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CNN Saturday Morning News
Iraqi Insurgents Attack Government Buildings Including Police Station
Aired February 14, 2004 - 07:01 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.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN ANCHOR: Casualty tolls mount in a wild shootout at dawn in the Iraqi tinderbox of Fallujah. Insurgents attacked government buildings, including a police station, in the city 30 miles west of Baghdad.
CNN's Gaven Morris has a live report from the Iraqi capital -- Kevin.
GAVEN MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Jamie.
Yes, a very well-organized and coordinated attack this morning on this police station and civil defense force facility in the center of Fallujah. We understand that just after dawn, upwards of 50 attackers began shooting, began firing rocket-propelled grenades and also hand grenades at this police station.
And then they entered the building and started going about tracking down policemen and either killing them or beating them up.
Now, after this, they headed towards the cells where many prisoners are held and released up to 100 prisoners. Following that, a street fight ensued in the streets of Fallujah. Other police stations were raided, other civil defense force bases. This fight when on for an hour or more as security forces there tried to contain the situation.
After it all, it seems as though more than 20 people were killed. Most of those were Iraqi policemen, some civilians as well. But doctors reporting to CNN from the scene that four of the attackers were also killed in the attack.
It's another very dangerous display of just what the security forces, the local security forces, and the police here in Iraq are experiencing. These attacks on the police are increasing. This one, though, by the far the most coordinated and well planned.
Fallujah, of course, is in the middle of the Sunni triangle, this very restive area, which still has a lot of elements loyal to the former regime of Saddam Hussein.
But at the moment, they're still treating the injured in that area. They're still trying to contain security in the town. But just to update you there, Jamie, we believe more than 20 killed, most of those are policemen, Jamie. MCINTYRE: Kevin, do we know any more about these prisoners who were released, who they were?
MORRIS: We don't know a lot. And there are some suspicions that perhaps some of them could have been elements that were loyal to the former regime of Saddam Hussein, just as those that attacked may well have been those sort of elements as well.
This sort of attack has all the hallmarks, all the methods that those sort of groups are using, gunfire, rocket-propelled grenades, and mortars, those sorts of weapons.
The coalition is making the distinction between these sorts of attacks and those like car bombs and suicide bombs that we've been seeing more frequently in recent weeks. They blame those more on foreign fighters that are coming in with links to al Qaeda.
But here, it is expected that -- it's suspected, at least, that many of these people were, in fact, Saddam Hussein loyalists, Jamie.
MCINTYRE: Gaven Morris, thank you, reporting live from Baghdad.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Police Station>
Aired February 14, 2004 - 07:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN ANCHOR: Casualty tolls mount in a wild shootout at dawn in the Iraqi tinderbox of Fallujah. Insurgents attacked government buildings, including a police station, in the city 30 miles west of Baghdad.
CNN's Gaven Morris has a live report from the Iraqi capital -- Kevin.
GAVEN MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Jamie.
Yes, a very well-organized and coordinated attack this morning on this police station and civil defense force facility in the center of Fallujah. We understand that just after dawn, upwards of 50 attackers began shooting, began firing rocket-propelled grenades and also hand grenades at this police station.
And then they entered the building and started going about tracking down policemen and either killing them or beating them up.
Now, after this, they headed towards the cells where many prisoners are held and released up to 100 prisoners. Following that, a street fight ensued in the streets of Fallujah. Other police stations were raided, other civil defense force bases. This fight when on for an hour or more as security forces there tried to contain the situation.
After it all, it seems as though more than 20 people were killed. Most of those were Iraqi policemen, some civilians as well. But doctors reporting to CNN from the scene that four of the attackers were also killed in the attack.
It's another very dangerous display of just what the security forces, the local security forces, and the police here in Iraq are experiencing. These attacks on the police are increasing. This one, though, by the far the most coordinated and well planned.
Fallujah, of course, is in the middle of the Sunni triangle, this very restive area, which still has a lot of elements loyal to the former regime of Saddam Hussein.
But at the moment, they're still treating the injured in that area. They're still trying to contain security in the town. But just to update you there, Jamie, we believe more than 20 killed, most of those are policemen, Jamie. MCINTYRE: Kevin, do we know any more about these prisoners who were released, who they were?
MORRIS: We don't know a lot. And there are some suspicions that perhaps some of them could have been elements that were loyal to the former regime of Saddam Hussein, just as those that attacked may well have been those sort of elements as well.
This sort of attack has all the hallmarks, all the methods that those sort of groups are using, gunfire, rocket-propelled grenades, and mortars, those sorts of weapons.
The coalition is making the distinction between these sorts of attacks and those like car bombs and suicide bombs that we've been seeing more frequently in recent weeks. They blame those more on foreign fighters that are coming in with links to al Qaeda.
But here, it is expected that -- it's suspected, at least, that many of these people were, in fact, Saddam Hussein loyalists, Jamie.
MCINTYRE: Gaven Morris, thank you, reporting live from Baghdad.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Police Station>
