It's On...

[Bob Hubbard]

WAR UPDATE BATTLEFIELD


AIRSTRIKES


• U.S. Apache attack helicopters clashed with the 2nd Armored Brigade of the Republican Guard's Medina Division early Monday in an intense firefight that lasted about three hours, CNN's Karl Penhaul reported. The helicopters encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire at Karbala, about 60 miles south of Baghdad. One pilot called the situation a "hornet's nest."
Full Story | Gallery: U.S. helicopters
• U.S. Central Command confirmed Monday that an Apache helicopter is missing after the Karbala firefight. U.S. Gen. Tommy Franks said the Apache's crew is considered "missing in action." Video: Apaches hit 'hornet's nest'
• New explosions jolted Baghdad early Monday. One of the buildings struck was an Iraqi Air Force building. Other targets hit appeared to be buildings struck in previous days. Full Story
• Coalition airstrikes hit the Iraqi oil hub of Kirkuk early Monday, CNN Correspondent Kevin Sites reported.
• Eight Iraqi missiles were launched by Iraqi forces against Kuwait Monday, but none landed in the country, U.S. and Kuwait officials said. Six missiles were destroyed by Patriot missile batteries, U.S. military officials said, while two others landed in southern Iraq.

BATTLES


• Coalition troops are about 60 miles south of Baghdad and could soon encounter a Republican Guard division guarding the city, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told Parliament Monday.
• U.S. Marines battled Iraqi forces Monday to establish control of a north-south route near an Nasiriya. The skirmishes followed a day in which Iraqi forces killed and wounded several Marines in what a senior U.S. officer called "the sharpest engagement of the war thus far."
Full Story | Audio Slide Show: Battle at Nasiriya
Coalition forces are in control of the airport at Basra, Iraq's second largest city, said U.S. Army Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of U.S. Central Command.
• Franks also said that U.S. officials expect Red Cross representatives to visit captured U.S. troops in Iraq "very soon.
• U.S. Marines took control of the regional headquarters of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party in Umm Qasr Sunday night. Full Story
Gallery: Photos of the war | Video: U.S. war report

CASUALTIES


• A British soldier was killed in action Monday near Basra, the first reported British combat death, according to the British Defense Ministry. Coalition deaths in the Iraq war now total more than 38.
Killed in Action: List of U.S. fatalities
• The first wave of wounded U.S. troops arrived Monday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Live television pictures showed the 12 injured troops carried off a C-141 cargo plane by stretcher. Full Story
• Iraqi Information Minister Mohamed Saeed al Sahaf said Monday that at least 62 civilians had been killed and many more wounded in the past 24 hours. The number of civilian deaths could not be independently verified by CNN.

 

[jfarnsworth]

Kaith,
Thanks for all of the updates.:asian:

 

[Jill666]

Yes, thank you & keep 'em coming

:asian:

 

[Bob Hubbard]

No problem. I'm practically living on CNN right now... am trying to post up semi regular updates as things majorly happen. Fastest way of course is to hit CNN directly, though I'm also surfing the BBC, and running 1 arabic news site thru the translator.

Concerning the dead POWs... at least 1 appears to have taken a very close range shot to the head...another looks to have suffered shrapnel wounds to the head under the helmet line. The pictures I saw showed several caucasians in an obvious state of shock.

I didnt linger long...some of the pictures were quite bothering, to say the least.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

WAR UPDATE

AIRSTRIKES
• Coalition forces advanced toward the Iraqi capital Monday, with ground troops moving closer and precision-guided bombs hitting more key targets. Five waves of explosions rocked Baghdad, the most recent coming early Tuesday. Full Story
• Coalition airstrikes hit the Iraqi oil hub of Kirkuk early Monday. Bombings also were reported in Mosul in northern Iraq. Full Story
• Apache helicopters encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire at Karbala, about 60 miles south of Baghdad. One pilot called the situation a "hornet's nest." Full Story |
Video: Apaches hit 'hornet's nest'
• Eight Iraqi missiles were launched against Kuwait Monday, but Patriot missile batteries destroyed six missiles, U.S. military officials said, while two others landed in southern Iraq.
Gallery: Photos of war

