Finally having caught up, I'll get to some other things:
BBC is reporting:
- that we are nearly surrounding Baghdad's large airport - soon to be renamed.
- Within minutes of rolling in toward Baghdad, should we so choose.
- "We don't know what's happening on the road up from Kut" (Ollie does... watch Fox, bbc)
- "you know, though, the Americans haven't actually taken any of these forces out, so... [drivel]"
- Basra: looking for missile launching facilities with Phoenix drones.
- Basra: Brits not swarming it... trying to capture by wearing it down with selective military actions hoping to get an uprising. This is disturbing much of the population who are concerned they'll be let down again by the allies.
- Great BBC concern about the use of artillery cluster bombs - about 95% of the bomblets explode, others may be a problem later on.
Oh, one more "Chicken Little" item from BBC... paraphrased: "It doesn't add up" "Where is the Iraqi military? Are they going to trap the US military? They may be secretly waiting for the US to get into Baghdad where the regime will hold all the cards."
http://www.debka.com/ Baghdad pre-paid and chartered entire Hotel Cote d’Azur Decham at Syrian Mediterranean port of Latakiya near Assad family villa. Group may include Saddam Hussein or his sons, but this is not confirmed.
Top Iraqi officials hiding there since March 23, four days after coalition invaded Iraq, guarded by Syrian commando unit armed with anti-air missiles and Syrian naval missile boats securing port
US Special Operations Forces inside Baghdad: DEBKAfile reports 101st Airborne, Delta, Seal commandos raid presidential palaces and government offices