Warplanes attack Basra column

BBC ^ | 3/26/2003 18:24 GMT | Clive Myrie

[Forgiven_Sinner]

British troops are in position around Basra

Coalition warplanes are attacking a huge convoy of tanks and armoured personnel carriers which are heading south-east from Basra towards the al-Faw peninsula.

BBC correspondent Clive Myrie is close to the area and says the battle has been raging for more than an hour.

He says the movement of Iraqi armour may be a counter-attack to recapture ground lost over the last two or three days, or possibly a tactical retreat from Basra because of the possibility of an uprising in the north of the city.

British radar spotted the column of between 70 and 120 vehicles following the coast road along the Shatt al-Arab waterway and a number of fighter jets were scrambled to engage the column.

British troops are positioned along the coast road as well as around Basra, amid reports of an uprising in the city. Those reports have been dismissed by the Iraqis.

Earlier, 14 civilians died and another 30 were injured in Baghdad when a shopping area was hit during an air raid by US-led coalition forces, the Iraqi authorities say.

The BBC's Andrew Gilligan, at the scene in the northern Shaab district of the city, says it appears that two missiles hit a busy parade of shops, several hundred metres from any military buildings.

An angry crowd of several hundred people gathered in the area following the strike, waving the shoes and clothes of victims.

If confirmed as a coalition attack, correspondents say it will be a blow to attempts by the US-led forces to minimise civilian casualties during their drive to unseat Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

Key military developments

* Republican Guard units in the outskirts of Baghdad continue to be bombed

* Coalition forces fire intense artillery barrages towards the city of Nasiriya - about 370 kilometres (230 miles) south-east of Baghdad

British forces continue to report surprise resistance in Basra, which they had hoped would welcome them.

They said most resistance came from paramilitaries loyal to Saddam Hussein, using guerrilla tactics inside the city, rather than from the regular army.

But UK troops have been reluctant to enter the city aggressively to combat the paramilitaries, because of the risk to civilians.

IRAQ CAMPAIGN

Map: Military operations Iraq's Republican Guard

They have been halted again - this time at the town of Ash Shatrah, about 40 km north of the city of Nasiriya.

The Marines responded by calling in artillery strikes on Iraqi positions in the town.

The Iraqis say that about 200 houses in the city have been destroyed, and about 500 people wounded.

Further north, the US 7thCavalry has been involved in the largest battle of the war so far, near the central town of Najaf.

An American intelligence officer has said that up to 650 Iraqis who attacked the armoured column were killed.

That contrasts with an earlier estimate by the Pentagon of between 150 and 300 Iraqi dead.

In other developments:

* A large convoy of Republican Guards is reported to be moving south of Baghdad for what could be a major confrontation with coalition forces, Associated Press news agency says

Iraqis vow revenge after the blasts An angry crowd gathered at the scene * The US is sending another 30,000 troops to join the campaign in Iraq

* Arabic television channel al-Jazeera broadcasts a video of what it said was two dead British soldiers and two British prisoners of war

* US President George W Bush speaks of "steady progress" in the war and warns the Iraqi leadership that the "day of reckoning" is getting nearer. Mr Bush is to meet UK Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday to discuss the immediate future of Iraq if Saddam Hussein is deposed

[Blood of Tyrants]

See my fears in post #9. They would do something like that, telling the civilians that they are being evacuated.

[JeeperFreeper]

It's a retreat. And the Iraqis will die in a storm of high explosive and steel. Out in the open, these thugs die. In the cities, these thugs die. It's the beginning of the end in the south. The line to hell will be long tonight.

[Destro]

Highway of Death part one was the Iraqi's retreating from combat in this case they are going into combat. The results will be the same.

[RightWhale]

the Iraqi's are making this all out effort

They got some warriors alright. Got to grant that.

[brewcrew]

That's exactly what I was going to say - they're backing themselves into a corner. Unless they are on a suicide mission with WMD on-board. Back 'em into a corner then they blow their wad. I hope we keep a safe distance (i.e. Warthog airstrikes).

[merrin]

He says the movement of Iraqi armour may be a counter-attack to recapture ground lost over the last two or three days, or possibly a tactical retreat from Basra because of the possibility of an uprising in the north of the city.

The incident is believed to have been suicide. Friends said the column had been "very depressed lately."

[RetiredArmy]

If confirmed as a coalition attack, correspondents say it will be a blow to attempts by the US-led forces to minimise civilian casualties during their drive to unseat Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

You know, after 9-1-1, I just can't find the time or energy to even feel sorry for these casualties. So sad, so bad. Sorry. Call me callous. Tough knockers.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Perhaps they don't have info that the other cities have already fallen and are just running toward what tehy hope is safety.

[Mister Magoo]

Good news. The Achilles' heel of the Iraqi forces is their inability to maneuver. If they move, air power will annihilate them. The only possible way for the Iraqis to defeat our attack is the force us into a battle of attrition. But that simply won't happen with our armor and air. Here's what I think will happen -- at some point, the Kurds and 101st will launch an offensive. Simultaneously, the forces in west Iraq will smash the Guards at the western approaches to Baghdad. And finally, our air power will carve lanes of entry through the Guard divisions in the South. Once those lanes are created, our armor will move through the Guard lines and attack the entrenched units from the rear and flanks. I have no doubt whatsoever that the Guard units will be crushed in due haste.

[ravingnutter]

I'm always surprised that something so ugly can actually fly.

Oh good grief...that comment just conjured up a horrible vision...Helen Thomas on her broom, LOL! Good thing I haven't had lunch yet...

[Polybius]

I am suprised the Iraqi's are making this all out effort and are trying to put up a fight still.

The die-hards are the Baathist Party loyalists that have terrorized their fellow Iraqis for so long. Their choices are to die by the mob or die in battle. They have chosen the latter.

[info_scout]

Retreat would be north of of the Euphrates. Report indicates movement south. They are on the offensive.

[ewing]

Could be CNNfn was also saying that there are reports of troops from Baghdad going to meet these guys..

[ThinkPlease]

I was eating. Thanks. *urp* I'm not hungry any more. Blech.

[AngryJawa]

Disagree. The A-10 is a thing of beauty. Form follows function, after all.

[Coop]

Much to my surprise (and delight) it would appear the initial report you posted was correct. Not that I was doubting you, but I did doubt the reported action. Happy to admit I was wrong!

[hawkaw]

I guess they tried to use "darkness" as a way of an attack seeing the sandstorm seems over in that area based on a weather forcast I saw on some thread. But I must admit, this whole story just doesn't make sense. It seems like a big suicide adventure. They can't be that dumb.

[brewcrew]

They got some warriors alright. Got to grant that.

Not usually the sharpest pencils in the cup, but dedicated, yes.

Heard a Marine commander on Fox this morning describe them as being willing to die for their cause, "which a lot of them have done today." Cracked me up.

[agitator]

this column is soon to become the "Republican Charred"

[AntiGuv]

Umm Qasr & the al-Faw peninsula are actually a bit south-east of Basra; the Zubayr & Rumaila fields are south-west: