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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Explosion Heard in Kuwait City

Aired March 29, 2003 - 17:00   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.


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Reality at war. In a Baghdad neighborhood, civilians on the sidelines sit.

On the battlefield in Nasiriya. Marines in mourning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The forces that were there recovered five of the bodies that were there.

BLITZER: And running for their lives. Saddam Hussein's forces take aim at their own people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've been hearing stories of this kind of brutality, but this is the first occasion on which we've actually witnessed it.

BLITZER: All this on day nine of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS from Kuwait City with correspondents from around the world. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.

BLITZER: You're looking at live pictures of Baghdad, where only within the past few minutes, more explosions and more smoke. Indeed Baghdad, once again, facing the wrath -- the wrath of U.S. warplanes and bombs.

Today, the United States, in addition to that, warned Saddam Hussein's neighbors, two of them in particular, to stay away and not come to the Iraqi leader's aid.

And welcome to Kuwait. This is one neighbor that is aiding the U.S. efforts to remove the Iraqi leader from power. Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting tonight live from Kuwait City.

In our headlines from the Persian Gulf, civilians caught in the crossfire. Arab media reporting this hour, a neighborhood in Baghdad struck from the sky. We'll be hearing reports of more than 50 dead. The Central Command, however, has told CNN it cannot -- confirm the report.

And in this hour, British troops report Iraqi paramilitary forces are shooting at their own people attempting to flee the city of Basra. We'll bring you more on all of these stories in just moment, but first a breaking story.

A Turkish airliner was hijacked today during a flight from Istanbul to Ankara. About 200 people were on board. The plane is said to be heading toward Athens, Greece. Turkey shares a border with Kurdish dominated northern Iraq. But there is no word on whether the hijacking is related to the situation there.

The Associated Press is now reporting that the plane has now just landed in Greece. We'll keep you posted, we've got a live report -- all of that, but first the other headlines. Here's CNN's Heidi Collins in the CNN newsroom.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: We have pictures from Baghdad where just within the past few minutes more explosions have been heard and have been seen. In fact, one area, according to a Reuters reporter, an eyewitness on the scene showing an explosion in the area of the Ministry of Information in central Baghdad.

Let's bring in Nic Robertson. He spent hours and hours atop at that building, the Ministry of Information. Nic, I don't know if you are looking at these live pictures from Baghdad right now. There are conflicting reports whether this was an explosion at the Ministry of Information or near the Ministry of Information? From your vantage point, on these screen -- on these live pictures can you tell?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, you see me looking down here, I am working at the monitor in front of me, very difficult to tell. I can see the large outline of a block of a building and interestingly, I don't see any lights on inside it. It would be typical at this time of night for the Ministry of Information to at least have lights on the top two floors and perhaps one or two at the lower floors. That's because that's where the minister's officers are and his close associates high up in the building and they're often to be seen working late.

But it is impossible for me to say, looking at this particular image, I can see at this moment whether or not this is the Ministry of Information and whether or not it's actually been hit. It's certainly about the right size and I believe we're looking in approximately the right direction towards where it would be. But it's impossible for me to analyze these pictures at the moment and give you an accurate read on exactly what I think has happened.

But if it is ministry of information, it's a building that's about 13 stories high. It has a lot of telecommunications equipment on it, not just belonging to the international journalist who are forced to base themselves there by Iraqi officials, but also communications equipment belonging to Iraqi officials -- many satellite receivers.

We've also seen satellite transmitters very, very close to that building as well and perhaps some other equipment, and we do know that in the days, just before the war, a lot of computer equipment was removed from that building. But it is a building that pretty much most the time, seems to have a very large number of what would appear to be regular office workers in it. Many women work in that building during daylight hours, they generally finish work by early afternoon. But it's a building that we've come to know very well, as you say, because that's where -- that is the building where international journalists, forced by Iraqi officials to work -- that's the only location they're allowed to work from in Baghdad -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And 24 hours ago about this time you and I were talking about other targets that were hit near that Ministry of Information and International Telecommunications Center near by. It looks like they're getting increasingly closer though, directly to that Ministry of Information.

ROBERTSON: It does, certainly the targeting of that communication center just across the bridge over the Tigris River from the Ministry of Information -- it very much appears to be a specific targeting of that particular communications center. Very interesting to see some pictures of that during the day today -- to be able to see how the explosive charge went off at the base of the building.

That is certainly what it appeared to be on the pictures of the bombing over night, the explosion coming at the base of the building. The building did look extensively damaged -- interesting because during the last Gulf War, that building was targeted by a cruise missile -- it just took out -- or apparently took out just one floor of the building. So a different method of attack used on the same facility.

Now -- but as far as the Ministry of Information is concerned a lot of, perhaps, very relevant communications equipment associated with it and close to it. Of course it's very close to Iraq's TV station as well and where Iraq uplinks it's own Iraqi television satellite transmissions from as well -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And it's just after 1:00 a.m. in Baghdad as well as here in Kuwait City. Nic, stand by.

I want immediately go to CNN's Ryan Chilcote. He's one of our embedded journalists covering the 101st Airborne Division. I know you are in Iraq some place Ryan, tell us what's going on.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure. The 101st Airborne Division has just executed its first deep attack using it's Apache Attack helicopter, specifically, Apache Attack -- a Longbow helicopter -- that's the newest form of the Apache Attack helicopter. They've sent out dozens of these helicopters, much like earlier in the week the 11th Aviation Regiment -- 11th Attack Regiment sent out. This was the first attack from the 101st Airborne Division.

They sent these helicopters out into an area southwest of Baghdad. I am told less than 100 miles southwest of Baghdad. There they engaged, they destroyed according to the U.S. military ATCs and tanks. They also called in some Air Force. Those Air Force also engaged targets. Just as this mission was getting underway I was actually present for it, Wolf, one helicopter took off -- one of the helicopters took off and returned, we were told, because of some mechanical problems. It looked like it was looking for a place to land and it did what is called a "hard landing" or a "roll." In other words, as it landed, it appears that it entered into some "brownout" conditions.

In other words, the pilot could not see exactly where the ground is and he rolled his Apache Attack helicopter. He is -- well there're actually two pilots in that helicopter. It's a co-piloted helicopter. He and the co-pilot, I am told, are OK. Perhaps one of the two pilots may have a broken leg but more or less they are OK, particularly, considering the fact that in a moving helicopter, they impacted with the earth in that fashion.

Now, at the end of this mission -- again the same problem -- it appears that there was again a brownout problem. A helicopter -- another Apache Attack helicopter landing also, perhaps, in brownout conditions where the pilot couldn't exactly see the ground because that helicopter -- the rotors are spinning so fast it kicks up a lot of dust and sand and with the darkness, the pilot simply can't see the ground. They too rolled their helicopter. Both of those pilots I'm told they are OK.

So the important information here is the 101st executing its first deep attack inside Iraq. That's big news. And also two rolled helicopters, all the pilots more or less OK, one perhaps with some injuries to his legs -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ryan Chilcote perhaps with a new phase in the 101st Airborne Division's effort campaign against Saddam Hussein. Ryan we'll be getting back to you. Stay safe there in Iraq.

I want our viewers now to take a look at this videotape only within the past few moments, a huge explosion and smoke in Baghdad, watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(EXPLOSION)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: According to Reuters correspondent on the scene, it was either at the Information Ministry in Baghdad or very, very close to the Information Ministry. That's where the international journalist for months on end have been doing their reports. That's where the Iraqis usually have their news conference, but there could be other elements of the Iraqi government inside that building as well.

Let me bring in retired U.S. Air Force Major General Don Shepperd. He is joining us in the CNN Newsroom. He is a CNN analyst of course.

As we take a look at this video once again, General Shepperd, talk to us a little bit about this potential target The Ministry of Information.

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, Wolf, I have to yield to Nic Robertson and his excellent detailed knowledge of downtown Baghdad.

But if this is the Ministry of Information, I assume that we are looking at it from the east bank of the Tigris River across to the west bank of the Tigris River. In other words, we are looking southwest at the intersection of Hetha (ph) and Alfara (ph) Street and across the Alarara (ph) bridge.

The Ministry of Information -- it has been the center of communications. There were strikes there that appeared to be at the base of the building last night. I had a better view of the building, I believe than Nic did on his monitor but it appeared to me that the two top floors -- the left hand side of the screen on the two top floors were lighted and the lights did not go out if that strike took place there.

It could be that they are using a new type of weapon announced by Barbara Starr designed to take out antennas as oppose to the building themselves. We have to wait and get some more analysis and reports by CENTCOM and the Pentagon -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Looks like the air campaign in and around Baghdad is going after telecommunications capabilities of the Iraqi government, a International Communication Center hit yesterday, now it's the Ministry of Information that has been hit. It seems like they are trying to degrade the capability of the Iraqi government to engage in communications with their own people.

SHEPPERD: Indeed, it appears that they probably are looking for commanding control and leadership targets. In other words those towers being used to give information to military units in the field and also to spread the message of the Iraqi government and the Hussein regime. Those would be likely targets.

Also many targets are being re-struck in the Republican Palace area, Wolf. Miles O'Brien and I have been looking at satellite photos very carefully and although we have seen many explosions, you don't see the entire west bank bombed out. You have to look really hard for holes in these buildings. This is precise effects-based targeting where you're trying to target a precise DMPI, called a DMPI -- Desired Mean Point of Impact to get deep point of the building that you are interested in, not flatten the whole block -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And a Reuters correspondent, an eyewitness in Baghdad is saying this, that white smoke filled the skies. It shook the windows, the explosion. It was a huge explosion, the Reuters correspondent says. It either hit the Information Ministry or was very close. Once again windows and buildings nearby the Tigris River shaking.

CNN is now learning from sources in Baghdad that was in fact the Information Ministry that was hit. The Information Ministry the first time apparently, General Shepperd, that the U.S. has targeted directly this center of communications for the Iraqi government.

Tell our viewers, General Shepperd, why this would be significant -- television towers hit the other day, although, Iraqi television is now back on the air. Why is this significant to go after the Ministry of Information?

SHEPPERD: Well a couple of thoughts. This is the way they spread their messages both to their field and forces on the military side, and also their message from the regime and ensure their people that they're in control of the government. All the things that the U.S. coalition and the coalition does not want to have that appearance being broadcast around the world.

Couple of other observations on this -- I saw, as you saw, a huge blast that normally indicates a large weapon. Large weapons normally are designed to go off underneath the ground. So it could be that these weapons are digging down to underground bunkers where there is indication that communications are coming from. Our intelligence indicates that things are buried underground.

