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CNN Saturday Morning News
An Explosion Rocks Baghdad
Aired January 03, 2004 - 07:14 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.
SEAN CALLEBS CNN ANCHOR: An explosion rocks Baghdad today, and U.S. troops there brace for more possible protest against a raid on a mosque.
CNN's Karl Penhaul is live in the Iraqi capital, bringing us up to date on the explosion that happened, what, about 45 minutes ago?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A little longer than that, Sean, about an hour and a half ago now. We have now checked with military authority here in Baghdad, and they do confirm to us that that was, in fact, a controlled explosion.
It did create some confusion to start with, even within the U.S. military, because normally these controlled explosions occur on the hour or half-past the hour. This came at quarter past the hour, and so that the reason for confusion. It did sound a big explosion, but we are told that was a controlled explosion.
Now, to bring you up to date with a couple of other incidents, in -- overnight, U.S. forces continuing their offensive against anticoalition guerrillas here in Baghdad. That operation is being called Operation Iron Grip and started before Christmas.
But last night, we heard a repeat around midnight of very loud ground-fired artillery and also one of the AC-130 Spekter (ph) gunships was flying overhead towards the southern neighborhood of Baghdad, strafing that area with Gatling guns. We also hear cannons and rockets slamming into that neighborhood.
Now, U.S. commanders say that this offensive against suspected guerrilla cells in Baghdad will continue for the foreseeable future, and again, they're targeting a finite number of areas, they say, where they believe that the guerrillas are using to launch attacks on coalition forces.
In another incident that we're just hearing wire reports on and are working to confirm this ourself, we're hearing that in the town of Blad (ph), about 40, 50 miles north of Baghdad, that there's been a mortar attack on a coalition base there. And we do understand from wire reports at this stage that one U.S. soldier has been killed in that. But we'll be bringing you up to date on that.
As you mentioned, the raid on the mosque, there's a controversy simmering here in Baghdad in religious circles. Yesterday after Friday prayers, a very large group of Sunni worshipers outside the mosque were protesting against the raid, which, in fact, occurred on January the 1st.
U.S. commanders say they went into that mosque, along with Iraqi police and members of the Iraqi civil defense committee. They say they had intelligence that it was being used to launch attacks.
U.S. commanders did detail a very long list of weaponry that was found in that mosque. But certainly, controversy because it's such a sensitive site, Sean.
CALLEBS: OK, Karl Penhaul in Baghdad, bringing us up to date on a variety of stories unfolding there. Thanks very much, Karl.
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 January 3, 2004 - 07:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS CNN ANCHOR: An explosion rocks Baghdad today, and U.S. troops there brace for more possible protest against a raid on a mosque.
CNN's Karl Penhaul is live in the Iraqi capital, bringing us up to date on the explosion that happened, what, about 45 minutes ago?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A little longer than that, Sean, about an hour and a half ago now. We have now checked with military authority here in Baghdad, and they do confirm to us that that was, in fact, a controlled explosion.
It did create some confusion to start with, even within the U.S. military, because normally these controlled explosions occur on the hour or half-past the hour. This came at quarter past the hour, and so that the reason for confusion. It did sound a big explosion, but we are told that was a controlled explosion.
Now, to bring you up to date with a couple of other incidents, in -- overnight, U.S. forces continuing their offensive against anticoalition guerrillas here in Baghdad. That operation is being called Operation Iron Grip and started before Christmas.
But last night, we heard a repeat around midnight of very loud ground-fired artillery and also one of the AC-130 Spekter (ph) gunships was flying overhead towards the southern neighborhood of Baghdad, strafing that area with Gatling guns. We also hear cannons and rockets slamming into that neighborhood.
Now, U.S. commanders say that this offensive against suspected guerrilla cells in Baghdad will continue for the foreseeable future, and again, they're targeting a finite number of areas, they say, where they believe that the guerrillas are using to launch attacks on coalition forces.
In another incident that we're just hearing wire reports on and are working to confirm this ourself, we're hearing that in the town of Blad (ph), about 40, 50 miles north of Baghdad, that there's been a mortar attack on a coalition base there. And we do understand from wire reports at this stage that one U.S. soldier has been killed in that. But we'll be bringing you up to date on that.
As you mentioned, the raid on the mosque, there's a controversy simmering here in Baghdad in religious circles. Yesterday after Friday prayers, a very large group of Sunni worshipers outside the mosque were protesting against the raid, which, in fact, occurred on January the 1st.
U.S. commanders say they went into that mosque, along with Iraqi police and members of the Iraqi civil defense committee. They say they had intelligence that it was being used to launch attacks.
U.S. commanders did detail a very long list of weaponry that was found in that mosque. But certainly, controversy because it's such a sensitive site, Sean.
CALLEBS: OK, Karl Penhaul in Baghdad, bringing us up to date on a variety of stories unfolding there. Thanks very much, Karl.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
