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Politics : Let's Talk About the War -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: NickSE who wrote (210)	3/29/2003 4:04:01 PM
From: bela_ghoulashi	Respond to of 486

IRAQI MISSILES 'MIS-FIRED' New intelligence suggests a series of Iraqi missiles have mis-fired and hit residential areas of Baghdad, Downing Street says. The Prime Minister's spokesman said information had been received which indicated Iraq's air defence commander has been sacked due to the poor performance of missile systems in Baghdad. He said: "A large number of surface-to-air missiles have been malfunctioning and many have failed to hit their targets and have fallen back onto Baghdad before exploding. "Civil defence workers have been instructed to remove Iraqi missile fragments which fell on residential areas before journalists arrive on the scene." The Tony Blair's spokesman stopped short of saying Iraq was responsible for the explosions which killed around 65 civilians in two Baghdad markets this week, but said the intelligence gave fresh reason for "scepticism" over Saddam's claims that the Coalition was to blame for the blasts. "There is still no evidence that Coalition missiles were responsible for what happened on Wednesday (the first marketplace bombing) and we're still investigating what happened last night (the other marketplace bombing)," the spokesman said. He added that the utmost care was taken by Coalition forces to target only military installations and Saddam's command and control facilities, in order to keep civilian casualties to a minimum. There was no question of either market being a target, he said. Earlier this week Senior US commander Brigadier General Vince Brooks said he was "certain" that missiles fired from American warplanes at the time of the first market blast had hit their intended targets. Tony Blair was given an intelligence briefing on Saturday morning on the sacking of Saddam's cousin Musahim Saab al-Tikriti as commander of Iraq's air defence force. He was replaced by General Shahin Yasin Muhammad al-Tikriti, said Mr Blair's spokesman, who refused to divulge how the information had emerged. There is no official word in Baghdad of the change of responsibilities. If true, it would reverse a switch made only a few months ago when Musahim replaced Shahin, who was believed at the time. sky.com

To: NickSE who wrote (210)	3/30/2003 4:38:06 PM
From: NickSE	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 486

Missile base seized by SAS timesonline.co.uk SAS troopers have seized a missile base and two key airfields, killing or capturing hundreds of Iraqi soldiers, some in hand-to-hand combat, according to well-placed military sources. The raids, mounted jointly with the Australian SAS, are among the biggest in the regiment’s history. They are helping the coalition to secure the “western front” — the area between Baghdad and the Jordanian border. The troops, using Land Rovers in which they can operate for weeks at a time, had identified the missile base from satellite imagery. After digging into the desert, an Australian SAS unit watched the base, 200 miles west of Baghdad. The soldiers observed Iraqi troop patrols for days before calling in airstrikes followed by about 30 British troopers just before dawn on Wednesday. As the bombs hit the base, the SAS men, wearing night-vision goggles and using thermal-imaging equipment, moved in. Using grenades and heavy machineguns, they killed or captured most of the Iraqis. There were no British or Australian casualties. When the base was secure, specialists were flown in by helicopter to search for evidence of weapons of mass destruction. They found what one commander described as the “necessary infrastructure” — specialised cranes, missile launchers, fuel tanks and storage systems — but no chemicals. A senior coalition commander said the missiles were probably being kept on transporters. The SAS has been given much the same role it had in the 1991 Gulf war: neutralising Iraq’s ability to launch missiles and seizing strategic targets that the coalition wants to capture intact. It is understood the elite regiment has already been involved in dozens of raids and battles. The biggest, an assault on the airbases near Jordan known as H2 and H3, was mounted within 48 hours of war breaking out and was undertaken by 150 men from three British SAS Sabre squadrons and 100 Australian SAS troopers. According to senior SAS sources, the squadrons attacked by driving their Land Rovers in formation towards the first base. Teams to the right and left flank of the main assault force provided covering fire. The firepower of the Land Rovers is immense: each is mounted with a 50mm machinegun, with each unit of troopers carrying at least one 40mm grenade launcher. Each soldier has a machinegun with night sights and an automatic pistol as well as fighting knives for hand-to-hand combat. Travelling at high speed, dozens of Land Rovers entered the first airbase before splitting up to storm the control tower, offices, watch towers and hangars. Buildings were cleared using a well- rehearsed routine of throwing stun grenades followed by room-by-room searches. Hand-to-hand fighting broke out as Iraqis were dragged from the buildings. Within hours the mission was completed, hundreds of Iraqis had been captured and the SAS called for support from the Royal Marines and US Rangers, who secured the airfield. It is now being used by the coalition for refuelling planes. The second airbase fell without the need for the same scale of assault. On long-range operations, SAS units are transported with their Land Rovers by Chinook helicopters. The vehicles have high-tech communication systems and full biochemical protection kits. On raids the men usually hide their Land Rovers and walk, often for hours, to set up observation points near the targets. “What really sets these guys apart is that they’re incredibly self-contained,” said the military source. “They work independently, reporting back to base only occasionally. They’re trained to operate in the harshest desert conditions. They carry food, water and petrol and they can fix any part of the vehicle.” The skills have been honed during extensive training in Oman and the Australian outback. Some SAS men speak Arabic and can negotiate with Iraqi civilians. A second SAS squadron has moved on from the western desert on a “reconnaissance and intelligence” mission in the Baghdad region, where more than 50 men are understood to be gathering intelligence and directing airstrikes on Republican Guard positions which form a crescent some 50 miles south and west of Baghdad. Some units are also thought to be monitoring routes into the city, in case senior Iraqi military and political figures attempt to flee the country. “If (any of these people) come into their area and are seen, they will report it,” said an SAS source. “If they are judged to be a legal and legitimate target then a unit may get a direction to take action against them.” A third squadron is understood to have travelled from its base in Jordan to team up with Special Boat Squadron (SBS) units fighting to secure Basra. A British special forces team yesterday targeted a key Ba’ath party building containing about 200 paramilitary fighters which was then destroyed by airstrikes by two F-15 fighter bombers. The SAS forms a small part of a massive special forces contingent in Iraq. The SBS also led the attack on the southern al-Faw peninsula. American special forces are responsible for co-ordinating Kurdish factions in the north.