The other thing is if you take down this building you have to worry about in the rebuilding process of the country. You may want that building to put antennas back up to spread the word of the new government -- Wolf.

BLITZER: General Shepperd, thanks very much. Stand by, we're going to be getting back to you.

The bombing is not only continuing in the Iraqi capital, it's continuing elsewhere around the country as well. And as we told you at the top of this program, coalition forces apparently unleashing a barrage of air strikes in the northern part of Iraq.

CNN's Brent Sadler is joining us now live from the town of Kalak (ph). Brent, the air assault, I take it, is deeply underway near where you are?

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right, Wolf. We've seen intense bombing activity around Kalak or at least on the front Iraqi lines, on the northern front and behind, clearly large flashes and detonations around Mosul this for a second straight night running.

I think, since I have been here and since the start of the invasion this has been the heaviest night of bombing in this area. It started soon after sunset and has been going pretty consistently every hour since then.

Now, in addition to this nighttime bombing today, there was an earlier significant development in southeast of here at another location along the northern front at Chamchmal (ph). And this was the abandonment of a key Iraqi army position on the main road from Chamchamal leading to that oil rich city of Kirkuk, a key price for the coalition to one day capture. Now this abandonment of those positions followed many days of bombing around that area, specifically a command bunker on top of the hill. Now Iraqi Kurdish forces quickly have moved forward, taken about 20 kilometers, 12 miles of territory in a move which might of course concern a few days ago when that was told of Turkey possibly coming in the area with troops if the Kurds made any advances towards those two cities of Kirkuk or Mosul.

But the U.S. special envoy here (UNINTELLIGIBLE) made it clear that Kurds are fully cooperating with command and control of the United States Central Command. That was not even said a hostile move by the Kurds against the Iraqi army, it was a matter of filling a vacuum.

Now, the same time as that's being going on, Wolf, we have seen a continuation of a buildup of ground forces from the 173rd Airborne Brigade out of Italy which dramatically flew in half their regiment, about a 1,000 troops some 36 hours ago into an airstrip at Harrer (ph), which is just outside the city in Iraqi-Kurdish town of Erbil.

This airstrip has been very busy during the daylight hours and also during the hours of darkness as transport planes coming into the airstrip now, which is being made ready for even larger aircraft. Men and equipment and weaponry coming off those transport planes in a steady buildup of ground forces here -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And the air strikes that are continuing near where you are, Brent, these seem to be huge explosions in the sense of strategic targets or close air support designed to go after tanks and armor.

SADLER: I think we are seeing a combination of both, Wolf. Certainly from Kurdish intelligence reports from the ground that I am getting. These air strikes are targeting artillery pieces, tanks, other armor hardware. But the same time simultaneously designed, we believe to weaken the morale of the Iraqi army and that does seem to have had some impact on the ground.

Kurdish reports from their intelligence service here on the ground tells CNN that as many as 200 defectors have crossed the lines into Iraqi Kurdistan over the pass several days -- the biggest or rather the heaviest blow of defections that they have known of.

Now some of these Iraqi soldiers most of them in fact are just privates, conscripts. They have managed to either walk through the lines at night. Some of them have swum across a river to get the Iraqi Kurdish area. So, very significant defections and we are hoping to get to see those defectors, talk to them once they have been debriefed by the Kurdish forces here -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Brent Sadler, he is up in the north witnessing, eyewitnessing more huge explosions, more U.S. bombings on various Iraqi targets in the north.

The north is not the only area where we are witnessing huge explosions in Baghdad. only within the past few minutes, as we have been reporting, apparently the Ministry of Information, the target of this blast by U.S. bombers or Tomahawk Cruise Missiles. The Ministry of Information, apparently the first time that building has been hit. Although in the last several days, other buildings near the Ministry of Information have been hit.

We are watching all of these locations, especially in Baghdad. We anticipate there could be more action coming up throughout the night just after 1:00 a.m. Already here, it's Saturday morning in this part of the world.

Lets take a look also and see what's happening on the ground as well. There is intense fighting in the south and expanding front in the north and a coming storm that looming battle for Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): In the south, two cities that allied forces can not seem to be secure. Basra, Iraqi paramilitary units, fire machine guns and motors at hundreds of civilians trying to flee the city over a bridge and unknown number are wounded. British forces fire on the Iraqi militia, killing some.

Nasiriya, a hornet's nest for Marines. Three U.S. Marine battalions engaged in some of the fiercest firing of the war against Iraqi paramilitary units and regular forces. Four more Marines reported missing today in Nasiriya, in addition to 12 Marines who went missing there yesterday.

Elsewhere in the south, U.S. forces move on to an abandoned Iraqi air base, scramble to get their runways ready for A-10 Warthog Attack Planes. CNN's Bob Franken reports, it's a crucial strategic prize.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a base that is also about a 155 -- about a 150 miles north of Kuwait and so it is much closer to the action.

BLITZER: Now signs of the Iraqis won't go quietly in the north either. CNN's Kevin Sites in the Kurdish controlled town of Chamchamal, reports the town has come under artillery fires from nearby Iraqi units.

In central Iraq, the weather is clearing and U.S. led forces pound the way at Republican Guard units, ahead of an assault on Baghdad.

U.S. military sources tell CNN's Barbara Starr heavy allied air strikes have degraded the Republican Guards' Medina Division, south of Baghdad to 65 percent capacity. That division now needs help.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Hammurabi Division, which has been west of Baghdad is now indeed moving into place to try and reinforce the Medina south of Baghdad.

BLITZER: U.S.-led ground forces near Baghdad are also being reinforced rapidly. The climactic battle possibly just days away.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: By sea, by land and by air, we will take you to the frontline of the ground war and to craters, and along troops are on the move as coalition forces continue to fight of their lives.

Plus on board the USS Constellation where aviators fly around the clock deep into dangerous territory.

And operating in the war zone. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta, just back from deep inside Iraq. He will report on the so-called Devil Docs. But first, these images from the Associated Press.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Within the past few minutes, a huge explosion rocked the Ministry of Information in downtown Baghdad. We don't know the extent of casualties. We don't know the extent of damage. But it looks serious.

The Ministry of Information, a huge government complex that's where most of the foreign reporters based in Baghdad have been doing there television reports over these past several weeks and months until recently. That's where CNN's Nic Robertson and Rym Brahimi were reporting from as well.

We are trying to assess, what exactly has happened in Baghdad in the past in few minutes. We are going to get some more information. Though eyewitnesses have already reported, this was a huge bomb hitting directly the Ministry of Information.

Even though the coalition is starting to base some warplanes inside Iraq, aircraft carriers of course remain very very busy. CNN's Frank Buckley is embedded aboard the USS Constellation in the Persian Gulf, he is joining us live via videophone -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well the USS Constellation, one of three aircraft carriers here in the Persian Gulf, one of five in the region. Every night out of the USS Constellations strike aircraft are going into Iraq. The same situation once again tonight. And one of the primary targets that they hit, virtually every time they go out are the surface-to-air defense systems.

Especially in and around Baghdad, an area that the pilots call the Super MEZ, or Missile Engagement Zone because, while south of the 33rd parallel missile defense systems, the surface-to-air defense systems have been largely eroded during 12 years of Operation Southern Watch. Air defenses in and around Baghdad have been building up during that's same period.

Now, we are told that whenever coalition aircraft can see these defense systems, especially when they are illuminated by the radar systems, they attack, but they can't always see these systems because one of the tactics is to fire and then to leave. Here is the Captain Mark Baks (ph), the Air Wing Commander.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, the latest revive in this world now of GPS guided weapons that need certain menstruated coordinances to move. And they know that, and so the move and the move a lot. And so, that's been one of the issues that we are dealing with right now as we are reducing the threat in the Super MEZ area. We still have to honor the SAM that you cannot account for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And as we say, those surface-to-air defense systems are targeted virtually every day when they strike aircraft leave. So far during this conflict involving the coalition and Iraq not a single coalition aircraft has been downed or at least not a strike fighter has been downed by (UNINTELLIGIBLE) surface-to-air defense systems -- Wolf.

Frank Buckley aboard the USS Constellation where the tempo of takeoffs and landings continues without any let up. Perhaps, one of those planes dropped the bomb that hit the Ministry of Information in Baghdad, only within the past few minutes.

The Ministry of Information in central Baghdad, a key location as far as we could tell the first time that particular government building in Baghdad has been targeted. Although several other communications centers near the Ministry of Information have been targeted over the past several days.

We're continuing to watch what's happening on the streets and over the skies of Baghdad.

And as we mentioned U.S. military officials say four more Marines are missing in fighting in the south near Nasiriya. That's on top of 12 other Marines who were reported missing in the area only yesterday. The four latest are with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. Members of that unit are said to be aggressively searching for the missing men.

The fighting in Nasiriya has been so intense that's U.S. Marines are only now able to start retrieving remains of some of their comrades who are killed in combat on Sunday. CNN's Alessio Vinci is embedded with the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Marines. He has this exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hostilities in Nasiriya prevented the Marines from recovering the bodies of their fallen comrades earlier, most still seen lying in the burned-out armored vehicles five days after one of the bloodiest battles of the war in Iraq.

Officers say they have found the body parts of at least seven Marines. The current toll of troops killed in Nasiriya is now 16, more are still missing.

Captain Scott Dire (ph) helped recover his friends and colleagues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we got down into there -- forces that where there -- recovered five of the bodies that were there. And then, some civilians came out, showed us where they had buried two others and return to us the personal effects of at least one of the Marines that was there, some photographs, some mail, things like that.

VINCI: Struggling to keep his emotions in check, the commanding officer personally oversaw the recovery effort making sure that bodies were treating with dignity and respect even under the tough conditions of the front lines. Medics performed the first field examination to identify some of the victims, and DNA tests will be performed for final positive identification. From here, the bodies will be flown to a staging area and prepared for a final journey back home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We ask for your blessing God Almighty in the name of the father ...

VINCI: A Marine chaplain led the troops in prayer, a moment of solace and comfort for many here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Marines care for their own and that's in life and in death. And so they see their duty not complete until they're resting in their homeland with their families.

VINCI: City Marines here say the Nasiriya fight was the fiercest the Marine Corp has been involved in since Wake (ph) City in Vietnam and promised the Marines missing will be found and returned home.

Alesso Vinci, CNN, for the U.S. Marines, in Nasiriya, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And here's your chance to way in on the war in Iraq. Our Web question of the day is this: What do you think of the way the American media's covering the war? Is it too critical, not critical enough, just right. We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Please vote at cnn.com/wolf. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column. I'm writing those columns every day here -- from here in Kuwait City.

