Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
CBS; CNN
April 4, 2008
CBS Evening News, 6:30 PM
KATIE COURIC, anchor: U.S. forces are fighting a tough battle with Shiite militias in Baghdad's Sadr City. Our chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan reports from the front lines.
LARA LOGAN: You're about to see an attack on Baghdad's heavily-protected green zone. Shiite militia men turn an open field into a rocket launch site. This gun camera video shows the U.S. response, firing a Hellfire missile from a Apache attack helicopter. And this is what the U.S. wants to stop. In the last week of March, 132 mortars and rockets came raining down on Baghdad. Most of the attacks launched from here, the militia stronghold of Sadr City, home to Iranian-backed militias like the Mahdi Army, loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
We went to Sadr City to see the soldiers who are going after those launch sites.
1st Lt. ZACHARY SEIDEL (USA, 1-2 Stryker Rgmt.): When you're on the rooftop, stay low. Everybody on the rooftop is probably going to be crawling around or running quickly from place to place.
LOGAN: Arriving at this makeshift patrol base, the soldiers run inside to avoid sniper fire. This is ground their enemy just lost, and they want it back. There aren't enough US soldiers to hold this position alone. Iraqi reinforcements are needed.
Capt. DAVE UTHLAUT: We need help with patrols during the daytime.
LOGAN: The help this Iraqi major promises Captain Dave Uthlaut doesn't materialize. It doesn't take long for an attack to come.
Unidentified Soldier: I got him.
LOGAN: U.S. soldiers on the roof stay low as their position comes under fire.
Unidentified Soldier: Taking shots on the roof coming from northwest.
LOGAN: They can hear Iraqi forces on the ground also being targeted.
We've been taking sustained incoming fire for some time now, and it's clear the militias don't want to give up this ground easily. The reason is that beyond this wall is one of their favorite spots for firing rockets at the green zone.
In the last few days since the U.S. moved into these critical areas, rocket attacks have dropped dramatically, but those gains were not easily won. Captain Logan Veath said the militias threw everything they had at his men.
Capt. LOGAN VEATH (USA, 1-68 Armored Rgmt.): Small arms fire, RPGs, IED attacks, snipers. I mean, the whole gambit of kinetic, other than like nuclear war.
LOGAN: That hasn't prevented the U.S. advance. But so far they've stopped short of going deep into the heart of Sadr City, where the militias are dug in amongst millions of people. A bloody street fight there could cost thousands of innocent lives and throw the capital into chaos. Lara Logan, CBS News, Sadr City.
CNN Newsroom, 10:00 AM
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Also today, Iraq's prime minister orders his security forces to stop raids targeting Shiites militiamen. He says the pause will give repentant fighters a chance to lay down their weapons.
Assessing what the administration refers to as a surge of troops in Iraq and Iraq security forces. CNN's Nic Robertson tours the Baghdad neighborhood with a U.S. commander.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MAJ. GEN. RICK LYNCH, USA: How are you? Nice to see you. Is everything OK?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN: General Rick Lynch is the American commander of Baghdad's suburbs. In this one, in the east of the city, he is checking on Iraq's newest security forces. The sons of Iran.
LYNCH: I have been studying along the progress we made with the sons of Iraq movement. You two have done amazing work.
ROBERTSON: Lynch sees success. Attacks in the mixed Sunni Shiites neighborhood are down massively. Its market open. Thanks to the surge and beefed up Iraqi security. It brought us to see the change.
Security for this visit is really tight, a lot of the American soldiers, observation helicopters in the sky, sons of Iraq in their brown uniforms, Iraqi national police as well. We're talking to the market holders, the store holders here. They say that this market couldn't have existed a few months ago. It would have been too dangerous. The risk of kidnap or attack is really high.
What I want to find out is the impact of last week's violence involving Shia militia. Was there a time at the peak of the battles last week that you were worried the situation could escalate?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure there was. I mean we always worry because it's a security situation. This place could inflame, the problem could have been major problem but it wasn't. The reason it wasn't was because the security forces did what they needed to do.
ROBERTSON: That, Lynch says, gave them an advantage over 600 Iranian-backed fighters that he knew existed but couldn't fight.
LYNCH: We were able to identify better who were the Shia extremists in our area. It was a tactical opportunity. We took 18 large weapons caches off this battlefield.
ROBERTSON: And arrested over 500 suspects, including ten the military calls high-valued targets. Lynch readily admits that this is one its best neighborhoods. Last week's violence, he said, a caution about drawing down troops too fast.
LYNCH: Currently enjoy a good situation but it could go south tomorrow. We have to watch it closely. Last week was an indication that the enemy is still out there.
