Posted on 03/22/2003 11:16:09 AM PST by Asher
BAGHDAD WAITS IN FEAR
Baghdad is bracing for another night of heavy missile attacks following the first daytime assault on the Iraqi capital of the Allied campaign.
The aerial assault resumed as evening fell, with large explosions shaking the city's outskirts after jets were heard overhead.
Officials have confirmed that B-52 bombers will be in action over Baghdad tonight.
Speaking from Baghdad about the most recent strikes, Sky correspondent David Chater said: "Two very, very large explosions and a flash of light in the sky that seemed to come from nowhere."
Iraqi forces had lit oil-filled trenches around the city in an apparent attempt to obscure visibility.
Witnesses said there were no air raid sirens before the attack and no sign of anti-aircraft fire.
US-led forces, fighting to capture three key Iraqi settlements, pounded Baghdad with missiles throughout Saturday.
It came after a Friday night blitz saw 320 cruise missiles and up to 1,000 bombs devastate the city.
Although the Allies insist their targets were pin-pointed, the Iraqis claim around 200 civilians were injured.
Smoke billows over Baghdad
And the Iraqi health minister said three "martyrs" perished. "We are preparing for more deaths because the situation is developing rapidly," he said.
The Allies also suffered casualties, with two Royal Navy Sea King helicopters colliding and killing six Britons and one American.
The Americans claimed to have taken control of Nasiriyah and Umm Qasr while negotiating the surrender of Basra.
Britain claimed "many thousands" of Iraqis had been taken prisoner but Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon refused to predict how long the conflict would last.
"This operation is going according to plan and, in many respects, is ahead of the plan," he said.
Turkey denied earlier reports that it had sent 1,500 commandos into northern Iraq to confront the Kurds.
The initial reports prompted Germany to threaten to withdraw from NATO protection of Turkish airspace.
Meanwhile, thousands of protesters were attending anti-war rallies around the world, including London and Paris.
We don't do obscurity on Free Republic, and we're not into feelings.
What's real is the slow demolishing of the Hussein regime and the liberation of the Iraqi people.
They wanted to play hardball.
Well, here it is. If they don't like it they can surrender and get all the humanitarian help that we have waiting in the wings.
Or, they can resist the unresistable force. After we have crushed them we will help them get back on their feet.
That's who we are.
It is real.
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