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CNN Saturday Morning News
Casualties Continue to Mount in Iraq
Aired December 13, 2003 - 07:06 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.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, the casualties continue to mount in Iraq, with two new American deaths yesterday.
Our Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf, joins us now from the Iraqi capital, where coalition authorities have just held a news conference. Jane?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Renay, we've just heard from the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, who says that the coalition will be looking at the issue of how much they're going to pay Iraqi army recruits.
Now, this after almost half of the first battalion of the much- touted new Iraqi army quit, citing bad pay and bad conditions. Sanchez told reporters that they understand the need to give them better decent living conditions and a decent standard of living, and they would be looking into that.
They make right now about $60 a month, that's starting pay, more than they would have made before the war, but still not enough to raise a family on here, they say.
Sanchez also warning that there could be more attacks at the months go on, that this transfer to power from the U.S. to an Iraqi government, whatever way that takes shape, he says there are expected to be more attacks on Iraqi targets, more attacks on all sorts of targets as that process goes forward, Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: Jane, one of the attacks yesterday involved another improvised explosive device left on a roadside and detonated as a convoy went by. Can you give us some idea of what the coalition is trying to do to counter that particular tactic? I realize it's difficult to do any kind of sweeps or anything like that on the roads. But, you know, is the coalition varying the routes that it's taking to go from place to place or doing any kind of sweeps at all?
ARRAF: They're actually doing a lot, and they say they've had quite a lot of success. In some areas, for instance, they say that they find or defuse or prevent 50 percent of IED attacks. Those are improvised explosive devices, homemade bombs of any kind.
Now, the success rate isn't that good in other parts of the country and other regions and other neighborhoods, even. But what they are doing, as you mentioned, is taking more precautions. In fact, in some places, you see signs being put up on the outside of checkpoints and military bases directed at the soldiers, saying, Are you ready for the next attack?
One of the things is to be more vigilant, to let soldiers know exactly what these things look for, and what to look for.
And the other end of it, Renay, they're trying to crack down on actually the bomb makers themselves. And they say they've had some success. Here in Baghdad, they've cracked, they say, perhaps half of the cells and seized quite a lot of bomb-making equipment, Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: All right, Jane Arraf, reporting live from Baghdad. Thank you, 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 December 13, 2003 - 07:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, the casualties continue to mount in Iraq, with two new American deaths yesterday.
Our Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf, joins us now from the Iraqi capital, where coalition authorities have just held a news conference. Jane?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Renay, we've just heard from the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, who says that the coalition will be looking at the issue of how much they're going to pay Iraqi army recruits.
Now, this after almost half of the first battalion of the much- touted new Iraqi army quit, citing bad pay and bad conditions. Sanchez told reporters that they understand the need to give them better decent living conditions and a decent standard of living, and they would be looking into that.
They make right now about $60 a month, that's starting pay, more than they would have made before the war, but still not enough to raise a family on here, they say.
Sanchez also warning that there could be more attacks at the months go on, that this transfer to power from the U.S. to an Iraqi government, whatever way that takes shape, he says there are expected to be more attacks on Iraqi targets, more attacks on all sorts of targets as that process goes forward, Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: Jane, one of the attacks yesterday involved another improvised explosive device left on a roadside and detonated as a convoy went by. Can you give us some idea of what the coalition is trying to do to counter that particular tactic? I realize it's difficult to do any kind of sweeps or anything like that on the roads. But, you know, is the coalition varying the routes that it's taking to go from place to place or doing any kind of sweeps at all?
ARRAF: They're actually doing a lot, and they say they've had quite a lot of success. In some areas, for instance, they say that they find or defuse or prevent 50 percent of IED attacks. Those are improvised explosive devices, homemade bombs of any kind.
Now, the success rate isn't that good in other parts of the country and other regions and other neighborhoods, even. But what they are doing, as you mentioned, is taking more precautions. In fact, in some places, you see signs being put up on the outside of checkpoints and military bases directed at the soldiers, saying, Are you ready for the next attack?
One of the things is to be more vigilant, to let soldiers know exactly what these things look for, and what to look for.
And the other end of it, Renay, they're trying to crack down on actually the bomb makers themselves. And they say they've had some success. Here in Baghdad, they've cracked, they say, perhaps half of the cells and seized quite a lot of bomb-making equipment, Renay.
SAN MIGUEL: All right, Jane Arraf, reporting live from Baghdad. Thank you, 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
