Post Latest Iraq War News Here - Part II

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by DanS
The Washington Post reported before the beginning of the war that the Powerpoint presentation given to the officer corps detailed estimated casualties. When they were detailed, the officer corps was said to have been sobered.

I guess there's a speed/casualties tradeoff or something.

A combination of speed vs casualty risk in the early stages, like we're seeing, plus the harsh reality of close-in fighting in a large urban area where you care about civilian casualties and the other guy doesn't. We could cut our casualties in Baghdad by over 90% if we weren't concerned about time, or our methods of overcoming resistance. The trouble is, the fate of hundreds of thousands of civilians hangs on those decisions.

[CrONoS]

BAGHDAD BATTLE IMMINENT

Air strikes have continued overnight around Baghdad as coalition forces prepare to invade the Iraqi capital.


The aim is to "soften up" Saddam Hussein's elite troops, the Republican Guard, before ground forces begin the "Battle of Baghdad".

Troops - engaged in fierce fighting around the country - are now believed to be just 50 miles away from the capital.

=========

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-12275271,00.html

[Kramerman]

cronos, great job with the updates

[Gatekeeper]

According to CNN correspondents, the southern Iraqi city of Basra has been declared a military target.

Apparently Iraq has suckered coalition forces — instead of melting into the countryside or just plain leaving, they've been pulling their armor and troops into Basra itself, knowing coalition forces don't want to engage in urban combat due to the potential for heavy loss of life, both civilian and military.

Urban fighting expected ... no immediate timeframe revealed.

Gatekeeper

[GRU]

A short review of different Russian sources. Some of new is already reported by coalition mass-media and some not.

1) Another US Marine unit ambushed in En-Nassiriya. Casuaties are reported from both sides.

2) Iraqi forces counterattack coalition near Basra's airport. City is still under full control of defenders.

3) Russian companies are angry after US claims they helped Iraqi military. The CEO of Aviakonversia company told to reporters his company indeed sold GPS scrambling device but to Americans, not Iraqis. Some Russian officials believe this equipment may come to Iraq from USA.

President Putin denied today Russia violates the UN sanctions against Iraq. Even more, he said that Russia prepared and send to USA a list of proved facts when US companies had illegal trading behind UN sanctions. "They do not comment this list still", said Putin.

4) Iraqi embassador in China blaims that coalition violates the Geneva Convention. He told many civilians have been illegally captured by coalition and treated as PoWs.

[monkspider]

Originally posted by GRU

President Putin denied today Russia violates the UN sanctions against Iraq. Even more, he said that Russia prepared and send to USA a list of proved facts when US companies had illegal trading behind UN sanctions. "They do not comment this list still", said Putin.

that's classic!

4) Iraqi embassador in China blaims that coalition violates the Geneva Convention. He told many civilians have been illegally captured by coalition and treated as PoWs..

It should be interesting to see how this unfolds. This practise could have grave consequences for the Coalition.

[Fidel]

GRU, no news from Ramzaj source today yet?

[Dis]

As predicted. Sandstorms move into area slowing the marines advance. Especially Choppers

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=PIK4T1B4HLNE0CRBAEKSFEY?type=focusIraqNews&storyID=2441220

And what that Iraqi ambassador doesn't realize is that the civilians of Iraq have intentionally been trying to surrender to get food and water as POW's. But they have been turned down and consequently they cannot get food and water.


civilains trying to surrender as enemy troops due to lack of water.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=focusIraqNews&storyID=2439743

Central Command not sure if the Longbow helicopter has been completely destroyed due to sandstorms described in article above. During next light tomorrow they will reassess.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2440974

[Sloth]

A very interesting article on the iraqui sciites and their attitude vs the war.
Unfortunately is in italian. If I find something on the subject in english I will post it.

http://www.repubblica.it/online/esteri/iraqattaccosei/tradimento/tradimento.html

[GRU]

http://www.strana.ru/news/175262.html (in Russian)

Colonel Mike Harvud (sp?), RAF officier in Persian Gulf, is worry about passivity of Iraqi Air Force. "We do not down any Iraqi aircraft still. Iraq does not use their air forces still", he said.

Colonel supposed Iraq is going to keep their aircrafts till the most important battles. He mentions Iraq has some experience pilots who can arrange a heavy resistance in the sky and attack coaltion forces using chemical and bacteriological weapon.

2 LaRusso,
Unfortunately, the cyber war, which has been started yesterday, is continuing. Many Russian sites are under attack, some of them are downed. Russian mass-media reported that Pentagon's site has been attacked at least 1000 times in revenge.
I believe finally this thread becomes to be the only source where info from both sides andf third parties would be collected. :-)

[GRU]

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1084976,00.html

2nd British soldier is KIA. Total number of confirmed UK death toll is 18.

[GRU]

Russian mass-media have published a photo of 19-year girl who was a servicewoman and missed in Iraq. She is not accounted between neither dead nor imprisonned. She is so pretty on that photo :-(

P.S. Oh, Americains, what are you doing? Sending such girls to war :-(((

[Messer Niccolò]

REUTERS

MILITARY ACTION
BAGHDAD: Fresh bombing raids on and near Baghdad
CENTRAL IRAQ: U.S. Apache helicopters run into a major
battle near Kerbala and withdraw after "hornet's nest" of fire.
Iraqi television shows downed Apache helicopter and captured
pilots
Blair says advance units just 60 miles (90 km) from Baghdad
and predicts a critical battle is fast approaching
SOUTHERN IRAQ: U.S. Marines pound Nassiriya with heavy
artillery and move a light armoured battalion through city; U.S.
losses in area rise to at least 10 dead and 16 missing
U.S. artillery fired towards Samawa, 270 km south of Baghdad
Polish special forces join operations in Umm Qasr, where 100
Saddam loyalists holding out.
Armed Iraqis surface in Iraq's southern Rumaila oilfields
forcing the U.S. military to declare it a no-go zone.
British troops outside Basra come under fire from small
pockets of hiding Iraqi soldiers; first British soldier dies in
combat between Basra and the Kuwaiti border
NORTHERN IRAQ: Warplanes hit Iraqi bunkers on hilltops.
Blasts hit Iraqi positions towards Kirkuk and Mosul comes under
two waves of bombardment

[GRU]

http://www.strana.ru/news/175306.html (in Russian)

Referring to Iraqi represenative in Paris:
A suicide killer destroyed coaltion armour near Faw.

[GRU]

A short summary of press-releases of Russian Aviakonversia company and information given by Russian state TV:

The Russian re-seller Aviaconversia company is indeed selling so-called GPS-Jammer systems, which is cheap and effective tool to fool the precision-guide weapon. Their partner is an American company named CCS.

The CCS has bought a number of GPS-Jammers. The end-user statement given by Americans claimed these systems have been bought for Pentagon's needs.

However, after evaluation, this company has sold the jammers to Iran. Russians claim that Iraq had been negotiated the similar deal with Americans in approximately the same time. No information is available what happened to jammers in Iran.

The Aviaconversia company has recently demanded Pentagon to give the explanations how it was possible these jammers came to third country? No answer to this reply is received yet.