CNN - Iraq War - 2003-03-23 - 1 p.m. (E)

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] International Committee of the Red Cross

[0:01] has been in touch with the Iraqi

[0:03] government involving the Kuwaiti POWs

[0:05] from the first Gulf War. Absolutely, but

[0:08] again, let's not mix all the cases. This

[0:11] is a totally different case. This is a

[0:13] case that the ICRC will work on

[0:14] specifically. And as you just mentioned,

[0:17] we did have

[0:19] a kind of a commitment to to treat those

[0:21] people as per the Geneva Conventions.

[0:23] So, I don't think we should mix

[0:25] everything together. All right, Tamara,

[0:27] thank you very much. Good luck to you

[0:29] and the Red Cross, the International

[0:30] Committee of the Red Cross. Good luck to

[0:32] all your fellow workers. You're doing

[0:34] important work. Paula, back to you.

[0:36] Thanks so much, Wolf. We want to talk

[0:38] with Lieutenant Colonel Dale Storr, who

[0:41] was shot down over Kuwait during Desert

[0:43] Storm, was taken to Baghdad where he was

[0:46] held prisoner for 33 days. He is now

[0:49] flying with the Washington State

[0:50] National Guard. He joins us from

[0:53] Spokane, Washington. Thank you very much

[0:55] for joining us. First of all, when you

[0:58] heard the news the government had

[0:59] confirmed that Americans had been taken

[1:02] prisoners of war, what went through your

[1:04] mind?

[1:06] Well, it put me right back in the in the

[1:07] prison again. Um

[1:09] it's a terrible terrible thing. I I feel

[1:12] so sorry for those guys. My heart goes

[1:13] out to them and their families. Uh

[1:16] I just I hope that Baghdad treats them a

[1:18] lot better than they treated us.

[1:20] You heard the Wolf Blitzer just read

[1:21] some kind of bulletin saying the Iraqis

[1:23] now say they will treat they will not

[1:26] violate the Geneva Convention here, but

[1:28] that wasn't the case when you were held

[1:29] prisoner, was it?

[1:31] No. No. They never they had

[1:34] for us during Desert Storm. They never

[1:36] admitted to or even tried to

[1:38] obey the Geneva Conventions. They had

[1:40] gross violations when they treated us.

[1:42] But

[1:43] yeah, they better treat those guys

[1:44] according to the Geneva Conventions. I

[1:45] will hold them 100% responsible for any

[1:47] mistreatment that they might receive. Do

[1:49] you have any reason to believe they

[1:50] really would honor the Geneva

[1:52] Conventions this time?

[1:54] Uh personally, no. I don't

[1:57] I don't believe in that. They they

[1:59] treated us so horribly.

[2:00] But I will still I expect them to.

[2:03] I will demand them to. And like I said,

[2:05] I'll hold them 100% responsible for any

[2:07] mistreatment that they might receive.

[2:10] Uh Dale, if you wouldn't mind standing

[2:12] by, we'd love to get back to you in a

[2:13] couple of minutes. I need to go straight

[2:14] to CNN Center where Leon Harris is

[2:16] standing by and we'll rejoin this

[2:17] conversation. Leon, what's going on?

[2:22] >> [music]

[2:23] >> Well, hello, Paula. This is Leon Harris

[2:25] in CNN Center. We're going to get back

[2:26] to Paula and Wolf Blitzer in just a

[2:27] minute. But first, here is what's

[2:29] happening this hour. The Pentagon says

[2:30] fewer than 10 US soldiers have been

[2:32] captured or killed in Iraq. Officials

[2:35] have begun notifying their families.

[2:37] Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says

[2:39] Iraqi TV footage of what it says are the

[2:41] captured soldiers violates the Geneva

[2:44] Conventions.

[2:45] Iraqi forces scoured the Tigris River in

[2:48] Baghdad today purportedly looking for

[2:50] pilots from a coalition plane. However,

[2:53] neither the US nor Britain says that any

[2:55] planes are missing in that area.

[2:57] US Marines are attacked as they push

[3:00] toward Baghdad. A rocket-propelled

[3:01] grenade hit a troop carrier in the

[3:03] southern city of Nasiriyah. It's not

[3:05] known how many Americans were hurt or if

[3:07] any were killed in that incident.

[3:09] Nasiriyah is a key crossing point over

[3:11] the Euphrates River.

[3:13] The 3/7 Cavalry unit came under fire

[3:16] earlier today in south-central Iraq. One

[3:18] soldier was hurt. US warplanes swooped

[3:21] in and then bombed the Iraqi sites in

[3:23] response, quelling that action. Defense

[3:25] Secretary Don Rumsfeld says a couple

[3:27] thousand Iraqis are in US custody right

[3:29] now. It's not known whether they were

[3:31] captured in battle or if they were just

[3:33] among those who surrendered to the

[3:34] United States.

[3:36] President Bush is keeping abreast of the

[3:37] developments at Camp David. This morning

[3:39] he met with Dick Cheney, Condoleezza

[3:41] Rice, and his other advisers, and he's

[3:42] expected to return to the White House

[3:44] later on today.

[3:46] I'm Leon Harris in Atlanta. Now, let's

[3:47] go back to Paula in New York. Paula.

[3:49] Thanks so much, Leon. And we go back to

[3:52] our interview with Lieutenant Colonel

[3:53] Dale Storr, whose plane was shot down

[3:56] during Desert Storm over Kuwait. He was

[3:58] later taken to Baghdad and treated very

[4:01] badly when he was held prisoner there

[4:03] for some 33 days. He now flies with the

[4:05] Washington State National Guard. Uh

[4:07] Dale, are you still on the phone with

[4:09] us?

[4:09] Yes, I am. I'm here, Paula.

[4:12] >> I know that we had reported the Iraqis

[4:14] at least are saying they will not

[4:16] violate the Geneva Convention. You have

[4:18] no faith that they really will abide by

[4:20] those rules.

[4:21] Help our audience understand what it is

[4:23] that you endured when you were a

[4:25] prisoner.

[4:26] Uh well, it was mostly interrogations of

[4:29] the the hardest part. Uh

[4:31] There was a lot of physical abuse. They

[4:33] dislocated my right shoulder, broke my

[4:37] Uh banged up my left knee pretty good.

[4:39] It all got all swollen up and couldn't

[4:41] move move it much anymore.

[4:44] And at one point you said it just seemed

[4:45] they they like doing it for the

[4:48] Hello? In a And you said they seemed to

[4:51] derive some sort of enjoyment from it.

[4:54] You know,

[4:55] yeah, some of the guards did.

[4:56] They were just jerks. They just like

[4:58] they handcuff you and blindfold you and

[5:00] walk you into a concrete wall. And they

[5:02] think that'd be funny.

[5:04] There was just all kinds of stuff like

[5:05] that that they do.

[5:07] Your memories of this obviously remained

[5:10] vivid to the point where you can even

[5:12] remember the smells of the the dank cell

[5:16] you were held in. Describe to us the

[5:18] living conditions.

[5:20] Uh for the most part, I was living in a

[5:22] a small cell by myself. Cold. Bare

[5:25] concrete floor.

[5:26] One to two small ratty wool blankets.

[5:30] Um it was a very cold. Uh

[5:33] And in one cell after I had gotten

[5:35] giardia,

[5:36] which is a very bad

[5:40] vomiting and diarrhea.

[5:42] I the Iraqis wouldn't let me use the

[5:44] bathroom. They had to use a corner of my

[5:46] cell as a bathroom for 3 days and and

[5:48] live in my own sewer type of thing.

[5:50] Uh

[5:51] miserable life.

[5:53] How did you get through it?

[5:56] Uh you know, it's just

[5:58] you don't have any other choice.

[6:00] You know, you can't just give up. It's

[6:02] your belief in God.

[6:04] Belief in my country. Knowing that the

[6:06] United States wasn't going to let me sit

[6:08] in that cell and just rot. Knew the

[6:10] United States was going to get me home.

[6:12] Kind of sustains you.

[6:14] I know the training is supposed to

[6:16] prepare you for those kinds of

[6:17] situations. How did the training kick in

[6:20] at all?

[6:21] Well, the

[6:23] we receive it Fairchild Air Force Base,

[6:25] our survival school there,

[6:26] it does a lot for you.

[6:29] You can get through these these times.

[6:31] The resistance training they teach us

[6:33] allows us to uh

[6:35] help help us battle the

[6:37] weakness.

