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CNN Saturday Morning News

Two Americans have been Killed in Fallujah

Aired January 24, 2004 - 07:05   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: A homemade bomb explodes west of the Iraqi powder-keg city of Fallujah, and two American soldiers are killed.
CNN's Michael Holmes has a live report now from Baghdad. Good afternoon to you there, Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Heidi.

Yes, a number of things to report to you. The first is that incident in Fallujah, which is about 30 kilometers west of here, part of the Sunni triangle. We're only just getting very preliminary word at the moment, but we are told that a roadside bomb exploded there as a convoy, a U.S. military convoy, passed by, and two U.S. servicemen have been killed in that incident.

It is not the only incident we're reporting to you today. Also another roadside bomb was detonated, authorities believe remote detonation of this bomb. That happened in Samarra in northern Iraq. Now, on this occasion, the casualties chiefly Iraqi, one Iraqi killed, 22 Iraqi civilians were wounded. And we're also told that two U.S. soldiers were slightly wounded in that incident.

Another incident, a third incident, this one involving aircraft, a U.S. helicopter going down, and two U.S. pilots were killed. Now, that happened in northern Iraq also. Another helicopter was in the area, said they didn't see any sign of hostile fire, so an investigation under way into what caused that.

All of this on a day when two U.N. security experts arrived in the country, the first time foreign U.N. workers have set foot in Iraq since Kofi Annan, the U.N. secretary general, pulled them all out back in October. That, of course, following the devastating explosion at U.N. headquarters the previous month.

Now, this team, comprised of a military adviser and what the U.N. is calling is a security coordinator, and they are separate, they're looking into essentially whether another team can come out to look into whether direct elections are possible on the ground.

Of course, security is their utmost concern at the U.N. in New York. And again, on this day, we've seen three incident resulting in loss of life, both American and Iraqi, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, Michael, I want to ask you about something, if I could. We are hearing some reports this morning about some high- profile arrests in Iraq. What can you tell us at this time?

HOLMES: Yes, what we know so far is that U.S. special forces, last week, this occurred, we're just getting word out of it, captured what they're describing as a leading or significant figure in the group Ansar al-Islam. That's a guerrilla group in Iraq that the United States says has ties to al Qaeda.

The man how's been arrested has been named as Hussam al-Yemeni (ph), and say he was arrested last week in an operation in Fallujah just west of here, said to be a key associate of Abu Musab al-Zakawi (ph). Now, he is somebody that the U.N. is describing as a -- very much a wanted man.

Their calling this capture significant suggests that they may be getting closer to finding Zakawi himself.

You mentioned a couple of high-profile arrests. The other one we're not so sure about at the moment. We're still looking into it. And it's the detention of somebody that some intelligence staff are calling a significant figure, perhaps involved with al Qaeda directly. Now, we're still checking into that one, but we certainly know that the Ansar al-Islam operative has been arrested, in custody, being questioned, Heidi.

COLLINS: Certainly a lot going on there this morning. Thanks so much. Michael Holmes, live from Baghdad this morning.

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 24, 2004 - 07:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: A homemade bomb explodes west of the Iraqi powder-keg city of Fallujah, and two American soldiers are killed.
CNN's Michael Holmes has a live report now from Baghdad. Good afternoon to you there, Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Heidi.

Yes, a number of things to report to you. The first is that incident in Fallujah, which is about 30 kilometers west of here, part of the Sunni triangle. We're only just getting very preliminary word at the moment, but we are told that a roadside bomb exploded there as a convoy, a U.S. military convoy, passed by, and two U.S. servicemen have been killed in that incident.

It is not the only incident we're reporting to you today. Also another roadside bomb was detonated, authorities believe remote detonation of this bomb. That happened in Samarra in northern Iraq. Now, on this occasion, the casualties chiefly Iraqi, one Iraqi killed, 22 Iraqi civilians were wounded. And we're also told that two U.S. soldiers were slightly wounded in that incident.

Another incident, a third incident, this one involving aircraft, a U.S. helicopter going down, and two U.S. pilots were killed. Now, that happened in northern Iraq also. Another helicopter was in the area, said they didn't see any sign of hostile fire, so an investigation under way into what caused that.

All of this on a day when two U.N. security experts arrived in the country, the first time foreign U.N. workers have set foot in Iraq since Kofi Annan, the U.N. secretary general, pulled them all out back in October. That, of course, following the devastating explosion at U.N. headquarters the previous month.

Now, this team, comprised of a military adviser and what the U.N. is calling is a security coordinator, and they are separate, they're looking into essentially whether another team can come out to look into whether direct elections are possible on the ground.

Of course, security is their utmost concern at the U.N. in New York. And again, on this day, we've seen three incident resulting in loss of life, both American and Iraqi, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, Michael, I want to ask you about something, if I could. We are hearing some reports this morning about some high- profile arrests in Iraq. What can you tell us at this time?

HOLMES: Yes, what we know so far is that U.S. special forces, last week, this occurred, we're just getting word out of it, captured what they're describing as a leading or significant figure in the group Ansar al-Islam. That's a guerrilla group in Iraq that the United States says has ties to al Qaeda.

The man how's been arrested has been named as Hussam al-Yemeni (ph), and say he was arrested last week in an operation in Fallujah just west of here, said to be a key associate of Abu Musab al-Zakawi (ph). Now, he is somebody that the U.N. is describing as a -- very much a wanted man.

Their calling this capture significant suggests that they may be getting closer to finding Zakawi himself.

You mentioned a couple of high-profile arrests. The other one we're not so sure about at the moment. We're still looking into it. And it's the detention of somebody that some intelligence staff are calling a significant figure, perhaps involved with al Qaeda directly. Now, we're still checking into that one, but we certainly know that the Ansar al-Islam operative has been arrested, in custody, being questioned, Heidi.

COLLINS: Certainly a lot going on there this morning. Thanks so much. Michael Holmes, live from Baghdad this morning.

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