Posted on 03/20/2003 1:36:38 AM PST by Liz
PHOTO: Commandos in and out of Baghdad for months Iraqi Kurds in recent weeks have restored airstrips no longer under Saddam Hussein's control for use by elite U.S. forces in northern Iraq.
SULAIMANIYAH, Northern Iraq, March 20 U.S. commando units are playing a crucial role in the attack on Saddam Husseins regime, operating deep inside Iraq on missions targeting Iraqi leadership and military positions for strikes by American warplanes and cruise missiles, U.S. intelligence sources told NBC News.
Weeks ahead the launch of Thursdays assault on the Iraqi leadership, U.S. special operations forces were working covertly in multiple locations inside Iraq, including at sites on the edges of Baghdad, intelligence officials said on condition of anonymity.
One official said that CIA Special Operations Group agents have been moving in and out of the Iraqi capital on a regular basis, liaising with intelligence sources and identifying targets for elimination by American laser-guided bombs.
In their preparations for the attack, hundreds of commandos moved to hide sites near key Iraqi military and leadership positions, ready to paint targets with lasers that U.S. commanders can use to guide American munitions to their destinations, the officials said.
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(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.com ...
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