[6:38] Try to defeat them that way.

[6:41] course out there and I don't made it

[6:43] through without it.

[6:44] Can you give us some insight into what

[6:47] some of these prisoners currently being

[6:48] held by the Iraqis might be going

[6:51] through? You described the physical

[6:52] violence you endured. What else might

[6:55] they be subjected to?

[6:57] Yeah, the the first few days

[6:58] [clears throat]

[6:59] are usually

[7:00] that's

[7:01] they were definitely the worst for me.

[7:03] The inter-

[7:04] physical beatings all most of them were

[7:07] in the first few days. Not all of them

[7:08] by any means, but most of them.

[7:11] Now they're being processed. Hopefully

[7:12] they're finding them a safe prison to

[7:14] put them in.

[7:15] Not using them as human shields as

[7:17] Uh and I hope they're getting some

[7:20] medical treatment.

[7:22] Did you get enough food when you were

[7:24] prisoner?

[7:26] Uh no. Actually after I got giardia, I

[7:29] begged guards

[7:31] for some medication to

[7:33] And

[7:34] no, they kept saying it was that they

[7:36] were they were going to get a doctor to

[7:37] give me. They never did.

[7:39] And did you have any other contact with

[7:41] other prisoners?

[7:43] Yes. I mean on the 23rd

[7:45] of February I was shot down on the 2nd.

[7:48] The

[7:49] four F-117 stealth fighters came in and

[7:51] bombed our prison. And for that was

[7:57] Dale, you still there?

[7:58] Yes, I'm still here, Paula.

[7:59] >> cutting in and out. A final question for

[8:02] you. We just heard our General David

[8:04] Grange talk about the impact this might

[8:06] have on the morale of troops. And he

[8:08] said in an odd way it might even

[8:12] increase the resolve to get the job

[8:14] done. What do you think?

[8:16] I do. I think so.

[8:19] It does tend to would inspire me. I know

[8:21] when I saw those guys on TV when I was

[8:23] still flying and fighting in the war,

[8:25] it made me work that much harder to get

[8:26] those guys back to win that war and get

[8:28] those guys home.

[8:30] Well, Lieutenant Colonel Dale Storr,

[8:31] thanks for your patience as we divided

[8:33] your interview into two separate parts.

[8:35] And we wish you the best of luck. Thanks

[8:37] again for your time today.

[8:39] As I go back to Wolf, Wolf, I know you

[8:41] said that you viewed this Al Jazeera

[8:44] tape which shows some of these American

[8:46] prisoners being interviewed. All I have

[8:49] seen is the single image, the the print

[8:52] image. And and that alone made me

[8:54] absolutely sick to my stomach.

[8:59] Well, if you actually see the video tape

[9:01] and millions of people around the world

[9:03] already have, it is a very very

[9:06] depressing sight to see these US

[9:08] soldiers. Obviously

[9:11] some of them in pain. Some of them have

[9:12] been wounded. And they're still they

[9:14] still have you can see the the the

[9:16] wounds in them. Some of them have been

[9:18] bandaged. Others are being forced to

[9:21] talk. And the picture of the young woman

[9:24] who is seen in this video tape, a US

[9:27] Army soldier from Texas, she is clearly

[9:30] terrified by the notion of the questions

[9:33] being asked of her. It's heart-wrenching

[9:36] sight to see. Certainly I can understand

[9:39] why the Defense Secretary Donald

[9:40] Rumsfeld asked all of us not to air

[9:43] these images. It's it's a very very

[9:46] depressing notion. At the same time,

[9:48] the the family members might be

[9:50] encouraged at least see their loved ones

[9:52] alive on television. So, there's always

[9:54] a delicate balance that has to be made

[9:57] in going forward with the decision

[9:59] whether or not to air these kinds of

[10:01] pictures. Let me recap precisely what

[10:04] happened for our view Yeah, go ahead,

[10:06] Paula. Oh, I'm sorry. I I just wanted

[10:08] you in your interview with the

[10:09] representative I believe it was from the

[10:11] Red Cross had been handed a bulletin

[10:13] talking about Iraq claiming it would

[10:16] abide by the Geneva Convention. You just

[10:17] heard with Kenneth Colonel Dale Store

[10:19] who was held for 33 days during Desert

[10:22] Storm saying that's a that's an absolute

[10:25] joke. That will never happen.

[10:28] Well, that that's the accounts that that

[10:30] I remember getting from a lot of the

[10:32] POWs after the first Gulf War that they

[10:35] were mistreated. They certainly weren't

[10:36] treated according to the rules governing

[10:38] the Geneva Conventions

[10:40] and and let's hope this time it changes.

[10:43] Obviously, let's hope the Geneva

[10:44] Conventions are adhered to. The initial

[10:47] step parading them before TV cameras and

[10:50] making them answer these questions

[10:51] obviously is not encouraging, but we'll

[10:54] see what happens in the hours and days

[10:57] to come. Let me just recap, Paula, for

[10:59] our viewers what exactly has happened on

[11:01] this specific issue for for viewers who

[11:04] may just be tuning in right now. Earlier

[11:06] today, the Pentagon said fewer than 10

[11:09] of its troops were missing. Shortly

[11:11] after that, CNN received the first

[11:13] pictures of American soldiers killed and

[11:15] captured in action in Iraq. The pictures

[11:18] were transmitted by the Al Jazeera

[11:20] Arabic language satellite network. The

[11:22] video was shot by state-run Iraq

[11:25] television. We want to let the audience

[11:27] know that these pictures and the

[11:29] interviewers were disturbing. CNN has

[11:31] made a decision not to show the video of

[11:34] those killed and will instead use this

[11:36] single image with no identifiable

[11:39] features. In other images, it was

[11:41] apparent some soldiers had been shot,

[11:43] some of them in the forehead. We don't

[11:46] know their identities. Five other

[11:49] soldiers were interviewed and each gave

[11:52] their name and home state in the United

[11:54] States. The Pentagon tells CNN that it's

[11:57] notifying the families of those captured

[12:00] and those who were killed. We're

[12:02] standing by now for some video tape that

[12:05] we're about to get. I think it's going

[12:07] to be getting We're going to be getting

[12:08] it very, very soon. I don't know how

[12:10] much longer we're going to be getting

[12:12] it. The President of the United States

[12:14] spoke, I believe, at Camp David. Here he

[12:16] is.

[12:17] >> early stages

[12:28] I unfortunately we're we're going to

[12:30] have to wait and get that video tape.

[12:32] The President now back, I believe, from

[12:34] Camp David at the White House speaking

[12:36] to reporters just a short while ago. The

[12:40] the the President making the point as

[12:42] we'll see how the war is going. We'll

[12:44] get that tape ready. In the meantime,

[12:45] let's go to Barbara Starr at the

[12:47] Pentagon. Barbara, the video tape, the

[12:49] Al Jazeera Iraq television video tape

[12:52] obviously very very disturbing. What are

[12:54] officials over at the Pentagon saying

[12:57] behind behind the scenes?

[13:00] Wolf, officials here at the Pentagon are

[13:02] taking a very sensitive approach to this

[13:04] matter. Right now, it is largely a

[13:07] humanitarian issue trying to get a hold

[13:10] of the families, trying to notify them

[13:14] so they know the fate of their loved

[13:16] ones. It's also very clear today after

[13:18] all the action in Iraq, there are a

[13:20] number of US fatalities. They are trying

[13:23] to sort all of that out and notify those

[13:27] families as well. In terms of the war,

[13:30] it's not at all clear there would be any

[13:31] immediate impact. This is an

[13:33] administration which is determined to

[13:35] proceed with the campaign as they have

[13:37] laid it out and there's really no

[13:39] indication that this would change the

[13:41] war plan of General Tommy Franks.

[13:44] There had been an expectation as US

[13:46] forces moved closer

[13:48] moved further into Iraq, I should say,

[13:51] that they would run into more

[13:53] confrontations with better equipped

[13:55] Iraqi forces as they got closer to

[13:57] Baghdad. So, perhaps some of this very

[14:01] unfortunate action today in Iraq not a

[14:04] huge surprise. It is also the case as

[14:08] people have commented on our air earlier

[14:09] today before US forces are ever sent

[14:12] into some sort of hostile action, they

[14:15] get a number of briefings, especially

[14:17] air crews, but they all get a number of

[14:18] briefings on the possibility of being

[14:21] taken prisoner of war and what they

[14:23] might expect. But clearly from the tape

[14:25] which so many people around the world

[14:27] have now seen, these young people are

[14:29] just terrified at their situation, Wolf.

