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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Another Deadly Day for Iraqis

Aired September 23, 2003 - 05:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: To Iraq now and another deadly day for Iraqis. The U.S. launched an air and ground assault near the town of Fallujah.
Walter Rodgers live now with details of that operation.

He's in Baghdad this morning -- hello, Walter.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

As President Bush prepares to go before the United Nations to defend his policy in Iraq, the situation here in certain areas, pockets of resistance, remains more than violent. The United States 82nd Airborne last night came under attack on a patrol about 2:00 a.m. The 82nd Airborne soldiers chased the Iraqi attackers into a building then called in air strikes on the building. According to the U.S., one Iraqi attacker was killed.

The Iraqis, however, say three Iraqis were killed and three others injured. No more details on that at this point.

Now, Al-Jizah, where that incident occurred, is very close to Fallujah and, of course, Fallujah has been a hotbed of anti-American resistance. Fallujah had a violent anti-American demonstration yesterday. Many Iraqis marched through the streets. These are Sunni Muslims shooting Kalashnikov rifles in the air, chanting that they want Saddam Hussein back in power, saying they are challenging the United States and calling for the return of Saddam himself.

This is the situation on the ground in certain pockets of resistance in Iraq. The entire country is not like this by any stretch, but in the so-called Sunni Muslim triangle west of Baghdad, where the Sunni Muslims exist, these were Saddam's basic supporters for years. These are the people who have lost the most since he was toppled from power. The situation is nowhere near stable -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Walter, I want to ask you about the president's speech before the United Nations today. You know, you probably can bet that members of the Iraqi Governing Council will be listening. What will they be listening for?

RODGERS: Well, it won't be just the Iraqi Governing Council that's listening. Much of Iraq and the Arab world will be listening. This will be carried on Al Jazeera and, of course, through translation and a number of other Arabic television networks.

The situation here in Iraq, however, is not so much what the Iraqi people expect President Bush to say. What's of most concern here is what they see as the trend toward privatization of health care services and many other things that the Iraqis used to get free under Saddam Hussein -- cheap electricity. The privatization plan that the U.S. has in state means they're going to be paying more for electricity. They're going to be paying more for health care. And, most of all, they want security. They don't have security. People break into their homes, criminal gangs at night, and they don't even have a police force they can call to protect them.

So the Iraqi people's concerns are less what the president can say and more what the U.S. can provide and has not yet provided -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes, they're listening for much more practical things, you know, over what we're listening for here in the United States.

Walter Rodgers reporting live from Baghdad this morning.

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