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In the Press This Week:
Operation Iraqi Freedom?
(March 15 2003 - March 22 2003)
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By V&A Editorial Staff
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22/03/2003
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From
The New York Times
“American-led
forces unleashed devastating air attacks on targets in
Baghdad
yesterday and made swift progress in the ground war with only
sporadic resistance. The dramatic televised images of deafening,
earthshaking explosions in the middle of Baghdad, with fireballs and
large clouds of black smoke rising from the debris, brought home the
escalating violence of this conflict in a way not previously seen.
Some excited TV commentators likened the scene to the devastation
caused by the extensive bombing of
Dresden
and other cities during World War II, an analogy that brought a
bristling rebuttal from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who
insisted that the strikes were carefully targeted against military
installations and kept away from civilians. That assertion will be
put to the test when neutral observers on the ground have a chance
to assess the damage. In a very important sense, judgments of the
conduct of this war will turn on the extent to which American
‘smart weapons’ can hit government and military targets while
sparing civilians.”
The
Blitz Over Baghdad
From
The Independent
“Saddam's
main presidential palace, a great rampart of a building 20 storeys
high, simply exploded in front of me a cauldron of fire, a 100ft
sheet of flame and a sound that had my ears singing for an hour
after. The entire, massively buttressed edifice shuddered under the
impact. Then four more cruise missiles came in.
“It
is the heaviest bombing
Baghdad
has suffered in more than 20 years of war. All across the city last
night, massive explosions shook the ground. To my right, the
Ministry of Armaments Procurement a long colonnaded building
looking much like the façade of the Pentagon coughed fire as
five missiles crashed into the concrete.
“In
an operation officially intended to create ‘shock and awe’,
shock was hardly the word for it.”
Minute
after minute the missiles came, with devastating shrieks
From
The Guardian
“US
Marine tanks are involved in a 'major battle' on the western edges
of Iraq's second city Basra, this morning, as allied troops continue
to fight resistance in the key port of Umm Qasr - a day after
Washington claimed the port had been captured.
“Many
buildings were ablaze in the heart of
Baghdad
, sending huge plumes of smoke into the skies.
“The
‘old palace’ compound, part of Saddam Hussein's official seat of
government, was hit by a dozen bombs according to one report…
“‘
Baghdad
was ablaze. There were explosions going off every few seconds’,
said Wing Commander Derek Watson, who led his IX(B) Squadron into
the face of enemy fire…
“One
US official said last night's assault was ordered after US forces
met some resistance earlier in the day, raising concerns that the
Iraqi high command was regaining some control after earlier
disarray.
“
US
defence officials said the point of such intense bombardment of
military and government targets around the country - including
President Saddam's home area around Tikrit - was to convince the
Iraqi military that it would be futile to continue to resist a
ground invasion.”
Battle
rages in Iraq cities
From
The Washington Post
“The
U.S.
military pummeled President Saddam Hussein's main palace and other
government buildings in
Baghdad
with a barrage of airstrikes Friday night and this morning, sending
towering fireballs and mushroom clouds into the sky. As bombs and
missiles crashed into the capital, Army forces sped north more than
100 miles into Iraqi territory while Marines captured the country's
major port, seized nearby oil installations and moved toward
Basra
,
Iraq
's second-largest city.
“The
U.S.-British land and air campaign to destroy Hussein's government
surged to a higher level of violence and a vastly expanded scope on
its second day, with
U.S.
warplanes pounding the northern Iraqi cities of
Mosul
and
Kirkuk
and Hussein's home town of
Tikrit
in addition to carrying out the heavy assault on
Baghdad
. Special Operations troops, meanwhile, swiftly captured two
strategic airfields in far western Iraq, near the border with
Jordan, opening possible jumping-off points for a second line of
attack toward Baghdad and the seat of Hussein's ruling Baath
Party.”
Air
and Land Offensive Gathers Speed
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