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CNN Live Sunday
Rebels Command Control Of Where Battles Will Be Fought In Iraq
Aired November 30, 2003 - 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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: More now on that fierce firefight between U.S. soldiers and Iraqi insurgents in Iraq today. And coalition forces aren't the only ones rebels have been targeting this weekend. Our Walt Rodgers is back with us now from Baghdad -- Walt.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Martin. It was indeed a bloody weekend for diplomats, for intelligence officers, and civilians here in Iraq, especially those associated with the coalition. The guerrillas seemed to be attacking, sending a new message that even the roads in Iraq are no longer safe to ride on.
But first, Saturday over towards the Iraqi board with Syria, two American soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb explosion over there. They were the 3rd armored division. More recently however, near Tikrit, again, attacks on the road, Koreans, 2 Korean contract workers riding along, gunmen approached their car, started to pour fire into the car. Two Koreans killed. One of the Koreans critically wounded.
And on Saturday, two Japanese diplomats, same general area, Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, they were driving in a car which was bullet-proof, they stopped to get out and have something to eat. When they did, more of the guerrilla gunmen came up and killed the two Iraqis.
Perhaps the most egregious incident of all over the course of the weekend, was Saturday afternoon. Two cars carrying Spanish intelligence agents traveling south of Baghdad, only about 30 miles in broad daylight, they were stalked. What happened was a Fedayeen car approached them, opened fire from the rear on their vehicle. It was a coordinated ambush.
The Spanish, of course, did have guns. The intelligence officers did have guns but suddenly, they were hit by rocket-propelled grenades. Sources have told CNN that the Spanish intelligence agents managed to hold the Iraqi Fedayeen off for half an hour, before they were finally overrun and massacred. Seven spanish intelligence officers killed there, one managed to escape.
Once again, it shows that while the United States claims it controls the battlefield, it's actually the guerrillas who generally tend to dictate where the battles will be fought and that battlefield is constantly shifting -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Walter, do officials say if they believe these targetings of internationals are part of a strategy or are they merely just targets of opportunity? RODGERS: I think the best way to answer that is they're becoming increasely suspicious that these are coordinated attacks. Remember, the attacks are against coalition members. The Japanese, the Spanish, the Koreans just happened to be there as well. Those are contract workers here.
The suspicion, again, no proof, but the suspicion is that these are coordinated attacks on coalition members, and that these are designed to weaken support in Spain, weaken support in Tokyo, in Japan, trying to persuade those people to leave the Americans alone here, let the Americans bleed without the help of their allies and friends -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Walter Rodgers in Baghdad, thank you, once again.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Iraq>
Aired November 30, 2003 - 18: ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: More now on that fierce firefight between U.S. soldiers and Iraqi insurgents in Iraq today. And coalition forces aren't the only ones rebels have been targeting this weekend. Our Walt Rodgers is back with us now from Baghdad -- Walt.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Martin. It was indeed a bloody weekend for diplomats, for intelligence officers, and civilians here in Iraq, especially those associated with the coalition. The guerrillas seemed to be attacking, sending a new message that even the roads in Iraq are no longer safe to ride on.
But first, Saturday over towards the Iraqi board with Syria, two American soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb explosion over there. They were the 3rd armored division. More recently however, near Tikrit, again, attacks on the road, Koreans, 2 Korean contract workers riding along, gunmen approached their car, started to pour fire into the car. Two Koreans killed. One of the Koreans critically wounded.
And on Saturday, two Japanese diplomats, same general area, Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, they were driving in a car which was bullet-proof, they stopped to get out and have something to eat. When they did, more of the guerrilla gunmen came up and killed the two Iraqis.
Perhaps the most egregious incident of all over the course of the weekend, was Saturday afternoon. Two cars carrying Spanish intelligence agents traveling south of Baghdad, only about 30 miles in broad daylight, they were stalked. What happened was a Fedayeen car approached them, opened fire from the rear on their vehicle. It was a coordinated ambush.
The Spanish, of course, did have guns. The intelligence officers did have guns but suddenly, they were hit by rocket-propelled grenades. Sources have told CNN that the Spanish intelligence agents managed to hold the Iraqi Fedayeen off for half an hour, before they were finally overrun and massacred. Seven spanish intelligence officers killed there, one managed to escape.
Once again, it shows that while the United States claims it controls the battlefield, it's actually the guerrillas who generally tend to dictate where the battles will be fought and that battlefield is constantly shifting -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Walter, do officials say if they believe these targetings of internationals are part of a strategy or are they merely just targets of opportunity? RODGERS: I think the best way to answer that is they're becoming increasely suspicious that these are coordinated attacks. Remember, the attacks are against coalition members. The Japanese, the Spanish, the Koreans just happened to be there as well. Those are contract workers here.
The suspicion, again, no proof, but the suspicion is that these are coordinated attacks on coalition members, and that these are designed to weaken support in Spain, weaken support in Tokyo, in Japan, trying to persuade those people to leave the Americans alone here, let the Americans bleed without the help of their allies and friends -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Walter Rodgers in Baghdad, thank you, once again.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Iraq>
