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| Iraq | |
| U.S. Seizes Military Airport in Baghdad | |
| 2003-04-09 | |
| U.S. forces battled the tattered remnants of Iraq's army for control of downtown Baghdad on Tuesday, crushing a Ahem, we need to know more about that. On the city's northern side, Army forces set a Republican Guard barracks ablaze. Warplanes flew their bombing runs unchallenged, and smoke poured out of the Ministry of Planning building in the city's center. ``We are continuing to maintain our ability to conduct operations around and in Baghdad, and remove them from regime control'' said Capt. Frank Thorp, a spokesman at U.S. Central Command. Four days after Americans first penetrated the Baghdad outskirts, the city showed the effects of the war. Civilians roamed the streets with Kalashnikov rifles in hand, uncollected garbage piled up, and there were long lines at the reduced number of gasoline stations still open.
Sounds like they don't have anything with a punch any heavier than an RPG. Two A-10 warplanes were called in to provide air cover, strafing building tops and directing 30 mm rapid cannon fire against the Iraqis. ``They're a beautiful thing,'' said Capt. Philip Wolford, a company commander with the 3rd Infantry Division, as the jets roared overhead. He said at least 50 Iraqis were killed in the attack, and the rest routed. Two U.S. soldiers were reported wounded, one seriously, by snipers on nearby rooftops. Marines combed the site of a Republican Guard junior training facility, and came across 15 bunkers full of rifles, anti-aircraft artillery, missile systems, rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons. ``It's the largest cache of weapons since we crossed the border'' from Kuwait, said Capt. Shaine Grodack. He estimated the cache was big enough to arm a regimental force - a few thousands soldiers. All of which will be blown up shortly. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #3 Missile systems? Since I don't know anything about this, do we have an idea as to which of our *allies* would have provided this? Probably SA-7 "Strela" shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles and some kind of anti-tank missiles. Most was probably provided by the Russians prior to the 1991 war, although some may have come into Baghdad from Syria, along with tons of other military supplies and equipment. Syria has been a major player, working as middleman between France, Russia, and Germany and Saddam Hussein's government. I refuse to say "Iraq" about any of the former actions, since it's pretty obvious that "regime" has been "changed" now. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-04-09 12:35:53 |
| #2 The Marines (I think it was them - if not, 3ID) uncovered a cache of Rolands at Baghdad International Airport night before last. |
| Posted by: Fred 2003-04-09 11:56:00 |
| #1 Missile systems? Since I don't know anything about this, do we have an idea as to which of our *allies* would have provided this? Or did the NorKs or Pakland? |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-04-09 00:59:01 |