TARGET: IRAQ Elite U.S. forces take leading role

MSNBC ^ | 3/20/03 | Fred Francis, Preston Mendenhall

[Liz]

PHOTO: Commandos ‘in and out’ of Baghdad for months Iraqi Kurds in recent weeks have restored airstrips no longer under Saddam Hussein's control for use by elite U.S. forces in northern Iraq.

SULAIMANIYAH, Northern Iraq, March 20 — U.S. commando units are playing a crucial role in the attack on Saddam Hussein’s regime, operating deep inside Iraq on missions targeting Iraqi leadership and military positions for strikes by American warplanes and cruise missiles, U.S. intelligence sources told NBC News.

Weeks ahead the launch of Thursday’s assault on the Iraqi leadership, U.S. special operations forces were working covertly in multiple locations inside Iraq, including at sites on the edges of Baghdad, intelligence officials said on condition of anonymity.

One official said that CIA Special Operations Group agents have been moving “in and out” of the Iraqi capital on a regular basis, liaising with intelligence sources and identifying targets for elimination by American laser-guided bombs.

In their preparations for the attack, hundreds of commandos moved to “hide sites” near key Iraqi military and leadership positions, ready to “paint” targets with lasers that U.S. commanders can use to guide American munitions to their destinations, the officials said.

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[Mr. Silverback]

As Victor Davis hanson has said, the thing we should be most thankful for in this conflict is that we're not fighting someone like us.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Amazing how they can do that , slip in and out of Baghdad!

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