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U.S., British Troops Advance Deep Into Iraq
U.S. and British invasion forces penetrated deep into Iraqi territory on Friday, meeting sporadic resistance on the road to Baghdad where President Saddam Hussein prepared for his last stand. U.S. and British leaders said the campaign to oust Saddam was going according to plan but warned that the real battle still lay ahead. In a day of swift developments:- U.S. Marines captured the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr
- while other troops seized two airfields in the Iraqi desert 140 and 180 miles west of the capital, part of a move to encircle Baghdad.
- British Marines launched an amphibious and aerial assault and secured key oil installations at the head of the Gulf.
- Other British troops headed for the port of Basra which they aimed to capture quickly.
- U.S. special forces reported fighting for the Kirkuk oil fields in northern Iraq.
- One U.S. unit armored division ran into Iraqi resistance that halted it temporarily near Nassiriya on the Euphrates river while it called for backup. The town is a main strategic crossing point over the Euphrates 235 miles southeast of Baghdad.
Reuters correspondent Andrew Gray, traveling with elements of the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, said the unit had come under fire near Nassiriya. He saw U.S. troops return fire with rockets. U.S. officers said they expected soon "to go and join the battle." U.S. Marines also met unexpected resistance when they attacked a key southern Iraqi port earlier in the day. Iraqi ministers vowed to "incinerate" the invaders. Washington appeared to be holding much of its air power in reserve, apparently hoping that Iraqi resistance would collapse as invasion troops neared the capital. Commanders said the next 24 hours would be decisive.
Holding the air support back is going to cost lives. Schwartzkopf understood the combined arms concept. Westmoreland Franks doesn't seem to have it down, or else it's not comprehended at the top, which is more understandable but worse...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-03-21 |
