Post Latest Iraq War News Here - Part II

[Messer Niccolò]

Reuters News

NEWS - DAY 13 OF THE WAR
* U.S. troops say they killed an unarmed Iraqi driver at a checkpoint outside Shatra, hours after seven Iraqi women and children died in a similar incident near Najaf
* Two explosions hit south Baghdad after night of airstrikes in central Baghdad; U.S. forces battle Republican Guard on southern approaches to Iraqi capital
* UK says British soldier killed in southern Iraq; Iraq says it inflicts "heavy casualties" on British at Abul Khasib, Basra
* Saudi Arabia urges Saddam to make a war-ending "sacrifice" and quit; Iraqi TV broadcasts a presidential denial that Saddam family members have gone abroad
* Turkish PM Gul says he does not know if U.S.'s Powell will ask for more help from Turkey when he visits tomorrow
* Iraqis fleeing Basra say they are menaced by Baath party members

QUOTES
Iraqi state television: "The rumour that the family of
President Saddam Hussein has left Iraq is a repeat of a lie that was previously voiced by the Pentagon."
Blix on possibility of Iraq using weapons of mass
destruction: "I doubt very much that they would use them because this war has gained them a certain amount of sympathy in the world, which would turn against them if they used chemical arms."


CASUALTIES
* U.S. - 51 killed, 14 missing
* Britain - 26 killed
* Iraqi military - no confirmed figures
* Iraqi civilians (Iraqi estimates) - 589 killed, 4,582 injured

MILITARY ACTION

BAGHDAD: Fresh airstrikes rock centre of Baghdad targeting presidential compound and Iraqi Olympic Committee building; warplanes pound Republican Guard positions on southern edges

SOUTHERN IRAQ: U.S. troops advance to outskirts of Hilla, 100 km (60 miles) south of Baghdad
Fighting erupts along Euphrates river front lines near
ancient Babylon; at least one American is killed at Hindiya.
U.S. Marines enter Shatra, 35 km (20 miles) north of
Nassiriya, after storming it with planes, tanks and helicopter gunships
Iraq reports heavy fighting in and around Nassiriya; says it has inflicted heavy casualties on U.S-led forces
British Royal Marines clash with paramilitaries south of
Basra

[MOBIUS]

More info on the Najaf Chaingun Massacre

Yep, it was a total clusterf*ck as it would seem that the 'warning shot' was a burst of 25mm cannon fire into a soft target...

Talk about Overkill!

[Ned]

Originally posted by MOBIUS
More info on the Najaf Chaingun Massacre

Yep, it was a total clusterf*ck as it would seem that the 'warning shot' was a burst of 25mm cannon fire into a soft target...

Talk about Overkill!

The title of the article actually read: "A Gruesome Scene on Highway 9"

The article reports that the platoon leader said he actually fired two warning shots. The thought that there were no warning shots was the captain's who was well to the rear directing the action through the radio net. He ordered warning shots, but did not see the van stop. He assumed that no warning shots were fired.

[Ned]

FOX: In Hindiyah, the Iraqi defenders used human shields. When one woman tried to escape, the Iraqi's shot her in the back and threw her body into the river.

Also on FOX this morning, a representative of the Iraqi opposition complained that the Coalition had a duty to protect civilians in liberated areas. Apparently, Saddam has spies planted in the populace who report to returning fedayeen those who cooperated Coalition troops. The fedayeen then excute them.

However, in towns where the Coalition has had a continuous presence, the people are now helping the Coalition fight Saddam.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-2525701,00.html

[CrONoS]

Iraqis Develop Blitz-Like Spirit in War
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Nearly two weeks into their third war in two decades, ordinary Iraqis are taking a grim satisfaction that their armed forces are still able to hold at bay the mightiest war machine in the world.
Ordinary Iraqis, living under a government that critics say rules by fear, appear reluctant to do more than hint at their views on President Saddam Hussein. Yet their indignation at the U.S. bombardment and invasion seems authentic enough.
"It will be a long and painful war because the Americans want to demonstrate their military might," said Ahmed Saadallah, 37, a medical doctor.
"The American administration has defined its target and it wants to achieve it whatever happens. When America decides on something it has to get it. Even if the conventional weapons don't do the job, they will resort to dangerous weapons."