[14:33] And it seems based on what the Defense

[14:36] Secretary said, Barbara, and what you're

[14:37] hearing that all expectations are that

[14:40] the fighting probably will get much more

[14:42] intense as US and coalition forces move

[14:45] closer towards Baghdad, move closer

[14:47] towards Tikrit, which is the ancestral

[14:49] hometown of Saddam Hussein, the Tikriti

[14:52] clan, so many of whom have come to

[14:55] dominate the Iraqi leadership over all

[14:57] of these decades. I want to alert our

[14:59] viewers, Barbara, and I want you to be

[15:00] patient with us. The President spoke

[15:03] only a little while ago

[15:04] and we have this video tape. We want to

[15:06] show our viewers what the President said

[15:09] just a few seconds ago.

[15:21] I am uh

[15:23] pleased with the progress that we're

[15:24] making in the early stages

[15:27] of a uh of the war to

[15:31] rid Iraq of its weapons of mass

[15:32] destruction

[15:34] and to free the Iraqi people

[15:37] from the clutches of a

[15:40] brutal dictatorship.

[15:42] Uh today in our

[15:44] church service, Laura and I prayed for

[15:46] the coalition forces

[15:48] uh those in the coalition forces who

[15:50] lost their lives.

[15:52] We pray for their families.

[15:55] We ask God's comfort for those who mourn

[15:57] today.

[15:59] And we thank all the coalition forces

[16:01] for their bravery and courage

[16:04] in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

[16:08] It is uh evident that

[16:11] uh

[16:12] it's going to take a while to achieve

[16:14] our objective,

[16:16] but we're on course.

[16:19] We're determined

[16:21] and we're making good progress.

[16:23] I'll answer a few questions, Scott. Uh

[16:25] let one at a time, please. One at a

[16:27] time, please. Scott.

[16:29] Thank you.

[16:32] Uh I've been briefed.

[16:34] I'm constantly briefed by the Pentagon

[16:37] and

[16:38] through the National Security Office.

[16:41] I would

[16:42] I don't know uh all the details yet.

[16:47] I do know that we expect him to be

[16:48] treated humanely,

[16:51] just like we'll treat any prisoners

[16:54] of theirs

[16:55] uh that we capture humanely.

[16:58] I think it's an interesting contrast

[17:01] uh

[17:04] that a lot of their soldiers welcome

[17:06] American troops. They're they're

[17:08] surrendering gleefully happily and and

[17:12] they'll be treated well. And uh

[17:14] uh I ask you to ask the Defense

[17:16] Department for further details. Patsy.

[17:21] I know that Saddam Hussein is losing

[17:23] control of his country.

[17:26] That uh

[17:30] that we're slowly but surely achieving

[17:34] our objective.

[17:37] It's important for the American people

[17:38] to realize that

[17:41] this uh war has just begun.

[17:45] That it may

[17:48] may seem like a long time because of all

[17:50] the action on TV,

[17:53] but in terms of the overall strategy,

[17:54] we're just in the beginning phases.

[17:57] And that we're uh

[17:59] executing a plan

[18:02] which will make it easier to achieve

[18:05] objective

[18:06] and the same time

[18:08] spare innocent life.

[18:11] And I'm most proud of our troops

[18:14] and coalition troops

[18:16] uh for um

[18:18] for showing their bravery and skill.

[18:20] Larry.

[18:28] I Yes, Larry, it is. It is and I

[18:31] um

[18:33] the air campaign is achieving its

[18:35] objective and the ground campaign

[18:37] is also achieving objectives. We're

[18:40] uh we're

[18:41] slowly but surely

[18:44] uh taking control of that country so

[18:46] that we can free the people of Iraq

[18:49] and uh eventually clear that country of

[18:52] weapons of mass destruction.

[18:54] We've made good progress.

[18:56] One of the big concerns early on was the

[18:58] southern oil fields.

[19:00] As you all remember, we had discussions

[19:02] about that. There was a lot of

[19:03] speculation about whether or not

[19:06] coalition forces would be able to get to

[19:07] the southern oil fields in time before

[19:10] so that Saddam Hussein wouldn't destroy

[19:12] them. As a matter of fact,

[19:13] I had

[19:14] frequently talked about the southern oil

[19:17] fields or oil fields in general in my

[19:19] declaratory policy.

[19:22] Uh

[19:22] Tommy Franks put a plan in place to move

[19:24] on those oil fields quickly and at least

[19:27] in the south

[19:29] they are secure.

[19:30] And that is positive news for uh

[19:33] for all of us.

[19:34] Most of the south is now in

[19:36] in

[19:37] coalition hands. Obviously, there's

[19:39] pockets of resistance in a place like

[19:41] Basra. We're making great progress. In

[19:42] the west, we're making great progress.

[19:44] The areas, the launch sites for the

[19:46] scuds, well, certainly not 100% secure,

[19:49] but we made good progress. And so I I

[19:51] can assure the American people we're

[19:52] making good progress and also can assure

[19:54] them that this is just the beginning

[19:57] of of a tough fight.

[20:01] Yeah.

[20:02] The next.

[20:06] I have not been told that. I have been

[20:08] told that we have a problem

[20:11] uh with uh potential capture.

[20:14] I'm waiting to tell when I get back

[20:16] upstairs, I'll talk back to the Pentagon

[20:18] again. I was told early this morning

[20:20] that perhaps

[20:22] um

[20:23] uh our troops were captured. Uh maybe,

[20:26] you know, between the time I left Camp

[20:28] David and here, I'll learn more, but I

[20:30] am concerned about our troops.

[20:32] Obviously, anytime one of our soldiers

[20:35] loses a life, I I I

[20:37] grieve with their parents and their

[20:38] loved ones. And if there is somebody

[20:41] captured and it looks like there may be,

[20:43] I expect those people to be treated

[20:44] humanely.

[20:46] What is your level of confidence

[20:48] that the Iraqi regime will surrender or

[20:52] collapse before US forces need to engage

[20:56] in a fight in Baghdad? Uh I I'm I'm All

[20:59] I know is we got a game plan,

[21:01] a strategy uh to uh

[21:04] uh free the Iraqi people from Saddam

[21:06] Hussein and rid this country of weapons

[21:09] of mass destruction and we're on plan.

[21:11] Bill and Mike.

[21:12] >> Iraqi TV has shown what appear to be

[21:15] American POWs and also what appear to be

[21:18] American dead.

[21:20] I expect them to be treated the POWs I

[21:22] expect to be treated humanely.

[21:24] And uh

[21:26] uh

[21:27] just like we're treating

[21:30] the prisoners that we have captured

[21:31] humanely.

[21:33] If not, the people who mistreat the

[21:35] prisoners will be treated as war

[21:36] criminals. Mike. President, do you

[21:38] retain hope that Saddam Hussein will go

[21:40] into exile and are there any active

[21:42] negotiations

[21:44] You know, Mike, I uh

[21:47] he had his chance to go into exile.

[21:50] I gave him a 48-hour ultimatum to leave

[21:52] the country

[21:53] so that we could disarm Iraq peacefully.

[21:55] He chose not to go into exile.

[21:58] President, how concerned are you about

[21:59] the situation in the north and Turkey

[22:03] stated that they will send troops in

[22:05] there and the Americans might get caught

[22:06] in some kind of crossfire up there? We

[22:08] have got more troops up north and we're

[22:11] making it very clear to the Turks that

[22:13] we expect them not to come into northern

[22:14] Iraq. We're in constant touch with the

[22:18] Turkish military as well as Turkish

[22:19] politicians. They know our policy. And

[22:22] it's a firm policy. And we've made it

[22:24] very clear to them we expect them not to

[22:26] go into northern Iraq as well as in and

[22:28] they know we're working with the Kurds

[22:29] to make sure there's not the an incident

[22:31] that would cause there to be an excuse

[22:33] to go into northern Iraq.

[22:43] I say to the families thank I thank them

[22:46] for the sacrifice they make

[22:49] and we pray with them.

[22:52] I pray for God's comfort

[22:55] and God's healing powers

[22:57] to anybody, coalition force, American,

[23:00] Brit, anybody who loses a life

[23:03] in this uh

[23:04] uh

[23:06] in our efforts to make the world more

[23:07] peaceful

[23:09] and more free. Ed.

