Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
CNN
March 10, 2008
CNN Newsroom, 10:00 AM
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN, ANCHOR: CNN's Kyra Phillips is in the war zone and she had a chance to talk to General David Petraeus, the man, of course, in charge there. Kyra is joining us know from Baghdad. Hi there, Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Heidi. It all started in Baji with a secret briefing. I can show you the video now but obviously I can't tell you exactly what was said. But I can make the point that it was eye opening for me, that's for sure, as a journalist, just hearing about the struggles that all of these commanders are dealing with. It's overwhelming actually. They were talking about police corruption, criminal activity, the rise in the Baathist party, trying to get local tribes to hold elections and form provincial governments, trying to get farmers going again so they can bring in money to their areas.
However, with all the challenges that they talked about with the general there, there is something that is working and that's the CLCs, Concerned Local Citizens. Otherwise known as sons of Iraq. These are the men that are in the local tribes who are working as terrorists but now they're working with the U.S. and Iraqi troops to fight the terrorists. Now, I had a chance to meet some of them out in the battlefield. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: What's so important about these CLCs?
GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS: Well, that they are taking a stand and they are contributing to security in their areas. And they have the opportunity and the desire to do that. And it's made a big difference.
PHILLIPS: So, these are the members of the tribes that are deciding to protect the area and work with you?
PETRAEUS: They are. They are. And to work with the Iraqi army and the police.
PHILLIPS: Do you speak English?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
PHILLIPS: No? Why are you doing this? Why are you joining the CLCs?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Because we need people to walk in secure areas. I watch the streets, the stores, before, people used to be attacked by insurgents. Now it's getting safer and people are just trying to get back to normal. (END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Now, Heidi, not only did I talk to the CLCs about protecting their areas but I talked to them about Iran, do they see Iran as a threat. The CLCs, Iraqi soldiers, even General David Petraeus told me that is basically the number one problem. That is what's funneling the weapons and terrorists here. it's no help that Iranian President Ahmadinejad came here last week and believe me that was the last person General David Petraeus wanted to shake hands with.
COLLINS: Yes, imagine not.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: The president of Iran was here.
PETRAEUS: First of all, I wasn't invited. Sadi did.
PHILLIPS: Would you have gone if you were invited?
PETRAEUS: Oh, gosh, I guess I would probably ask Washington about that. I'm not sure that much meaningful would have come out of that other than perhaps an opportunity for them to use a photograph of a relatively meaningless encounter. What we would like to do with Iran, of course, is to sit down across the table and let's discuss, you know, the Iranians have pledged at the very highest levels to stop arming, training, funding and equipping and directing these special groups and these other militia extremist elements. Al Sadr himself has declared a cease-fire and yet it appears very clear they continue to send in these explosives, reform projectiles, other weaponry and to continue to train these special groups' members and master trainers, as they're called, who are a very lethal accelerant, as term is used here in Iraq.
PHILLIPS: And as a general who is in charge of rebuilding this country, how did that make you feel that the Iranian president came here for two days and met with the government officials?
PETRAEUS: Well, again, you have to keep in mind that Iran and Iraq are linked. They are always going to be the neighbors to the east and west, respectively. I think it is very understandable that senior Iraqi leaders should want to establish a constructive relationship with their neighbor in the east. It's also understandable for them to say as they did, we welcome the Iranian religious tourists, we welcome Iranian investment money, we welcome their goods and services but we don't welcome their bombs. (END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Heidi, I think you can probably see it in the general's eyes, he was being very diplomatic with that answer. He has a lot I'm sure stirring in that mind about Iran.
COLLINS: And I know Kyra, that you haven't had time to be with General Petraeus around the same time last year. What are some of the noticeable differences you noticed when you were talking with him this time around?
PHILLIPS: Bottom line, Heidi, the death toll. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: You and I were together at the same time last year, what do you think has changed the most since the last time we talked and walked the streets?
PETRAEUS: Well, the level of violence has obviously come down dramatically. You'll recall that I think that month or the month before there was something like 42 car bombs in Baghdad alone.
PHILLIPS: Right.
PETRAEUS: The level of civilian deaths was very, very high, just everything was fairly bleak in a number of different areas.
PHILLIPS: And deaths are down but it's still extremely dangerous in Baghdad. I mean, you've seen what I had to go through just to do a story about the school for the blind or a TV show about Iraqi kids.
PETRAEUS: Well, no one says this is a, "acceptable level of violence." What we have all said is that it has dramatically reduced from what was the situation that was on the verge of civil war. So again, everyone recognizes that there's a lot more work to be done. I've said repeatedly, there's nobody doing victory dances in the end zone over the situation at present. On the other hand, everybody ought to be very proud of what our troopers and Iraqi counterparts have accomplished during that year.
PHILLIPS: Do you think Iraq is out of the woods in regards to a civil war?
PETRAEUS: I mean, no, Iraq is, again, stepped back from that and made enormous progress, but having said that, there still is clearly a lot of work to be done to cement the gains, to build on them, to capitalize on the momentum and to come to grips with the big national issues that are required for true reconciliation to take place between Sunni and Shia and Kurds and Arabs and so on and so forth. (END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Heidi, I like that line from the general, "no victory dances in the end zone yet." We were right there in Baji, crucial area for the general and his commanders. It's getting a little bit better but still when we talk to locals there. Their biggest beef now is jobs. They just wants to be employed and open up the shops.