A drone down in Iraq, we'll have that and other battle scenes coming up. Plus we'll be keeping an eye on what's happening in Baghdad right now where Coalition bombs fell just a few minutes ago. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: CNN's continuing coverage of the war in Iraq. Of course, Christiane Amanpour is live as the first shipload of aid arrives. Kevin Sites is on the ground on coalition planes come under attack. Alessio Vinci is with Marines as more fighting takes place near Nasiriya. For live updates throughout the afternoon, stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You're looking at a live picture of a Turkish airliner that was hijacked just a little while ago as it was leaving Istanbul, the regularly scheduled flight to Athens, Greece. The plane has now landed in Athens, Greece. Its still hijacked nearly 200 passengers onboard, in fact 196 passengers on board. Still no word on what's happening. Two Greek military jets began trailing the plane before it landed. We're going to keep monitoring what's happening with this hijacked Turkish airliner plane. We'll get more information, bring it to you, of course, as we get it.

At the same time there's an important new development involving the 101st Airborne Division. They're fighting this war deep inside Iraq right now. Ryan Chilcote, our embedded reporter, he's covering the 101st. He's joining us once again.

Ryan, tell us, our viewers, what's going on.

CHILCOTE: Sure. The 101st Airborne -- the 101st Airborne just executed its first deep attack. It used the Apache attack helicopter, specifically the Apache Longbow helicopters, sent dozens of these helicopters southwest of Baghdad, I'm told just less than 100 miles southwest of Baghdad and engaged in armored brigade there, an Iraqi armored brigade. I understand they destroyed several tanks and several ATCs, several other vehicles also. They also, the pilots who have now all returned, informed me that the Air Force was also involved in this attack. The Air Force, they said, dropped several 500 pound bombs. Apparently there were some British harriers on hand and perhaps some F-14s from the U.S. Air Force.

Now just as this mission was getting underway, one Apache attack helicopter, part of a larger group taking off, returned rather unexpectedly. I was standing here right where I am right now on the air field and watched it return only a couple of minutes after it had taken off and then land and as it landed, it was sort of a crash landing, if you will. It entered into brown out conditions meaning it can't see. The pilot cannot see exactly where he is. It's very difficult because the rotators are spinning so fast that the dust or sand here on the desert floor is so fine. It kicks up all that sand and the pilot simply can't see where he's landing.

Well that's what happened apparently and the helicopter rolled, so in effect, it is a crash landing. It's not like, of course, crashing from 50 feet or 100 feet or getting shot down or anything like that but it is a crash landing and it is a very dangerous situation which is why it's very nice to report that the pilot and the co-pilot, it is a co-piloted helicopter, are both in great shape. The pilots tell me it is possible, they're not 100 percent sure at this point, that the co-pilot may have a broken leg but that is small potatoes in comparison to what can happen when you're flying in a helicopter that can go 150 miles an hour.

Now at the tail end of this mission, again, a pilot as he was landing somehow rolled the helicopter. Again, according to the commander, perhaps the brown out factor, the brown out conditions playing a major factor in that roll. In that helicopter apparently both of the pilots are all right.

So two important things here; the 101st has executed its first deep attack which is really a new phase in this war. We saw one of these deep attacks from the 11th attack regime earlier in the week. Now the 101st is in on it. They have more helicopters and more attack helicopters than any other division in the U.S. Army and also these unfortunate mishaps but thankfully no one really very seriously hurt.

Wolf ...

BLITZER: Ryan Chilcote, he's covering the 101st Airborne, the legendary unit of the U.S. military. Ryan, we'll be checking back with you.

Only within the past few minutes more explosions rock the Iraq capital, more explosions in Baghdad. Earlier there was a huge explosion at the Ministry of Information. Look at this. The U.S. clearly not letting up in the air campaign against various targets not only in Baghdad but throughout Iraq. The improving weather making it easier for the U.S. to launch close air support as well as more strategic types of bombing including the Iraqi capital.

Bombing could go on for some time. Who knows but we'll be watching all of these scenes, all of our live cameras focusing in right now on what's happening in Baghdad. Let's also take a look at some other images of the war. Al Jazeera television showed pictures of an unmanned British drone coming down near Basra in the south. It's false slowed by a parachute. It's not clear why the drone went down and a solemn re-patriation (ph) service was held aboard Britain's Art Royal. The ceremony honored the memories of three crew members killed last Saturday in a helicopter collision over the Gulf.

Much more coverage coming up. We'll go to the front lines to a forward air base. That's just ahead and coalition forces moving closer to their targets. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live this hour, Wolf Blitzer reports from Kuwait City with correspondents from around the world. Wolf Blitzer Reports starts now.

BLITZER: You're looking at a live picture of Kuwait City. That's where I am right now. Within the past few minutes we heard an explosion here in Kuwait City as well. Don't know what it was. It was just a loud boom that we could hear directly from where I am. We're attempting to check out precisely what that was. We'll get information, bring it to you as soon as we get it but once again, an explosion just heard here in Kuwait City.

We'll check it out for you and get you all the latest information from here in Kuwait City. There was no siren that went off suggesting that it was not some sort of missile, some sort of surface to surface missile, ground to ground missile, which have become rather familiar, about 10 or 12 of those having been fired from Iraqi targets over the past week or so at various targets here in Kuwait. No sirens have gone off. No alerts have gone off but we did hear some sort of explosion here in Kuwait. We'll check out what's going on. There were much greater explosions, of course, within the past half hour or so in Baghdad. Once again let's bring in our Nic Robertson. He's in Jordan along the border with Iraq. Nic, when we hear about these explosions in Baghdad there was one in a marketplace earlier today as well that the Iraqis claim was done by the United States, killed more than 50 people. The U.S. saying they cannot confirm that at all but tell our viewers what you're hearing.

ROBERTSON: Well, journalists were told about this just around about 6:00 P.M. in the evening, Baghdad time. Just as it was beginning to get dark, they were told by the Ministry of Information to go to the Alman (ph) sewer district. Now this is quite an up market neighborhood about two or three miles west of the center of Baghdad. It's not clear if that was the actual neighborhood where the blast occurred, but the journalist were told by the Ministry of Information to go over there. When they got there it was dark. They could see a crater in the road. They could see people looking at that crater, impossible to say what caused it, certainly Iraqi officials blaming it on Coalition bombing. When they got to the hospital, hospital officials told them there are ...

BLITZER: Nic, I just want to -- Nic, I just want to interrupt for a second because we're now seeing -- we see some fire engines go by, some sirens go by. No alerts here but we do see some smoke now coming from Kuwait City. I'm looking out from behind my location. I can see some smoke over the skyline of this city, here in Kuwait City. As I said, within the past few moments we did hear some sort of explosion, a loud boom here in Kuwait City. We're attempting to find out precisely what that is. Our producers and our other reporters here in Kuwait are attempting to check out this information but once again, as you can see, smoke coming from downtown Kuwait City. We're attempting to check out precisely what that is and we'll get that information as soon as we get a little bit more.

Let's go back to Nic Robertson. Nic, I'm sorry I interrupted you but this is highly unusual to see that kind of smoke coming from Kuwait City itself.

ROBERTSON: No absolutely. Well, clearly developments on many fronts this evening. That hospital in Baghdad, the officials saying there that at least 51 people were killed in that explosion in this market, at least 50 people injured. The Information Minister, Mohammad al-Sahaf, called it a criminal cowardly act. He has talked several times during the day asserting that the Coalition forces have been targeting civilians saying that it was a war crime. And that the Iraqis would teach the coalition forces a lesson.

As you say, Coalition Center Command planners say they're not aware of an attack in that neighborhood and the explosion the market the day before they say could well have been due to an Iraqi missile falling in that neighborhood. Iraqi officials on this night giving no indication that that's what may have happened. They say that this incident is all to blame on the Coalition forces.

Whether or not that is the case, this is what people in Baghdad appear to believe and when one listens to some of the Arab broadcasters in this region, they're already characterizing this blast in this second marketplace characterizing it as a -- as a crime, characterizing it as a massacre in fact, very emotive language. It seems to be widening this division that's appearing between, if you will, the images of the war, which are on one hand on the Iraqi side images being portrayed of civilian casualties.

BLITZER: Nic ...

ROBERTSON: Wolf?

BLITZER: Stand by for a minute. I just want to update our viewers on what's going on here in Kuwait City. We have these live pictures. We're looking at the skyline of Kuwait City where just a few minutes ago we heard some sort of loud blast, some sort of sounded like an explosion. We have no idea what it was but we can see smoke billowing across the skyline of downtown Kuwait City. We're attempting to determine precisely what that is. There have been no alerts given. No air raid sirens have been released. No sort of action whatsoever but once again, some sort of explosion in Kuwait City and we can see the end result of that, the smoke that's beginning to billow across the skyline of Kuwait City.

I understand there's also some tracer fire in Baghdad now unfolding as well. Tracer fire usually suggesting, Nic Robertson, that there's anti-aircraft fire going up from Iraqi positions in Baghdad. Usually that suggests that perhaps more U.S. aircraft are on the way with more bombs.

Nic, I'm sorry I interrupted you that time but as you can tell, there's some activity going on here in Kuwait City. We're attempting to determine precisely what that is. The smoke beginning to dissipate but we did hear an explosion, some sort of explosion in downtown Kuwait City just a few minutes ago.

Nic, as we hear the tracer fire and the anti-aircraft fire going up in Baghdad, that proves to suggest the Iraqis have indications that U.S. warplanes are on the way. Is that the normal pattern?

ROBERTSON: That's the normal pattern. That's what we were seeing when we were there last week and what one sees is the tracer fire coming up from the periphery of the city and what we can hear listening to the sound being picked up on those microphones there in the camera positions right in the center of Baghdad, you can hear small amounts of tracer fire on the outskirts of the city but when the tracer fire sounds much louder you can see it much more clearly, that shows that the Iraqi defensive forces believe that that attack is coming much closer to the center of the city.

We saw on several occasions the tracer fire only starting up on the outskirts of the city. Then the bombing took place on the outskirts. When the tracer fire got loud and started up in the center of the city then the explosions happened in the center of the city. So this would seem to indicate possibly here, Wolf, that an attack is perceived by the Iraqi authorities, an attack likely again on the center of Baghdad and already that's what we've seen this evening, an explosion perhaps half an hour ago lighting up the sky of Baghdad, an explosion that appeared to be close to the Ministry of Information, certainly centered around some government buildings -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Nic, stand by for a minute. I want to bring in General Shepperd, our military analyst. We're talking to U.S. Air Force Major General Don Shepperd. General Shepperd, as you hear about that bombing, if it was in fact a bombing at that marketplace, this other location in Baghdad with more than 50 people killed according to eye witnesses as well as hospital workers in the area, the Central Command refusing to say U.S. had anything to do with that, what goes through your mind?

