Fallujah Still Site Of Violence Against U.S. Soldiers
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Now, we want to take you to Fallujah which has become a hot bed of activity, violence particularly between coalition forces and Iraqi resistance fighters. Our Nic Robertson is there and perhaps, Nic, you can shed a little bit of light on these two reported tapes that have come into Al Jazeera claiming that to be of the voice of ousted Saddam Hussein saying that he is very much alive. What are people there in Fallujah saying?</s>NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's certainly a concern of the U.S. troops here. There's certainly been a concern of theirs that the fact that Saddam Hussein is around has an impact on people. It has an impact in that they perhaps won't come forward and give information about Ba'athist elements, people who were associated with Saddam Hussein and his former regime. It has an impact because it doesn't allow people to sort of close off, if you will, on the past regime. And that's one of the things U.S. troops here find that they all right fighting against, that perception that Saddam Hussein could still be around. And particularly in Fallujah where there has been particularly high tension at times between the townspeople and the U.S. troops. We watched officers yesterday talking with senior religious leaders, talking with senior tribal leaders, talking with the mayor of the town to explain some of the recent developments, explain how they're involvement, how they haven't been responsible for the explosion at a mosque. So getting the message out to the local population has been a very important part of what the troops do here. The events of today, however, like so many days recently attack on U.S. troops about three hours drive north of Baghdad near Balat (ph) engaged by small arms fire, Rocket Propelled Grenade fire, the troops there returned fire and killed all 11 Iraqi assailants. But earlier in the morning, there had been a mortar attack on the base at Balat. Ten U.S. soldier injured there. Earlier in the day in Baghdad, a soldier shot by apparently, possibly by a sniper but by a loan gunman while he was standing guard in his Bradley fighting vehicle. He was in the gun turret and he was killed in that incident. So what we've seen today and seen over recent days is attacks coming in the form of lone gunmen, Rocket Propelled Grenade attacks, mortar attacks, the attacks becoming</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir. We are on the outskirts of Fallujah. We control basically about, approximately 30 kilometers to the east between Baghdad and Fallujah. And on a daily basis, we conduct meetings with town councils and two communities, one being Nasser Wasalam (ph) and Al Gorma (ph). And during those council meetings, we're doing the same things that our sister units are doing inside Fallujah proper, and that is we're working to rebuild infrastructure. We're providing humanitarian assistance and meals. We deliver water daily. We are trying to help the city council and the communities take control of their particular destiny with this new freedom and liberation.</s>ROBERTSON: Saddam Hussein has released an audiotape, or apparently released an audiotape today. How do you think that his statements on that tape says that he is still around in Iraq, that he is responsible for some of the recent attacks on U.S. troops? How do you think him putting himself back on the map if you would with the Iraqi people, how is that going to affect your work?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't believe it's going to have any effect at all. The people are continuing to rejoice in the fact they have this liberation, No. 1. And No. 2, they're taking hold of this independence with our assistance and that of the international community. So the only thing that I would believe that this tape has done is probably just another futile attempt to prolong the fact that these people are going to take care of themselves without him.</s>ROBERTSON: Thank you very much, sir. So the tape likely, therefore to perhaps prolong and fuel -- and that is the fear that it will prolong and fuel the work of the U.S. troops here to bring stability -- Fredricka.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, Nic Robertson, thanks very much from Fallujah.