Replies

AMERICAN MORNING - More Than 1,000 U.S. Forces Battling Insurgents Near Syrian Border

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Other stories making news today, three U.S. Marines died in operations west of Baghdad. And a car bomber blew himself up outside a police station in Baghdad today. Only the bomber was killed. But at least seven Iraqis died in a separate car bombings. Three more Marines have been killed in a large-scale operation.

More than 1,000 U.S. forces are battling insurgents near the Syrian border for a third day.

Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon for us this morning.

Barbara, good morning to you. How are they telling you the offensive is going so far?

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is difficult at the moment, Soledad. The fighting continues, as you say. More than 1,000 troops in Operation Matador, as the military is now calling it, moving through western Iraq, against those foreign fighters that they have known have been out there. They tell us more than 100 insurgents have been killed.

But a key development today in the U.S. military strategy, as we look at that map. What they tell us is that U.S. troops have now secured a key bridge over the Euphrates River. That, they believe, will keep pushing the insurgents north, keep them from crossing south of the river and staging more attacks.

Now, as the fighting goes on, there is a reporter embedded with those troops, a reporter for "The Chicago Tribune," James Jenega. We spoke to earlier this morning. He recounted, as he moved with those U.S. forces, how the fighting unfolded over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES JENEGA, "CHICAGO TRIBUNE" REPORTER: The majority of the Marine units that were going to push across the Euphrates River were gathered on the south bank of the Euphrates River, near the town of Ubati (ph). Ubati was behind them, on the south side of the river. And as they were waiting to put bridging equipment across the river there, they began taking mortar fire, some pretty exact mortar fire, as well as small arms fire from the town. The Marines had not intended to make it part of their operation, but were taking such intense fire from behind them, that they smartly turned around and went into the town itself, the fighting lasted most of the day Sunday and part of the morning on Monday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: That's what the climate of the fight is all about, Soledad. They're moving through small towns, small villages, rooting out the insurgents as they find them. The fighting continues today, and they say it may go on for several more days, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: And, Barbara, all of this is the direct response to these car bombs we keep reporting?

STARR: Indeed. U.S. military officials tell us, you know, the answer to the difficult question, why now? It has been known that the foreign fighters are out in the region near Syria. So why are they moving against them now? It is partially new intelligence, but partially, Soledad, as you say, also a response to this rise in violence.

The suicide car bomb attacks another staggering statistic. During April, they estimate there were 135 car bomb attacks in Iraq, mostly in this area in Baghdad and to the west, 135 car bombs; about half were suicide car bombs. That's what they believe these foreign fighters are staging. And they tell us they've seen yet another new technique. People driving these cars laden with explosives, and they don't even know, they're not told that they're driving car bombs. So an effort to really move against the violence -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: What a terrible new wrinkle there. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us. Barbara, thanks.

CNN LIVE TODAY - Insurgent Crackdown

The U.S. military has stepped up its campaign against insurgents in western Iraq today near the border with Syria. Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has late details on what they're calling Operation Matador.

Barbara, good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

And, indeed, Operation Matador is now being called by the U.S. military the largest military offensive since they went against insurgents in the city of Falluja last year. Now more than 1,000 troops, backed up by fighter aircraft, moving in western Iraq. We are told today most of the fighting around the border town of Al Qaim.

This is the area that U.S. military believes insurgents have basically fled to, pushed out to the west as other areas have become more settled. They also believe foreign fighters using this area as a hideout, as a sanctuary, crossing in from Syria.

So, over the weekend, they began moving through these small towns and villages, rooting out the insurgents as they find them. Still to be determined, however, exactly how many of them are the foreign fighters. Today, they have also said they've secured a key bridge across the Euphrates to keep the insurgents from moving south.

A reporter for the "Chicago Tribune" is with the troops in the region, talking earlier this morning with CNN about how the fighting unfolded over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The majority of the Marine units that were going to push across the Euphrates River were gathered on the south bank of the Euphrates River near the town of Ubaydi. Ubaydi was behind them on the south side of the river. And as they were waiting to put bridging -- bridging equipment across the river there, they began taking mortar fire, some pretty -- some pretty exact mortar fire, as well as small arms fire from the town.

The Marines had not intended to make Ubaydi part of their operation, but they were taking such intense fire from behind them that they smartly turned around and when into the town itself. Most of the fighting lasted most of the day on Sunday and for part of the morning on Monday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: The fighting continues today, we are told, is expected to possibly go on for several more days.

Daryn, this is also reaction, of course, to the increase in violence in the attacks across Iraq for the last several days. U.S. officials now confirming during the month of April there were 135 car bomb attacks, half of them suicide car bomb attacks, the type of suicide attacks they believe are engineered by these foreign fighters -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Barbara, different story that I'd love to get the background on, an apparent intruder on the USS Truman. What do you know about that?

STARR: Details just coming to light on that story, Daryn. The USS Harry Truman, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, April 18, just a few days back, was tied up in Portsmouth, England, making a port call. It is now confirmed that an intruder was able to get on board this U.S. Navy aircraft carrier.

Let us quickly tell you, the man was determined not to be a terrorist. But this is a very serious breach of both U.S. Navy and Royal Navy security.

The man was able to get apparently on to the Royal Navy secure area at the Portsmouth docks. He then boarded essentially a small ferry boat, a liberty boat that was taking members of the Truman from Portsmouth back out to their ship.

And then he was able to get on board the carrier, Harry S. Truman. He was apparently on board for up to half an hour before the ship's security contingent discovered he was there.