SHEPPERD: Well, first Wolf, it's evident that the Central Command did not target downtown Baghdad and a market. That's simply something that's not going to happen for reasons that are obvious to everyone that understands U.S. military. It could be an errant bomb. It could be an errant missile. It also could be anti-aircraft fire. We have seen it fired from the ground. You see those flashes in the sky.

Every anti-aircraft shell is designed to explode in the sky so it does not come back and hit the ground. It could be an anti-aircraft shell fired by the Iraqis. It could also be a surface to air missile that takes off and goes errant and falls into the market. I cannot tell and you probably can't tell unless you do a ground investigation to see the pieces of the weapon itself and measure craters, that type of thing, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. General Shepperd, as our viewers look at these pictures of downtown Kuwait City, that's where I am, just within the past few minutes we heard a thud, some sort of explosion, some sort of activity going on. We see some smoke continuing to billow although it's dissipated considerably over the past few minutes. There have been, as you well know, about 10 or 12 missiles that have been launched at various targets here in Kuwait over the past week or so, almost all of them intercepted by patriot air defense missiles successfully.

I could tell you I heard that explosion. There's no sign that it was a missile although that certainly can't be ruled out. There have been no air raid sirens that have been -- that have gone off here in Kuwait City. As you look at the pictures of Kuwait City, General Shepperd, does that look like the end result perhaps of some sort of missile that may have hit downtown Kuwait City?

SHEPPERD Unable to tell Wolf. It could be a missile that was missed by the patriot (UNINTELLIGIBLE). It could also be some type of terrorist attack. If I had to guess without knowing anything and this is almost stupid to guess, I would have guessed that it's some type of terrorist attack as opposed to a missile because no air raid warning and no reports of patriot firings.

BLITZER: I've got to tell you, General, in case anybody's worried about me, that explosion and I can see the end result from where I am. I'm several miles away but I can see the smoke ...

SHEPPERD: ... because no air raid warning and no reports of patriot firings.

BLITZER: I've got to tell you, General, in case anybody's worried about me, that explosion and I can see the end result from where I am. I'm several miles away but I can see the smoke billowing as I look over the skyline so it's not anywhere near where I happen to be although I certainly heard it and I certainly could see the end result of it but I have no idea what it was.

We're attempting to determine precisely what it was but we definitely did hear some sort of explosion. We see the smoke the end result of whatever that was here in Kuwait City. You can look at these live pictures and begin to get a flavor of what's going on. We have these pictures of Baghdad and Kuwait City.

As you know, General, Kuwait has been very supportive of the United States in this war against Iraq and as a result, no love lost between the Iraqi government and the government here in Kuwait. Presumably that's why the Iraqis have launched at least 10 or 12 missiles against Kuwait over the past week although we did hear from U.S. military sources yesterday that one key launcher used in those missile attacks against targets here in Kuwait near Basra was destroyed by U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft only yesterday.

Go ahead General.

SHEPPERD: Well, that's true Wolf. It's a big desert out there so it would not be impossible for irregular forces to sneak a missile in and launch it into Kuwait. You're right. There's no love lost between the two countries. Remember also we had an explosion in downtown Doha in Qatar here a couple of weeks ago and it turned out to be some type of natural gas explosion down there. So there are all sorts of possibilities and of course everyone's on hair trigger. Everyone's listening for sirens and everyone's guessing -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. General Shepperd, stand by. I want to show our viewers what has happened in Baghdad over the past half hour, 45 minutes or so. First of all, there was a huge explosion that rocked apparently the Ministry of Information in downtown Baghdad. I want our viewers to take a look at this one. And then there was a smaller explosion in Baghdad a little bit after that. We're trying to determine precisely where that location was.

Nic Robertson is helping us. He's standing by. He's watching all of this as well. He's in nearby Jordan along the border with Iraq.

It looks like the people of Baghdad, Nic, are getting no let up tonight.

ROBERTSON: Certainly that seems to be the case, Wolf, and I was very interested in listening to General Don Shepperd there. He raised a very important issue. We were talking a little earlier as well, not about this latest blast that appears to be very, very close to the Iraq's Ministry of Information in the center of Baghdad. We were talking a little earlier about a blast in a -- in a suburban neighborhood several miles west of the city center, a blast that Iraqi officials say killed 51 people. Certainly we cannot confirm that figure.

But General Shepperd raised an important issue. He said that to find out what happened there it would be necessary to look at bomb fragments and what we have seen in the past is Iraqi officials, when they have fragments of cruise missiles or other Coalition ammunitions that have come down, they've been very quick to put those on television and show those and what we have not seen, what we have not seen associated with this blast earlier this evening and what we did not see associated with the blast in a market yesterday in Baghdad, we have not seen Iraqi officials come out and show parts of the coalition ammunitions that might have been associated with that particular damage.

Of course, even if they did, it would be very difficult to know whether those particular ammunitions had been found at that location or not but we haven't seen that and that is perhaps, again, another way where we can try and analyze, try and find out exactly what has happened at these locations. Of course, today in this suburban neighborhood, in this market area, Iraqi officials blaming Coalition forces for the explosion, coalition forces saying absolutely they cannot confirm that they had missiles in that area and the same situation in the marketplace yesterday -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Nic, stand by. I want to bring back General Shepperd and General Shepperd, I want to talk a little bit about what's happening here in Kuwait City for viewers who may just be tuning in within the past few minutes. We heard a lot of explosion in Kuwait City. Then we saw smoke billowing over the skyline of downtown Kuwait City. I'm hearing fire engines but no sirens, no air raid sirens going off, no indication that there is any serious danger right now but we are attempting to find out precisely what was hit, if it in fact this was an explosion, if this was an Iraqi missile. We know that about a dozen have been launched against various targets in Kuwait over the past week.

This new generation, General Shepperd, of these patriot air defense missiles, they've worked remarkably well this time around as opposed during the -- as opposed to during the first Gulf War a dozen years ago. Why are they so much better now?

SHEPPERD: Well, Wolf, it's true they're working better if it is as reported. Remember during the Gulf War the reports were also on their end. In looking at the pictures on the screen, it looked like that they were very successful and then in after action studies we found out that almost none of the patriots actually hit the missiles. This time it appears to be changed.

The new Pac 3 missile that is reportedly deployed in Kuwait and being moved forward as well, has improved battle management capability. That means that the radars are able to get the missile much further out in range, to sort it from other things that are appearing on the radar scope and to engage it further out and then the increased hit capability results from improved software and also improved hardware. So it appears, at least if the reports are correct, it's very successful. A couple of other observations Wolf, the air defense system has been very, very good. Remember the missile launch warning goes to Colorado Springs and then is relayed and the sirens are turned on as a result of warning about missile launch picked up from satellites out in space. Those sirens have been very accurate every time there has been a missile attack leading me to believe that either the system didn't work this time or perhaps it was something other than a missile Wolf but I'm only guessing from thousands of miles away looking through a simple soda straw at a plume of smoke so back to you -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. We're getting indications now from Kuwaiti authorities, General Shepperd, that yes, this was in fact some sort of missile that may have struck downtown Kuwait. We're attempting to get more information about this. If this was a missile that hit Kuwait City, it would be the first time. All of the other missiles, the ground to ground missiles, that have been fired over the past week have either been intercepted by patriot air defense missiles or have fallen harmlessly into the Persian Gulf, the waters of the Persian Gulf or into the sands of the Kuwait desert. Most of the missiles though, almost all of them in fact, have been intercepted. If in fact this is a missile that did successfully hit downtown Kuwait City, it would be the first such successful hit by presumably by an Iraqi launcher, if in fact that is what it is.

Once again, all of this information is coming in very, very sporadically. We're trying to determine precisely what happened. This is all I know for sure. The only thing I know for sure is that about a half hour ago or so I did hear a loud explosion here in Kuwait City. That was followed by billowing smoke that came up over the skyline. Other than that we are attempting to get more information from Kuwaiti authorities and from U.S. authorities as well.

The situation in Kuwait, of course, serious but at least no sirens have gone off suggesting that there's any potential danger to the residents of the this city, this capital of Kuwait here in Kuwait but Kuwaiti officials confirming now that a missile has in fact struck Kuwait City. We're attempting to figure out precisely where, precisely how much damage and precisely what's going on. Right now all that information, of course, is still very, very sketchy.

When you hear about this General Shepperd, what goes through your mind?

SHEPPERD: Well, all of the missiles that we have seen launched so far have been of two types, Wolf. One is the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) missile. It's a ground to ground missile with a range of 40 or 50 miles and an impact warhead that throws shrapnel out. Those are the ones that have been intercepted. Also, early on we had versions of a Chinese made Silkworm missile apparently that were launched.

I believe a couple of those came on early in the war and ground troops saw that missile but all of them apparently were intercepted by patriot missiles or allowed to fall harmlessly in the desert as they impacted -- as they predicted impacts were not going to be in populated areas. So again, we're going to have to wait and watch and diagnose what type of missile, Wolf.

BLITZER: We're getting some more information, General Shepperd. It seemed that there was no advance warning. No sirens went off here in Kuwait City because this particular missile and we have confirmed now from Kuwaiti authorities that it was a missile, was coming in at a very low altitude which suggests it could have been one of those silkworm or sea to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) types of missiles, sea to land types of missiles. Is that what it possibly could have been -- General Shepperd.

SHEPPERD: It could have been that. The Silkworm is a Chinese made missile. It is an anti-ship missile designed to be fired from the shore onto ships out over the water but of course, it can also be directed at land. So that is one possibility and of course, those things still should be picked up by the missile launch system and relayed but there may not have been time depending upon how close it was launched from -- Wolf.

BLITZER: We know that the Iraqis would love to be able to hit Kuwait given the animosity between these two countries. We got a closer view now of what apparently was hit here in Kuwait City. We're going to show our viewers these scenes from downtown Kuwait. I don't see any more smoke, at least a little bit of smoke billowing from it but once again, Kuwaiti officials confirming that a missile has in fact struck Kuwait City. We're going to continue to monitor what's happening here, what's happening in Baghdad as well. A lot of news unfolding Lou Dobbs is going to have much more on the war in Iraq.

