U.S.-led forces encounter stiff resistance

Associated Press ^ | March 31, 2003 | Associated Press Staff

[MeekOneGOP]

U.S.-led forces encounter stiff resistance

03/31/2003

Associated Press

U.S.-led troops fought pitched battles with Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard within 50 miles of the capital Monday as coalition warplanes pounded the city and dozens of other Iraqi positions in advance of the battle for Baghdad.

One U.S. soldier was killed in fierce fighting for control of the south-central city of Najaf.

In the closest ground fighting yet to Saddam's seat of power in Baghdad, U.S. troops with the 3rd Infantry Division pushed into the Euphrates River town of Hindiyah on Monday. Iraqi soldiers fired from behind brick walls and hedges with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, and U.S. troops returned fire with 25mm cannon and machine guns.

At least 35 Iraqis were killed and U.S. forces captured several dozen others who identified themselves as members of the Republican Guard -- Saddam's best-trained and best-equipped fighters. Their uniforms carried the elite unit's triangular insignia and they said they were with the Nebuchadnezzar Brigade, based in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit.

Iraq remained defiant Monday; in Baghdad, Foreign Minister Naji Sabri questioned the legitimacy of the strikes and called on coalition soldiers to surrender.

"America and Britain have no choice but to surrender and withdraw," Sabri said. "They will not leave our land safe and sound if they continue to be stubborn in their aggression. We will confront them with all we have ... No one will be safe."

"We will turn our deserts into a big graveyard for the Americans and British," he said.

Coalition attacks on leadership and command and control centers in Baghdad were carried out simultaneously by multiple B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers, according to U.S. Central Command. A 2 a.m. missile strike on the Information Ministry touched off a fire at the nearby 28 April Shopping Center, named for Saddam's birthday. A telephone office was struck later in the day, Iraqis said.

Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf said state media operations were "as good as before," after he and colleagues put out the flames and technicians repaired the transmitters.

Today's developments

• American casualties are being reported in fierce fighting for control of the city of Najaf in south-central Iraq. A U.S. military officer says one soldier with the 101st Airborne Division was killed Monday when Iraqi fighters dressed like civilians opened fire.

• U.S. Army forces spearheading the drive on Baghdad battled their way into Hindiya, 50 miles from the capital, Monday. At least 35 Iraqis were killed and dozens captured. The street-to-street fighting at the key Euphrates River crossing is the war's closest known battle to Baghdad.

• Defense officials say a few U.S. military units have crossed the so-called "red zone" around Baghdad. The sources say Army and Marine units are trying to assess Iraqi troop strength and find out what the enemy might do.

• Coalition forces continue to pound Iraq's capital from the air. Combined B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers have hit at communication and command centers in Baghdad. The information ministry was targeted by a missile attack.

• U.S. aircraft pounded Iraqi positions near the northern town of Kalak on Monday, aiding Kurdish fighters as they seize territory from Saddam Hussein's fleeing troops.

• British forces discovered a cache of arms and explosives at a school in the southern port city of Umm Qasr, where Australian divers were working to clear a sunken boat loaded with mines.

Iraqi TV aired a footage Monday night showing Saddam with his two sons, Odai and Qusai, while chairing a meeting of his top military commanders, according to Al Arabiya television. There was no way to independently confirm when the video was shot.

Nearly all the telephone lines in the city of 5 million appeared out after at least five telephone exchanges were struck by allied bombings. But the power supply remained intact and street lights came on Monday night.

With constant aerial bombardments on the capital and ground forces advancing from the south, west and north, U.S. military leaders defended the pace of the war effort Sunday, answering criticism that they had underestimated the vigor of Iraqi resistance.

"We have the power to be patient in this, and we're not going to do anything before we're ready," said Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

There is good reason for caution as troops face persistent danger from plainclothes killers and warnings from Iraqi officials that there will be more suicide attacks like the one that killed four Americans on Saturday.

Sabri said more than 5,000 Arabs have come to Iraq to help attack the invaders. Iraqi dissidents and Arab media have claimed that Saddam has opened a training camp for volunteers willing to carry out suicide bombings.

Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, a U.S. Central Command spokesman, said such suicide attacks were "not a very effective military tactic" and would not stop the U.S. advance on Baghdad.

In the north, U.S. aircraft pounded Iraqi positions near the town of Kalak on Monday, aiding Kurdish fighters as they seized territory from Saddam's fleeing troops. Under relentless attack, Iraqi forces could be seen abandoning positions on a ridge west of the Great Zab River.

Far fewer Iraqi troops have been seen along the border of Kurdish-controlled territory in recent days, which could indicate government forces were pulling back toward Mosul, the largest city in northern Iraq.

Iraqi deserters who have sought safety with Kurdish forces say they endured backbreaking toil in Saddam's army and constant scrutiny by security squads. Deserters who are captured face execution. It's not clear how many have crossed over; some say it is close to 500.

"We decided it was either die from an American bomb or be killed by our own people," said one Iraqi foot soldier who staggered into Kalak on Monday. "It was better to run and take our chances."

The deserter -- who offered only one name, Ali -- said soldiers sleep in muddy burrows, are given meager rations and no information about the war or any chance to call home. There is no medical help; the wounded are left to die. He said morale was very low, and most are not motivated to fight.

"We were not really mad at the Americans," he said. "We just want to save our lives."

