Firefight at Baghdad airport - Tunnel to Tigris River found

Reuters | April 3, 2003

[HAL9000]

NEAR BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. forces advancing on Baghdad are fighting Iraqis dug in at the capital's main airport on Thursday evening.

Reuters correspondent Luke Baker, 33 km (21 miles) south west of the capital with the engineer units of the 3rd Infantry Division, said military sources told him on Thursday a 3rd Infantry task force was fighting Iraqis dug in to defend the airport.

No further information was immediately available on the progress of the battle, but sources said U.S. forces had discovered some sort of tunnel system under the airport and one tunnel led all the way back to the Tigris river.

Baghdad's Saddam International Airport is about 20 km (12 miles) southwest of the centre of the sprawling city of five million. Sporadic U.S. artillery and rocket fire had been launched towards Baghdad since darkness fel

[w_over_w]

Do what the Iraqis would do. Flood it with petrol and throw in a match......

That'll set a lot of turds on fire (EPA Alert!).

[UCFRoadWarrior]

Not sure about the Cinnabon.....but I bet Cici's Pizza (home of the 3.99 All-You-Can-Eat Buffet) is trying to get a concession deal

[jerseygirl]

Also, didn't he have chem/bio stashed near the border with Syria? Al Quayum? Excerpt from old article (U.K. Telegraph)




Saddam's poison gas kills 20 of his men
By Jessica Berry
(Filed: 02/09/2001)


AT least 20 specially-trained Iraqi soldiers are dead and up to 200 have been admitted to hospital after taking part in a chemical weapons exercise that went wrong.


Curbing BaghdadUnited Nations workers prepare to destroy Sarin tipped Iraqi rockets in 1988
News of the training accident emerged last week amid concerns that Saddam Hussein has rebuilt his chemical weapons arsenal. The soldiers, based in the Zaafarnia region south of Baghdad, were suffering from severe respiratory problems, according to intelligence received from Iraq.

A diplomat said: "They were training in the Al Suwayrah and Basmaya camps three months ago. We know that the accident has not stopped the training. Fresh soldiers were brought in soon after." The Al Suwayrah camp has been rebuilt since it was attacked in February by American and British aircraft.

Saddam last used chemical weapons against the Kurds in March 1988 at Halabjah causing thousands of injuries. In December 1998, American and British warplanes mounted Operation Desert Fox in an attempt to destroy Iraq's chemical weapons capability.

However, evidence surfaced last week that Iraqi scientists are working around the clock to rebuild the Iraqi leader's conventional weapons and self-defence arsenal as well as his chemical capability.

In the past three months, eight military factories have begun working at almost full strength. The most significant, in the unpopulated Syrian border area of Al Qayem, is said to be building chemical weapons and missiles.

A Western military observer said: "The Al Qayem base has only recently expanded. It has just passed under the total control of Saddam's son and heir Qusay. To ensure total secrecy, each scientist has been hand-picked by Qusay."

[Helotes]

Those Iraqis are like gophers...

Saddam Van Gopher?

[sheik yerbouty]

Pump it full of captured nerve gas...

[Straight Vermonter]

Babylon is the site of the world's first under river tunnel.

[gaucho]

HANS BLIX: "Tunnels? They have tunnels? Who knew?!"

Actually, Blix acknowledged reports of a tunnel system but said that the UNMOVIC inspectors couldn't find the entraces (like they could find anything).

[TUX]

There were reports that some of the equipment used to dig the english channel tunnel ended up in Iraq.

Anyone have info on this?

[green team 1999]

This image, taken by Space Imaging's IKONOS satellite Tuesday, April 1, 2003, shows Saddam International Airport in Iraq. Hoping to counter initial reports that allied forces had taken Saddam International Airport, U.S. Central Command said its units were 'in the vicinity' of the airport. Iraqi officials took reporters to the facility Thursday afternoon, claiming the government of Iraq is still in control of Saddam International Airport. (AP Photo/Space Imaging Eurasia) MANDATORY CREDIT

[Quix]

I think you've made a very astute observation.

GOPHER BAROQUE!

SEARCH THE TUNNELS as far as practical.

FLOOD EM.

BLAST EM.

Evidently the water born blast waves would do in all kinds of things and creepy critters--otherwise known as Sadddddammmnnnn leadership critters.

[PoisedWoman]

The most significant, in the unpopulated Syrian border area of Al Qayem, is said to be building chemical weapons and missiles.

Thanks for posting this amazing report. Did Blixie and his inspectors ever look in Al Qayem?

[blam]

"There were reports that some of the equipment used to dig the english channel tunnel ended up in Iraq. "

Don't think so. Those were specifically built for that job. They were coming at each other from both entrances and each swerved to the right (just before they met) and were abandoned in place. They're still there.

[TheLion]

God only knows how many tunnels and underground goodies are in Iraq. This is why we haven't found wmd. They are underground!

[randita]

I say divert some of the water from the Tigris or Euphrates and flood the sucker. Tunnels under water are totally useless.

That might not be the best course of action. Who knows what might be in those tunnels that would poison the rivers?

[eastsider]

One hopes our guys are really careful; they are on a powderkeg.

Perhaps they've read about the Battle of the Crater.

[Quix]

HEY BLIX!

I KNOW ARAFAT

would like to play a favorite game of his with you:

"Enlarging a Tunnel Complex" within you!

Give him a call. He's been practicing with his body guards for decades.

Video/audio taped in Romania long ago.

Read: RED HORIZONS by Ion Pacepa p. 36

---

And Blix really wants to be treated as a modern human being in the west? He needs his head examined--or removed from Arafat's playground tunnel.

[PISANO]

Scout it out to see if it has strategic significance, if NOT, close it off to prevent attacks from within the perimeter.

[Quix]

AGREE.

That, there . . .

and in Syria.

[jerseygirl]

I don't know- I hope our people in this area checked it out.

[crz]

A whole bunch of red dye smoke blown into them to see just where the outlets are will do. Spy planes will take the proper pics and then we know just about where and what to watch for.