[Colorado Doug]

Could be why we are waiting 3-4 days? Supply lines bogged down?

[JIM O]

dam Iraqi forces

[goldstategop]

Environmental terrorism can be added to the growing list of Saddam's crimes.

[Diogenesis]

Another day. Another Iraqi warcrime.

[judicial meanz]

This is something to watch. Not to be the voice of doom, but this is something that has happened before.

In the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, Iraqi forces did the exact same thing and then shelled the Iranian forces with chemical weapons. It caused huge losses for the Iranians.

We are better equipped and better trained than the Iranians were, and it wouldnt stop us. But the iraqis dont know this.

[hellinahandcart]

If this were true, by now we'd be seeing pictures of a large lake with lots of bodies and buildings floating around in it.

Oh wait---it's from "authoritative sources in Iraq".

[bwteim]

Vannrox had posted links to Iraqi maps earlier from U Texas. For example, one map Former Marshes and Diversion Projects, Southern Iraq. 1994.

[KriegerGeist]

It seems like everything predicted by Gertz and STRATFOR and others on Drudge and elsewhere is happening just as they said.

* Burning oil trenches.
* Blown and booby-trapped oil wells.
* Mined and booby-trapped oil fields.
* Iraqi soldiers in U.S. uniforms.
* Al Qaeda, along with every terrorist nut group fighting with Saddam.
* High-explosive laden speedboats going after ships.
* Now "ship-launched" missiles that Patriots can't take out.
* Dams either rigged to blow or what? just opened full throttle?

Will the nerve and biological weapons come out next?

[randita]

Marines are amphibious, the Iraqi troops are not.

[onedoug]

..."to prevent the coalition forces from advancing towards northern areas...."

I'd say they're somewhat late, and that we should have already secured such vital infrastructure.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

The water swamped areas near Basra and parts of the city's surrounding region under the coalition forces' control, the sources added. Soil of the southern areas, once mixed with water, transforms into clammy mud that obstructs movement of military tanks and vehicles.

Now that is a "quagmire."

Wonder why they didn't call it that. Is it possible that the media has been using that word and they really have no idea what it actually means?

[CyberAnt]

Well ... Basra is way over on the Eastern coast region - and our tanks are to the left of center of Iraq. I would not think this water would affect our advancement at all.