[23:10] >> Mr. President, are you surprised the

[23:12] enemy has not used any weapons of mass

[23:14] destruction?

[23:14] >> I am thankful the enemy has not used any

[23:16] weapons of mass destruction.

[23:19] And uh

[23:20] uh we will uh

[23:22] continue employing a strategy to make it

[23:25] difficult for the enemy to use weapons

[23:27] of mass destruction. Couple more and

[23:29] then I got to go.

[23:35] Wait till I talk to them.

[23:38] Probably best they hear it directly from

[23:40] me.

[23:44] What?

[23:49] Of course.

[23:54] Yeah, good good question. I I appreciate

[23:57] you asking that question. The question

[23:58] is on humanitarian aid.

[24:01] Um

[24:03] in the south of Iraq

[24:05] our coalition forces have worked hard to

[24:08] make the port area secure,

[24:11] to make the transit of humanitarian aid

[24:13] as safe as possible.

[24:15] As uh I was told this morning in my

[24:17] briefings

[24:19] that

[24:20] humanitarian aid should begin moving

[24:22] massive amounts of humanitarian aid

[24:24] should begin moving within the next 36

[24:26] hours.

[24:28] And that's going to be very positive

[24:29] news for a lot of people who've suffered

[24:31] a long time under Saddam Hussein.

[24:34] We've got a massive a ground assault

[24:37] going on and right behind it will be a

[24:39] massive uh

[24:41] movement of humanitarian aid to help the

[24:44] people of Iraq. We have made the promise

[24:46] to the people of this uh country that we

[24:48] were

[24:50] we will do everything we can to protect

[24:51] innocent life

[24:53] and we're doing that

[24:55] and that we'll do everything we can to

[24:56] help the Iraqi people.

[24:59] First thing that of course will help the

[25:00] Iraqi people is to rid them from a a

[25:02] brutal dictator.

[25:04] Somebody who has uh stayed in power

[25:07] through mutilation and rape and torture.

[25:11] Somebody who starved his own people so

[25:13] he could build palaces.

[25:16] When free from that from that

[25:18] dictatorship, the life will be a lot

[25:19] better, but we also understand we have

[25:21] an obligation and this is just not

[25:22] America, it's coalition forces.

[25:25] Have an obligation to put food and

[25:26] medicine

[25:28] uh

[25:28] in places so the Iraqi people

[25:31] uh can live a

[25:32] you know, a normal life and have hope.

[25:35] And uh that's exactly what's going to

[25:36] happen shortly when the area is

[25:39] completely safe enough to move the move

[25:41] the

[25:41] equipment forward. Listen, thank you

[25:43] all.

[25:43] >> you holding up, sir? Feel just fine.

[25:47] Thank you all. President Bush speaking

[25:48] to reporters answering questions as he

[25:51] returns to the south lawn of the White

[25:52] House only a few minutes ago. That was

[25:54] videotape coming back from Camp David,

[25:56] his presidential retreat in the

[25:59] mountains of nearby Maryland. The

[26:01] president insisting he's pleased with

[26:02] the progress of the war. He says it will

[26:05] take a while, in his words, to achieve

[26:07] the objectives. I know Saddam Hussein is

[26:09] losing control of his country, the

[26:11] president says. Slowly but surely we are

[26:14] achieving our objectives, he goes on to

[26:15] say this war has just begun. And the

[26:18] president also announcing that

[26:20] humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people

[26:23] will shortly begin. Our White House

[26:25] correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is at the

[26:27] White House. She was listening to this

[26:28] as were as we as we were listening to it

[26:32] as well. The president uh deciding to

[26:34] answer questions that he really hasn't

[26:36] done this since the start of the war,

[26:38] has he?

[26:39] Well, he hasn't, but Wolf, uh we

[26:40] expected this because at a time like

[26:42] this, of course, he is acts the role as

[26:44] commander-in-chief, but also someone who

[26:46] needs to comfort the nation, uh

[26:48] particularly in a time of uh turmoil and

[26:50] crisis. The president, of course,

[26:52] emphasizing the positive, saying there

[26:53] was progress in the war, but also

[26:55] warning Americans that this will take

[26:57] some time, that it is slow in going, but

[26:59] he did recognize he said he was briefed

[27:02] about the potential of American

[27:03] hostages, and he said very clearly a

[27:06] message to those Iraqi soldiers, Iraqi

[27:08] officials, saying that he expects that

[27:10] the POWs will be treated humanely just

[27:13] as the United States treats its own

[27:15] prisoners of war. He also said if they

[27:17] will not be treated humanely, then they

[27:19] will be treated, those Iraqi soldiers,

[27:22] those Iraqi officials, as war criminals.

[27:24] He was also asked, is there any chance

[27:27] now of getting those American soldiers

[27:29] back? He said, of course. And then also

[27:32] when asked about, what do you say to the

[27:34] families of those, perhaps even those

[27:36] overseas who've seen that tape on Al

[27:38] Jazeera, those soldiers either who have

[27:40] been killed or captured, he simply said,

[27:42] I say to the families that I thank them

[27:44] for their service and I pray for their

[27:47] comfort, Wolf.

[27:49] Suzanne, also the president said good

[27:51] progress being made in the western part

[27:54] of Iraq from which Scud missiles were

[27:56] launched in in Israel a dozen years ago.

[27:58] He says progress is being made in the

[28:00] north, but he had a stiff warning to the

[28:02] government of Turkey, a NATO ally, don't

[28:04] go into northern Iraq, don't cross that

[28:07] line. He was very firm, perhaps a bit

[28:09] firmer than I had heard from other top

[28:11] Bush administration officials.

[28:13] Well, absolutely, Wolf. That is a

[28:15] concern of the administration. If those

[28:16] Turkish troops go in significant

[28:18] numbers, that will really disrupt things

[28:20] with the Kurds. The Turkish officials,

[28:22] of course, are worried that the Kurds in

[28:24] their own country will unify with those

[28:26] Kurds in Iraq and cause quite disarray,

[28:28] but the administration really trying to

[28:31] discourage that from happening. They

[28:33] feel that this would complicate matters

[28:35] on the ground, and of course, the

[28:36] president giving a stern warning. He

[28:38] also said as well in terms of Saddam

[28:41] Hussein that he does not have control of

[28:43] the country. He said slowly but surely

[28:45] we're achieving our objective, and he

[28:48] also said that Saddam Hussein had his

[28:50] chance to go into exile. He was given 48

[28:52] hours. Certainly sounds like, Wolf, that

[28:54] there are no chances at all that Saddam

[28:57] Hussein would be would come out of this,

[28:59] uh and certainly no chances that uh he

[29:01] would still have that offer on the

[29:02] table. The president making it very,

[29:04] very clear. This is going to be what he

[29:06] called a tough fight, Wolf.

[29:09] Yeah, well, it sounds like the president

[29:10] was saying that Saddam Hussein he had a

[29:12] a one shot almost fire sale. Get you

[29:15] could get one pass, you could leave, but

[29:17] within that 48-hour period, Saddam

[29:19] Hussein rejected it. As a result, no

[29:21] more exile opportunities for Saddam

[29:23] Hussein. Suzanne Malveaux at the White

[29:25] House. This important note for our

[29:27] viewers, we're standing by at the top of

[29:29] the hour, in about a half an hour or so

[29:31] from now, 2:00 p.m. Eastern, another

[29:33] briefing from the Central Command.

[29:36] General Tommy Franks, the general in

[29:37] charge of this war, the Central

[29:39] Commander, he'll be briefing reporters

[29:41] in Doha, Qatar at the As Saliliyah Air

[29:44] Base, that's just outside of Doha in

[29:46] Qatar, the temporary headquarters of the

[29:48] Central Command CNN. Of course, we'll

[29:51] have live coverage. Paula? And thanks,

[29:54] Wolf. Of course, we continue to get very

[29:55] good information from our own reporters

[29:57] embedded with various forces in between

[29:59] those news conferences. Aircraft carrier

[30:02] USS Lincoln is part of the coalition

[30:04] force against Iraq. CNN's Kyra Phillips

[30:06] is on board, and she reports live now by

[30:09] video phone. Kyra?

[30:13] Paula, every morning Admiral Kelly comes

[30:15] across the ship's speaker and updates

[30:18] and encourages the sailors here who are

[30:20] carrying out carrying out Operation

[30:22] Iraqi Freedom. And today he talked about

[30:25] cockpit discipline. He mentioned that so

[30:27] far every bomb dropped has been with

[30:30] absolute certainty and accuracy. And you

[30:32] know, it's been 10 days since the shock

[30:34] and awe campaign, that massive aerial

[30:36] bombardment on Baghdad. And we had a

[30:39] rare chance to sit in on some briefings.