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 March 29, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Reality at war. In a Baghdad neighborhood, civilians on the sidelines sit.

On the battlefield in Nasiriya. Marines in mourning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The forces that were there recovered five of the bodies that were there.

BLITZER: And running for their lives. Saddam Hussein's forces take aim at their own people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've been hearing stories of this kind of brutality, but this is the first occasion on which we've actually witnessed it.

BLITZER: All this on day nine of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS from Kuwait City with correspondents from around the world. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.

BLITZER: You're looking at live pictures of Baghdad, where only within the past few minutes, more explosions and more smoke. Indeed Baghdad, once again, facing the wrath -- the wrath of U.S. warplanes and bombs.

Today, the United States, in addition to that, warned Saddam Hussein's neighbors, two of them in particular, to stay away and not come to the Iraqi leader's aid.

And welcome to Kuwait. This is one neighbor that is aiding the U.S. efforts to remove the Iraqi leader from power. Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting tonight live from Kuwait City.

In our headlines from the Persian Gulf, civilians caught in the crossfire. Arab media reporting this hour, a neighborhood in Baghdad struck from the sky. We'll be hearing reports of more than 50 dead. The Central Command, however, has told CNN it cannot -- confirm the report.

And in this hour, British troops report Iraqi paramilitary forces are shooting at their own people attempting to flee the city of Basra. We'll bring you more on all of these stories in just moment, but first a breaking story.

A Turkish airliner was hijacked today during a flight from Istanbul to Ankara. About 200 people were on board. The plane is said to be heading toward Athens, Greece. Turkey shares a border with Kurdish dominated northern Iraq. But there is no word on whether the hijacking is related to the situation there.

The Associated Press is now reporting that the plane has now just landed in Greece. We'll keep you posted, we've got a live report -- all of that, but first the other headlines. Here's CNN's Heidi Collins in the CNN newsroom.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: We have pictures from Baghdad where just within the past few minutes more explosions have been heard and have been seen. In fact, one area, according to a Reuters reporter, an eyewitness on the scene showing an explosion in the area of the Ministry of Information in central Baghdad.

Let's bring in Nic Robertson. He spent hours and hours atop at that building, the Ministry of Information. Nic, I don't know if you are looking at these live pictures from Baghdad right now. There are conflicting reports whether this was an explosion at the Ministry of Information or near the Ministry of Information? From your vantage point, on these screen -- on these live pictures can you tell?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, you see me looking down here, I am working at the monitor in front of me, very difficult to tell. I can see the large outline of a block of a building and interestingly, I don't see any lights on inside it. It would be typical at this time of night for the Ministry of Information to at least have lights on the top two floors and perhaps one or two at the lower floors. That's because that's where the minister's officers are and his close associates high up in the building and they're often to be seen working late.

But it is impossible for me to say, looking at this particular image, I can see at this moment whether or not this is the Ministry of Information and whether or not it's actually been hit. It's certainly about the right size and I believe we're looking in approximately the right direction towards where it would be. But it's impossible for me to analyze these pictures at the moment and give you an accurate read on exactly what I think has happened.

But if it is ministry of information, it's a building that's about 13 stories high. It has a lot of telecommunications equipment on it, not just belonging to the international journalist who are forced to base themselves there by Iraqi officials, but also communications equipment belonging to Iraqi officials -- many satellite receivers.

We've also seen satellite transmitters very, very close to that building as well and perhaps some other equipment, and we do know that in the days, just before the war, a lot of computer equipment was removed from that building. But it is a building that pretty much most the time, seems to have a very large number of what would appear to be regular office workers in it. Many women work in that building during daylight hours, they generally finish work by early afternoon. But it's a building that we've come to know very well, as you say, because that's where -- that is the building where international journalists, forced by Iraqi officials to work -- that's the only location they're allowed to work from in Baghdad -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And 24 hours ago about this time you and I were talking about other targets that were hit near that Ministry of Information and International Telecommunications Center near by. It looks like they're getting increasingly closer though, directly to that Ministry of Information.

ROBERTSON: It does, certainly the targeting of that communication center just across the bridge over the Tigris River from the Ministry of Information -- it very much appears to be a specific targeting of that particular communications center. Very interesting to see some pictures of that during the day today -- to be able to see how the explosive charge went off at the base of the building.

That is certainly what it appeared to be on the pictures of the bombing over night, the explosion coming at the base of the building. The building did look extensively damaged -- interesting because during the last Gulf War, that building was targeted by a cruise missile -- it just took out -- or apparently took out just one floor of the building. So a different method of attack used on the same facility.

Now -- but as far as the Ministry of Information is concerned a lot of, perhaps, very relevant communications equipment associated with it and close to it. Of course it's very close to Iraq's TV station as well and where Iraq uplinks it's own Iraqi television satellite transmissions from as well -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And it's just after 1:00 a.m. in Baghdad as well as here in Kuwait City. Nic, stand by.

I want immediately go to CNN's Ryan Chilcote. He's one of our embedded journalists covering the 101st Airborne Division. I know you are in Iraq some place Ryan, tell us what's going on.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure. The 101st Airborne Division has just executed its first deep attack using it's Apache Attack helicopter, specifically, Apache Attack -- a Longbow helicopter -- that's the newest form of the Apache Attack helicopter. They've sent out dozens of these helicopters, much like earlier in the week the 11th Aviation Regiment -- 11th Attack Regiment sent out. This was the first attack from the 101st Airborne Division.

They sent these helicopters out into an area southwest of Baghdad. I am told less than 100 miles southwest of Baghdad. There they engaged, they destroyed according to the U.S. military ATCs and tanks. They also called in some Air Force. Those Air Force also engaged targets. Just as this mission was getting underway I was actually present for it, Wolf, one helicopter took off -- one of the helicopters took off and returned, we were told, because of some mechanical problems. It looked like it was looking for a place to land and it did what is called a "hard landing" or a "roll." In other words, as it landed, it appears that it entered into some "brownout" conditions.

In other words, the pilot could not see exactly where the ground is and he rolled his Apache Attack helicopter. He is -- well there're actually two pilots in that helicopter. It's a co-piloted helicopter. He and the co-pilot, I am told, are OK. Perhaps one of the two pilots may have a broken leg but more or less they are OK, particularly, considering the fact that in a moving helicopter, they impacted with the earth in that fashion.

Now, at the end of this mission -- again the same problem -- it appears that there was again a brownout problem. A helicopter -- another Apache Attack helicopter landing also, perhaps, in brownout conditions where the pilot couldn't exactly see the ground because that helicopter -- the rotors are spinning so fast it kicks up a lot of dust and sand and with the darkness, the pilot simply can't see the ground. They too rolled their helicopter. Both of those pilots I'm told they are OK.

So the important information here is the 101st executing its first deep attack inside Iraq. That's big news. And also two rolled helicopters, all the pilots more or less OK, one perhaps with some injuries to his legs -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ryan Chilcote perhaps with a new phase in the 101st Airborne Division's effort campaign against Saddam Hussein. Ryan we'll be getting back to you. Stay safe there in Iraq.

I want our viewers now to take a look at this videotape only within the past few moments, a huge explosion and smoke in Baghdad, watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(EXPLOSION)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: According to Reuters correspondent on the scene, it was either at the Information Ministry in Baghdad or very, very close to the Information Ministry. That's where the international journalist for months on end have been doing their reports. That's where the Iraqis usually have their news conference, but there could be other elements of the Iraqi government inside that building as well.

Let me bring in retired U.S. Air Force Major General Don Shepperd. He is joining us in the CNN Newsroom. He is a CNN analyst of course.

As we take a look at this video once again, General Shepperd, talk to us a little bit about this potential target The Ministry of Information.

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, Wolf, I have to yield to Nic Robertson and his excellent detailed knowledge of downtown Baghdad.

But if this is the Ministry of Information, I assume that we are looking at it from the east bank of the Tigris River across to the west bank of the Tigris River. In other words, we are looking southwest at the intersection of Hetha (ph) and Alfara (ph) Street and across the Alarara (ph) bridge.

The Ministry of Information -- it has been the center of communications. There were strikes there that appeared to be at the base of the building last night. I had a better view of the building, I believe than Nic did on his monitor but it appeared to me that the two top floors -- the left hand side of the screen on the two top floors were lighted and the lights did not go out if that strike took place there.

It could be that they are using a new type of weapon announced by Barbara Starr designed to take out antennas as oppose to the building themselves. We have to wait and get some more analysis and reports by CENTCOM and the Pentagon -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Looks like the air campaign in and around Baghdad is going after telecommunications capabilities of the Iraqi government, a International Communication Center hit yesterday, now it's the Ministry of Information that has been hit. It seems like they are trying to degrade the capability of the Iraqi government to engage in communications with their own people.

SHEPPERD: Indeed, it appears that they probably are looking for commanding control and leadership targets. In other words those towers being used to give information to military units in the field and also to spread the message of the Iraqi government and the Hussein regime. Those would be likely targets.

Also many targets are being re-struck in the Republican Palace area, Wolf. Miles O'Brien and I have been looking at satellite photos very carefully and although we have seen many explosions, you don't see the entire west bank bombed out. You have to look really hard for holes in these buildings. This is precise effects-based targeting where you're trying to target a precise DMPI, called a DMPI -- Desired Mean Point of Impact to get deep point of the building that you are interested in, not flatten the whole block -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And a Reuters correspondent, an eyewitness in Baghdad is saying this, that white smoke filled the skies. It shook the windows, the explosion. It was a huge explosion, the Reuters correspondent says. It either hit the Information Ministry or was very close. Once again windows and buildings nearby the Tigris River shaking.

CNN is now learning from sources in Baghdad that was in fact the Information Ministry that was hit. The Information Ministry the first time apparently, General Shepperd, that the U.S. has targeted directly this center of communications for the Iraqi government.

Tell our viewers, General Shepperd, why this would be significant -- television towers hit the other day, although, Iraqi television is now back on the air. Why is this significant to go after the Ministry of Information?

SHEPPERD: Well a couple of thoughts. This is the way they spread their messages both to their field and forces on the military side, and also their message from the regime and ensure their people that they're in control of the government. All the things that the U.S. coalition and the coalition does not want to have that appearance being broadcast around the world.

Couple of other observations on this -- I saw, as you saw, a huge blast that normally indicates a large weapon. Large weapons normally are designed to go off underneath the ground. So it could be that these weapons are digging down to underground bunkers where there is indication that communications are coming from. Our intelligence indicates that things are buried underground.

