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CNN Live Sunday
Rockets Fired at Al Rasheed Hotel
Aired October 26, 2003 - 10:02 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.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: We are now going to go back to our top story. That, of course, the daring attack at dawn on Baghdad's most heavily fortified hotel. Rockets blasting the Al Rasheed, where U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was staying. He was not injured, but an American soldier was killed and many others wounded.
We now go live to Baghdad with the very latest from CNN's Ben Wedeman. Ben, good afternoon to you.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF: Yes. Good evening, actually, Sean.
Here Baghdad really is a city of contrasts. If you were to spend your day in this part of town, you wouldn't know anything is going on. Very calm, very quiet, very ordinary. Other parts of town, daily attacks on coalition forces. Today was no exception.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN (voice-over): The aftermath of an attack on the heart of the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority. Early Sunday, between six and eight rockets slammed into the side of Baghdad's Rasheed Hotel, home to hundreds of coalition employees. An eyewitness described the scene.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This morning at 6:10 we woke to the sound of rockets. I went out and found two Iraqi policemen. One had a back injury, one had an injured hand. I saw a multi (UNINTELLIGIBLE) rocket launcher pointing towards the hotel.
WEDEMAN: Coalition troops were later videotaped checking a van from which the rockets may have been fired. One U.S. soldier was killed and four wounded. Seven U.S. civilians and four others described as non-coalition personnel were also injured in the attack.
The hotel has been evacuated. Snipers now man positions on the roof. Among the guests at the hotel, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, on a four-day tour of the country. He was in his room at the time of the attack but was not injured. He said he would not cut short his visit because of the attack.
PAUL WOLFOWITZ, DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY: This terrorist act will not deter us from completing our mission, which is to help the Iraqi people free themselves from the type of criminals who did this and to protect the American people from this kind of terrorism. WEDEMAN: An aide to Wolfowitz tells CNN the deputy defense secretary has been in touch with President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The Rasheed, built during the 1980s for a summit of the non-allying movement, was Saddam's showcase hotel, playing host to foreign dignitaries, businessmen and journalists.
The coalition took over the 14-floor, 338-room hotel after Saddam's fall. This was not the first time the hotel has come under fire in recent weeks. On September 27th, three rockets hit the building. There were no casualties in that incident.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN: Now, we understand that Mr. Wolfowitz has, in fact, not changed his itinerary. He apparently still is in Iraq. The only change was that he went to Ibin Sina (ph) Hospital, which is not far from the Rasheed Hotel, to visit those 15 people who were wounded in the attack.
Now, all of this is going on in one part of town. In other parts of town, Iraqis are preparing for the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a month in which all pious Muslims are supposed to fast from sunrise to sunset. So the markets are full of people buying more things than ever before, we're told by merchants in the market who say there's more money around, more goods to be had.
And this really shows you, a day like this, the contradiction between the a coalition that's under fire between international organizations like the U.N., who have pulled out their international staff. At the same time, Sean, for ordinary Iraqis, life does seem to be finally getting back to normal to a certain extent. So this is a city in which you see two very different versions of reality within its boundaries -- Sean.
CALLEBS: Indeed. Ben Wedeman, a comprehensive look of what's going on in Baghdad there this evening. Ben, 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 October 26, 2003 - 10:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: We are now going to go back to our top story. That, of course, the daring attack at dawn on Baghdad's most heavily fortified hotel. Rockets blasting the Al Rasheed, where U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was staying. He was not injured, but an American soldier was killed and many others wounded.
We now go live to Baghdad with the very latest from CNN's Ben Wedeman. Ben, good afternoon to you.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CAIRO BUREAU CHIEF: Yes. Good evening, actually, Sean.
Here Baghdad really is a city of contrasts. If you were to spend your day in this part of town, you wouldn't know anything is going on. Very calm, very quiet, very ordinary. Other parts of town, daily attacks on coalition forces. Today was no exception.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN (voice-over): The aftermath of an attack on the heart of the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority. Early Sunday, between six and eight rockets slammed into the side of Baghdad's Rasheed Hotel, home to hundreds of coalition employees. An eyewitness described the scene.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This morning at 6:10 we woke to the sound of rockets. I went out and found two Iraqi policemen. One had a back injury, one had an injured hand. I saw a multi (UNINTELLIGIBLE) rocket launcher pointing towards the hotel.
WEDEMAN: Coalition troops were later videotaped checking a van from which the rockets may have been fired. One U.S. soldier was killed and four wounded. Seven U.S. civilians and four others described as non-coalition personnel were also injured in the attack.
The hotel has been evacuated. Snipers now man positions on the roof. Among the guests at the hotel, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, on a four-day tour of the country. He was in his room at the time of the attack but was not injured. He said he would not cut short his visit because of the attack.
PAUL WOLFOWITZ, DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY: This terrorist act will not deter us from completing our mission, which is to help the Iraqi people free themselves from the type of criminals who did this and to protect the American people from this kind of terrorism. WEDEMAN: An aide to Wolfowitz tells CNN the deputy defense secretary has been in touch with President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The Rasheed, built during the 1980s for a summit of the non-allying movement, was Saddam's showcase hotel, playing host to foreign dignitaries, businessmen and journalists.
The coalition took over the 14-floor, 338-room hotel after Saddam's fall. This was not the first time the hotel has come under fire in recent weeks. On September 27th, three rockets hit the building. There were no casualties in that incident.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN: Now, we understand that Mr. Wolfowitz has, in fact, not changed his itinerary. He apparently still is in Iraq. The only change was that he went to Ibin Sina (ph) Hospital, which is not far from the Rasheed Hotel, to visit those 15 people who were wounded in the attack.
Now, all of this is going on in one part of town. In other parts of town, Iraqis are preparing for the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a month in which all pious Muslims are supposed to fast from sunrise to sunset. So the markets are full of people buying more things than ever before, we're told by merchants in the market who say there's more money around, more goods to be had.
And this really shows you, a day like this, the contradiction between the a coalition that's under fire between international organizations like the U.N., who have pulled out their international staff. At the same time, Sean, for ordinary Iraqis, life does seem to be finally getting back to normal to a certain extent. So this is a city in which you see two very different versions of reality within its boundaries -- Sean.
CALLEBS: Indeed. Ben Wedeman, a comprehensive look of what's going on in Baghdad there this evening. Ben, 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
