CNN
US State Department has lodged an official protest with Russian government over sales of prohibited military equipment to Iraq. Embedded reporter says that 3-7th Cavalry is being assailed with rocket fire. His unit is awaiting air cover. Michael Moore at the Oscars was booed and jeered so loudly that he could barely be heard while giving a speech condemning the war. Bill Hennon reports that one Iraqi missile was launched at Kuwait last night. Kuwaiti Patriot missiles shot it down.
MSNBC
3-7th Cavalry is “within one day’s march” of Baghdad. “Credible sources” say that terrorists, using the war in Iraq as an opportunity, may be targetting Americans in Indonesia. Polls show that support for both President Bush and Prime Minister Blair are growing in their respective countries. Blair now has support from a majority of Brits. Coalition troops have defeated Iraqi troops defending the south central city of Nasiriyah.
Fox News
“Irregular” Iraqi troops, dressed in civilian clothes and driving modified civilian vehicles, have infiltrated into southern Iraq in an attempt to disrupt supply lines to forward coalition forces. A marine regiment has been slowed as it awaits fuel and ammunition. Expert reports that Saddam might not meet the coaltion soldiers head-on, but rather use residential and commercial areas on outskirts of Baghdad to shield the Republican Guard.
Fox News
9 Marines were killed when irregular troops faked a surrender near An Nasiriyah. Iraq says that Apache chopper was shot down by 2 farmers. Greece has expelled the Iraqi ambassador. US Defense department has 30 soldiers in custody who worked at alleged chemical plant near Al Najaf, and are presently interrogating them. The facility is roughly 100 acres, and was shrouded by desert camouflage.
Moderator’s Notes:
Actually, Libertarian is correct in his assertion. This thread is for news, as reported by the mainstream media. At least that’s the condition under which I will allow it to continue. Opinions, such as you have interjected, are unwelcome in this thread. If you have questions, I refer you to the announcement I’ve made at the top of the forum page.
Further, your attitude as displayed in the quoted post above, appears to be confrontational and overly-aggressive. Please take it elsewhere. It, too, is unwelcome in this thread, and, indeed, in this entire forum.
A sincere thanks to UncleBeer and the SDMB staff for allowing this thread.
CNN
In his press conference, General Franks showed reconnaisance images of pre and post hits on targets in Baghdad. The strikes have been so precise that the walls of buildings are still standing while the insides of the buildings have been destroyed. In one before/after image, even the cars in the parking lot next to the building were undisturbed. Franks denied that farmers had shot down the Apache helicopter, and noted that the video showed it to be completely intact. He would not comment on whether the pilots had been rescued. UK Prime Minister Tony Blair will hold a press conference at 10:30 ET.
Ah well. I have better things to do than be labelled as some kind of tedious sock puppet.
Sources I’ve been using:[ul][li][Sky News]: Fox-owned but generally fastest to the draw for breaking news[/li][li][BBC News] : generally reliable, but not as up-to-date as others;[/li][li][Evening Standard] : sacrifices accuracy for speed – fast-breaking but not always reliable;[/li][li][Ananova] : average mix of speed and reliability, not in-depth though;[/li][Reuters] : mix of first-hand stories but not as wide-ranging.[/ul]
CNN
US Predator Drone has taken out an Iraqi anti-aircraft gun. Pentagon reports that specialized bio-chem testing units have been dispatched to undisclosed locations. Early warning systems in Baghdad apparently have been disabled. Polls show that public support for the war “holds”, but that hope for a quick finish “wanes”. Tony Blair says that coalition troops have begun staging 60 miles from Baghdad. The Red Cross is still trying to gain access to prisoners of war held by Iraq.
Fox News
US Marine cavalry has engaged the famed Medina Republican Guard about 60 miles outside Baghdad. A fierce battle is underway. Coalition forces are securing bridges near Nasiriyah. One of the seven oil well fires in southern Iraq has been extinguished. US Infantry is working to mop up dead-enders. First UK combat casuality has been reported.
Salam is back: internet access out for two days
http://dear_raed.blogspot.com/
Reports that bombing has indeed been precise. Also reports that Al-jazeera is showing all sorts of things the free western press is not, not merely the illegal exploitation of POWs.
BBC reports that the city of Basrah is now entirely cut off from Iraqis, so though there are still insurgents there, they will have no more large scale support.
Iraqis still torching oil fields as they abandon their positions. No source has described why they would do this (and though knowledge of Iraq’s history makes it sort of obvious in context, no news source seems to have delved into it)
According the BBC, despite “stark warnings” from the U.S. Turkey seems to be stepping up its deployment, contrary to what seemed to be recently agreed. U.S. troops who were there to potentially set up bases are packing up and leaving to crowds of jeering Turks. Western journalists banned from the area.