BATTLES
• Pentagon officials Monday confirmed that two Apache helicopter pilots were taken prisoner. The Pentagon identified the two, who were shown on video on Abu Dhabi TV, as David S. Williams of Florida and Ronald D. Young of Georgia, both chief warrant officers.
• Pentagon officials lashed out Monday, saying Iraqi troops are falsely indicating their surrender and fighting coalition troops in civilian clothes. Full Story
• The number of U.S. forces in northern Iraq jumped to over 200 and appeared to be growing Monday as U.S. aircraft arrived steadily. Full Story
• Coalition troops are about 60 miles south of Baghdad and could soon encounter a Republican Guard division guarding the city, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told Parliament Monday. Full Story
• U.S. troops battled Iraqi forces early Tuesday outside Nasiriya, home to key Euphrates River bridges. Full Story | Audio Slide Show: Battle at Nasiriya
Gallery: Photos of the war | Video: U.S. war report

CASUALTIES
• A British soldier was killed in action Monday near Basra, the first reported British combat death, according to the British Defense Ministry. Coalition deaths in the Iraq war now total more than 39.
Killed in Action: List of U.S. fatalities
• The first wave of wounded U.S. troops arrived Monday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Full Story
• An Army Reservist who died in a vehicle accident in Iraq was identified Monday. Spc. Brandon S. Tobler, 19, was assigned to the 671st Engineer Brigade.
• A Syrian bus inside Iraq carrying 37 Syrian civilian passengers was hit by a U.S. bomb Monday, killing five and injuring at least 15, Syrian officials said. A Pentagon official said the raid's intended target was a bridge

 

[Master of Blades]

I've been practically living on BBC News 24....its really horrific some of it

 

[Seig]

The sad part is that Saddam is probably getting as much Intel from CNN and MSNBC as he is from his own advisors.

 

[jfarnsworth]

There are some things that should not be made public.

 

[Seig]

Originally posted by jfarnsworth
There are some things that should not be made public.

I agree 100%, but unfortunately, the media of this country has a way of telling the terrorist and other slime ball, dirt bag ********* exactly what our weaknesses are and how to exploit them.

 

[theletch1]

When I was in the service I was attached to 2nd SRIG, any time we wanted to confirm a piece of intelligence we just turned on CNN!!! I was listening to the news while I was on the road last night and a report was coming in from a "non-imbedded" reporter. He began giving his exact location (he was following Marines from 15MEU). The stateside reporter stoped im in mid sentence and reminded him that he shouldn't give too much info as the Iraqis would have access to his report. Overall I've been fairly impressed with the constraint shown by CNN, Fox and the BBC (that we get on the radio here). You know they some pretty gruesome footage but they are not showing it.

 

[Johnathan Napalm]

The BATTLE THAT IS NOT COVERED BY CNN!

(Note: MT's filter filtered out "S hite militial" into *****e militial ! )

Franks command at Doha learned that Saddam Hussein ordered his son Uday Monday, March 24, to send out army and Baath party agents with pockets full of cash on two missions: to stir up a Palestinian-style Intifada against coalition troops among the civilian populations of the towns bypassed by the allies, and to prevent the Americans and British igniting popular uprisings against the Saddam regime.

Franks counteracted by throwing into the arena a secret weapon, a 3,000-man opposition *****e militia organized by Majid al-Khoei, the 34-year old son of Ayatollah Khoei, the legendary spiritual leader of Iraq’s *****es. The militia, trained and funded by the US war command, waited in Qatar for the signal to go into action.

Monday night, March 25, the *****e militiamen reached the southern outskirts of Basra at the same time as Uday Hussein’s agents entered from the north. Trapped between the two foes were elements of the British 7th Armored Division’s “Desert Rats” positioned in the southern and western sections of Basra. By Tuesday morning, Uday’s forces with 50 tanks had evicted the British troops from Basra. By Tuesday night, they were back for the final showdown.

This is the background to the riots and armed clashes sweeping the southern city Tuesday, March 25. It also inspired the fervent hope expressed by US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld at his news briefing that the Basra uprising would succeed.

What makes control of Basra so important for the Baghdad campaign?