ROBERTSON: Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad. (END VIDEOTAPE)
April 4, 2008
CBS Evening News, 6:30 PM
KATIE COURIC, anchor: U.S. forces are fighting a tough battle with Shiite militias in Baghdad's Sadr City. Our chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan reports from the front lines.
LARA LOGAN: You're about to see an attack on Baghdad's heavily-protected green zone. Shiite militia men turn an open field into a rocket launch site. This gun camera video shows the U.S. response, firing a Hellfire missile from a Apache attack helicopter. And this is what the U.S. wants to stop. In the last week of March, 132 mortars and rockets came raining down on Baghdad. Most of the attacks launched from here, the militia stronghold of Sadr City, home to Iranian-backed militias like the Mahdi Army, loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
We went to Sadr City to see the soldiers who are going after those launch sites.
1st Lt. ZACHARY SEIDEL (USA, 1-2 Stryker Rgmt.): When you're on the rooftop, stay low. Everybody on the rooftop is probably going to be crawling around or running quickly from place to place.
LOGAN: Arriving at this makeshift patrol base, the soldiers run inside to avoid sniper fire. This is ground their enemy just lost, and they want it back. There aren't enough US soldiers to hold this position alone. Iraqi reinforcements are needed.
Capt. DAVE UTHLAUT: We need help with patrols during the daytime.
LOGAN: The help this Iraqi major promises Captain Dave Uthlaut doesn't materialize. It doesn't take long for an attack to come.
Unidentified Soldier: I got him.
LOGAN: U.S. soldiers on the roof stay low as their position comes under fire.
Unidentified Soldier: Taking shots on the roof coming from northwest.
LOGAN: They can hear Iraqi forces on the ground also being targeted.
We've been taking sustained incoming fire for some time now, and it's clear the militias don't want to give up this ground easily. The reason is that beyond this wall is one of their favorite spots for firing rockets at the green zone.
In the last few days since the U.S. moved into these critical areas, rocket attacks have dropped dramatically, but those gains were not easily won. Captain Logan Veath said the militias threw everything they had at his men.
Capt. LOGAN VEATH (USA, 1-68 Armored Rgmt.): Small arms fire, RPGs, IED attacks, snipers. I mean, the whole gambit of kinetic, other than like nuclear war.
LOGAN: That hasn't prevented the U.S. advance. But so far they've stopped short of going deep into the heart of Sadr City, where the militias are dug in amongst millions of people. A bloody street fight there could cost thousands of innocent lives and throw the capital into chaos. Lara Logan, CBS News, Sadr City.
CNN Newsroom, 10:00 AM
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Also today, Iraq's prime minister orders his security forces to stop raids targeting Shiites militiamen. He says the pause will give repentant fighters a chance to lay down their weapons.
Assessing what the administration refers to as a surge of troops in Iraq and Iraq security forces. CNN's Nic Robertson tours the Baghdad neighborhood with a U.S. commander.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MAJ. GEN. RICK LYNCH, USA: How are you? Nice to see you. Is everything OK?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN: General Rick Lynch is the American commander of Baghdad's suburbs. In this one, in the east of the city, he is checking on Iraq's newest security forces. The sons of Iran.
LYNCH: I have been studying along the progress we made with the sons of Iraq movement. You two have done amazing work.
ROBERTSON: Lynch sees success. Attacks in the mixed Sunni Shiites neighborhood are down massively. Its market open. Thanks to the surge and beefed up Iraqi security. It brought us to see the change.
Security for this visit is really tight, a lot of the American soldiers, observation helicopters in the sky, sons of Iraq in their brown uniforms, Iraqi national police as well. We're talking to the market holders, the store holders here. They say that this market couldn't have existed a few months ago. It would have been too dangerous. The risk of kidnap or attack is really high.
What I want to find out is the impact of last week's violence involving Shia militia. Was there a time at the peak of the battles last week that you were worried the situation could escalate?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure there was. I mean we always worry because it's a security situation. This place could inflame, the problem could have been major problem but it wasn't. The reason it wasn't was because the security forces did what they needed to do.
ROBERTSON: That, Lynch says, gave them an advantage over 600 Iranian-backed fighters that he knew existed but couldn't fight.
LYNCH: We were able to identify better who were the Shia extremists in our area. It was a tactical opportunity. We took 18 large weapons caches off this battlefield.
ROBERTSON: And arrested over 500 suspects, including ten the military calls high-valued targets. Lynch readily admits that this is one its best neighborhoods. Last week's violence, he said, a caution about drawing down troops too fast.
LYNCH: Currently enjoy a good situation but it could go south tomorrow. We have to watch it closely. Last week was an indication that the enemy is still out there.
ROBERTSON: Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad. (END VIDEOTAPE)