U.S. Troops Capture Republican Guard HQ

AP | 4/05/03

[kattracks]

U.S. Troops Capture Republican Guard HQ

.c The Associated Press

SUWAYRAH, Iraq (AP) - U.S. Army soldiers Saturday captured the headquarters of the Republican Guard's Medina Division in this town about 35 miles southeast of Baghdad.

Two tank companies and an infantry company of the 3rd Infantry Division rolled through the headquarters unopposed and quickly took over the entire base. It appeared that the Republican Guard defenses had completely collapsed.

Outside the base on a three-mile stretch of road were hundreds of bunkers and foxholes and dozens of artillery pieces, antiaircraft guns, tanks, and armored personnel carriers.

All of them had been abandoned by Iraqi troops. No troops could be seen.

The tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles used their main guns to destroy the military vehicles along the route.

04/05/03 02:46 EST

[Delta 21]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[ALS]

HA! "Elite" what?

[laz17]

I wonder if any WMD is stored there.

[Minty]

OK. Now, when are we going to see their "hair or hide"?

[ShootMeIfHillaryRuns]

please keep me posted!! urghhhhhhhh No TV at this moment!! thanks!

[Mike Darancette]

Is the 4-6 day pause caused by failure of the plan, lack of supplies and fierce Iraqi resistance over yet?

[JustPiper]

Here we come:

But where are they?!

[kattracks]

U.S. Troops Capture Republican Guard HQ

.c The Associated Press

SUWAYRAH, Iraq (AP) - U.S. Army soldiers Saturday captured the headquarters of the Republican Guard's Medina Division in this town about 35 miles southeast of Baghdad.

Two tank companies and an infantry company of the 3rd Infantry Division rolled through the headquarters unopposed and quickly took over the entire base. It appeared that the Republican Guard defenses had completely collapsed.

Outside the base on a three-mile stretch of road were hundreds of bunkers and foxholes and dozens of artillery pieces, antiaircraft guns, tanks, and armored personnel carriers.

All of them had been abandoned by Iraqi troops. No troops could be seen.

The tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles used their main guns to destroy the military vehicles along the route.

When U.S. troops pulled into Suwaryah, the Republican Guard artillery pieces were sandwiched between civilian homes and business. Hundreds of young men in civilian clothes stood on the side of the road waving as U.S. troops drove by.

``Look at all the Republican Guard waving at us,'' Staff Sgt. Bryce Ivings of Sarasota, Fla., quipped to his company commander, Capt. Chris Carter of Watkinsville Ga.

``I bet they had their civilian clothes with them,'' replied Carter, commander of A Company, 3rd Battalion 7th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division.

The Medina division headquarters was heavily damaged by U.S. airstrikes before the attack company's arrival. Most of the rooms had been cleaned out and the parking lot for the officers was empty.

In front of one divison's office building was a mosaic of a smiling President Saddam Hussein in full military uniform. Standing in front of it, Lt. Col. Philip DeCamp, commander of the 4th Battalion 64th Armor Regiment, said with a smile: ``We have their division headquarters, they're done.''



04/05/03 02:55 EST

[laz17]

I have a bad feeling that hundreds of Iraqi soldiers have disappeared into the tunnels underneath Baghdad like rats in a sewer. God only knows what they've got down there, and what they're planning to do when they emerge again.

[ALS]

[DoughtyOne]

Don't tell the Washington Post, they're crying in their soup over there.

"Tunnels, we're still holding out hope cause of tunnels."

[america-rules]

Watch Fox when you can because they have footage of all the buring tanks that our A-10's took out as they were going in the Bagdad. The fires were all only a few minutes old. They're not just driving in they are blasting their way in !

I'm not gonna ever gonna bitch about military spending - never !

Our boys are kicking ass and not taking any names :)

[laz17]

Is the 4-6 day pause caused by failure of the plan, lack of supplies and fierce Iraqi resistance over yet?

Yeah, just look at what our troops have managed to do while we take a week off to rewrite our war plan. Imagine what they'll accomplish once the pace picks up again.

[ALS]

I have a good feeling that they know their nation is going to change whether they die or not.

Viva la USA!

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

I think we should shove Preparation H bombs down these tunnels and shrink them all to nothing.

[Cultural Jihad]

Substantial number of American forces will become very visible later today to the people of Baghdad, as well as to the media in town.

[DoughtyOne]

Defense spending buys something. It's our freedom.

Welfare spending buys something. It buys more people off, so they won't be productive.

[JohnHuang2]

DoughtyOne, this isn't happening. Reuters, for one, reported several days ago our troops are in operational pause mode. Moreover, Washington Post reporter Thomas Ricks wrote this week how our troops are hungry, thirsty, low on fuel, out of ammo, demoralized and working from a failed military plan.

hahaha! ;)

[DoughtyOne]

I'd like to think of a snappy retort, but I think I'll let you have the last word on that one. Oh well, here goes... Thousands of gallons of Bisacodyl liquid might help. It a laxitive, and since they are in the bowels of Baghdad...