DEBKAfile’s military sources reveal that allied generals are banking heavily on a successful *****e uprising against the Saddam regime in Basra under Majid Khoei’s leadership spreading to the *****e holy cities of Najef and Karbala on the route to Baghdad and also infecting the *****e troops serving with the Special Republican Divisions defending the capital. Especially targeted are the *****es of the Iraqi Army’s 2nd Army which is posted in Baghdad.

However, if Uday beats General Franks to the draw and is able to incite the *****es to rise up in support of the Iraqi army, thereby retaining hold of Basra – even for a brief period - the *****e community of at least 12 million will not dare to line up behind Majid Khoei. There will be nothing then to stop the Iraqi guerrilla war against allied supply lines growing into a wholesale paramilitary campaign against the American and British military presence in Iraq.

Much for the forthcoming contest in Baghdad is therefore riding on the outcome of the fight for Basra, in which British troops and *****e militiamen, under cover of American fighter planes and helicopters, are pitted against the paramilitary forces of Uday Hussein, supported by elements of the Iraqi 11th, 51s and 6th Divisions, as well as Saddam’s Fedayeen and the local Baath militia.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Hmm... it shouldnt be filtering out *****. I'll look into it.
(Update - it didnt filter me, so no clue. Try editing the post or send it to me and I'll repost it for ya. Then again, upon counting what is ***ed out and what you indicat it was, there seems to be a discrepency. I think something was spelled diferently.)

===========
WAR UPDATE

BATTLES
• In a move that appeared to be the precursor to opening a northern front, about 1,000 U.S. paratroopers parachuted into a Kurdish-controlled area early Thursday. The paratroopers, from the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade, secured an oilfield for coalition use. Securing the airfield will allow more coalition troops and armor to be brought in, as well as humanitarian supplies. Full Story
• The U.S. military gave conflicting reports over whether Iraqi Republican Guard troops were moving south toward Najaf. CNN Correspondent Walter Rodgers cited sources as saying 1,000 Iraqi armored vehicles left the Baghded area. But a senior defense official said such accounts appeared to be based on inaccurate intelligence. Full Story
• U.S. war planners may have miscalculated the strength and capability of Iraq's paramilitary fighters, one Pentagon official said Wednesday for the first time. One knowledgeable official told CNN that "I think we underestimated" the Saddam Fedayeen, a group of paramilitary fighters said to be loyal to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's son Uday. Full Story
• Coalition forces have moved more than 220 miles into Iraqi territory in six days despite inclement weather, the Pentagon said.


AIRSTRIKES
• British aircraft bombed a column of about 70 Iraqi armored vehicles as it made its way south of Basra toward Umm Qasr, a port city now under coalition control. Coalition officials were not sure whether the column represented a counterattack on the Umm Qasr area or a tactical retreat from Basra. Full Story
• Central Command confirmed precision-guided weapons were used to attack nine missiles and launchers in a residential area of Baghdad. Military officials say they don't know whether any of those weapons went astray, causing civilian casualties in a marketplace as claimed by Iraqis. Full Story
• Coalition jets pounded a ridge outside the northeastern Iraqi city of Chamchamal early Wednesday, destroying an Iraqi command-and-control bunker, next to a road leading to Kirkuk.

CASUALTIES
• Coalition deaths in the Iraq war now total 47.
Killed in Action: List of coalition fatalities
• Iraqi officials say at least 93 civilians have died since the U.S.-led invasion began. Hundreds have been wounded, the Iraqi government said. On Wednesday, Iraqi officials said U.S. munitions killed 15 Iraqi civilians at a popular market in Baghdad. CNN cannot independently verify Iraq's figures.

 

[Johnathan Napalm]

Hhaha. Actually, it filtered out "Sh iite militias", the opposition group that live in Southern Iraq.

 

[Johnathan Napalm]

New Intel:


2,500 Lebanese Hizballah volunteers for Saddam’s army are on their way to Baghdad through Syria in a convoy organized by Syrian Army

DEBKAfile reported earlier that a Syrian bus hit by a US missile was part of the flow of Syrian-sponsored volunteers to Baghdad

Kuwait says its Patriot anti-missile battery shot down one of possible two Iraqi missiles believed Scuds fired at US Ali Salem air base north of Kuwait City Thursday

Battle rages south of Basra second day Thursday as US-British artillery and warplanes pound large Iraqi tank column on way from Basra to Faw Peninsula to recover lost ground. UK spokesman reports 14 Iraqi tanks destroyed.