BBC is now showing the POW tape (?), though not the KIA section. They report that at least one mother learned about her son’s capture from watching the tape, prior to being notified by the US government.
FoxNews: Franks doesn’t know where the POWs are, and Red Cross has yet to get to them (despite that being Iraq’s responsibility).
Things are heating up with Russians over their sale of weapons to Iraqis. The jamming equipment, in particular, could cause missles to misfire and hit unintended targets.
Gary Tuchman (CNN) at an airbase says that 1000 sorties will be flown Monday into Tuesday. 800 of those are to be in the Baghdad area, primarily Republican Guard positions.
From CBS:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/03/24/earlyshow/main545738.shtml
Seems the U.S. military has been interviewing Iraqi prisoners of war for intelligence reasons, and have found Cipro tablets among their possessions; they’re making much of the idea that Cipro is used to prevent/treat anthrax infection, but having taken it a few times myself for (obviously) non-anthrax related reasons, anyone care to comment on the significance of the Cipro tablets?
BBC British report that the strategy of Iraqi troops is definately to try and draw them into urban, street to street warfare. Basrah is nearly out of water, and thousands of ununiformed people (not clear whether they are Iraqi special forces or not) are seen cheering and pumping machine guns. Humanitarain aid is on its way, but it appears that either the population is not as happy about invasion as previously reported, or Saddam’s special forces have spread out wide into the population.
Our Special forces have been called in to deal with snipers.
They’ve also found gas masks among the equipment of captured soldiers, which might mean that the troops at least believed that poison gases would be used by someone.
Iraqi minster says that more captured POWs will be shown. Since he has previously claimed that our pictures of surrendering soldiers were faked, he can’t reference them as an excuse, and so just inexplicably claims that their showings do adhere to Geneva conventions.
Iraqis apparently expected a sea landing instead of an air landing, and left behind most of their weapons when they fled, as long as detailed maps, and countless documents.
Tariq Aziz says that tapes were indeed Saddam (says using a double at a time like this would be absurd). Says that Iraq will “turn the tide” by dragging out the conflict, and will not “let our troops die in the desert,” hinting at the urban warfare theory. BBC says that the propaganda has downplayed Saddam and urges people to think of this as a war for Iraq, not for Ba’ath. Aziz also claims our videos of POWS bound in the desert are Geneva violations, while their interview of soldiers “sitting on couches” are not, and demands international arbitration (which is a little hard when you wont let the Red Cross get to them).
Sporadic reports coming in of a large explosion in Bahrain, at the US Navy’s 5th Fleet Headquaters.
The first British soldier who was killed was killed during an apparent domestic dispute, which may or may not have been a ruse operation.
Cipro is indeed used to treat all sorts of severe infections, but it would be expensive to deploy it to individual troops for that purpose, and probably not particularly useful (blood loss is what kills soldiers on the field: infections from wounds left untreated that can be treated by Cipro are usually related to things that would require more professional medical care anyway).
Bahrain reports turn out to be a dustbin that exploded for “unexplained reasons.” No one injured, apparently: could have been an overreaction even to report it.
An update on this from Apos:
From CNN
In an interview with the mother herself, she says that her daughter learned of the capture while watching the tape being broadcast on a Philippines network to which she happened to subscribe, and then called the mother to inform her. This was occuring as military personnel were attempting to make contact. A spokeswoman for the Pentagon explained that notification procedures design to assure accuracy and to respect the privacy of families are strictly followed. Rather than broadcast identities over the media as Al Jazeera and others did, they make every attempt to contact the family directly when only when identities and circumstances have been completely verified.
Iraqi TV is working again; in adddition to patriotic video, a talk show with a guy in uniform, a guy in a suit and a woman. The only words I could understand were “Adolph Hitler” and “Aba Eban”.
Republican Guard units defending Baghdad bombed.
Ground troops now within 50 miles of the city.
Bush puts $75 billion as a down payment for the war.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030325/ap_on_re_mi_ea/war_rdp&cid=716&ncid=716
France blasts America. Says, “no country should set itself up as the world’s guardian.”
You should probably read the whole article.
And this next story. It’s glurge, I know, but it’s sweet glurge.
I have heard on the radio (CNN affiliate) as well as Fox News (cable version) that the Iraqi’s have drawn a red line around Baghdad and when the Allied forces cross this line, they will use chemical weapons. I do not know where this info comes from.