Now, this, of course, is quite serious. The U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy are investigating the matter, because, of course, after the bombing of the USS Cole, the Navy ship several years ago in Yemen, that bombing, killing 17 sailors, security around U.S. Navy warships when they're in port is supposed to be fool-proof, it's supposed to be very tight. But this man apparently able to get on board -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Apparently so. Barbara Starr, thank you for both those stories this morning

STARR: Sure

NEWS FROM CNN - The Fight for Iraq

Turning now to the fight for Iraq. There's been a high-level kidnapping in Iraq's Al Anbar province. It comes as about 1,000 U.S. military troops battling insurgents in the remote region that's not far from the Syrian border.

Our Ryan Chilcote is in Baghdad. He's joining us now live with the latest -- Ryan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it's being called Operation Matador. It's now in its third day. It's all taking place in what's called the Anbar province. That's a western Iraqi province, a Ba'athist (ph) province, I should say.

The whole idea of this operation, according to the U.S. military, is to try and stem the flow of weapons and fighters, foreign fighters among them from outside of Iraq, across the Syrian-Iraqi border, into the larger cities here in Iraq from where they had been carrying out attacks. Some of the fighting began just the day before yesterday, the town of Ubaydi, right there on the south bank of the Euphrates.

That's where the U.S. military says they took some heavy fire. That fighting subsided midday yesterday, and that is when they crossed the Euphrates after building a pontoon bridge.

Operations now taking place just north of the Euphrates in a desert area there. The U.S. military says they are having some success at drawing out some of these foreign fighters that they believe to be in this area.

They say that in the first 48 hours of the operation, they already killed some 100 insurgents. Among them, they believe, foreign fighters. They're also saying that three Marines were killed in the fighting there in Anbar. And this just in, Wolf. We have confirmed from sources in the Anbar province that the governor of that province was abducted. Reportedly, the abductors are demanding that U.S. military cease its operations there -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And what about the latest on car bombings in and around Baghdad? Where does that stand today?

CHILCOTE: Oh, it's just, Wolf, another example of why the U.S. military wants to try and stem these weapons and fighters before they get to the cities today. Another violent day.

In all, three bombings. Two of them detonated by suicide bombers. The most lethal, the first one this morning, a suicide bomber driving a car into a busy intersection.

U.S. -- or Iraqi police, rather, saying that this suicide bomber was trying to target a U.S. military patrol that was passing through it. No word of U.S. casualties, although, however, how the case usually is, there are Iraqis among the casualties.

According to the Iraqi police, they're saying that at least seven Iraqis were killed in that attack. Another 14 wounded.

And Wolf, the U.S. military is saying that these car bombs are becoming an increasingly significant and serious problem for the Iraqi government and for U.S. forces here. They're saying that just in the month of April, just last month, 130 -- 135 of these car bombs went off in Iraq -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Ryan Chilcote reporting for us. Thanks, Ryan, very much.

Another disturbing story we are watching. He apparently breached security three times at London's Heathrow Airport and also managed to get on board of a U.S. aircraft carrier off of the coast of England. British prosecutors say Abdul Yasoufu (ph) was simply trying to satisfy his curiosity.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is joining us now live. She's got some more details.

What's going on in this story, Barbara?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, it may have been a man, an intruder trying to satisfy his curiosity. But it is a significant breach of security that now U.S. and British security officials are investigating to determine, no matter what motive was, how it all happened.

They are confirming there were some previous sketchy media reports. Now confirming that on April 18, as the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier was anchored off Portsmouth, England, an intruder got on board and was on board of that aircraft carrier for half an hour before he was found. Now, although the man was did determined not to be a terrorist, this is a serious matter. Because he apparently was able to breach several layers of both British and U.S. military security.

He got past Royal Navy security at the Portsmouth docks. He then got onto a small boat, essentially a liberty boat that was taking members of the Truman back out to their ship which was anchored slightly offshore, and then he was able to get on board the Truman.

Once he was discovered, the security personnel from the ship conducted an immediate search to make sure he had not placed explosives on board or caused any damage. That proved not to be the case.

He proved to be essentially an intruder, a man that was well known to British security officials. But still, how did he get on board this Navy aircraft carrier?

One of the reasons, Wolf, this is significant, of course, is everyone will remember it was about five years ago that the USS Cole was bombed in port in Yemen. Several sailors being killed in that bombing attack. And ever since then, the Navy has had very stringent security standards when its warships are in port. But apparently on April 18, those stringent Navy security standards were breached -- Wolf.

BLITZER: What do we know about Abdul Yasoufu (ph)? Where is he from? What kind of background?

If British police have known that he is an intruder trying to breach security at Heathrow on several occasions, what's going on here?

STARR: We spoke to the Hampshire Police Department in southern England earlier today. What they told us is this man has become known to them, that he is banned, of course, from these secure areas, that he's attempted to breach airport security. And that he even attempted to get back on to the Portsmouth docks apparently the next day after making an appearance in the U.K. court system.

It is now up to the U.K. court system, of course, to decide what to do with him. But that, Wolf, what officials are emphasizing, is that is a separate law enforcement matter.

This is a man who apparently attempts to breach security. That will be dealt with by law enforcement officials in Britain.

What is of very serious concern, of course, is the security breach that is now being investigated, we are told, by the Royal Navy and by the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service. How did anyone, no matter what the motivation and the reason, how did anyone get past so many layers of security and make it onto a U.S. Navy warship for apparently half an hour undetected -- Wolf.

BLITZER: That's not an easy venture, as you and I know. We have been aboard those aircraft carriers. By no means easy. Final question. Do we know what citizenship Abdul Yasoufu (ph) has? Is he British citizen or is he a foreign subject?

STARR: The only thing we have been told is that he appears to be of west African descent. It is certainly not known to me at the moment, frankly, what his actual citizenship is.

BLITZER: Barbara Starr reporting for us. Thank you, Barbara, very much.