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| 11/23 |
| 2003/3/19 [Politics/Foreign/MiddleEast/Iraq] UID:27749 Activity:nil |
3/19 Ok do you believe the war has started now?
http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1084275,00.html
Or now?
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/til/jsp/modules/Article/print.jsp?itemId=3895393
Or maybe now?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2863065.stm
It's probably just cowboy rhetoric and bluster.... Nevermind, this is
not the war you're looking for.
\_ Sure! The war's started! |
| 11/23 |
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| www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1084275,00.html Sky News correspondent James Forlong is on board the American aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk in the Persian Gulf, from where 10 warplanes involved in the attack took off. He said the aircraft - two 'Top Gun' F-14 Tomcats and eight F/A-18 Hornets - returned safely. Forlong spoke to one of the pilots, who said their targets included an Iraqi intelligence unit and surface-to-air missile sites. It was the first time planes from the Kitty Hawk had been involved in bombing targets in the 'no-fly' zone in southern Iraq, Forlong said. A military spokeswoman on the ship told Associated Press that laser-guided, precision weapons were used. Referring to the imminent start of war, he added: "The mood on the ship now is one of nervous anticipation. The Pentagon feared they may have had chemical or biological weapons which could be used on US and UK troops massing on the border with Kuwait, reports in America said. The UK's Ministry of Defence confirmed British RAF planes were involved. An MoD spokeswoman described the patrols as "standard 'no-fly' zone activity". British and US aircraft have been patrolling the northern and southern "no-fly" zones since the end of the last Gulf War. The patrols have stepped up in recent weeks, targeting Iraqi air defence systems in preparation for the expected invasion. US President George W Bush had told Saddam to leave Iraq by 1am GMT on Thursday or face war. |
| www.thisislondon.co.uk/til/jsp/modules/Article/print.jsp?itemId=3895393 Click here to print This is LONDON 19/03/03 - Iraq in depth section The war has started By Robert Fox, Defence Correspondent and David Taylor, Evening Standard British and American troops were involved in fierce fighting near Iraq's main port today as the war to topple Saddam Hussein began. The firefight broke out near Basra as men of the Special Boat Service targeted the strategically vital city and the oilfields in southern Iraq. At the same time allied troops were flooding into the demilitarised zone on the Iraqi border with Kuwait 40 miles away to take up positions for an all-out invasion. Cruise missiles were also loaded onto B52 bombers at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, a clear sign that the bombardment of Baghdad could be only hours away. British troops taking up "forward battle positions" were ordered to switch off satellite phones and allied warplanes bombed targets in Iraq after coming under fire in the no-fly zone. By lunchtime, allied forces were in position to strike from the moment the 48-hour deadline set by President Bush for Saddam to quit Iraq expires at 1am British time tomorrow. But the White House had refused to rule out a strike before that. The fighting reported at Basra was believed to involve British special forces and US marines in an operation to prepare landing sites for amphibious craft during an invasion. Other special units were deep inside Iraq on secret operations to prepare landing strips in the desert for airborne troops. Basra, Iraq's only seaport, lies on the Shatt al Arab waterway where the Tigris and the Euphrates open into the northern Gulf. Surrounded by treacherous sandbanks and marshes it is difficult to approach from the sea. Artillery, infantry and the tanks of the 7th Armoured Brigade had already moved into Forming Up Positions, and some were already on the start line. An attack could target Basra and proceed up alongside the Euphrates towards the strategic cities of Nasariya, Najaf and Karbala. Tony Blair said he believed all MPs, irrespective of their views on the war, now wished British troops well. A sandstorm whipped across northern Kuwait as the pace of preparations suddenly quickened Kuwaiti security sources disclosed that allied troops move into the demilitarised zone, which straddles the Iraq-Kuwait border, at around 11am local time, 8am UK time. A British Army spokesman said only that soldiers had taken up " forward battle positions". At Fairford, 14 giant American B52 bombers which will lead the fight against Saddam were loaded up with cruise missiles this morning. The first flight of B52s were expected to take off two hours before sunset to give them enough flying time to identify their targets and drop their first devastating payload before heading for home. Troops meticulously loaded the weapons - each costing around 1million - into the bomb bays by forklift truck. With an estimated flight time of only six hours to Iraq the bombers are expected to play a huge part in the initial air bombardment. A single B52 can deliver a payload of more than 70,000lb at a range of 8,800 miles without being refuelled. They are likely to take up positions over the Mediterranean or the Red Sea to unleash cruise missiles or