GWT: VOICED Mine clearing operation in abandoned Iraqi positions

Описание: (29 Mar 2003) VOICED BY VERA FRANKL


00:00 Jeep with Kurdish soldiers drives past, zooms in
00:08 Jeep driving away from camera and towards other militiamen
00:11 Various of Kurdish fighters standing on road
00:21 Militiaman looking through binoculars
00:24 Wide shot of land
00:28 Mid shot of Iraqi abandoned position
00:31 Close-up of man carefully lifting mine away
00:43 Landmine being carefully placed beside dozens of others
00:48 Men walking away
00:50 Explosion from mines being destroyed
00:56 US warplanes passing overhead
01:01 Wide of scene, zooms in on smoke rising in distance
01:10 Ends

SUGGESTED LEAD-IN:

Without firing a shot, Kurdish militiamen moved closer on Saturday to the key prize of the north - Kirkuk and its oil fields - after Iraqi forces staged a sudden withdrawal to possibly plug defences targeted by US airstrikes.

Iraqi soldiers fell back at least 20 kilometres (12 miles), late on Friday to apparently regroup near Perdeh - also known as Altun Kupri - about 45 kilometres (27 miles) from Kirkuk, which is Iraq's second most important oil producing region.

Several hours after the Iraqi pull-out Kurdish militiamen moved in to clear scores of land mines and check bunkers.

Meanwhile US warplanes continued to attack targets in the direction of Kirkuk.

VOICE-OVER:

00:02 Kurdish militiamen known as peshmergas - literally, "those who face death".

They advanced cautiously into the territory opened by the overnight Iraqi troop withdrawal.

00:13 For many, it was their first look at land held by Baghdad since a failed 1991 Kurdish uprising during the last Gulf War.

00:22 Some Kurds feared the pullout could be a trap.

But worries faded as each crest revealed empty grazing land and abandoned installations.

00:33 But danger was lying here.

00:36 Scattered all about, the peshmergas found scores of landmines.

These are designed to remove limbs and the Kurdish fighters handled them with great care.

00:43 They gathered them all together.

00:48 Got well back.

00:50 UPSOUND Explosion

00:52 And made sure the landmines couldn't be used again.

00:57 Overhead, the vapour trails from US warplanes.

01:01 And on the horizon, dark smoke from a bombing strike in the direction of Kirkuk

where Iraqi troops are now thought to have concentrated.

01:10 Ends

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