[30:42] This is unprecedented. The Navy's never

[30:44] allowed the press uh before for

[30:46] journalists to sit in on these briefings

[30:47] before an actual wartime scenario. And

[30:51] we got to meet uh some of the pilots who

[30:53] were the first to go into Baghdad on

[30:55] this massive strike. We put the elements

[30:58] together so you would be able to see how

[31:00] exactly this all went down.

[31:03] Keep the G's on the jet. Keep your air

[31:05] speed. Here on the USS Abraham Lincoln,

[31:09] it's the night they've been training and

[31:10] preparing for for months. Our mission

[31:13] objectives, we heard that. Hit the

[31:15] target.

[31:16] Kill MIGs. VF-31, the F-14 Tomcatters

[31:20] squadron, is about to take part in a

[31:22] massive aerial bombardment against Iraqi

[31:25] President Saddam Hussein and his regime.

[31:28] A lot of lights, a lot of explosions.

[31:30] Don't get mesmerized by that. Focus on

[31:32] what you need to do. Lieutenant Steve

[31:34] Eurich

[31:35] doesn't know it now, but he will take on

[31:37] a very crucial role.

[31:42] The Tomcatters will join more than 100

[31:45] coalition aircraft as they are expected

[31:47] to at least more than 1500 bombs and

[31:50] missiles in the next couple of days

[31:52] converging on Iraq in the campaign

[31:55] that's being called shock and awe.

[32:01] Armed with satellite and laser-guided

[32:03] bombs and numerous types of missiles,

[32:06] these F-14 and F-18 strike fighters are

[32:09] about to make history.

[32:17] Back in the Tomcatters ready room,

[32:19] fellow pilots wait and watch the news.

[32:22] They know what's about to happen.

[32:28] A little shock and awe. Military sites,

[32:31] Saddam's Republican Palace, and offices

[32:34] of the foreign ministry all hit.

[32:38] The initial strike takes only 7 minutes.

[32:41] Life changes quickly, not only for Iraq,

[32:44] but Lieutenant Steve Eurich.

[32:49] A chain of events puts him in the lead

[32:51] position of his F-14 division to and

[32:54] from Iraq. The end of the night debrief

[32:57] is emotional.

[32:59] Look like something right out of Star

[33:01] Wars.

[33:03] It was very intense. A lot of adrenaline

[33:05] and just pretty much uh

[33:07] when you're flying in there and you see

[33:08] all this and there's so many moving

[33:09] parts to obviously what all happened

[33:11] tonight, you you try to absorb it all

[33:14] and it kind of feels like you're uh

[33:17] almost coming out of your skin. All the

[33:19] big, you know, feelings and emotions

[33:20] started coming back after we were

[33:21] already headed home out of the any uh

[33:24] threat areas. Just kind of wow, you feel

[33:26] the the weight of what you just did and

[33:28] everything. It all really hits you. Just

[33:30] hoping that, you know, whatever we're

[33:32] doing out there makes it easier for the

[33:33] ground troops that are forcing in that

[33:34] are actually have, you know, we're lucky

[33:36] cuz we get to go in there, do our 20, 30

[33:38] minutes and get out and come back here.

[33:40] Those guys have to be on the ground the

[33:41] whole time. This is the first time I've

[33:43] ever been shot at with uh missiles

[33:45] >> that looked like they were guiding on

[33:46] us.

[33:47] Uh it was it was nice that the that the

[33:49] training and tactics and stuff that we

[33:51] practiced actually worked and we were

[33:53] able to defeat those shots and get into

[33:55] the target, get our bombs off. Uh they

[33:57] all found their way to the appropriate

[33:59] target and then we brought everybody

[34:01] back.

[34:03] Now the question is, how much longer

[34:06] will these pilots be in the fight?

[34:11] Now you heard Lieutenant Dale Gregory,

[34:13] one of the strike fighter pilots, say

[34:14] that one of their biggest concerns are

[34:16] the troops on the ground. And just

[34:18] thinking about the news that's come out

[34:20] today about these soldiers, possible

[34:23] American POWs, I have to tell you these

[34:26] strike fighter pilots, that's constantly

[34:28] on their mind and why they're out there

[34:29] and why they're dropping bombs. They're

[34:31] trying to shape the battlefield. They're

[34:32] trying to protect the troops on the

[34:34] ground and take away that threat so when

[34:36] the troops do come in, they will be

[34:38] protected and won't have any types of

[34:40] surprises. A number of missions still

[34:42] being carried out, a number of bombing

[34:44] campaigns. Recent targets, leadership

[34:46] compounds, runways, air defense systems,

[34:49] command and control sites, tanks, and

[34:51] other facilities such as the Republican

[34:53] Guard special operations warehouses. A

[34:55] number of those have taken out in the

[34:57] past day. Now, something else that's

[35:00] been taking place, very important today,

[35:01] this also sort of

[35:04] binds a bit with what's taking place

[35:06] with these POWs, and that is forward air

[35:09] control FAC missions. These strike

[35:11] fighter pilots taking off into Iraq and

[35:14] basically uh looking down and making

[35:16] sure that the troops are safe and

[35:18] conducting surveillance in a way. And if

[35:20] indeed they have communication with the

[35:21] troops and the troops are concerned

[35:23] about an area ahead, the strike fighters

[35:25] can check that out. And if they do see a

[35:27] threat, they can communicate to other

[35:29] strike fighters to put together the

[35:31] coordinates to drop a bomb. So as you

[35:33] can imagine, since shock and awe began,

[35:36] uh it's slowed down a little bit, but

[35:38] the consistency has not slowed down. Uh

[35:40] Paula, the missions continue all through

[35:42] the day and all through the night. Well,

[35:44] your access was amazing. I don't think I

[35:46] ever remember seeing a debriefing in

[35:48] that great of detail. Kyra Phillips,

[35:50] thanks so much. Back to Wolf now in

[35:51] Kuwait City. Wolf, I don't know if you

[35:53] were able to hear that piece, but uh it

[35:55] was really very interesting.

[35:58] I heard every word uh and our viewers,

[36:00] of course, heard every word thanks to

[36:01] Kyra Phillips. She's doing an excellent

[36:03] job for all of us. Uh let's go to

[36:05] Christiane Amanpour now. She's uh in

[36:07] northern Kuwait, not far from the Iraqi

[36:10] border. She's covering the story

[36:11] obviously very thoroughly. Christiane,

[36:13] what's the latest from your vantage

[36:15] point?

[36:18] Well, for the last couple of days we've

[36:19] been in and out of southern Iraq. First

[36:21] at Umm Qasr, which we've seen has gone

[36:23] much slower than people expected, that

[36:25] vital port for humanitarian aid, which

[36:27] officials in the military want to get in

[36:29] as soon as possible for the people. That

[36:32] is going slower than expected. And a

[36:33] note on uh prisoners of war. We've been

[36:36] talking a lot about that during your

[36:38] show just now. And what we have noticed

[36:40] here is as there are hundreds of Iraqi

[36:42] prisoners of war, we, the press, for

[36:45] instance, are under very strict rules

[36:46] about how we can show them. We're not

[36:48] allowed to show them up close. We can't

[36:50] show their faces. We're being told that

[36:53] they've been given all the food and

[36:54] water and and shelter that they require.

[36:57] So very strict controls over the

[36:59] prisoner of war issue. And that we saw

[37:01] more of them today at the Rumaila oil

[37:03] fields in the south. We took a trip

[37:05] there. The Allied forces here, the

[37:07] British, wanted to show us how this was

[37:09] a very strategic and important target

[37:12] that had been taken early, almost from

[37:14] the outset of the ground offensive.

[37:19] At war, would the Iraqi regime resort to

[37:22] a scorched-earth policy? Would it torch

[37:25] its own oil fields as US and British

[37:28] officials insisted that was the big

[37:30] question. And to be sure, close-up any

[37:33] oil well fire looks catastrophic. But in

[37:36] fact, only seven of about 500 wells in

[37:39] the Rumaila oil field, Iraq's biggest,

[37:42] have been set ablaze. In the end, there

[37:44] was effectively nothing at all. Um which

[37:46] was uh for us very reassuring, but we

[37:49] actually obviously had to work on worst

[37:50] case. So just hours after the ground

[37:53] invasion began, US Marines raced to

[37:55] secure these fields in southern Iraq,

[37:58] followed closely by British Royal

[38:00] Engineers and explosive experts. This

[38:03] wasn't a little a little sideshow in the

[38:05] operation. This was an actual a critical

[38:07] part of the coalition whatever the

[38:09] future form that Iraq takes, I mean,

[38:11] pervasive in that is its oil and its oil

[38:13] income.