The other thing is if you take down this building you have to worry about in the rebuilding process of the country. You may want that building to put antennas back up to spread the word of the new government -- Wolf.

BLITZER: General Shepperd, thanks very much. Stand by, we're going to be getting back to you.

The bombing is not only continuing in the Iraqi capital, it's continuing elsewhere around the country as well. And as we told you at the top of this program, coalition forces apparently unleashing a barrage of air strikes in the northern part of Iraq.

CNN's Brent Sadler is joining us now live from the town of Kalak (ph). Brent, the air assault, I take it, is deeply underway near where you are?

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely right, Wolf. We've seen intense bombing activity around Kalak or at least on the front Iraqi lines, on the northern front and behind, clearly large flashes and detonations around Mosul this for a second straight night running.

I think, since I have been here and since the start of the invasion this has been the heaviest night of bombing in this area. It started soon after sunset and has been going pretty consistently every hour since then.

Now, in addition to this nighttime bombing today, there was an earlier significant development in southeast of here at another location along the northern front at Chamchmal (ph). And this was the abandonment of a key Iraqi army position on the main road from Chamchamal leading to that oil rich city of Kirkuk, a key price for the coalition to one day capture. Now this abandonment of those positions followed many days of bombing around that area, specifically a command bunker on top of the hill. Now Iraqi Kurdish forces quickly have moved forward, taken about 20 kilometers, 12 miles of territory in a move which might of course concern a few days ago when that was told of Turkey possibly coming in the area with troops if the Kurds made any advances towards those two cities of Kirkuk or Mosul.

But the U.S. special envoy here (UNINTELLIGIBLE) made it clear that Kurds are fully cooperating with command and control of the United States Central Command. That was not even said a hostile move by the Kurds against the Iraqi army, it was a matter of filling a vacuum.

Now, the same time as that's being going on, Wolf, we have seen a continuation of a buildup of ground forces from the 173rd Airborne Brigade out of Italy which dramatically flew in half their regiment, about a 1,000 troops some 36 hours ago into an airstrip at Harrer (ph), which is just outside the city in Iraqi-Kurdish town of Erbil.

This airstrip has been very busy during the daylight hours and also during the hours of darkness as transport planes coming into the airstrip now, which is being made ready for even larger aircraft. Men and equipment and weaponry coming off those transport planes in a steady buildup of ground forces here -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And the air strikes that are continuing near where you are, Brent, these seem to be huge explosions in the sense of strategic targets or close air support designed to go after tanks and armor.

SADLER: I think we are seeing a combination of both, Wolf. Certainly from Kurdish intelligence reports from the ground that I am getting. These air strikes are targeting artillery pieces, tanks, other armor hardware. But the same time simultaneously designed, we believe to weaken the morale of the Iraqi army and that does seem to have had some impact on the ground.

Kurdish reports from their intelligence service here on the ground tells CNN that as many as 200 defectors have crossed the lines into Iraqi Kurdistan over the pass several days -- the biggest or rather the heaviest blow of defections that they have known of.

Now some of these Iraqi soldiers most of them in fact are just privates, conscripts. They have managed to either walk through the lines at night. Some of them have swum across a river to get the Iraqi Kurdish area. So, very significant defections and we are hoping to get to see those defectors, talk to them once they have been debriefed by the Kurdish forces here -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Brent Sadler, he is up in the north witnessing, eyewitnessing more huge explosions, more U.S. bombings on various Iraqi targets in the north.

The north is not the only area where we are witnessing huge explosions in Baghdad. only within the past few minutes, as we have been reporting, apparently the Ministry of Information, the target of this blast by U.S. bombers or Tomahawk Cruise Missiles. The Ministry of Information, apparently the first time that building has been hit. Although in the last several days, other buildings near the Ministry of Information have been hit.

We are watching all of these locations, especially in Baghdad. We anticipate there could be more action coming up throughout the night just after 1:00 a.m. Already here, it's Saturday morning in this part of the world.

Lets take a look also and see what's happening on the ground as well. There is intense fighting in the south and expanding front in the north and a coming storm that looming battle for Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): In the south, two cities that allied forces can not seem to be secure. Basra, Iraqi paramilitary units, fire machine guns and motors at hundreds of civilians trying to flee the city over a bridge and unknown number are wounded. British forces fire on the Iraqi militia, killing some.

Nasiriya, a hornet's nest for Marines. Three U.S. Marine battalions engaged in some of the fiercest firing of the war against Iraqi paramilitary units and regular forces. Four more Marines reported missing today in Nasiriya, in addition to 12 Marines who went missing there yesterday.

Elsewhere in the south, U.S. forces move on to an abandoned Iraqi air base, scramble to get their runways ready for A-10 Warthog Attack Planes. CNN's Bob Franken reports, it's a crucial strategic prize.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a base that is also about a 155 -- about a 150 miles north of Kuwait and so it is much closer to the action.

BLITZER: Now signs of the Iraqis won't go quietly in the north either. CNN's Kevin Sites in the Kurdish controlled town of Chamchamal, reports the town has come under artillery fires from nearby Iraqi units.

In central Iraq, the weather is clearing and U.S. led forces pound the way at Republican Guard units, ahead of an assault on Baghdad.

U.S. military sources tell CNN's Barbara Starr heavy allied air strikes have degraded the Republican Guards' Medina Division, south of Baghdad to 65 percent capacity. That division now needs help.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Hammurabi Division, which has been west of Baghdad is now indeed moving into place to try and reinforce the Medina south of Baghdad.

BLITZER: U.S.-led ground forces near Baghdad are also being reinforced rapidly. The climactic battle possibly just days away.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: By sea, by land and by air, we will take you to the frontline of the ground war and to craters, and along troops are on the move as coalition forces continue to fight of their lives.

Plus on board the USS Constellation where aviators fly around the clock deep into dangerous territory.

And operating in the war zone. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta, just back from deep inside Iraq. He will report on the so-called Devil Docs. But first, these images from the Associated Press.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Within the past few minutes, a huge explosion rocked the Ministry of Information in downtown Baghdad. We don't know the extent of casualties. We don't know the extent of damage. But it looks serious.

The Ministry of Information, a huge government complex that's where most of the foreign reporters based in Baghdad have been doing there television reports over these past several weeks and months until recently. That's where CNN's Nic Robertson and Rym Brahimi were reporting from as well.

We are trying to assess, what exactly has happened in Baghdad in the past in few minutes. We are going to get some more information. Though eyewitnesses have already reported, this was a huge bomb hitting directly the Ministry of Information.

Even though the coalition is starting to base some warplanes inside Iraq, aircraft carriers of course remain very very busy. CNN's Frank Buckley is embedded aboard the USS Constellation in the Persian Gulf, he is joining us live via videophone -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well the USS Constellation, one of three aircraft carriers here in the Persian Gulf, one of five in the region. Every night out of the USS Constellations strike aircraft are going into Iraq. The same situation once again tonight. And one of the primary targets that they hit, virtually every time they go out are the surface-to-air defense systems.

Especially in and around Baghdad, an area that the pilots call the Super MEZ, or Missile Engagement Zone because, while south of the 33rd parallel missile defense systems, the surface-to-air defense systems have been largely eroded during 12 years of Operation Southern Watch. Air defenses in and around Baghdad have been building up during that's same period.

Now, we are told that whenever coalition aircraft can see these defense systems, especially when they are illuminated by the radar systems, they attack, but they can't always see these systems because one of the tactics is to fire and then to leave. Here is the Captain Mark Baks (ph), the Air Wing Commander.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, the latest revive in this world now of GPS guided weapons that need certain menstruated coordinances to move. And they know that, and so the move and the move a lot. And so, that's been one of the issues that we are dealing with right now as we are reducing the threat in the Super MEZ area. We still have to honor the SAM that you cannot account for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And as we say, those surface-to-air defense systems are targeted virtually every day when they strike aircraft leave. So far during this conflict involving the coalition and Iraq not a single coalition aircraft has been downed or at least not a strike fighter has been downed by (UNINTELLIGIBLE) surface-to-air defense systems -- Wolf.

Frank Buckley aboard the USS Constellation where the tempo of takeoffs and landings continues without any let up. Perhaps, one of those planes dropped the bomb that hit the Ministry of Information in Baghdad, only within the past few minutes.

The Ministry of Information in central Baghdad, a key location as far as we could tell the first time that particular government building in Baghdad has been targeted. Although several other communications centers near the Ministry of Information have been targeted over the past several days.

We're continuing to watch what's happening on the streets and over the skies of Baghdad.

And as we mentioned U.S. military officials say four more Marines are missing in fighting in the south near Nasiriya. That's on top of 12 other Marines who were reported missing in the area only yesterday. The four latest are with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. Members of that unit are said to be aggressively searching for the missing men.

The fighting in Nasiriya has been so intense that's U.S. Marines are only now able to start retrieving remains of some of their comrades who are killed in combat on Sunday. CNN's Alessio Vinci is embedded with the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Marines. He has this exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hostilities in Nasiriya prevented the Marines from recovering the bodies of their fallen comrades earlier, most still seen lying in the burned-out armored vehicles five days after one of the bloodiest battles of the war in Iraq.

Officers say they have found the body parts of at least seven Marines. The current toll of troops killed in Nasiriya is now 16, more are still missing.

Captain Scott Dire (ph) helped recover his friends and colleagues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we got down into there -- forces that where there -- recovered five of the bodies that were there. And then, some civilians came out, showed us where they had buried two others and return to us the personal effects of at least one of the Marines that was there, some photographs, some mail, things like that.

VINCI: Struggling to keep his emotions in check, the commanding officer personally oversaw the recovery effort making sure that bodies were treating with dignity and respect even under the tough conditions of the front lines. Medics performed the first field examination to identify some of the victims, and DNA tests will be performed for final positive identification. From here, the bodies will be flown to a staging area and prepared for a final journey back home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We ask for your blessing God Almighty in the name of the father ...

VINCI: A Marine chaplain led the troops in prayer, a moment of solace and comfort for many here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Marines care for their own and that's in life and in death. And so they see their duty not complete until they're resting in their homeland with their families.

VINCI: City Marines here say the Nasiriya fight was the fiercest the Marine Corp has been involved in since Wake (ph) City in Vietnam and promised the Marines missing will be found and returned home.

Alesso Vinci, CNN, for the U.S. Marines, in Nasiriya, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And here's your chance to way in on the war in Iraq. Our Web question of the day is this: What do you think of the way the American media's covering the war? Is it too critical, not critical enough, just right. We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Please vote at cnn.com/wolf. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column. I'm writing those columns every day here -- from here in Kuwait City.

