Regards, Ivan
Posted on 04/01/2003 3:46:44 PM PST by MadIvan
The Government warned the public last night to prepare for a fierce last stand by Saddam Hussein's forces as US troops resumed their advance on Baghdad.
Allied officials said a major battle that may decide the fate of Saddam's regime could be "no more than hours away".
Gen Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said "serious combat" operations against Iraqi forces had begun.
The US 3rd Infantry Division, which had been consolidating its positions on a narrow front 50 miles south of the capital, moved towards the Medina Division of the Republican Guard.
Allied intelligence believes it has been severely depleted by the barrage that has rained on it for the past four days.
One British official said the allied troops "will keep going until they meet something".
"If everything before them has been destroyed they will keep on going until they meet something. There will be a lot of activity tonight."
Donald Rumsfeld, the US defence secretary, said US and British forces were positioned all around Baghdad: "The circle is closing. In good time the Republican Guard won't be there."
Saddam told the Iraqi people they were fighting a jihad, or holy war, against the invaders.
In a message to the nation read out on television by Iraq's information minister, he said: "Jihad is a duty. They are evil aggressors damned by God. Hit them, fight them. Fight them everywhere."
Saddam's failure to appear on television to deliver the message fuelled speculation that he was killed or wounded in the attacks that began the war. They were specifically targeted at a building in which he was thought to be.
Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, said there were likely to be further difficulties for British and American forces before Iraq was liberated.
"As the regime enters its final stages, we will encounter fierce resistance from those elements of the regime's apparatus of terror whose fate is tied to their tyrannical ruler," he said.
A meeting of the War Cabinet was followed by a promise from Tony Blair's official spokesman that the final push on Baghdad would begin "when we are ready and only when we are ready".
Mr Blair and his ministers were under no illusions that there would be difficulties ahead. "There will be further loss of life both to military personnel and, despite all the best efforts, of civilians."
Mr Straw said that until Saddam was removed from power, he would remain a "scar on the conscience of the world".
Britain and America were determined to "rid the world of a brutal dictator and ensure that the long-suffering Iraqi people will emerge from the shadow of dictatorship into the light of freedom".
Forward elements of the 3rd Infantry Division and the US marines have been probing the Republican Guard positions very aggressively over the past 48 hours. They were looking for weaknesses and taking small numbers of prisoners to gather intelligence on the state of the Iraqi defences.
Allied aircraft and missiles continued to bombard Republican Guard positions south of the capital from dawn yesterday and into the night.
The advancing American troops, who would hope to destroy the remainder of the division, opening up a large gap in the capital's defences, were supported by British artillery units which pushed past the town of Karbala to open up on the Republican Guard positions.
Amid concern that Saddam may use chemical weapons as a last resort, British Army specialists in chemical and biological warfare have been pushed up to the front line alongside the US troops.
Allied aircraft flew low over the advancing US troops before dropping bombs and missiles on the Republican Guard tanks which have been dug in south of the capital.
Further south, the US 101st Airborne Division attempted to root out Fedayeen from the Shia shrine in the holy city of Najaf amid intelligence reports suggesting that they were trying to trap the allies into attacking the shrine.
Coalition officials said the troops were under strict instructions not to attack the shrine.
Meanwhile, reinforcements from the 4th Infantry Division unloaded their tanks and armoured personnel carriers at the dockside in Kuwait City.
Hospital sources in the town of Hilla, about 50 miles south of Baghdad, said that 11 members of one family were among 33 civilians killed in an air strike early yesterday.
They said that 300 civilians were injured in the same attack. US-led forces did not comment on the incident.
Regards, Ivan
Myers: "You guys need to be more *fair and balanced*."
 |
|||
 |
|||
|
The question is -- when will THEIR god show his face? OURS has been giving us victory over evil since our formation. THEIRS has been chained in a pit during that time. No doubt he'll arrive soon though.
Dollars to donuts these fruitcakes will destroy the shrine themselves when they don't get their way.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.