[38:17] Indeed, this field in the south produces

[38:20] 60% of Iraq's oil, and everyone

[38:23] remembers the ecological and

[38:24] environmental havoc Iraq caused by

[38:27] setting Kuwait's oil fields ablaze 12

[38:30] years ago. In a futile attempt to

[38:32] obscure the vision of invading US and

[38:35] British forces, the Iraqis did fill some

[38:38] trenches with oil around key

[38:39] installations. Some of those trenches

[38:41] they set on fire. And now there is a

[38:44] fairly strong smell of oil in the air.

[38:46] But according to the British Royal

[38:48] Engineers here, there is no evidence yet

[38:50] of any attempts by the Iraqis to booby

[38:53] trap or cause serious sabotage.

[38:56] Army engineers discovered that by

[38:58] picking carefully through the critical

[39:00] gas and oil separation plants, shutting

[39:03] down valves and the big taps called

[39:05] manifolds. They are all off now awaiting

[39:09] private contractors to restart the oil

[39:11] production.

[39:13] The Iraqi army put up some resistance

[39:15] and US Marines took some combat

[39:17] casualties. But here, as elsewhere in

[39:20] Iraq, many soldiers surrendered. The

[39:23] British say they have 500 POWs, and that

[39:26] number could grow to 1,000.

[39:29] And as they begin to secure large parts

[39:31] of the south, more troops and material

[39:35] pour in, pushing ever deeper upcountry.

[39:41] And a final note on those POWs, you saw

[39:44] them going into a collection center. All

[39:46] the POWs that are being uh that have

[39:48] surrendered and are being collected down

[39:50] in the southern area are gradually being

[39:52] brought to one big collection area, and

[39:55] this will be under the control of the

[39:57] British troops in the southern Iraqi

[39:59] area, Wolf.

[40:02] Christiane Amanpour in northern Kuwait

[40:05] along the border with Iraq. Christiane,

[40:06] thanks very much. Paula?

[40:09] Wolf, I guess the best insights we've

[40:10] been given today came from Lieutenant

[40:12] Colonel Dale Storr, who was held by the

[40:13] Iraqis for some 33 days as a prisoner

[40:17] when his plane was shot down over

[40:19] Kuwait. He later ended up in Baghdad,

[40:21] where he was held, and he told us uh

[40:24] just about an hour ago how he was

[40:26] routinely beaten, uh not given the food

[40:28] he he needed, and he said the first 3

[40:31] days were the hardest of his

[40:33] imprisonment. Heavy traffic continues at

[40:36] some air bases. In addition to some of

[40:38] the air support missions that we've

[40:40] heard described by our embeds, US planes

[40:43] have been attacking targets in Iraq. And

[40:45] with troops missing and a British plane

[40:47] down, several search and rescue missions

[40:49] have been flown. CNN's Gary Tuchman

[40:51] joins us from an air base near Iraq.

[40:53] Gary, what's the latest you've learned?

[40:58] Well, Paula, hello to you. The A-10

[41:00] attack craft behind me are at a base

[41:02] right near the border of Iraq. This is a

[41:04] very busy base, and because of that, the

[41:06] 8,000-plus servicemen and women here

[41:09] know that they are a military target. As

[41:11] a matter of fact, one Iraqi missile fell

[41:13] 25 mi away from here. So, there has been

[41:16] some tension on this base. Most of the

[41:18] days this week they've had sirens,

[41:20] they've had to put on their gas masks.

[41:21] They have been required up until now to

[41:24] have their chemical suits on at all

[41:25] times except when they're in bed and in

[41:27] the shower. But today is the first day

[41:29] we haven't had alert warning siren, and

[41:32] they have been allowed to take the

[41:33] chemical suits off, although they're

[41:34] carrying them with them wherever they

[41:36] go. With us right now is the man in

[41:38] charge of operations at this base. It is

[41:40] Colonel Rodriguez. He's the operations

[41:42] group commander.

[41:44] I want to ask you, Colonel, thank you

[41:45] for joining us, and tell us how things

[41:47] are going so far. You're in charge of

[41:48] all these planes and facilities here.

[41:50] How have things been going so far in

[41:51] this war for you? The operations tempo

[41:54] for the men and women of the 332nd have

[41:56] been phenomenal. Uh everything that

[41:58] we've expected has been exactly what we

[42:00] have been able to uh produce.

[42:03] Uh the sorties that we've been able to

[42:04] generate out of here and the support

[42:06] that we've been able to uh uh provide

[42:08] for the air power air war

[42:10] has been on track. You've been talking

[42:12] about Americans who are missing,

[42:14] Americans who may be POWs. Let me ask

[42:16] you, this is one of the largest airbases

[42:18] in the theater. Have all your pilots

[42:20] come back safely? That's affirmative.

[42:22] I've been able to keep 100%

[42:23] accountability of all the crews. And uh

[42:26] that's one of the tasks at hand uh to

[42:28] make sure everything is everything's

[42:30] going the way it's supposed to. Can you

[42:32] tell me how many aircraft you have here?

[42:34] Can't tell you specifically what kind I

[42:36] have or how many of each, but roughly

[42:38] about over 180 uh different types of

[42:40] airplanes here on our patch. You may not

[42:42] be able to be specific, but we do know

[42:43] these are A-10s. Tell us about these

[42:45] A-10s back here. What do they do? Well,

[42:46] the A-10, as you can see behind us,

[42:48] that's a tank killer. It's primarily a

[42:50] close air support asset. Uh has the

[42:53] capability of delivering the 30-mm very

[42:55] precise gun, and also the Maverick, and

[42:58] also a variety of other weapons in

[43:00] support of the ground forces. We see on

[43:02] the front of those planes the teeth of

[43:04] the tiger, right? Yes, the uh the the

[43:07] Flying Tigers have a great history.

[43:09] History goes back to World War II, and

[43:11] the performance of the men and women of

[43:12] the Flying Tigers here has met up to the

[43:14] match of of their history. Final

[43:16] question for you. Any unanticipated

[43:18] problems at this base?

[43:20] No, we've uh we've drilled down most of

[43:22] the issues. There's a lot of combat

[43:24] experience on this base. All the men and

[43:26] women have performed admirably, and we

[43:29] continue the pace that has been tasked

[43:31] of us. Uh

[43:32] as you can see here, 24/7, our job is to

[43:35] be ready, and and no one has shorted

[43:38] that one bit.

[43:39] Colonel, I want to thank you for talking

[43:40] with us. I appreciate it. Have a great

[43:42] evening. Okay, you too. 550 roughly

[43:44] sorties over the last 48 hours in the

[43:47] total theater at at least 38 different

[43:48] locations throughout the world. We're

[43:50] talking 3,500 sorties. You're talking

[43:53] about 12 to 15% of the total sorties of

[43:56] this air campaign coming from this one

[43:58] particular base. Paula, back to you.

[44:01] Gary Tuchman, thanks so much. It's their

[44:03] job to be ready, Wolf, 24/7. A very big

[44:07] job indeed.

[44:11] An incredible job. I want to go right

[44:13] now to Iraqi television. They're airing

[44:15] this news conference with the Iraqi

[44:17] defense minister. Let's listen in.

[44:23] Which were left burning in place.

[44:28] Before the eyes

[44:30] before the eyes of the tribespeople,

[44:32] they all witnessed that.

[44:37] Cuz it was close to the city.

[44:42] And the other sector of Basra in the

[44:44] Zubair.

[44:49] The enemy tried to take a passage to to

[44:52] cross to to Zubair towards Basra.

[44:57] The units uh

[44:59] confronted

[45:01] and stopped them on the bridges, and

[45:03] they today

[45:05] uh demolished three tanks.

[45:14] Even in the Zubair, the militia of the

[45:16] party

[45:20] and the tribe tribesmen

[45:26] also inflicted damages to two tanks.

[45:38] The uh tanks retreated.

[45:41] And this is the situation in Zubair.

[45:45] And the bridge of Khaziza that the

[45:48] minister of information talked to

[45:51] uh a few hours ago.