Southward breakouts of Special Republican Guards from Baghdad area reported Wednesday night and Thursday

DEBKAfile: Fresh movements indicate Saddam has switched tactics - sending elite forces to meet advancing US troops head-on outside Baghdad. Al Medina Division heading towards Najef, Nebuchadnezzar moving towards al Kut

US 101st Airborne steals march, turns up west of Karbala after quiet advance from Kuwait along Iraqi-Saudi frontier.

DEBKAfile: Its mission is to open and secure front line west of Baghdad - first engaging Special Republican Guards Hamourabi Division, crossing Euphrates and taking over Baghdad’s Saddam Hussein International Airport

1000 US paratroops land under cover of dark early Thursday night at Harir airfield northwest of Kurdish town of Irbil. DEBKAfile: Parachutists from 173rd Airborne Brigade based in northern Italy


Large Iraqi column of military vehicles is still moving south towards Najef in central Iraq, scene of earlier battle with US troops in which Iraqis sustained hundreds of losses

 

[brianhunter]

Originally posted by nightingale8472
When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
--Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970)

Did he say that with the needle in his arm or without!?!?

 

[Master of Blades]

Originally posted by brianhunter
Did he say that with the needle in his arm or without!?!?

That was low.......now stop trying to Hi-jack this thread!

 

[brianhunter]

Originally posted by Master of Blades
That was low.......now stop trying to Hi-jack this thread!

hey now I was only hijacking the initial hijacker! if thats possible

 

[Master of Blades]

Originally posted by brianhunter
hey now I was only hijacking the initial hijacker! if thats possible

Okay....last post, your tempting me to just Hi-jack this thread and I been to too many Hi-jackers Anonymous meetings to start now! :shrug:

 

[Bob Hubbard]

ok, points made....

That dot drifting away? thats the topic, lets all hop on it.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

BATTLES


• After braving nearly constant fire for 72 hours, the U.S. Army's 3-7th Cavalry fighting near Najaf got a break Thursday -- reinforcements got a chance to go to the back of the line for a short respite.
• About 1,000 U.S. soldiers parachuted from C-17 transport aircraft into Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. The paratroopers of the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade secured an airfield and an airlift of troops, tanks and equipment for the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division has begun. Full Story | Airborne in the north
• British forces are positioned on the outskirts of Basra but face "stiff opposition" from a mixture of Iraqi forces, Air Marshal Brian Burridge, the commander of British forces in the Gulf, said Thursday. Full Story
• Kurdish forces moved on Thursday onto a ridgeline near Chamchagal that had apparently been abandoned by Iraqi troops, a Kurdish officer said. The Iraqi position had been bombed repeatedly by coalition aircraft over the last several days.
• The Republican Guard have positioned themselves in rings around Baghdad and Saddam Hussein's ancestral home of Tikrit, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said Thursday.
Gallery: War photos | Audio Slide Show: In harm's way

AIRSTRIKES


• A barrage of explosions were heard in Baghdad late Thursday, Dubai-based Al Arabiya TV reported. It was the fourth wave of explosions reported Thursday. Huge plumes of thick, black smoke from an unknown source rose over the city. Full Story
• There will be no cease-fire in Iraq as long as Saddam Hussein remains in power, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Thursday. Full Story
• B-52 bombers struck a convoy of Iraqi military vehicles overnight before they could reach U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division troops in Najaf, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, CNN Correspondent Walter Rodgers reported Thursday. U.S. Air Force air traffic controllers told Rodgers, embedded with the 3rd Infantry, that "wave after wave" of B-52s "pounded" the convoy "almost into oblivion."
Full Story | Soldier details firefight
• Coalition aircraft bombed Iraqi positions at least four times near a Kurdish-controlled area of northern Iraq Thursday, sending up thick columns of smoke.
• At least two Patriot missiles Thursday intercepted an Iraqi missile that was launched toward Kuwait, according to a Kuwaiti military spokesman.


CASUALTIES


• Coalition deaths in the war total 47.
Killed in Action: List of coalition fatalities
• Iraq's health minister said Thursday more than 350 Iraqis have been killed in the war. CNN cannot verify Iraq's claims