NEAR BAGHDAD, Iraq (April 5) - Substantial numbers of coalition troops were near the center of Baghdad on Saturday and had no plans to pull back, a U.S. Central Command spokesman said.
``As of this morning, coalition forces are actually in the city of Baghdad,'' said Navy Capt. Frank Thorp. ``As we moved into the city, we saw sporadic fighting, we've actually moved through the Republican Guard divisions to pretty much the center of the city.''
``We have substantial forces now moving into the city,'' he said.
Asked if the U.S. Army's V Corps were on a probing mission, Thorp said, ``they're not coming out.''
``We're not softening them up,'' Lt. Gen. T. Michael Moseley said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from his base in Saudi Arabia. ``We're destroying them.''
``We got bombed last night, and most of our tanks were destroyed,'' said one of the prisoners, speaking through an interpreter. He and the other prisoner had ditched their Guard uniforms for civilian clothes.
Between Kut and Baghdad, Marines reported that about 2,500 Republican Guards had surrendered. |
