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CNN SHOWDOWN: IRAQ
Coalition Forces Consolidating Areas Around Basra
Aired March 28, 2003 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Wolf Blitzer, reporting today live from Kuwait City.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. I'm Paula Zahn. Welcome everyone. I am in New York.
We are expecting a White House briefing in about 30 minutes. We will bring that to you live. Just a quick footnote to something we have just learned, Wolf. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz has now admitted that military officials may have underestimated the scope of deceptive tactics that Iraqi fighters have employed so far.
This is something we're going to follow throughout this our. I just wanted to bring you a quick update on that. Now back to Wolf now in the Gulf.
BLITZER: A lot of live developments expected over the next several hours, Paula. And of course we will have live coverage beginning shortly with the White House press briefing, continuing after the Pentagon, and the president speaking later this afternoon as well.
But I immediately want to go to CNN's Mike Boettcher. He's embedded with U.S. Special Operations Forces. He's in southern Iraq, I believe, near Basra. But, Mike, tell us what you're doing and what you're seeing.
MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what I'm seeing tonight are flares continually being shot into the air, illuminating the section just on the outskirts of Basra, and occasional machine gun fire. Now, for several nights, there has been exchanges of artillery, more from the coalition side going to targets near Basra, rather than return fire, although there have been sporadic artillery shells falling in the vicinity of coalition forces; some fell as close as 500 meters to us.
What's going on here, Wolf, frankly is an unconventional war rather than a conventional war. The coalition forces say that this has, in a sense, become a guerrilla war, because many of the forces in Basra, the Saddam Fedayeen, are in citizen clothes, they're using intimidation tactics, according to the coalition, and are trying to convince people who are sitting on the fence -- and that would be the Shiite Muslims in the western areas of Basra -- not to join coalition forces.
So it's an unconventional war, and the war is being fought right now for the hearts and minds of the Shiite Muslims in the western areas of Basra. The tactic right now is to secure the cities surrounding Basra. And the way they believe they can secure that is using humanitarian aid.
Now the civil affairs component of Special Operations Forces has been traveling around, making contact with leaders of various villages and in various locations, and distributing aid. They believe if they can show the American forces here are not to attack them, but to attack Saddam Hussein's regime, then they can win these people over.
Now these are people who are sitting on the fence right now, according to officers I've spoken to, because they believe, in 1991, when they rebelled against Saddam Hussein, they were not supported by the United States. And they're waiting to see what happens, who's going to win the upper hand here in the Basra area -- Wolf.
BLITZER: In the meantime, Mike, U.S., British forces are avoiding going into the city, the second largest city in Iraq, Basra, with more than a million inhabitants. Is that right?
BOETTCHER: Yes, they are avoiding that at the present time. What they're trying to do is consolidate the areas around Basra, gradually control the areas around the city, moving in, winning over the population as they go. Because the population here is primarily Shiite Muslim, which coalition planners before the war started believed would immediately be behind the coalition.
What's happened is a lot of them are sitting on the fence waiting to see what will happen, waiting to see if the coalition is here to stay. And that is why, for example, these civil affairs teams traveling around talking to them and distributing food and water have become so key; more key than bullets right now.
BLITZER: Is it just the Fedayeen Saddam, these irregular paramilitary forces that are causing the problems for the coalition? Or are there still regular Iraqi army soldiers in Basra who are still loyal to Saddam Hussein?
BOETTCHER: Well, we've asked that question of several people, and we're told that when the 51st Mechanized Division dropped their arms, they did not surrender, they deserted. Now we've received several reports from several officers in the coalition, both British and American, who say there have been intimidation tactics by the against some of these army regulars who deserted to pick up arms again and continue to fight.
Now, what has happened is, today, there were several large explosions around the outskirts today. And British forces are making a concerted effort to blow up those arms that were dropped in place and left. Today, I saw boxes of anti-tank missiles along a roadway that had not yet been destroyed. They were later on.
So it's a matter of -- according to coalition forces, there are regular forces there, they deserted, they're trying to be pressed back into service. And there are other regular forces there, but not many who continue to fight on. But primarily, the problem seems to be the Saddam Fedayeen -- Wolf. BLITZER: All right. Mike Boettcher. He's with U.S. Special Operations Forces near Basra, this important southern Iraqi city; the second largest city in Iraq. Mike, we'll be checking back with you often. Thank you very much -- as often as we can, at least.
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