March 10, 2008
CNN Newsroom, 10:00 AM
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN, ANCHOR: CNN's Kyra Phillips is in the war zone and she had a chance to talk to General David Petraeus, the man, of course, in charge there. Kyra is joining us know from Baghdad. Hi there, Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Heidi. It all started in Baji with a secret briefing. I can show you the video now but obviously I can't tell you exactly what was said. But I can make the point that it was eye opening for me, that's for sure, as a journalist, just hearing about the struggles that all of these commanders are dealing with. It's overwhelming actually. They were talking about police corruption, criminal activity, the rise in the Baathist party, trying to get local tribes to hold elections and form provincial governments, trying to get farmers going again so they can bring in money to their areas.
However, with all the challenges that they talked about with the general there, there is something that is working and that's the CLCs, Concerned Local Citizens. Otherwise known as sons of Iraq. These are the men that are in the local tribes who are working as terrorists but now they're working with the U.S. and Iraqi troops to fight the terrorists. Now, I had a chance to meet some of them out in the battlefield. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: What's so important about these CLCs?
GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS: Well, that they are taking a stand and they are contributing to security in their areas. And they have the opportunity and the desire to do that. And it's made a big difference.
PHILLIPS: So, these are the members of the tribes that are deciding to protect the area and work with you?
PETRAEUS: They are. They are. And to work with the Iraqi army and the police.
PHILLIPS: Do you speak English?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
PHILLIPS: No? Why are you doing this? Why are you joining the CLCs?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Because we need people to walk in secure areas. I watch the streets, the stores, before, people used to be attacked by insurgents. Now it's getting safer and people are just trying to get back to normal. (END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Now, Heidi, not only did I talk to the CLCs about protecting their areas but I talked to them about Iran, do they see Iran as a threat. The CLCs, Iraqi soldiers, even General David Petraeus told me that is basically the number one problem. That is what's funneling the weapons and terrorists here. it's no help that Iranian President Ahmadinejad came here last week and believe me that was the last person General David Petraeus wanted to shake hands with.
COLLINS: Yes, imagine not.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: The president of Iran was here.
PETRAEUS: First of all, I wasn't invited. Sadi did.
PHILLIPS: Would you have gone if you were invited?
PETRAEUS: Oh, gosh, I guess I would probably ask Washington about that. I'm not sure that much meaningful would have come out of that other than perhaps an opportunity for them to use a photograph of a relatively meaningless encounter. What we would like to do with Iran, of course, is to sit down across the table and let's discuss, you know, the Iranians have pledged at the very highest levels to stop arming, training, funding and equipping and directing these special groups and these other militia extremist elements. Al Sadr himself has declared a cease-fire and yet it appears very clear they continue to send in these explosives, reform projectiles, other weaponry and to continue to train these special groups' members and master trainers, as they're called, who are a very lethal accelerant, as term is used here in Iraq.
PHILLIPS: And as a general who is in charge of rebuilding this country, how did that make you feel that the Iranian president came here for two days and met with the government officials?
PETRAEUS: Well, again, you have to keep in mind that Iran and Iraq are linked. They are always going to be the neighbors to the east and west, respectively. I think it is very understandable that senior Iraqi leaders should want to establish a constructive relationship with their neighbor in the east. It's also understandable for them to say as they did, we welcome the Iranian religious tourists, we welcome Iranian investment money, we welcome their goods and services but we don't welcome their bombs. (END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Heidi, I think you can probably see it in the general's eyes, he was being very diplomatic with that answer. He has a lot I'm sure stirring in that mind about Iran.
COLLINS: And I know Kyra, that you haven't had time to be with General Petraeus around the same time last year. What are some of the noticeable differences you noticed when you were talking with him this time around?
PHILLIPS: Bottom line, Heidi, the death toll. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: You and I were together at the same time last year, what do you think has changed the most since the last time we talked and walked the streets?
PETRAEUS: Well, the level of violence has obviously come down dramatically. You'll recall that I think that month or the month before there was something like 42 car bombs in Baghdad alone.
PHILLIPS: Right.
PETRAEUS: The level of civilian deaths was very, very high, just everything was fairly bleak in a number of different areas.
PHILLIPS: And deaths are down but it's still extremely dangerous in Baghdad. I mean, you've seen what I had to go through just to do a story about the school for the blind or a TV show about Iraqi kids.
PETRAEUS: Well, no one says this is a, "acceptable level of violence." What we have all said is that it has dramatically reduced from what was the situation that was on the verge of civil war. So again, everyone recognizes that there's a lot more work to be done. I've said repeatedly, there's nobody doing victory dances in the end zone over the situation at present. On the other hand, everybody ought to be very proud of what our troopers and Iraqi counterparts have accomplished during that year.
PHILLIPS: Do you think Iraq is out of the woods in regards to a civil war?
PETRAEUS: I mean, no, Iraq is, again, stepped back from that and made enormous progress, but having said that, there still is clearly a lot of work to be done to cement the gains, to build on them, to capitalize on the momentum and to come to grips with the big national issues that are required for true reconciliation to take place between Sunni and Shia and Kurds and Arabs and so on and so forth. (END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Heidi, I like that line from the general, "no victory dances in the end zone yet." We were right there in Baji, crucial area for the general and his commanders. It's getting a little bit better but still when we talk to locals there. Their biggest beef now is jobs. They just wants to be employed and open up the shops.