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CNN Live Sunday
2 More U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Aired October 19, 2003 - 11:02 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: We begin with Americans ambushed in Iraq. Two more U.S. soldiers have been killed by hostile fire as a U.S. convoy comes under attack. CNN's Jane Arraf is live from Baghdad now, where she's following these latest developments.
Jane, hello to you.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Heidi. Heidi, the 4th Infantry Division says that a convoy last night came under an ambush late last night in Kirkuk, the heart of the northern oil fields. Now, apparently they came under rocket-propelled grenade fire and small arms fire. At the end, two soldiers were killed and another one wounded. Today, this morning, in Fallujah, which is just west of Baghdad, another attack, this one an attack of opportunity. Military officials say that a disabled ammunition truck came under fire. An ambush in a sense. Clouds of smoke pouring out. Ammunition exploding. People celebrating. No casualties according to the U.S. military, but some bystanders were clearly overjoyed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN (through translator): God damn them. These infidels. God damn them. Ramadan is coming by the will of God. Ramadan will oust them. Wait and see what happens to them during Ramadan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now, that is just one point of view from an angry bystander, but it is something that's heard quite frequently. And in the oil fields, as well, those vital oil fields, vital to Iraq's reconstruction, Iraq's oil minister has told us that they are battling what has been recently an increase in sabotage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IBRAHIM BAHR AL-ULDOM, IRAQI OIL MINISTER: No doubt there is impact and there is effect, but at the end of the day, we are trying to be according to our prediction plan and we are doing so. We are proud of our people. They are working hard day and night to bring the production up according to the schedule.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now, according to the oil minister, Ibrahim Bahr al- Uldom, they're still planning to meet their target of being back to prewar production sometime early next year. Now, right now they're at about half that prewar production, in part because of sabotage, because of looting, and the bad state of the oil industry over the past ten years. Heidi?
COLLINS: Jane, some pretty upsetting video we saw there and comments that we heard from some of the people on the streets after that explosion in the fire that they set. How many people are we talking about there that were involved in that?
ARRAF: It's normally not a large number of people who are involved in the actual attacks, although in recent ones, including the firefight that we saw in Karbala in which three U.S. military police were killed, U.S. officials' estimates say there were 20 to 30 people opening fire. These ambushes, when they are ambushes, tend to be well planned, well executed. Now, the people who are overjoyed perhaps don't speak for the majority but they are certainly a very vocal segment of the population. Heidi?
COLLINS: Jane Arraf live from Baghdad. Thanks, 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 October 19, 2003 - 11:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with Americans ambushed in Iraq. Two more U.S. soldiers have been killed by hostile fire as a U.S. convoy comes under attack. CNN's Jane Arraf is live from Baghdad now, where she's following these latest developments.
Jane, hello to you.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Heidi. Heidi, the 4th Infantry Division says that a convoy last night came under an ambush late last night in Kirkuk, the heart of the northern oil fields. Now, apparently they came under rocket-propelled grenade fire and small arms fire. At the end, two soldiers were killed and another one wounded. Today, this morning, in Fallujah, which is just west of Baghdad, another attack, this one an attack of opportunity. Military officials say that a disabled ammunition truck came under fire. An ambush in a sense. Clouds of smoke pouring out. Ammunition exploding. People celebrating. No casualties according to the U.S. military, but some bystanders were clearly overjoyed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN (through translator): God damn them. These infidels. God damn them. Ramadan is coming by the will of God. Ramadan will oust them. Wait and see what happens to them during Ramadan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now, that is just one point of view from an angry bystander, but it is something that's heard quite frequently. And in the oil fields, as well, those vital oil fields, vital to Iraq's reconstruction, Iraq's oil minister has told us that they are battling what has been recently an increase in sabotage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IBRAHIM BAHR AL-ULDOM, IRAQI OIL MINISTER: No doubt there is impact and there is effect, but at the end of the day, we are trying to be according to our prediction plan and we are doing so. We are proud of our people. They are working hard day and night to bring the production up according to the schedule.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now, according to the oil minister, Ibrahim Bahr al- Uldom, they're still planning to meet their target of being back to prewar production sometime early next year. Now, right now they're at about half that prewar production, in part because of sabotage, because of looting, and the bad state of the oil industry over the past ten years. Heidi?
COLLINS: Jane, some pretty upsetting video we saw there and comments that we heard from some of the people on the streets after that explosion in the fire that they set. How many people are we talking about there that were involved in that?
ARRAF: It's normally not a large number of people who are involved in the actual attacks, although in recent ones, including the firefight that we saw in Karbala in which three U.S. military police were killed, U.S. officials' estimates say there were 20 to 30 people opening fire. These ambushes, when they are ambushes, tend to be well planned, well executed. Now, the people who are overjoyed perhaps don't speak for the majority but they are certainly a very vocal segment of the population. Heidi?
COLLINS: Jane Arraf live from Baghdad. Thanks, 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
