Montreal fans booed the Star-Spangled Banner at a Canadiens-Islanders game.
USAF B-52s have left RAF Fairford in the UK en route to Iraq, suggesting a move away from precision bombing.
Tony Blair has paid tribute to the eight Royal Marines killed in the helicopter crash.
Ananova is reporting the first combat death. A US Marine from 1 MEF was killed during the advance on the Rumeila oilfield.
The French Interior Minister has said that the ricin found in Gare de Lyon was in too minute a quantity to be part of a major terrorist attack. He has also speculated that the find is related to Chechen terrorists, not to Iraqi sympathisers.
Reuters is reporting that the CIA believe that the voice in the Hussein videotape is genuine, although they are uncertain when the tape was made.
The state-run Iraqi News Agency has reported a decree containing rewards payable to Iraqi soldiers for killing Allied troops:[ul][li]Kill an Allied serviceman: 25m dinar (£9,000);[/li][li]Capture an Allied serviceman: 50m dinar (£18,000);[/li][li]Shoot down a fighter aircraft: 100m dinar (£35,500);[/li][li]Shoot down a helicopter: 50m dinar (£17,750);[/li][li]Shoot down a missile: 10m dinar (£3,500);[/li][li]Pilot killed when aircraft/helicopter shot down: 25m dinar (£9,000);[/li]Pilot captured when aircraft/helicopter shot down: 50m dinar (£18,000)[/ul]
The New York Times confirms reports that the British have taken Umm Qasar. Resistance is said to be sporadic and uncoordinated. 250 Iraqis from the 51st Mechanized division have been taken prisoner. The British are saying they will delay the push toward Basra until they “feel they will be welcomed by the residents.”
I can’t seem to load the page. Seemed pretty interesting, could you elaborate a touch?
Yep I see this now too, thanks.
From the linked article:
"The British network broadcast 1 minute and 37 seconds of presidential primping to hundreds of millions of viewers in 200 countries around the world <snip> before Bush’s formal address at 10:15 p.m. <snip> explaining that a technician accidentally flipped a switch that fed the images of a not-ready-for-prime-time Bush – his eyes darting to and fro as a female stylist sprayed, combed and patted down his hair.
A BBC spokeswoman told us that her network promptly realized the video was not for broadcast “but they couldn’t pull away because of technical difficulties.”
Uh huh.
Abcnews -
[ul][li]The UK’s Chief of the Defence Staff, Sir Michael Boyce, has said that American troops, supported by two British battlegroups, have reached the outskirts of Basra. Further unconfirmed reports from Sky News claim that the city centre has fallen to Allied forces.[/li][li]Several UK news sources believe that eleven B-52 that left the UK several hours ago will strike Iraqi targets within the hour.[/li][li]Two Iraqi barges loaded with 68 mines were captured by Allied naval units. In a related development, Royal Navy minesweepers are currently clearing Umm Qasr harbour with a view to enabling humanitarian aid shipments within 48 hours.[/li]Earlier reports of 30 wellheads being alight have been denied. UK officials say only seven are alight, with confusion caused by oil-filled defensive trenches being set on fire by Iraqi troops.[/ul]
Thanks Lieu.
BBC reports another air raid in Baghdad. (The B-52’s mentioned earlier?)
There are conflicting reports of continued reistance in Umm Qasr.
The US 3rd Infantry has engaged an Iraqi force near Nasiriya with artilery and rockets. No details available.
There are unconfirmed reports of US troops on the ground in the oil fields of Kirkuk in the north of the country.
Pentagon says “Shock and Awe” beginning. Networks salivating.
FoxNews warning that some of their video coverage may go down if the military chooses to use e-bombs.
No definitive signs of “Shock and Awe” as of yet…
Shock and awe has started, Bagdad is getting lit up, turn on CNN if you are near a TV.
Just heard “Shock & Awe” has started. (FoxNews)
CNN, MSNBC, Fox News
Cruise missiles are raining down in central Bagdhad. What looked like dozens of explosions happened almost at once. Explosions are continuing as anti-aircraft fire and coalition bombs light up the night sky. Smoke and fire are rising hundreds of feet all across the city in what witnesses describe as “destruction of apocalyptic proportions”. Heavy bombardment has now continued for several minutes without ceasing. As many as two bombs per second are falling. The entire horizon of Baghdad as seen from east of the Euphrates river is on fire.
Big booms, much explosions, palaces burning in Baghdad, about 1pm EST.
Holy shit. SHOCK and AWE, indeed!:eek:
CNN, MSNBC, Fox News
The Pentagon reports that surrenders are “coming as fast as we can handle them”. Gigantic pall of smoke is hanging over Baghdad after a “huge, intense barrage of bombs” rained down for about eight minutes…
A second wave of Shock and Awe in Baghdad has begun. What appears to be 1,000 pound bombs are now exploding in the central city. Reporters say that "no one has ever witnessed a bombardment of such magnitude. The city’s command and control facilities are “in ruins”.