of the officers coming in, we have been able to surmount those odds and actually do a lot in this week. It has been interesting, and probably the most exciting time for my life.
AMIN: Thank you very much.
Now, that was Major Stainbrook, he's with the U.S. Marines, and he is leaving Baghdad tomorrow because the U.S. Marines are turning over this assignment of taking care of Baghdad and being in charge of Baghdad to the U.S. Army. They are here, the streets now, today, looked a bit strange, because this turnover, some streets had where there were no patrols, and people felt a bit uneasy, they felt the streets were unsafe again.
So it's going to be interesting. How will the Iraqis treat the U.S. Army now, Heidi?
COLLINS: We will wait to see about that. All right. Rula Amin in Baghdad, along with Major Stainbrook, thanks so 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 April 19, 2003 - 09:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go live to Baghdad now. There were more anti-U.S. protests in the city today.
Our Baghdad bureau chief, Rula Amin, is joining us now with details on that. Hello once again, Rula.
RULA AMIN, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Heidi.
Every day we've been having professors coming here to the Palestine Hotel to talk and make their voices heard to the Marines and to the journalists who are staying here at the Palestine Hotel.
Today they were asking the U.S. troops to leave Iraq. They were saying these are occupying forces, and they wanted them to leave the country. They said they wanted to make sure that it's only Iraqis who rule Iraq and decide its future.
But it's not all Iraqis are having this opinion. We have seen Iraqis in the past few days actually helping the U.S. troops here to capture Iraqi officials. On Friday, an Iraqi civilian went to the Iraqi police and told them that the he thought the Iraqi former finance minister and Saddam Hussein's deputy prime minister in one of the neighborhoods.
The Iraqi policemen went on their own to one of the homes where they suspected that he was there. They knocked on the door. He opened the door for them did not resist the arrest. And he actually told them that he considered surrendering, but he didn't know how to do it. And they told us he seemed relieved that he was being arrested.
Now, with us here is Major Stainbrook. He is with the U.S. Marines. And he is going to tell us more about this.
Can you tell me first about this incident? How significant is his capture?
MAJ. MARK STAINBROOK, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Oh, it's very significant. A week ago, we started working with the Iraqi police. We had nothing but a looted station, no vehicles, no officers. Now we can field approximately 600 officers, in conjunction with U.S. military patrols. We are working on the station, we're making arrests, and getting thing done.
AMIN: How is the relationship? I mean, we have people here saying that you are an occupying force, and yet you're working with Iraqi policemen who used to work for Saddam Hussein. How does it work?
STAINBROOK: It's an excellent relationship. I'm a police officer in the United States, and the police officers here are very much similar to us. We work together well as a team. We have made numerous arrests of looters. And I would say it's very important to note that yesterday's arrest was made just by Iraqi policemen. There was no U.S. military presence at the time.
AMIN: Well, let me ask you, how important for you to do your job, in order -- that you should have the help of the local people?
STAINBROOK: It's very important. The U.S. military wants the Iraqi people to take charge and to help rebuild Iraq, help rebuild their country. And we want to help them do it so we can turn it back over to them so they can start- restart their own government.
AMIN: The U.S. Marines is turning over Baghdad, the care of Baghdad, to the U.S. troops, and you're leaving Baghdad tomorrow. How does it feel to be in Baghdad, how did it feel to be here, and how does is it feel now that you're leaving? Are you relieved?
STAINBROOK: I've enjoyed my stay here. Everyone has treated me with hospitality and as a guest. I will miss my Iraqi counterparts in the police. I thank them for everything. I think we've left something good to start to turn over to the Army. And they seem very motivated and should do well in the future with the start that we've made for the Baghdad police department.
AMIN: What was the most difficult part in your journey here in Iraq?
STAINBROOK: Well, there are cultural and language difficulties that we've had to overcome, and we've had to start with nothing. But because of the overwhelming support of the officers coming in, we have been able to surmount those odds and actually do a lot in this week. It has been interesting, and probably the most exciting time for my life.
AMIN: Thank you very much.
Now, that was Major Stainbrook, he's with the U.S. Marines, and he is leaving Baghdad tomorrow because the U.S. Marines are turning over this assignment of taking care of Baghdad and being in charge of Baghdad to the U.S. Army. They are here, the streets now, today, looked a bit strange, because this turnover, some streets had where there were no patrols, and people felt a bit uneasy, they felt the streets were unsafe again.
So it's going to be interesting. How will the Iraqis treat the U.S. Army now, Heidi?
COLLINS: We will wait to see about that. All right. Rula Amin in Baghdad, along with Major Stainbrook, thanks so 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
