Whitbeck: Insecurity is the main concern
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Harris Whitbeck
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VIDEO
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CNN's Harris Whitbeck on a suicide bombing near the Turkish Embassy.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux on President Bush and criticism of postwar Iraq policy.
CNN's Barbara Starr on 10 soldiers who have died of self-inflicted wounds.
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SPECIAL REPORT
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(CNN) -- On Tuesday afternoon, reminders of the dangers that still exist in Iraq came in the form of a suicide car bomb detonated near the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad, according to Iraqi police. Despite the progress being made in the transitional Iraq, Tuesday's explosion drew about 50 demonstrators, who chanted in support of deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
CNN correspondent Harris Whitbeck is on the scene in Baghdad and joined Wolf Blitzer to discuss how today the Turkish Embassy became a target.
WHITBECK: The explosion occurred at around 2:40 p.m. local time. And according to a military spokesman, a car approached the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad, and right as it was passing in front of it, it blew up, leaving at least one person, the suicide bomber, dead.
Now, eyewitnesses on the ground say one other person, somebody who was on the street, died, but that has not been confirmed yet. We do know that eight people were wounded. Among them, two embassy staffers. Again, this blast occurred around 2:40 this afternoon just days after a similar suicide bombing took place at the Baghdad Hotel.
BLITZER: In light of these most recent bombings, Harris, and from what you can tell, has security been stepped up at around sensitive locations, perhaps even where you're broadcasting from right now?
WHITBECK: Well, actually, I wanted to show you the steps that are being put in place here. Behind me, a large yellow crane. That started a few hours ago to place some large concrete barriers in front of one of the perimeter walls of the Palestine Hotel.
These concrete barriers are being put in place in and around several sensitive locations in Baghdad. In fact, a military spokesman told us that the -- they had received information that the Turkish Embassy might become a target. And they said they based that information on walk-in informants who had told them that embassy might become a target. So they started placing the same type of concrete barriers around that location three or four days ago. And they credit those barriers with deflecting about 90 percent of the impact of that blast.
BLITZER: As you know, we're getting criticized by the Bush administration -- we, I mean all of the national news media, that we're a filter, we're not necessarily presenting the full story from Iraq. We're only showing the bombings, the explosions, the negative side of this story, but the positive developments, the electricity coming on line, the water, the people going out being able to express themselves, we're not getting that story through. You're on the scene for us. You've been there now for a while. What's the real situation from your vantage point? Has the situation in Iraq significantly improved in recent months?
WHITBECK: I think if you look at it in bigger picture terms, the situation has improved a bit. People say they now have more access to basic services, schools have reopened, and people are beginning to get a sense of normalcy. But then you have events like the one that occurred this afternoon, Wolf.
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A nighttime view of the cranes placing large concrete barriers to protect the Palestine Hotel.
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Just last night, 2:00 in the morning, I was trying to get some sleep in my hotel room when I was awakened by the sound of heavy gunfire just outside the Palestine Hotel. Last Sunday, there was another suicide bombing. The Thursday before that there was yet another suicide bombing around a police station.
So I have certainly sensed -- and I think people on the ground will agree with me, people who live and work here agree -- that the insecurity is the main concern here. And the problem with this increase in suicide bombings is that those are events that cannot be predicted. And that just adds to the sense of insecurity.
So are things getting better here? My sense is that, in the bigger picture, yes. And I would certainly hope that things get better as time goes on. But the security is a very big issue that affects a lot of lives.