In Najaf, two soldiers from the 1st and 2nd brigades of the 101st Airborne Division were killed Monday when Iraqi fighters dressed as civilians opened fire with weapons mounted on vehicles, said Capt. Kenric Bourne of the 101st.

The 2nd brigade is fighting from the north and the 1st is closing in from the south to try to isolate the Shiite Muslim holy city of 300,000 people about 100 miles south of Baghdad.

A day earlier, the Army's 82nd Airborne Division killed about 100 "regime terror squad members" and captured about 50 Iraqi militants in Najaf and another nearby town, Central Command said.

It was unclear whether U.S. forces would try to capture Najaf or just surround it. There are too many Iraqi fighters to bypass them or leave them unattended; they are a danger to supply lines on the way to Baghdad.

Coalition forces also are leery of damaging Najaf's holy shrines, which could anger Shiites in Iraq and elsewhere, most notably Iran.

In the southern city of Nasiriyah, where fighting has been fierce for a week, Marines on Sunday secured buildings held by an Iraqi infantry division that contained large caches of weapons and chemical decontamination equipment.

Also Sunday, a Marine UH-1 Huey helicopter crashed at a refueling point in southern Iraq, killing three aboard, said spokesman 1st Lt. John Niemann.

In Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, British forces continued to skirmish with militiamen loyal to Saddam. As many as 1,000 Royal Marines and supporting troops destroyed a bunker and several tanks in a commando assault Sunday. About 30 Iraqis were captured and an unknown number were killed. One Royal Marine was killed in the assault.

Brooks, the Central Command spokesman, said residents of Basra were providing information about Saddam loyalists in the city, but there were still areas "under the boot of the Iraqi regime."

"We wouldn't say that Basra is completely under coalition control," he said.

British forces also discovered a cache of arms and explosives at a school in the southern port city of Umm Qasr. Australian mine clearance experts were called to dismantle the weaponry Monday, Australian defense spokesman Brigadier Mike Hannan said.

Australian divers also are working to clear a sunken boat loaded with mines discovered near the grain terminal in Umm Qasr, Hannan said.

Umm Qasr, Iraq's only deep-water port, is an important conduit for humanitarian aid and military supplies, but shipments have been delayed because of fears that waters may be mined.

In London, British Defense Minister Geoff Hoon said about 8,000 Iraqis are being held as prisoners of war -- twice then number reported last week.

The International Red Cross said 15 staff members began visiting thousands of POWs held by coalition forces in southern Iraq but has yet to receive word when it can see U.S. POWs taken by the Iraqi military. The ICRC is holding talks on the issue with Iraqi authorities, who have acknowledged capturing six Americans.

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Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dallas/world/stories/033103dnintiraqrdp.b18aa266.html

[MeekOneGOP]

AP
A U.S. Army sniper takes aim on targets today during intense fighting in Hindiyah.

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When I read some of these accounts, I can't help but feel sorry for these folks that have suffered under Saddams rule. . .even their 'military' troops have suffered tremendously. Or perhaps 'especially' is more appropriate a word.

Iraqi deserters who have sought safety with Kurdish forces say they endured backbreaking toil in Saddam's army and constant scrutiny by security squads. Deserters who are captured face execution. It's not clear how many have crossed over; some say it is close to 500.

"We decided it was either die from an American bomb or be killed by our own people," said one Iraqi foot soldier who staggered into Kalak on Monday. "It was better to run and take our chances."

The deserter -- who offered only one name, Ali -- said soldiers sleep in muddy burrows, are given meager rations and no information about the war or any chance to call home. There is no medical help; the wounded are left to die. He said morale was very low, and most are not motivated to fight.

"We were not really mad at the Americans," he said. "We just want to save our lives."

[MeekOneGOP]

U.S.-led forces encounter stiff resistance

Another stupid title, btw. This time by the Associated Press . . .

[KeyWest]

Beat me to it. One American killed. Compare this to one day in WWI when tens of thousands of Brits died.

[BobP]

Take it to 'em boys!!!!!

[Eternal_Bear]

Do you really want our troops to line up in full gear and walk towards the machine gun nests in full view like the Brits did during the Battle of the Somme? I bet the Iraqi soldiers are throwing more firepower per man than their German counterparts did.

[MeekOneGOP]

I bet Media Bias then wasn't as blatant as it is now either . . .

[MeekOneGOP]

I don't think he wished death on our troops . . .

[MeekOneGOP]

[RooRoobird14]

Iraq remained defiant Monday; in Baghdad, Foreign Minister Naji Sabri questioned the legitimacy of the strikes and called on coalition soldiers to surrender.

LOL--Naji wants the coalition troops to surrender to the Iraquis? That's very funny!!!

[Ga Rob]

Yeah I agree...I mean in a battle what other kind of resistance is there. I guess the press still does not get that this is not a video game, it's real life with real bullets, real death and real destruction.

[dfwgator]

US to Naji Sabri, "NUTS!"

[E. Pluribus Unum]

"We will turn our deserts into a big graveyard for the Americans and British," he said.

In your dreams, Mohammed.

[MeekOneGOP]

LOL ! I found that humorous too. Great material for a Saturday Nite Live skit, huh? . . .

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

Brooks, the Central Command spokesman, said residents of Basra were providing information about Saddam loyalists in the city, but there were still areas "under the boot of the Iraqi regime."

This is key. These thugs can't be going around threatening and executing civilians if they're too busy being killed by the Brits. Hope they can keep the heat on, once critical mass has been achieved, the city will fall within a day.