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=focusIraqNews&storyID=2486831

[jolair]

Originally posted by Ned


The title of the article actually read: "A Gruesome Scene on Highway 9"

The article reports that the platoon leader said he actually fired two warning shots. The thought that there were no warning shots was the captain's who was well to the rear directing the action through the radio net. He ordered warning shots, but did not see the van stop. He assumed that no warning shots were fired.

'You didn't fire a warning shot soon enough!'

A journalist's account of the killing of a car full of Iraqi civilians by US soldiers differs widely from the official military version, says Brian Whitaker

Tuesday April 1, 2003

The invasion forces suffered another self-inflicted disaster in the battle for hearts and minds yesterday when soldiers from the US 3rd infantry division shot dead Iraqi seven women and children.
The incident occurred on Route 9, near Najaf, when a car carrying 13 women and children approached a checkpoint.

A US military spokesman says the soldiers motioned the vehicle to stop but their signals were ignored. However, according to the Washington Post, Captain Ronny Johnson, who was in charge of the checkpoint, blamed his own troops for ignoring orders to fire a warning shot.

"You just ****ing killed a family because you didn't fire a warning shot soon enough!", he reportedly yelled at them.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/dailybriefing/story/0,12965,927233,00.html

It seems the problem was that the warning shot wasn't soon enough.

[CrONoS]

UK/US Troops Stretched as Tightly as Supply Lines
LONDON (Reuters) - After the race to reach Baghdad, the resilience of British and U.S. troops may now be stretched as tightly as their supply lines.
As the war heads toward the end of its second week, psychologist Dr John Potter said: "The maximum I would ever like to see anyone in combat is 40 days.
Britain's Army chief Mike Jackson put it succinctly after the blitzkrieg start to the war: "Armies cannot move forever without stopping from time to regroup, to ensure that their supplies are up, and even -- believe it or not -- soldiers need a bit of sleep from time to time."

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=focusIraqNews&storyID=2485050

[spiritof1202]

Originally posted by jolair
*SNIP*
A US military spokesman says the soldiers motioned the vehicle to stop but their signals were ignored.
*SNIP*
It seems the problem was that the warning shot wasn't soon enough.

It seems to me that the problem was that the civilian vehicle didn't stop soon enough.

If you attempt to drive fast through a military checkpoint anywhere in the world, you can expect to die.

[Ned]

Jolair, to set the record straight for a second time, the article says the following:

"Several said they accepted the platoon leader's explanation to Johnson on the military radio that he had, in fact, fired two warning shots, but that the driver failed to stop."

[CrONoS]

