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Politics : Stop the War! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Just_Observing who wrote (460)	3/20/2003 3:03:26 AM
From: Just_Observing	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 21614

CRUISE STRIKE ON BAGHDAD Mar 20 2003 40 Cruise missiles fired in bid to kill Iraqi leader after intelligence tip-off FORTY Cruise missiles pounded Baghdad just before dawn today as America launched a surprise attack in an attempt to wipe out Saddam Hussein. Jets roared over the city as air raid sirens blared and yellow and white anti-aircraft tracers raked the sky. One explosion raised a huge fireball in the south of the city. The same target appeared to have been hit three or four times. The terrifying attack was later described by Pentagon sources as a "decapitation attempt to take out the Iraqi leadership." It had been deliberately targeted on Saddam after a tip-off from CIA intelligence sources. One official said: "If he is dead it will save an awful lot of bloodshed." It is believed the decision to carry out the surgical strike was taken after a four-hour meeting just 40 minutes before the deadline for war expired. The Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from ships in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. They have a range of 700 miles and are designed to pierce command bunkers and heavily protected military HQs. Moments after the attack, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters in Washington: "The opening stages of the disarmament of the Iraqi regime have begun." And President Bush went on TV to announce the biggest pre-emptive strike in American history. The action began 90 minutes after the deadline for Saddam to leave Iraq had passed. And it came so suddenly that even British military chiefs were taken by surprise. A British spokesman at the central command post Camp As Sayliyah admitted: "We were not expecting it." Within hours, there were unconfirmed reports that two Iraqi divisions, the 11th and 51st, were preparing to surrender. It was also claimed hundreds of soldiers had heeded warnings from American leafleting campaigns to park their cars in military bases and take cover inside. More than 250,000 British and US troops backed by 1,000 warplanes were already in attack position when the first missiles were fired. At Central Command in the Qatari desert US and UK forces were on full alert as American F18 warplanes patrolled overhead. US Commander General Tommy Franks and his UK equivalent Air Marshal Brian Burridge were in their control room studying satellite images and reconnaissance photos. But a senior military source said it may be some time before a full-scale conflict began. "There will be some people who will be getting over-excited," he added. But we will remain calm." British commanders are expecting a series of precision strikes at specific targets before any massive aerial bombardment. Former US Secretary of defence William Cohen said that there were indications that there were traitors in Saddam's camp, tipping off the allies about his movements. "That would be very worrying for him," he said. As expected, Saddam and his sons Uday and Qusay defied the ultimatum to quit the country by 4am local time (0100 GMT) despite a last-minute offer of asylum from Bahrain. Mr Bush was given the news as he dined with wife Laura. Earlier, he signed off battle orders leaving it up to US commanders when to launch the second Gulf War in 12 years. Tony Blair was told of the American plans to bring forward the start of the war by launching the missile strike. A Downing Street spokesman said: "The Prime Minister was informed shortly after midnight (London time) that attacks on a limited number of command and control targets was being brought forward." "As regards the involvement of British forces, he will set out the position in due course." As well as the Tomahawk cruise missiles, a number of bombs were dropped from F-117A Nighthawk stealth jets, launched from the USS Donald Cook in the Red Sea. Four US cruisers and two submarines fired the Tomahawks. Rear Admiral John Kelly told reporters on the USS Abraham Lincoln: "Of the missiles fired the great majority proceeded to target." Earlier, as sandstorms raged, tanks and soldiers wearing chemical weapon protection suits poured into the demilitarised zone extending six miles into Iraq and three miles into Kuwait. On aircraft carriers and at land bases, pilots prepared for what is expected to be one of the most ferocious bombardments in history. British warships in the Gulf, including the flagship carrier Ark Royal, shut their bars and called off beer rations - a sure sign that the war had begun. A senior British source said: "Last orders are over. It's chucking out time at the last chance saloon." Mr Blair held two crucial rounds of War Cabinet talks with ministers, defence and intelligence chiefs with heavy emphasis on emergency planning in case of terror attacks. As the troops took up position, reports flooded in of "wholesale" desertions from the Iraqi army and the defection of senior figures from Saddam's ruling family circle. Sixteen frightened Iraqi soldiers gave themselves up to US-led forces in northern Kuwait. The US army's Third Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, with 200,000 soldiers and 10,000 tanks is expected to cross the Iraqi border first. One of its company commanders led his troops in a war dance. Then he ordered them to remove US flags from their tanks. He said: "We will be entering Iraq as an army of liberation, not domination." Last-minute laundry was done, rubbish trucked away and letters home hastily scribbled. Catholic priest Father Wayne Haddad, with the US Marines, took Mass from an altar mounted on an empty ammunition crate. He urged the soldiers to pray for their enemies and blessed their vehicles. Aboard Ark Royal, Marines sorted gear for a possible assault of southern Iraq by boat or helicopter. Captain Alan Massey said over the public address: "I know most of you believe there's a job to be done. It's good to get on with it." On the US carrier Abraham Lincoln, 5th Fleet commander Vice Admiral Timothy Keating said: "The plans we have are unlike anything anyone has ever seen before. They are based on breathtaking speed, agility, and persistence.'' Intelligence reports suggested Saddam's 30-year reign was falling apart as his ill-equipped troops vanished in the face of the awesome allied threat. r.wallace@mirror.co.uk mirror.co.uk