Free Republic

The commander of the 186th Battalion of the 123rd Ukrainian Territorial Defense Brigade, Igor Hryba, allegedly committed suicide. The reason was reportedly the retreat of his battalion, which refused to follow orders and abandoned their positions near Vuhledar. This reportedly contributed to the fall of the stronghold, which had been defended for over two years. Ukrainian media are searching for the reasons that led to the fall of the Vuhledar stronghold. This city in the Donetsk region has been fiercely resisting Russian aggression since the start of the full-scale war. Commander suicide. His brigade fled Ukrainian journalist Volodymyr Boiko, serving...

Doubts over America's northern pincer may give Saddam a chance to strengthen his defences By Patrick Cockburn 04 March 2003 The failure of America to persuade Turkey to allow its bases to be used by troops for an attack on Iraq has complicated Washington's plans to open a northern front against Saddam Hussein. The United States had hoped to attack Iraq from the north and south. Now the existence of the northern pincer is in doubt. About 62,000 US soldiers and 310 military aircraft were to be deployed in Turkey, enabling the 4th Infantry Division to push south. The prizes...