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Length: 3:53
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN
in Washington, this is "Late Edition" with Wolf
Blitzer.
WOLF BLITZER: It's 11:00 a.m. here in Washington,
8:00 a.m. in Los Angeles, 6:30 p.m. in Tehran and
7:00 p.m. in Baghdad. Wherever you're watching from
around the world, thanks very much for joining us for
"Late Edition." We'll speak with Senators Lieberman
and Specter in just a few moments.
First, let's get the latest on the situation in Iraq.
There's been another huge truck bombing today. CNN's
Michael Ware is joining us in Baghdad.
Michael, what are the latest details that are just
coming in on this truck bombing and the other
violence continuing throughout the country?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, as with
ever so much here in Iraq, this particular bombing
today is shrouded by a fog of inconclusive reporting.
What we do know for a fact is that earlier today in
Mahmudiya, a town just 21 miles south of the capital,
there was a devastating explosion in which 15
civilians have been killed, according to Iraqi
government officials, and many, many more wounded.
There's conflicting reports from police and the
Ministry of Interior here about what caused the
explosion, either a truck bomb laden with all types
of munitions, or a Katyusha rocket. There's
conflicting reports, as I said, but nonetheless, the
violence just continues with this massive detonation
and an ongoing affair of much smaller attacks
claiming lives across the capital and elsewhere
across the country -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Michael, there was a very ominous statement
released today in the name of Muqtada al-Sadr, the
anti-American radical Shiite cleric. I know you've
had a chance to review this. He has an enormous
following among Iraqi Shiites, as you know. And it's
very worrisome given the potential he has to disrupt
this new U.S. strategy.
WARE: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, this is a very
powerful political statement or that's what it's
intended to be. This is a statement of intent, and it
can't just be seen in isolation. What we have is this
rebel, anti-American cleric who commands this
powerful militia -- that's been fracturing and
splintering and questions have been arising about his
ongoing level of control -- sitting back in Iran, a
country where the U.S. has tried to say his flight or
his movement to this country is a sign of his
weakness, he's saying, "Uh-uh, folks, even from here
I can muster my faithful in Najaf, in the Holy City."
And he's doing it in a very astute way.
He's not calling for them to come out and support him
or his movement. In fact, he's banning that. He's
calling to them for a nationalist display of Iraqi
flags. And in his message, which we've been hearing
much rumor about amongst his foot soldiers for some
days, he says, "Stop attacking each other. My
militia, stop attacking the police and vice versa.
Focus on your common enemy, the occupier," which, of
course, are the U.S. forces.
And don't forget, we've seen Iran recently return the
British troops. We've seen it have the return of its
diplomat who went mysteriously missing. We saw the
prime minister of Iraq, who supports America, denied
overflight to Iran a couple of days ago, according to
wire reports. And now we see Muqtada, backed by Iran,
with this show of political might. There is a great
game in play here, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Michael, stand by. I want to have
you back later on "Late Edition" to talk about the
latest op-ed column that Senator John McCain has
written criticizing the news media, criticizing the
coverage coming from Iraq not showing, in his words,
"enough of the good work, the good progress that's
being done." But that will come up later. Stand by,
Michael, in Baghdad.