SITUATION REPORTS - March 20 2003 (1)

STRATFOR ^ | March 20 2003

[Axion]

SITUATION REPORTS - March 20 2003

0403 GMT - Kuwait's oil production remains on line and operating normally, a senior Kuwaiti official said following the start of the U.S. bombing of Baghdad on March 19, reported Reuters.

0400 GMT - U.S. defense officials say the first airstrikes on Baghdad were of a limited nature and were intended to prepare the battlefield for more intense operations.

0358 GMT - Uday Hussein says Iraq has begun to hit back at U.S. aggression, Xinhua reports, without further details.

0358 GMT - The INA Web site is back up and Iraqi television reportedly is operational.

0355 GMT - The U.S. Embassy in the United Arab Emirates has informed American citizens that the armed conflict with Iraq has begun. The embassy has advised U.S. citizens in the UAE to take "prudent steps to ensure their personal safety in the coming days. Remain vigilantly aware of surroundings, avoid crowds and demonstrations, keep a low profile, vary times and routes for all travel, and ensure travel documents are current. Listen to news reports and maintain contact with your assigned warden or the U.S. Embassies." It also has announced that the Embassy will remain open to provide emergency services to American citizens.

0350 GMT - A National Public Radio correspondent in Baghdad says that reporters have been told to evacuate the Al Rashid Hotel.

0349 GMT - The all-clear siren had not sounded in Baghdad as of 0640 Baghdad time.

0348 GMT - Sources in Baghdad refute the report that the United States has overtaken state radio. The three state channels are reportedly still on the air.

0321 GMT - United Arab Emirates daily Khaleej Times reports March 19 that a severe dust storm has hit Kuwait.