satelliteguided smart bombs. RAF Tornados, Harriers and Jaguars are also likely to be involved in the opening 48-hour offensive. The Tornados will be given the specific task of taking out air defences and barracks round small missile batteries and air strips in the Iraqi desert. This will enable the enemy positions to be quickly seized by airborne forces and turned into bases for the advancing allied armies. The Harrier force of up to 20 planes has the job of supporting special forces, the SAS and Special Boat Service and American Rangers in the hunt for Scud missile sites and any artillery shells with chemical warheads. Intelligence suggests Saddam has given his generals personal authority to unleash the deadly weapons as a last desperate measure to hold the Allies off from attacking Baghdad. The mainstay of the bombing attack will be the 750 American and British fighter bombers from Gulf bases and the six American aircraft carriers now at battle stations in the Mediterranean and the Arabian Sea. The aircraft, including RAF Tornados and Harriers, F16s, F15s and F18 Hornets will work on a "taxi rank" basis, forming ranks in the air before being sent in on targets. Along with the B52s from Fairford, other longrange bombers include the almost mythical B2 Spirit bat-wing supersonic aircraft which will fly from bases on Diego Garcia. Also spearheading the attack will be B1B Lancer and F117 Stealth bombers. Action began in the air today as warplanes from the USS Abraham Lincoln bombed Iraqi positions after coalition aircraft - including two RAF Harrier jets - were fired on by Iraqi forces. He said US forces had responded by bombing "a series of targets" he described as "command and control" positions. |
| news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2863065.stm Huge convoys have been moving across the Kuwaiti desert towards Iraq, as President George W Bush's deadline for Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq by 0100 GMT on Thursday approaches. With about 150,000 US and British troops poised to attack, the Iraqi parliament held an emergency session to flatly reject the US ultimatum, which the BBC's Andrew Gilligan in Baghdad said turned into a rowdy pro-Saddam rally. But despite the government's defiance, our correspondent says that Baghdad is a city braced for war - electricity supplies are already starting to fail and as night falls people are hunkered in bunkers, waiting. He will fight and guide our country to victory Iraqi parliamentary speaker on Saddam Hussein Residents have stocked up on emergency supplies, businesses are closed, windows boarded up - the only traffic is large transport lorries, which our correspondent says are used to deploy troops and equipment. Hospitals have been clearing beds to accommodate casualties from what Saddam Hussein has described as "the last battle". Pregnant women have been crowding surgeries demanding caesarean operations so they can give birth before any bombing or invasion begins. First strike Pentagon officials have indicated that hostilities will begin with an intense air campaign, followed very quickly by soldiers on the ground. British soldier in Kuwait sandstorm 46 Click here to see a map of attack strategies Heavy artillery and infantry have been moved forward despite a fierce sandstorm in the deserts of northern Kuwait, which has drastically reduced visibility and grounded helicopters. Colonel Chris Vernon, a spokesman for the British army in Kuwait, told the BBC that some of the 20,000-strong UK forces were now in a position to launch an attack when the order came. However, the Pentagon has denied a report from Kuwaiti security sources that US troops had passed into the demilitarised zone that straddles the Kuwait-Iraq border. Officials have told the BBC's Paul Adams at US military headquarters in Qatar that no action will be taken before the deadline has passed, unless the Iraqi forces attack first. In other developments: * Germany expels four Iraqi diplomats for activities considered "incompatible with their diplomatic status". A US soldier inspects his truck 47 US aims for swift war The speaker of the parliament, Saadoun Hammadi, said it was "absolutely unthinkable" that the Iraqi leader would go into exile. He will fight and guide our country to victory," he said. A sentiment echoed by Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf who said Washington was lying to US troops about the number of casualties they can expect. Humanitarian crisis The United Nations chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, has said the use of force against Iraq would be a disaster. But, with disarmament issues now overtaken by events, correspondents say this is now an academic exercise. Security Council members, deeply divided over military action, are likely to turn their attention to the humanitarian role of the UN during and after any conflict. Go WATCH AND LISTEN 50 The BBC's Frank Gardner "Iraq's Parliament rejected America's ultimatum for Saddam to leave the country" 51 Defence analyst Dan Goure "They are going to minimise damage to infrastructure and casualties" 52 News, analysis and background KEY STORIES 53 Falluja general 'not in charge' 54 US hostage in Iraq gains freedom 55 Doubt cast on Iraq torture photos 56 Bush warns of new challenges 57 Arab media fury at abuse photos ANALYSIS 58 US Army soldier clears rolls of razor wire from the main entrance to Falluja 59 Forward or back? |