A drone down in Iraq, we'll have that and other battle scenes coming up. Plus we'll be keeping an eye on what's happening in Baghdad right now where Coalition bombs fell just a few minutes ago. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: CNN's continuing coverage of the war in Iraq. Of course, Christiane Amanpour is live as the first shipload of aid arrives. Kevin Sites is on the ground on coalition planes come under attack. Alessio Vinci is with Marines as more fighting takes place near Nasiriya. For live updates throughout the afternoon, stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You're looking at a live picture of a Turkish airliner that was hijacked just a little while ago as it was leaving Istanbul, the regularly scheduled flight to Athens, Greece. The plane has now landed in Athens, Greece. Its still hijacked nearly 200 passengers onboard, in fact 196 passengers on board. Still no word on what's happening. Two Greek military jets began trailing the plane before it landed. We're going to keep monitoring what's happening with this hijacked Turkish airliner plane. We'll get more information, bring it to you, of course, as we get it.

At the same time there's an important new development involving the 101st Airborne Division. They're fighting this war deep inside Iraq right now. Ryan Chilcote, our embedded reporter, he's covering the 101st. He's joining us once again.

Ryan, tell us, our viewers, what's going on.

CHILCOTE: Sure. The 101st Airborne -- the 101st Airborne just executed its first deep attack. It used the Apache attack helicopter, specifically the Apache Longbow helicopters, sent dozens of these helicopters southwest of Baghdad, I'm told just less than 100 miles southwest of Baghdad and engaged in armored brigade there, an Iraqi armored brigade. I understand they destroyed several tanks and several ATCs, several other vehicles also. They also, the pilots who have now all returned, informed me that the Air Force was also involved in this attack. The Air Force, they said, dropped several 500 pound bombs. Apparently there were some British harriers on hand and perhaps some F-14s from the U.S. Air Force.

Now just as this mission was getting underway, one Apache attack helicopter, part of a larger group taking off, returned rather unexpectedly. I was standing here right where I am right now on the air field and watched it return only a couple of minutes after it had taken off and then land and as it landed, it was sort of a crash landing, if you will. It entered into brown out conditions meaning it can't see. The pilot cannot see exactly where he is. It's very difficult because the rotators are spinning so fast that the dust or sand here on the desert floor is so fine. It kicks up all that sand and the pilot simply can't see where he's landing.

Well that's what happened apparently and the helicopter rolled, so in effect, it is a crash landing. It's not like, of course, crashing from 50 feet or 100 feet or getting shot down or anything like that but it is a crash landing and it is a very dangerous situation which is why it's very nice to report that the pilot and the co-pilot, it is a co-piloted helicopter, are both in great shape. The pilots tell me it is possible, they're not 100 percent sure at this point, that the co-pilot may have a broken leg but that is small potatoes in comparison to what can happen when you're flying in a helicopter that can go 150 miles an hour.

Now at the tail end of this mission, again, a pilot as he was landing somehow rolled the helicopter. Again, according to the commander, perhaps the brown out factor, the brown out conditions playing a major factor in that roll. In that helicopter apparently both of the pilots are all right.

So two important things here; the 101st has executed its first deep attack which is really a new phase in this war. We saw one of these deep attacks from the 11th attack regime earlier in the week. Now the 101st is in on it. They have more helicopters and more attack helicopters than any other division in the U.S. Army and also these unfortunate mishaps but thankfully no one really very seriously hurt.

Wolf ...

BLITZER: Ryan Chilcote, he's covering the 101st Airborne, the legendary unit of the U.S. military. Ryan, we'll be checking back with you.

Only within the past few minutes more explosions rock the Iraq capital, more explosions in Baghdad. Earlier there was a huge explosion at the Ministry of Information. Look at this. The U.S. clearly not letting up in the air campaign against various targets not only in Baghdad but throughout Iraq. The improving weather making it easier for the U.S. to launch close air support as well as more strategic types of bombing including the Iraqi capital.

Bombing could go on for some time. Who knows but we'll be watching all of these scenes, all of our live cameras focusing in right now on what's happening in Baghdad. Let's also take a look at some other images of the war. Al Jazeera television showed pictures of an unmanned British drone coming down near Basra in the south. It's false slowed by a parachute. It's not clear why the drone went down and a solemn re-patriation (ph) service was held aboard Britain's Art Royal. The ceremony honored the memories of three crew members killed last Saturday in a helicopter collision over the Gulf.

Much more coverage coming up. We'll go to the front lines to a forward air base. That's just ahead and coalition forces moving closer to their targets. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live this hour, Wolf Blitzer reports from Kuwait City with correspondents from around the world. Wolf Blitzer Reports starts now.

BLITZER: You're looking at a live picture of Kuwait City. That's where I am right now. Within the past few minutes we heard an explosion here in Kuwait City as well. Don't know what it was. It was just a loud boom that we could hear directly from where I am. We're attempting to check out precisely what that was. We'll get information, bring it to you as soon as we get it but once again, an explosion just heard here in Kuwait City.

We'll check it out for you and get you all the latest information from here in Kuwait City. There was no siren that went off suggesting that it was not some sort of missile, some sort of surface to surface missile, ground to ground missile, which have become rather familiar, about 10 or 12 of those having been fired from Iraqi targets over the past week or so at various targets here in Kuwait. No sirens have gone off. No alerts have gone off but we did hear some sort of explosion here in Kuwait. We'll check out what's going on. There were much greater explosions, of course, within the past half hour or so in Baghdad. Once again let's bring in our Nic Robertson. He's in Jordan along the border with Iraq. Nic, when we hear about these explosions in Baghdad there was one in a marketplace earlier today as well that the Iraqis claim was done by the United States, killed more than 50 people. The U.S. saying they cannot confirm that at all but tell our viewers what you're hearing.

ROBERTSON: Well, journalists were told about this just around about 6:00 P.M. in the evening, Baghdad time. Just as it was beginning to get dark, they were told by the Ministry of Information to go to the Alman (ph) sewer district. Now this is quite an up market neighborhood about two or three miles west of the center of Baghdad. It's not clear if that was the actual neighborhood where the blast occurred, but the journalist were told by the Ministry of Information to go over there. When they got there it was dark. They could see a crater in the road. They could see people looking at that crater, impossible to say what caused it, certainly Iraqi officials blaming it on Coalition bombing. When they got to the hospital, hospital officials told them there are ...

BLITZER: Nic, I just want to -- Nic, I just want to interrupt for a second because we're now seeing -- we see some fire engines go by, some sirens go by. No alerts here but we do see some smoke now coming from Kuwait City. I'm looking out from behind my location. I can see some smoke over the skyline of this city, here in Kuwait City. As I said, within the past few moments we did hear some sort of explosion, a loud boom here in Kuwait City. We're attempting to find out precisely what that is. Our producers and our other reporters here in Kuwait are attempting to check out this information but once again, as you can see, smoke coming from downtown Kuwait City. We're attempting to check out precisely what that is and we'll get that information as soon as we get a little bit more.

Let's go back to Nic Robertson. Nic, I'm sorry I interrupted you but this is highly unusual to see that kind of smoke coming from Kuwait City itself.

ROBERTSON: No absolutely. Well, clearly developments on many fronts this evening. That hospital in Baghdad, the officials saying there that at least 51 people were killed in that explosion in this market, at least 50 people injured. The Information Minister, Mohammad al-Sahaf, called it a criminal cowardly act. He has talked several times during the day asserting that the Coalition forces have been targeting civilians saying that it was a war crime. And that the Iraqis would teach the coalition forces a lesson.

As you say, Coalition Center Command planners say they're not aware of an attack in that neighborhood and the explosion the market the day before they say could well have been due to an Iraqi missile falling in that neighborhood. Iraqi officials on this night giving no indication that that's what may have happened. They say that this incident is all to blame on the Coalition forces.

Whether or not that is the case, this is what people in Baghdad appear to believe and when one listens to some of the Arab broadcasters in this region, they're already characterizing this blast in this second marketplace characterizing it as a -- as a crime, characterizing it as a massacre in fact, very emotive language. It seems to be widening this division that's appearing between, if you will, the images of the war, which are on one hand on the Iraqi side images being portrayed of civilian casualties.

BLITZER: Nic ...

ROBERTSON: Wolf?

BLITZER: Stand by for a minute. I just want to update our viewers on what's going on here in Kuwait City. We have these live pictures. We're looking at the skyline of Kuwait City where just a few minutes ago we heard some sort of loud blast, some sort of sounded like an explosion. We have no idea what it was but we can see smoke billowing across the skyline of downtown Kuwait City. We're attempting to determine precisely what that is. There have been no alerts given. No air raid sirens have been released. No sort of action whatsoever but once again, some sort of explosion in Kuwait City and we can see the end result of that, the smoke that's beginning to billow across the skyline of Kuwait City.

I understand there's also some tracer fire in Baghdad now unfolding as well. Tracer fire usually suggesting, Nic Robertson, that there's anti-aircraft fire going up from Iraqi positions in Baghdad. Usually that suggests that perhaps more U.S. aircraft are on the way with more bombs.

Nic, I'm sorry I interrupted you that time but as you can tell, there's some activity going on here in Kuwait City. We're attempting to determine precisely what that is. The smoke beginning to dissipate but we did hear an explosion, some sort of explosion in downtown Kuwait City just a few minutes ago.

Nic, as we hear the tracer fire and the anti-aircraft fire going up in Baghdad, that proves to suggest the Iraqis have indications that U.S. warplanes are on the way. Is that the normal pattern?

ROBERTSON: That's the normal pattern. That's what we were seeing when we were there last week and what one sees is the tracer fire coming up from the periphery of the city and what we can hear listening to the sound being picked up on those microphones there in the camera positions right in the center of Baghdad, you can hear small amounts of tracer fire on the outskirts of the city but when the tracer fire sounds much louder you can see it much more clearly, that shows that the Iraqi defensive forces believe that that attack is coming much closer to the center of the city.

We saw on several occasions the tracer fire only starting up on the outskirts of the city. Then the bombing took place on the outskirts. When the tracer fire got loud and started up in the center of the city then the explosions happened in the center of the city. So this would seem to indicate possibly here, Wolf, that an attack is perceived by the Iraqi authorities, an attack likely again on the center of Baghdad and already that's what we've seen this evening, an explosion perhaps half an hour ago lighting up the sky of Baghdad, an explosion that appeared to be close to the Ministry of Information, certainly centered around some government buildings -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Nic, stand by for a minute. I want to bring in General Shepperd, our military analyst. We're talking to U.S. Air Force Major General Don Shepperd. General Shepperd, as you hear about that bombing, if it was in fact a bombing at that marketplace, this other location in Baghdad with more than 50 people killed according to eye witnesses as well as hospital workers in the area, the Central Command refusing to say U.S. had anything to do with that, what goes through your mind?