I dont know what to think about that, but some things are interesting. And in the past, there was many things who have been confirmed some day after.
Not the entire text.. for more click on the links
===
Russian military intel update: War in Iraq, March 31
===
The US forces resumed attacking Iraqi defenses near An-Najaf. The US group of force in this area has been reinforced with at least three reserve Marine battalions and now Americans are trying once again to capture this key town. According to the US intelligence Iraqi defenses in this area number up to 3,000 troops aided by around 1,500 volunteers and [Ba’ath] party activists. The Iraqis here are armed with around 30 T-55 and T-62 tanks, up to four artillery batteries and more than 300 various anti-tank weapons. The town is being stormed by the elements of the 1st Marine Division numbering up to 6,000 troops assisted by 80 tanks and 60 artillery systems. Additionally, aerial support is provided by up to 40 helicopters. So far the Americans were unable to push the enemy. Early today morning an American tank was destroyed near An-Najaf. At least two of its crew were killed.
Intercepted radio communications indicate that the Marines engineering units are ordered to build a pontoon crossing up the stream from An-Nasiriya and move up to three battalions of Marines and troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the left bank of the Euphrates for a future strike in the rear of the An-Nasiriya garrison. The coalition command would have been ready to bypass other defended crossings on the Euphrates if it wasn’t for one problem: the entire group of forces has only two pontoon units. Any new pontoon units will arrive not sooner than in mid-April.
Thus, during the last night the British attempted to take the town of Al-Hasib located 7 kilometers southeast of Basra. The British plan was to reach the Al-Arab River and to slice the local Iraqi defenses in half, separating Basra from the defending Iraqi forces on the Fao peninsula. Up to a battalion of the British marine infantry supported by armored vehicles entered the town of Al-Hasib from south but in less than an hour they were stopped by Iraqi fire and requested aviation and artillery support.
The official coalition losses are, to put it mildly, “falling behind” the actual figures. The 57 dead acknowledged by the coalition command reflect losses as of the morning of March 26. This information was provided to a BBC correspondent by one of the top medical officials at a field hospital in Al Kuwait during a confidential conversation. “We have standing orders to acknowledge only those fatalities that have been delivered to the hospital, identified and prepared to be sent back home. The identification process and the required standard embalming takes some time – occasionally up to several days. But only the command knows how many casualties we sustained today and you will learn about it in about three days…” [Reverse-translated from Russian] This conversation was taped by the journalist and sent to the editor via a cellular phone network.
Based on the radio intercepts and internal information networks of the US field hospitals as of this morning the coalition losses include no less than 100 killed US servicemen and at least 35 dead British soldiers. Additionally, some 22 American and 11 British soldiers are officially considered to be missing in action and the whereabouts of another 400 servicemen are being established. The number of wounded has exceeded 480 people.
Only three tanks have been hit by guided weapons which destroyed these tanks with the first hit. The rest of the tanks were destroyed with more standard weapons. Some of the most common causes [of destroyed armor] include: anti-tank guns (about 40% of all hits), man-portable rocket-propelled grenade launchers (25% of hits), and landmines (25% of hits). Effectiveness of anti-tank artillery has been particularly high. “Impacts by high-velocity projectiles do not always destroy the tank and its crew. However, in 90% of all cases the tank is disabled and the crew is forced to abandon the tank on the battlefield…” – says the report that was distributed to the commanders of the forward units for analysis.
==

http://www1.iraqwar.ru/iraq-read_article.php?articleId=1310&lang=en

[CrONoS]

BAGDAD, 1er avr (AFP) - Le président irakien Saddam Hussein va adresser mardi à 20H00 locales (17H00 GMT) un discours à la nation, a annoncé la télévision d'Etat.
---
BAGHDAD, 1st avr (AFP) - Iraqi president Saddam Hussein will address Tuesday to 20H00 local (17H00 GMT) a speech to the nation, announced the television of State.
===

[CrONoS]

BAGHDAD, 1st avr (AFP) - the spokesman of the international Committee of the Red Cross (CICR) in Baghdad, Roland Huguen-Benjamin, qualified Tuesday of "horror "the fatal bombardments which took place in the south of Baghdad, in a declaration with the AFP.

[GRU]

Several Russian news sources:

The more or less exact figure of Iraqi PoWs captured by coalition is now clear. As Red Cross has replied to Russian journalists, it is equal to some 3000. The USA has sent to Red Cross personal data of these people. All of them were armed at the moment of capture.

I believe the Red Cross will spread this info to all world news agencies very soon.

[August Borms]

http://www.standaard.be/nieuws/buitenland/index.asp?Snel=1&articleID=DMF01042003_003

Five expelled Iraqi diplomats are said to have planned to poison the water supplies of Jordanian and American troops.
4 other Iraqi's planned to attack the Grand Hyatt-hotel in Amman, but Jordany prevented the two attacks.

[Freeze]

U.S. Insists Military Has Enough Bombs, Missiles

Air Force Secretary James Roche sees no reason for concern about a shortage of bombs for aircraft. He said the "weapon of choice" for the Air Force in the Iraq war is a precision-guided bomb.


[I wish I could say this was an Onion story... thanks tcp]