[46:04] The sixth division, the brave sixth

[46:07] division

[46:13] They downed an unmanned airplane.

[46:18] Our situation in Basra

[46:21] When I say Basra, I mean the city of

[46:23] Basra.

[46:27] Our situation is very good, thank God.

[46:32] And we are in our

[46:34] positions, and we are in on our land.

[46:39] And the directions that the enemy is

[46:41] coming from uh are all the directions

[46:44] are very well known.

[46:45] And

[46:46] our

[46:48] And our

[46:50] fighting is something that will be

[46:52] pleasing

[46:54] to pleasing to our friends.

[46:58] And will

[46:59] And will will not be pleasing to the

[47:02] enemies, Zionists, and so on and the

[47:05] likes.

[47:06] The morale of the people is high.

[47:19] The tribesmen are using

[47:21] are using

[47:23] a

[47:24] parallel grenade to

[47:26] to attack the

[47:28] tanks. This is the standard.

[47:32] In the Dhi Qar province

[47:35] in Nasiriyah

[47:38] We said

[47:40] that in the last brief that the enemy

[47:42] was at the outskirts of Nasiriyah.

[47:47] The enemy tried at Nasiriyah from

[47:51] more than one direction.

[47:57] They tried

[48:00] to let tell them to let them towards the

[48:02] city.

[48:04] Uh more than three attempts.

[48:07] Uh lost 17 armored vehicles.

[48:12] Uh

[48:17] And they were not able to

[48:19] make any skirm- skirmishes with any of

[48:22] our fighters in the city.

[48:27] In the Suq ash-Shuyukh sector

[48:30] The enemy, the criminal enemy

[48:32] attacked our

[48:34] third

[48:39] battalion

[48:40] of the 47th Brigade.

[48:47] This that battalion

[48:50] They

[48:51] that were were attacked They were

[48:52] attacked three times, and each time

[48:59] Uh we each time we uh we lo- they

[49:03] destroyed the enemy two tanks

[49:06] three times, and then two in the last

[49:08] attempt.

[49:10] And that

[49:12] the battalion is still holding fast in

[49:16] their position

[49:17] with high morale.

[49:20] And they retreated 2 km.

[49:22] The en- the enemy retreated 2 km.

[49:26] The the enemy retreated 2 km from there.

[49:31] When

[49:33] when they were not able to achieve

[49:35] anything from these two directions.

[49:38] They went They went behind the city

[49:41] towards towards the desert.

[49:45] towards Samawah.

[49:48] It passing through Ali base

[49:51] air base.

[49:56] And they continued advancing towards the

[49:59] north the Samawah.

[50:01] And they

[50:03] they hit the They They stopped They came

[50:06] to stop at the city. They tried to get

[50:09] into the city.

[50:13] But the militia and the tribesmen

[50:15] confronted them.

[50:21] And outskirts of the city they stopped.

[50:25] And they destroyed many armored

[50:27] vehicles.

[50:37] Then they diverted again towards

[50:40] the desert.

[50:44] And they passed They They actually

[50:47] passed the city.

[50:51] towards the Najaf.

[51:00] The other activity in Nasiriyah

[51:05] last night

[51:08] They

[51:09] They managed to get the precision

[51:12] precision

[51:15] helicopters towards the base.

[51:18] And several armored units were dropped.

[51:24] The tribesmen and the militia party

[51:27] the party militia went out to fight.

[51:31] And

[51:32] they fought in this area.

[51:36] The The regular army units

[51:41] And the Jerusalem army units

[51:46] And the tribesmen

[51:59] All right, that's the defense minister

[52:02] of Iraq the the general Sultan Hashim

[52:05] Ahmed talking about the military

[52:07] campaign insisting that the Iraqis are

[52:09] doing well holding on to Nasiriyah

[52:12] insisting that the US and British forces

[52:14] moving on that key town in the south

[52:16] central portion of Iraq are meeting not

[52:18] only with the resistance but he claims

[52:20] that heavy US casualties and British

[52:22] casualties have been encountered. We're

[52:24] going to continue to monitor this

[52:26] briefing by the Iraqi defense minister

[52:29] as well as the information minister get

[52:30] back there as news warrants. But in the

[52:33] meantime, let's bring in the chairman of

[52:35] the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

[52:37] Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana who's

[52:39] been watching all of these dramatic

[52:41] developments with us listening very

[52:43] patiently. First of all Senator Lugar

[52:46] how disturbed are you at this notion

[52:48] that US soldiers have been captured

[52:50] taken POW by the Iraqi government?

[52:54] Well, I'm disturbed that the prisoners

[52:56] have been taken. I'm disturbed by the

[52:58] fact that 23 coalition forces nine

[53:01] Americans 14 British have been killed.

[53:05] And the sympathy of all Americans is

[53:06] with them and with their families.

[53:11] Senator Lugar We're going to get a lot

[53:13] more information on that at the top of

[53:15] the hour. We're standing by for a

[53:16] briefing from the US Central Command the

[53:18] Central Command in charge of conducting

[53:20] this war for the US military. We'll go

[53:23] there live when that happens right at

[53:24] the top of the hour to Cutter the

[53:26] temporary headquarters. What if anything

[53:29] can the US government do to try to make

[53:32] sure that these POWs are treated

[53:35] according to the Geneva Conventions?

[53:38] The President of the United States has

[53:39] responded to that question in the very

[53:42] most succinct way that he could have.

[53:44] And that is we expect the Iraqis to

[53:46] treat our prisoners according to the

[53:49] Geneva code. In the event that they are

[53:51] mistreated those who mistreat them will

[53:54] be treated as war criminals. You cannot

[53:56] say it any more directly. And that is

[53:59] precisely the view that I have.

[54:02] What kind of track record does Iraq have

[54:04] from the first Gulf War in treating

[54:06] American POWs? Their track record is

[54:10] abysmal. And the testimony

[54:13] we've had on your program today from an

[54:15] American POW indicates how brutal that

[54:18] treatment has been.

[54:22] From your standpoint Senator Lugar how

[54:24] is this war going?

[54:27] It appears to me that uh

[54:29] a great attempt was made by our country

[54:32] in the so-called decapitation strike.

[54:34] That is the cruise missiles

[54:36] that uh hit in the area that we felt

[54:38] Saddam Hussein and his leaders were.

[54:41] That might have been a decisive blow.

[54:45] Uh it appears that it was not in the

[54:47] sense that some chain of command clearly

[54:50] is there and resistance in the Nasiriyah

[54:53] area that has been demonstrated on both

[54:56] the Iraqi briefing and ours shows that

[54:59] some troops probably came down to the

[55:01] aid of that situation. And clearly if

[55:04] Basra has some activity still it's

[55:07] because it was bypassed that is

[55:09] block-to-block fighting did not occur.

[55:11] Having said that it is clear because

[55:14] watching the film that American troops

[55:16] are moving toward Baghdad that air

[55:18] strikes have been precise and very

[55:20] effective. And the President of the

[55:22] United States as he came back from Camp

[55:24] David indicated clearly that we are

[55:28] winning the war. We are going to persist

[55:30] with the war. Saddam will be vanquished.

[55:33] The weapons of mass destruction will be

[55:35] found. The basic issue on the Iraqi side

[55:39] is how many Iraqis will be killed. How

[55:42] much of their own country will be hurt

[55:45] because of continued resistance at this

[55:48] point. And I think that's the basic

[55:50] question. Uh it we're debating this in a

[55:52] way internationally through your

[55:55] network. If Iraqis have any impression

[55:58] that there is any weakening on the

[56:00] American side that there is any lack of

[56:03] solid resolve expressed by the Senate 99

[56:05] to zero in behalf of the

[56:07] commander-in-chief and our troops

[56:09] they're wrong. They need to know that.

[56:11] And to the extent that they cease and

[56:13] desist rapidly lives will be saved.

[56:17] Based on the briefing Senator Lugar that

[56:19] you've received and I know you receive

[56:21] high-level briefings all the time in

[56:23] your capacity as chairman of the Foreign

[56:24] Relations Committee what can you tell us

[56:27] about the status of Saddam Hussein?

[56:31] I can tell you nothing more than you

[56:32] have reported. Namely that there were

[56:34] initial intelligence reports from

[56:37] various sources that he was carried from

[56:40] his building where it was on a stretcher

[56:43] apparently injured. Uh certainly dispute

[56:46] as to whether the Saddam who appeared on

[56:49] television hours later was Saddam or a

[56:52] double. Preponderance of information is

[56:54] probably it was Saddam. Uh what

[56:57] condition he's in what his mood in very

[56:59] hard to tell because we frankly don't

[57:01] know.