SHEPPERD: Well, first Wolf, it's evident that the Central Command did not target downtown Baghdad and a market. That's simply something that's not going to happen for reasons that are obvious to everyone that understands U.S. military. It could be an errant bomb. It could be an errant missile. It also could be anti-aircraft fire. We have seen it fired from the ground. You see those flashes in the sky.

Every anti-aircraft shell is designed to explode in the sky so it does not come back and hit the ground. It could be an anti-aircraft shell fired by the Iraqis. It could also be a surface to air missile that takes off and goes errant and falls into the market. I cannot tell and you probably can't tell unless you do a ground investigation to see the pieces of the weapon itself and measure craters, that type of thing, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. General Shepperd, as our viewers look at these pictures of downtown Kuwait City, that's where I am, just within the past few minutes we heard a thud, some sort of explosion, some sort of activity going on. We see some smoke continuing to billow although it's dissipated considerably over the past few minutes. There have been, as you well know, about 10 or 12 missiles that have been launched at various targets here in Kuwait over the past week or so, almost all of them intercepted by patriot air defense missiles successfully.

I could tell you I heard that explosion. There's no sign that it was a missile although that certainly can't be ruled out. There have been no air raid sirens that have been -- that have gone off here in Kuwait City. As you look at the pictures of Kuwait City, General Shepperd, does that look like the end result perhaps of some sort of missile that may have hit downtown Kuwait City?

SHEPPERD Unable to tell Wolf. It could be a missile that was missed by the patriot (UNINTELLIGIBLE). It could also be some type of terrorist attack. If I had to guess without knowing anything and this is almost stupid to guess, I would have guessed that it's some type of terrorist attack as opposed to a missile because no air raid warning and no reports of patriot firings.

BLITZER: I've got to tell you, General, in case anybody's worried about me, that explosion and I can see the end result from where I am. I'm several miles away but I can see the smoke ...

SHEPPERD: ... because no air raid warning and no reports of patriot firings.

BLITZER: I've got to tell you, General, in case anybody's worried about me, that explosion and I can see the end result from where I am. I'm several miles away but I can see the smoke billowing as I look over the skyline so it's not anywhere near where I happen to be although I certainly heard it and I certainly could see the end result of it but I have no idea what it was.

We're attempting to determine precisely what it was but we definitely did hear some sort of explosion. We see the smoke the end result of whatever that was here in Kuwait City. You can look at these live pictures and begin to get a flavor of what's going on. We have these pictures of Baghdad and Kuwait City.

As you know, General, Kuwait has been very supportive of the United States in this war against Iraq and as a result, no love lost between the Iraqi government and the government here in Kuwait. Presumably that's why the Iraqis have launched at least 10 or 12 missiles against Kuwait over the past week although we did hear from U.S. military sources yesterday that one key launcher used in those missile attacks against targets here in Kuwait near Basra was destroyed by U.S. A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft only yesterday.

Go ahead General.

SHEPPERD: Well, that's true Wolf. It's a big desert out there so it would not be impossible for irregular forces to sneak a missile in and launch it into Kuwait. You're right. There's no love lost between the two countries. Remember also we had an explosion in downtown Doha in Qatar here a couple of weeks ago and it turned out to be some type of natural gas explosion down there. So there are all sorts of possibilities and of course everyone's on hair trigger. Everyone's listening for sirens and everyone's guessing -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. General Shepperd, stand by. I want to show our viewers what has happened in Baghdad over the past half hour, 45 minutes or so. First of all, there was a huge explosion that rocked apparently the Ministry of Information in downtown Baghdad. I want our viewers to take a look at this one. And then there was a smaller explosion in Baghdad a little bit after that. We're trying to determine precisely where that location was.

Nic Robertson is helping us. He's standing by. He's watching all of this as well. He's in nearby Jordan along the border with Iraq.

It looks like the people of Baghdad, Nic, are getting no let up tonight.

ROBERTSON: Certainly that seems to be the case, Wolf, and I was very interested in listening to General Don Shepperd there. He raised a very important issue. We were talking a little earlier as well, not about this latest blast that appears to be very, very close to the Iraq's Ministry of Information in the center of Baghdad. We were talking a little earlier about a blast in a -- in a suburban neighborhood several miles west of the city center, a blast that Iraqi officials say killed 51 people. Certainly we cannot confirm that figure.

But General Shepperd raised an important issue. He said that to find out what happened there it would be necessary to look at bomb fragments and what we have seen in the past is Iraqi officials, when they have fragments of cruise missiles or other Coalition ammunitions that have come down, they've been very quick to put those on television and show those and what we have not seen, what we have not seen associated with this blast earlier this evening and what we did not see associated with the blast in a market yesterday in Baghdad, we have not seen Iraqi officials come out and show parts of the coalition ammunitions that might have been associated with that particular damage.

Of course, even if they did, it would be very difficult to know whether those particular ammunitions had been found at that location or not but we haven't seen that and that is perhaps, again, another way where we can try and analyze, try and find out exactly what has happened at these locations. Of course, today in this suburban neighborhood, in this market area, Iraqi officials blaming Coalition forces for the explosion, coalition forces saying absolutely they cannot confirm that they had missiles in that area and the same situation in the marketplace yesterday -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Nic, stand by. I want to bring back General Shepperd and General Shepperd, I want to talk a little bit about what's happening here in Kuwait City for viewers who may just be tuning in within the past few minutes. We heard a lot of explosion in Kuwait City. Then we saw smoke billowing over the skyline of downtown Kuwait City. I'm hearing fire engines but no sirens, no air raid sirens going off, no indication that there is any serious danger right now but we are attempting to find out precisely what was hit, if it in fact this was an explosion, if this was an Iraqi missile. We know that about a dozen have been launched against various targets in Kuwait over the past week.

This new generation, General Shepperd, of these patriot air defense missiles, they've worked remarkably well this time around as opposed during the -- as opposed to during the first Gulf War a dozen years ago. Why are they so much better now?

SHEPPERD: Well, Wolf, it's true they're working better if it is as reported. Remember during the Gulf War the reports were also on their end. In looking at the pictures on the screen, it looked like that they were very successful and then in after action studies we found out that almost none of the patriots actually hit the missiles. This time it appears to be changed.

The new Pac 3 missile that is reportedly deployed in Kuwait and being moved forward as well, has improved battle management capability. That means that the radars are able to get the missile much further out in range, to sort it from other things that are appearing on the radar scope and to engage it further out and then the increased hit capability results from improved software and also improved hardware. So it appears, at least if the reports are correct, it's very successful. A couple of other observations Wolf, the air defense system has been very, very good. Remember the missile launch warning goes to Colorado Springs and then is relayed and the sirens are turned on as a result of warning about missile launch picked up from satellites out in space. Those sirens have been very accurate every time there has been a missile attack leading me to believe that either the system didn't work this time or perhaps it was something other than a missile Wolf but I'm only guessing from thousands of miles away looking through a simple soda straw at a plume of smoke so back to you -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. We're getting indications now from Kuwaiti authorities, General Shepperd, that yes, this was in fact some sort of missile that may have struck downtown Kuwait. We're attempting to get more information about this. If this was a missile that hit Kuwait City, it would be the first time. All of the other missiles, the ground to ground missiles, that have been fired over the past week have either been intercepted by patriot air defense missiles or have fallen harmlessly into the Persian Gulf, the waters of the Persian Gulf or into the sands of the Kuwait desert. Most of the missiles though, almost all of them in fact, have been intercepted. If in fact this is a missile that did successfully hit downtown Kuwait City, it would be the first such successful hit by presumably by an Iraqi launcher, if in fact that is what it is.

Once again, all of this information is coming in very, very sporadically. We're trying to determine precisely what happened. This is all I know for sure. The only thing I know for sure is that about a half hour ago or so I did hear a loud explosion here in Kuwait City. That was followed by billowing smoke that came up over the skyline. Other than that we are attempting to get more information from Kuwaiti authorities and from U.S. authorities as well.

The situation in Kuwait, of course, serious but at least no sirens have gone off suggesting that there's any potential danger to the residents of the this city, this capital of Kuwait here in Kuwait but Kuwaiti officials confirming now that a missile has in fact struck Kuwait City. We're attempting to figure out precisely where, precisely how much damage and precisely what's going on. Right now all that information, of course, is still very, very sketchy.

When you hear about this General Shepperd, what goes through your mind?

SHEPPERD: Well, all of the missiles that we have seen launched so far have been of two types, Wolf. One is the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) missile. It's a ground to ground missile with a range of 40 or 50 miles and an impact warhead that throws shrapnel out. Those are the ones that have been intercepted. Also, early on we had versions of a Chinese made Silkworm missile apparently that were launched.

I believe a couple of those came on early in the war and ground troops saw that missile but all of them apparently were intercepted by patriot missiles or allowed to fall harmlessly in the desert as they impacted -- as they predicted impacts were not going to be in populated areas. So again, we're going to have to wait and watch and diagnose what type of missile, Wolf.

BLITZER: We're getting some more information, General Shepperd. It seemed that there was no advance warning. No sirens went off here in Kuwait City because this particular missile and we have confirmed now from Kuwaiti authorities that it was a missile, was coming in at a very low altitude which suggests it could have been one of those silkworm or sea to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) types of missiles, sea to land types of missiles. Is that what it possibly could have been -- General Shepperd.

SHEPPERD: It could have been that. The Silkworm is a Chinese made missile. It is an anti-ship missile designed to be fired from the shore onto ships out over the water but of course, it can also be directed at land. So that is one possibility and of course, those things still should be picked up by the missile launch system and relayed but there may not have been time depending upon how close it was launched from -- Wolf.

BLITZER: We know that the Iraqis would love to be able to hit Kuwait given the animosity between these two countries. We got a closer view now of what apparently was hit here in Kuwait City. We're going to show our viewers these scenes from downtown Kuwait. I don't see any more smoke, at least a little bit of smoke billowing from it but once again, Kuwaiti officials confirming that a missile has in fact struck Kuwait City. We're going to continue to monitor what's happening here, what's happening in Baghdad as well. A lot of news unfolding Lou Dobbs is going to have much more on the war in Iraq.

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