Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Saturday Morning News
Security Situation in Northern Iraq Improves
Aired April 26, 2003 - 09:37 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.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: We have been talking a lot this morning about developments in Baghdad. Let's shift our focus now to northern Iraq.
CNN's Jane Arraf has been talking to the commander of the 101st Airborne Division about reconstruction efforts there -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he tells us, Major General David Petraeus, that actually the security situation has improved dramatically. And proof of that, he says, is, they haven't been shot at in 48 hours. Now, that is a change from the city that the general describes as the center of gravity in northwest Iraq. This is a very fractious city, very multiethnic, no real dominant faction there in control.
And the general also told us that every day, the Army, the 101st Division, was doing things to things back on track and get that city working again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION: Again, the first thing is, you have to establish an environment in which people feel secure. That is the paramount issue.
We believe that we've made progress in that regard in the last three days, last four days, substantial progress, to the point where you see businesses have reopened.
As I mentioned earlier, schools and the university have reopened. Gradually students are going back into the classroom. I mentioned gasoline coming back into the city yesterday, propane coming in tomorrow, the railroad resuming a test run tomorrow, at least.
And so lots of progress in a lot of different areas that will help return a sense of normalcy to a city that really did suffer some damage during a period when there was a vacuum of authority.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now, that vacuum was essentially the problem, and the general said that some mistakes may have been made. Now, among those mistakes, possibly, was that U.S. forces didn't come in until many hours after Iraqi forces withdrew, and there was virtually an orgy of looting that destroyed some parts, many buildings in the city. The other thing is that now that the Iraqi government is gone, it's laid it open to all sorts of power struggles. One of them involved someone who declared himself governor, who was shot at. Now, several people were killed in that incident.
General Petraeus has said he sat down with local leaders, and explained to them that while it's OK to shout at each other, it's not OK to shoot at each other. A learning process.
Back to you.
ARENA: It sure is. Thanks so much, Jane.
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 26, 2003 - 09:37 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: We have been talking a lot this morning about developments in Baghdad. Let's shift our focus now to northern Iraq.
CNN's Jane Arraf has been talking to the commander of the 101st Airborne Division about reconstruction efforts there -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he tells us, Major General David Petraeus, that actually the security situation has improved dramatically. And proof of that, he says, is, they haven't been shot at in 48 hours. Now, that is a change from the city that the general describes as the center of gravity in northwest Iraq. This is a very fractious city, very multiethnic, no real dominant faction there in control.
And the general also told us that every day, the Army, the 101st Division, was doing things to things back on track and get that city working again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION: Again, the first thing is, you have to establish an environment in which people feel secure. That is the paramount issue.
We believe that we've made progress in that regard in the last three days, last four days, substantial progress, to the point where you see businesses have reopened.
As I mentioned earlier, schools and the university have reopened. Gradually students are going back into the classroom. I mentioned gasoline coming back into the city yesterday, propane coming in tomorrow, the railroad resuming a test run tomorrow, at least.
And so lots of progress in a lot of different areas that will help return a sense of normalcy to a city that really did suffer some damage during a period when there was a vacuum of authority.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now, that vacuum was essentially the problem, and the general said that some mistakes may have been made. Now, among those mistakes, possibly, was that U.S. forces didn't come in until many hours after Iraqi forces withdrew, and there was virtually an orgy of looting that destroyed some parts, many buildings in the city. The other thing is that now that the Iraqi government is gone, it's laid it open to all sorts of power struggles. One of them involved someone who declared himself governor, who was shot at. Now, several people were killed in that incident.
General Petraeus has said he sat down with local leaders, and explained to them that while it's OK to shout at each other, it's not OK to shoot at each other. A learning process.
Back to you.
ARENA: It sure is. Thanks so much, Jane.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
