Developing......
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/5481294.htm New Series of Blasts Heard in Baghdad
HAMZA HENDAWI
Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A series of explosions along with the sound of low flying aircraft was heard early
Wednesday, and the U.S. military said coalition aircraft struck the Iraqi state-run television.
Smoke was seen next to the information ministry and the Iraqi TV building.
The signal from Iraqi Satellite TV, which broadcasts 24 hours a day outside Iraq, went off the air around
4:30 a.m. (8:30 p.m. EST Tuesday).
Iraq's domestic television service was not broadcasting at the time.
At the Pentagon, a U.S. military spokeswoman said coalition aircraft struck the Iraqi state-run television
channel. Damage assessment was not complete, she told The Associated Press, speaking on condition
of anonymity.
On Tuesday, gray smoke from fuel fires and a swirling sandstorm enveloped Iraq's capital, where
intermittent explosions once again rattled residents who embraced life's simple routines even as
U.S.-led troops moved closer.
Garbage trucks rolled the streets picking refuse, which was piled high in some neighborhoods, while
public transportation buses were running normally. Traffic was on the increase, and more stores and
shops were open than at any time since the first missile hit Baghdad last week.
The smoke hanging over the city came not from those missiles, but from fuel fires set by Baghdad
authorities, an effort to obscure military targets in the city. Visibility was further hampered by a
powerful sandstorm that seemed to cover everything in the city with a fine coat of sand.
The sandstorm eased Wednesday morning.
U.S.-led troops were within 50 miles of the capital, setting up a seemingly inevitable fight for control of
the historic city of 5 million residents. Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf said his
countrymen were unshaken by that prospect.
The Iraqis "await surprises on how the American game of shock and awe will fail," al-Sahhaf said.
The wind in Baghdad became so wicked Tuesday that palm trees and traffic lights swayed madly, with
security men and police hiding behind sandbags - ordinarily military outposts - in search of respite.
At the height of the sandstorm, the explosions that echoed through the capital for most of the day
ceased.
More security and police officers were seen around the city than last week, and residents reported
members of Saddam Hussein's feared intelligence agencies were also posted on the streets.
The bombing Tuesday was on the outskirts of the city, with its echoes easily audible in the heart of
Baghdad. Some residents were busy digging new defensive trenches or expanding existing ones; some
were dug in the courtyard of the Iraq museum, home to priceless antiques.
Iraqi state television went off the air for about 45 minutes after explosions were heard in the city
Tuesday evening. There were unconfirmed reports in Baghdad that the outage followed a hit on a
television transmission tower north of Baghdad in Abu Ghareib.
Television, like state radio, constantly played patriotic songs and messages of support from Iraqis for
their president.
Tuesday's edition of Babil, a daily paper owned by Saddam's son Odai, featured back page photos of
decapitated bodies that it said belonged to Iraqi civilians killed in bombing raids. A day earlier, all
newspapers ran the text of Saddam's address to the nation on Page 1, accompanied by pictures of the
Iraqi leader.
Fox: 8:00 et, off the air. columns of smoke, right behind ministry of information, news agencies were warned last night, 2 signals, one by satelite, civilians aren't allowed to have that, but it's not the only tv station. A son runs the other station. Pentagon confirms.
Sorry for typos.
I think there were 2 bombs. First was an E-bomb - didn't do the job! 2nd bomb was TLAM (Tomahawk Land Attack Missle).
The reason I say there were 2 is because the TV station went off the air this afternoon - and then came back on. Then, during Hannity & Colmes, there was this huge explosion and it was determined Iraqi TV was OFF the air.
At the time Dan was on the air - Iraqi TV was just struggling from the E-bomb thing - so Dan didn't know we were about to TLAM it!!
another station? That's no good. If we don't get both it would be worthless to get the other.
I didn't catch it too well, but he said something about the other station used for education, not very powerful...
The purpose could be shifted, I'm sure, and with the other station gone, that's the one everyone would be watching.
But ... it's empty at 5 a.m.
