***Operation Iraqi Freedom - Situation Room - Day 6 - LIVE THREAD***

Multiple ^ | 25 March 2003 | Various

[An.American.Expatriate]

Good Morning.

This is the Daily Thread of Operation Iraqi Freedom - LIVE THREAD.

It is designed for general conversation about the events of the day. In depth discussion of events should be left to individual threads - but links to the threads or other articles is highly encouraged. This allows us to stay abreast of the situation in general, while also providing a means of obtaining specific information.

Please have mercy on us dial up limited FReepers! Limit the big graphics, post links instead. A breif description of what the graphic is would help:

Special thanks to null and void for keeping these running over the weekend and Monday, to all of you for keeping these threads alive, the AdminMods for their tolerance, mhking for the video links, and, of course, Belly Girl...

[TomGuy]

Related Basra report:

British forces have destroyed 20 Iraqi tanks as fighting intensified around Basra, Iraq's second biggest city. They launched strikes with huge AS90 guns against 11 targets, including tanks and artillery pieces but then faced a counter attack by up to 50 Iraqi tanks breaking out of Basra.

[Dog]

Come on Brits.....get in there and kick some Ba'athist butt!!!

[Catspaw]

The Beeb is saying that this could be the turning point of the war.

[B4Ranch]

I don't think so. Also, I don't think they will bring intoo many troops for fear of what Bush might do.

[abnegation]

(chuckling) There goes the question aimed at Rummy later about why Iraqis are not happy about the troops being there.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

So cool! CENTCOM this morn - clean water already to 40% of Basrah w/ help from the Red Cross. Bottom line, they KNOW this President and his admin. can be trusted.

[Robert A Cook PE]

"Brits will hit targets in Basra as they see them......they will not fire into the city center..

If the Brit's are targetting Iraqi's firing at their own people with mortars, I'd be willing to bet that the artillary is being aimed by the Brit's own anti-mortar tracking radars. Usually, those radars are tracking inbound mortar shells, but it appears that there's no reason why they can locate the "start point" of mortar shells going sideways from the radar itself.

In a gun battle with artillary units, don't show up armed with a mortar.

[ninenot]

Maybe they were waiting to see that we were serious

Do you blame them? Kennedy screwed the Cubans and Diem. BushI screwed the Shiites.

[Dog]

Dog rolling his eyes....:-)

[B4Ranch]

I don't like the smell of Powell.

[Catspaw]

The civilians have probably had some help. I am not going to speculate about the source of their "help."

[CasearianDaoist]

I really, really doubt that those polls reflect any reality.
I live just a few block from chucky's brownstone - you cannot find a place much more Liberal in the City and she is not held in very high regard. I cannot speak for upstate, up those areas are much more Republican than down here. I'd be dubious about polls in NY - the Dem machine is so corrupt here that even an arch-liberal like Bloomberg has to cross party lines to get on the Ballot. The Rep. party in the city is that desperate. The funny this is is that you sometimes hear a good word about Bush these days, nothing major but in itself rather notable.

[abnegation]

This is going to trouble Daschle. Really trouble him. (g)

[Dog]

That is what they are using....anti-mortar radar is being used...

[epluribus_2]

But Al Jazeera has been reporting that this is a war AGAINST all muslims... I'm so confused.

We should start using their terminology. Iraq has been under OCCUPATION by Saddam and BAATH since 1979 and actions to liberate them by Iraqis are RESISTANCE. This would make most arab news outlets blood boil. ARE YOU LISTENING FOX/SKY? Kind of like Homicide-Bomber really gets under the libs skin.

[Timeout]

Think there might be a few of our Special Ops behind this?

[B4Ranch]

Would we want to give the Turks those oil fields?

[GraniteStateConservative]

I'd wait until CENTCOM spokesmen confirm.

[this_ol_patriot]

Can't underestimate word of mouth .....FNC reporter