[57:03] When you say he was carried on a

[57:04] stretcher has that been confirmed

[57:06] officially to you? No. It simply is an

[57:09] intelligence report among many others.

[57:12] But obviously very interesting because

[57:14] it concerns Saddam the chain of command

[57:17] the hope that somehow that could be

[57:18] truncated and the war materially

[57:21] shortened.

[57:24] Do you have any information on his two

[57:25] sons Uday and Qusay who are also

[57:28] powerful figures in that Iraqi regime?

[57:31] No, I have no more information than

[57:33] you've reported.

[57:36] When you take a look at the diplomatic

[57:38] fallout from this war let's go through a

[57:40] couple examples very briefly. Turkey

[57:43] there seems to be a serious strain in

[57:46] US-Turkish relations now as a result of

[57:49] the back and and forth that's been going

[57:51] on over these weeks on what the Turkish

[57:53] government might or might not allow. How

[57:55] concerned are you about the long-term

[57:57] fallout involving this key strategic

[58:01] relationship between these two NATO

[58:03] allies?

[58:04] I don't believe there will be long-term

[58:06] fallout. As a matter of fact I believe

[58:08] the United States will continue to be

[58:10] the strongest friend of Turkey as Turkey

[58:13] seeks admission to the European Union

[58:15] and general incorporation into European

[58:17] affairs.

[58:18] The United States is vital to those

[58:21] Turkish aspirations. But for the moment

[58:23] there is a very new government in Turkey

[58:26] an inexperienced government and one that

[58:28] has a population that is always inflamed

[58:31] by any issues dealing with Kurds. And we

[58:34] are into that sort of predicament

[58:35] presently. The President of the United

[58:37] States when he came back from Camp David

[58:39] today was very clear in asking Turkey

[58:42] not to send troops into northern Iraq.

[58:45] That is very important. We are now

[58:48] getting overflights of American troops

[58:50] into northern Iraq and those Americans

[58:52] need to be there in some numbers to

[58:55] guarantee that there is peace in that

[58:57] area that there is movement by Kurds

[59:00] toward their own self-government and

[59:03] their own destiny without interference

[59:05] from Turkey or Saddam or anybody else.

[59:10] Do you have any doubt Senator Lugar that

[59:12] when all is said and done the US will

[59:14] find weapons of mass destruction in

[59:16] Iraq?

[59:18] No, I have no doubt that we will find

[59:19] those weapons. I have all the the

[59:23] problems that those inspectors have is

[59:25] to how we will go about that. Having had

[59:28] some experience trying to hunt down uh

[59:31] in Russia. I know that without Russians

[59:33] at my side detailing what had occurred

[59:35] for 20 years in various biological and

[59:38] chemical situations, I wouldn't have had

[59:39] a clue. And neither will the UN

[59:41] inspectors. However, my guess is at the

[59:44] end of the day we will hear from Iraqis

[59:46] who will tell us where they are and we

[59:48] will destroy them. And it's important

[59:50] that we find them and that we destroy

[59:52] them.

[59:54] Senator Richard Lugar, the chairman of

[59:56] the Foreign Relations Committee, uh

[59:57] thanks thanks so much for being with us.

[59:59] Thanks for your patience. I'll see you

[60:01] when I get back to Washington.

[60:05] Let's go to the Let's go back to Paula

[60:07] in New York right now. Paula. Thanks so

[60:09] much, Wolf. It's been a pleasure working

[60:11] with you over the last several hours.

[60:12] That wraps it up for me here. I will be

[60:14] back in place 7:00 a.m. Eastern time

[60:17] tomorrow morning. Thank you all for

[60:18] being with us. Back to Leon Harris now

[60:20] at CNN Center as he brings you up to

[60:22] date at the top of the hour.

[60:28] Hello, I'm Leon Harris at the CNN Center

[60:30] here in Atlanta. Here's a check of

[60:31] what's happening this hour. The key town

[60:33] of An Nasiriyah in south-central Iraq is

[60:35] proving to be the latest flash point in

[60:37] the war. The Pentagon confirms that a

[60:39] handful of American soldiers were

[60:41] captured or killed near that city.

[60:43] CNN's Alessio Vinci, traveling with

[60:45] troops in the area, says heavy fighting

[60:47] continued into the night there.

[60:49] Meanwhile, stateside, President Bush

[60:51] urged Iraq to treat captured US and

[60:53] allied troops humanely. Upon returning

[60:56] to the White House today from Camp

[60:58] David, the president also had a warning

[60:59] for Turkey, urging them to not send

[61:02] troops into northern Iraq.

[61:04] Iraqi TV footage of those US soldiers

[61:07] captured in Iraq is creating quite an

[61:09] uproar. Those pictures were shown on the

[61:11] Arab language network Al Jazeera, and

[61:13] the video shows the bodies of soldiers

[61:15] who were shot dead. Now, as you may have

[61:17] heard broadcast on CNN just moments ago,

[61:20] Iraqi officials speaking on Al Arabiya

[61:22] TV said that Iraq will respect Geneva

[61:24] Conventions in treatment of POWs.

[61:28] A new wave of explosions lit up the

[61:30] skies over Baghdad for a fourth day. A

[61:32] battery of anti-aircraft fire was

[61:34] visible earlier. Air strikes resumed

[61:36] after night fell in the northern city of

[61:38] Mosul. That city's been targeted for the

[61:40] past three nights now.

[61:43] British television agency ITN now says

[61:45] reporter Terry Lloyd and two others

[61:47] missing since yesterday were killed in a

[61:50] friendly fire incident in southern Iraq.

[61:52] ITN says they were driving outside of

[61:54] Basra accompanied by Iraqi vehicles when

[61:57] they were fired upon.

[61:59] We've got pictures this hour of a

[62:01] coalition airdrop onto Al Faw Peninsula.

[62:04] That's Iraq's only gateway to the

[62:05] Persian Gulf.

[62:06] That area was taken early on by the

[62:08] British troops and the US Marines as

[62:10] well, although scattered fighting does

[62:11] continue in the port city of Umm Qasr in

[62:13] that region.

[62:15] An Iraqi official is accusing Israel of

[62:17] getting involved in the war. Foreign

[62:19] Minister Naji Sabri says an Israeli

[62:21] missile was found in Baghdad, but he

[62:23] offered no proof of that. An Israeli

[62:26] spokesman denies the charge of Israeli

[62:28] involvement, but he says the Iraqis

[62:29] could have found an Israeli decoy rocket

[62:32] sold to the US military.

[62:34] We are bringing you live coverage of the

[62:36] war in Iraq right here on CNN 24 hours a

[62:39] day. And when you're away from a

[62:40] television, there's always cnn.com.

[62:43] Go there and you'll find our war

[62:44] tracker. Just click on interactive maps

[62:46] and keep track of the action on the

[62:47] front lines. You can also read field

[62:49] reports from our reporters who are out

[62:51] there in the war zones. Again, all of

[62:53] that exclusively at cnn.com.

[62:55] And now, CNN's coverage of the war in

[62:57] Iraq continues.

[63:08] Welcome back to our continuing coverage

[63:09] of the war in Iraq. I'm Wolf Blitzer

[63:11] reporting live from Kuwait City. Earlier

[63:14] today, the Pentagon said that fewer than

[63:16] 10 of its troops were missing. Shortly

[63:19] after that, CNN received the first

[63:21] pictures of American soldiers killed and

[63:24] captured in action in Iraq. The pictures

[63:27] were transmitted by the Al Jazeera Arab

[63:29] language satellite channel. The video

[63:32] was originally shot though by Iraqi

[63:34] state-run television. We want to let the

[63:37] audience know, our viewers know that

[63:40] these pictures and the interviews are

[63:42] extremely disturbing. CNN has made a

[63:45] decision not to show the video of those

[63:47] killed and will instead use this single

[63:50] image with no identifiable features. In

[63:53] other images, it was apparent some

[63:55] soldiers had been shot, some of them in

[63:57] the forehead. We don't know their

[63:59] identities. Five other soldiers were

[64:01] also interviewed and each gave his or

[64:04] her name and home state in the United

[64:06] States. The Pentagon tells CNN that it's

[64:08] notifying the families of those captured