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CNN Live Sunday
Interview With Michael Weisskopf
Aired May 04, 2003 - 16:10 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq still very much on the plan for the president and the rest of the administration, and now, Iraqi civilians are finding a new danger hidden in plain sight there. Small bomblets as innocent looking at batteries and as deadly as grenades. "Time" magazine reports the Pentagon's use of cluster bombs and their lingering danger may be much greater than the Pentagon has acknowledged, according to the report. Michael Weisskopf is the reporter who assembled the story and CNN's sister publication. He joins us from Baghdad. Good to see you, Michael. How significant of a discrepancy is there?
MICHAEL WEISSKOPF, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Well, it's huge. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff some weeks ago said about 1,500 of these cluster bombs were dropped, maybe 26 of which were found their way into civilian areas. Anyone who visits a town even outside of Baghdad finds quite a different story. I visited the town of Karbala about 90 miles south of Baghdad and found thousands and thousands of these cluster bombs. Easily identified in a kind of black two-inch long shape. They were found in schools, found in homes, hospitals grounds, and other places civilians frequently occupy. Many of them at great risk to the population. Even -- just one hospital in Karbala alone we found 35 deaths, about 50 woundings. Very commonly among children.
WHITFIELD: And we were just looking at some of the pictures of the young children who reportedly have been injured by a number of those found bombs. You noticed that you located thousands you say of these cluster bombs. Were they mostly undetonated and are you hearing civilians in addition to humanitarian workers come across another batch of them in other locations?
WEISSKOPF: Yes. It's pervasive throughout the country. And, alone in Karbala, the civil defense people talk about finding about a thousand of them a day since the war began. So, it's quite a common problem. And they are all unexploded. The way this operates is instead of the precise smart bombs that have been so effective in this war, these are indiscriminate bombs come down almost as Roman candles and they explode on impact. Many don't explode. Up to 16 percent, by the Pentagon's own estimates.
WHITFIELD: So when they don't, Michael, do they act like land mines that, you know, upon touch or certain amount of weight that's distributed on them, they go off just like that?
WEISSKOPF: Yes. Or live grenades as another way of looking at them. Children pick them up very often. They look like what passes for toys in poor areas. Children outside the cities, particularly in Iraq, find stones and sticks as play things, and these are new, sometimes they're shiny yellow. The ones I saw were all black.
WHITFIELD: So quickly, Michael, what's the administration saying about this? What kind of response are you getting from the Department of Defense?
WEISSKOPF: Very quietly. The military in Baghdad is aware of the problem. It's circulating news letters around the country warning these dangers with pictures, sending out some teams, some so-called mine dogs they are -- is the name for them. And they are searching areas and trying to disarm these things.
WHITFIELD: All right, Michael Weisskopf. Thank you very much from "Time" magazine. Very alarming stuff.
WEISSKOPF: A pleasure.
WHITFIELD: Thanks very much.
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 May 4, 2003 - 16:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq still very much on the plan for the president and the rest of the administration, and now, Iraqi civilians are finding a new danger hidden in plain sight there. Small bomblets as innocent looking at batteries and as deadly as grenades. "Time" magazine reports the Pentagon's use of cluster bombs and their lingering danger may be much greater than the Pentagon has acknowledged, according to the report. Michael Weisskopf is the reporter who assembled the story and CNN's sister publication. He joins us from Baghdad. Good to see you, Michael. How significant of a discrepancy is there?
MICHAEL WEISSKOPF, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Well, it's huge. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff some weeks ago said about 1,500 of these cluster bombs were dropped, maybe 26 of which were found their way into civilian areas. Anyone who visits a town even outside of Baghdad finds quite a different story. I visited the town of Karbala about 90 miles south of Baghdad and found thousands and thousands of these cluster bombs. Easily identified in a kind of black two-inch long shape. They were found in schools, found in homes, hospitals grounds, and other places civilians frequently occupy. Many of them at great risk to the population. Even -- just one hospital in Karbala alone we found 35 deaths, about 50 woundings. Very commonly among children.
WHITFIELD: And we were just looking at some of the pictures of the young children who reportedly have been injured by a number of those found bombs. You noticed that you located thousands you say of these cluster bombs. Were they mostly undetonated and are you hearing civilians in addition to humanitarian workers come across another batch of them in other locations?
WEISSKOPF: Yes. It's pervasive throughout the country. And, alone in Karbala, the civil defense people talk about finding about a thousand of them a day since the war began. So, it's quite a common problem. And they are all unexploded. The way this operates is instead of the precise smart bombs that have been so effective in this war, these are indiscriminate bombs come down almost as Roman candles and they explode on impact. Many don't explode. Up to 16 percent, by the Pentagon's own estimates.
WHITFIELD: So when they don't, Michael, do they act like land mines that, you know, upon touch or certain amount of weight that's distributed on them, they go off just like that?
WEISSKOPF: Yes. Or live grenades as another way of looking at them. Children pick them up very often. They look like what passes for toys in poor areas. Children outside the cities, particularly in Iraq, find stones and sticks as play things, and these are new, sometimes they're shiny yellow. The ones I saw were all black.
WHITFIELD: So quickly, Michael, what's the administration saying about this? What kind of response are you getting from the Department of Defense?
WEISSKOPF: Very quietly. The military in Baghdad is aware of the problem. It's circulating news letters around the country warning these dangers with pictures, sending out some teams, some so-called mine dogs they are -- is the name for them. And they are searching areas and trying to disarm these things.
WHITFIELD: All right, Michael Weisskopf. Thank you very much from "Time" magazine. Very alarming stuff.
WEISSKOPF: A pleasure.
WHITFIELD: Thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
