I can’t believe two people emissed the perfect chance to use this–>;j smilie.
Hey, wait a sec, two out of fifteen smilies are Jewish-themed? Maybe we are being led by the Zionists and we just don’t know it!!!
From the Beeb “China has called on Washington to halt its operations immediately and continue the search for peace, the state news agency Xinhua said.”
This article reports early reaction from about 12 different countries (little blurbs like above).
CNN reports that CIA Director Tenet told the president that he believed the CIA had identified the location of Saddam. Based on that intelligence, plans were changed at about 4:00 PM ET to delay the Shock and Awe attack, and preface it with selected strikes designed to obstruct communications and response. One or more bunker bombs (bombs that can penetrate concrete and explode at specified depths) were dropped on Baghdad. 6 navy vessels launched Tomahawk and F-117 attacks against 24 communications, air-fields, and radar sites. 2,500,000 more leaflets were dropped, most of them warning against the use of WMDs.
Meanwhile, Iraq apparently launched a counter-strike against coalition positions in northern Kuwait. A couple of missiles missed their mark by several miles.
Someone on MSNBC just said that “GPS” stands for “Global Proximity Satellite.” I guess the system is there to let you know when you’re about to get hit by a satellite - anywhere in the world. :rolleyes:
As a follow-up to this, the BBC is currently reporting that two missiles were launched at staging areas near Kuwait City. According to the reporter, Kuwaiti officials are claiming neither carried unconventional warheads, and are also claiming one was shot down by a Patriot SAM.
Sirens go off in Kuwait, and the gas masks go on. Kind of weird to have reporters speaking through gas masks. All clear was sounded, gas masks came off. Sounds like they shot down at least two missles. Only conventional warheads though. Sirens just started again, but FoxNews guy says that people are walking around on the streets as normal… except for the gas masks.
Japanese Prime minister officially speaks about his support for the war, offering humanitarian aid and emergency support. Japan’s most well-known resource, pronography, was thankfully not offered.
BBC just announced that Bush has “retired,” I suspect to subtly imply that Bush should step down. Damn you BBC!!! (shakes fist in air like Charlie Heston)
Someone in a gas mask just got ordered into bunkers on FoxNews, but I didn’t catch where he was located. They’ve just broke the news that according to the Pentagon the missles are not Scuds. A small aircraft, a small cropduster Cessna-type plane, is reported to have crashed among or near some Marines.
From the Iraqi blog, apparently the US takeover of the state radio hasn’t happened as reported by the BBC: but english speaking FM has been replaced by Iraqi state radio in Bagdad.
Iraqis say that an oil refinery in the Western area has been blown up, and reporters in Jordan can confirm a large fireball in the distance where it would be.
Oliver North in protective gear is reporting from Kuwait that Patriots have knocked out three Scuds headed towards his Northern base. Civilians, who don’t have any gear, have been evacuated as a precaution.
Plane report is currently unconfirmed.
FoxNews still…
Iraqi military leader on Tv, but he’s not saying much that you can’t imagine on your own. “Little” Bush. Claims that Collin Powell “the villian” claimed that Iraq is the first step in taking over the middle east (sounds more like a bastardization of Cheny), and that Israel cannot destroy Palestine without first taking out Iraq (something I think he ascribed to Kissenger?). Sounds sort of rambling and almost… bored.
Responses of Russia, France, etc. reacted “predictably.” Other countries supporting the war were, apparently, not as predictable.
Iraq has now officially denied that it has Scuds. We’ll see, I guess. Special Ops reported to have started their main missions against unbombable (for fear of contamination) weapons sites.
BBC showing shots of sandbag fortifications, young uniformed and ununiformed guys with guns and a strange series of shots of some blue-suited (miltiary? milkman?) guy in a car with gauze around his leg as if he’s been wounded by something. Not too many cars on the road, but some.
More on the missles: some are saying that they didn’t have the trajectory of a Scud. FoxNews still reporting Scud. The Chinese-made missles, which apparently cannot be shot down due to their low altitude, are the ones which didn’t reach their targets. Still hearing about the plane, but no more information.
Operations in Afghanistan have been underway to flush out Al Queda.
[Full scale chemical alert] - British troops have donned NBC gear after reports that two Iraqi missiles that landed nearby contained chemical warheads.
MSNBC reports that the missiles fired at Kuwait this morning were Scuds — missiles that Saddam told UN inspectors that he does not have. Hundreds of special forces units are on the move deep inside Iraq in search and destroy missions. They have already found Scuds at an airfield called H3 in western Iraq. General preparations are underway in preparation of a ground assault. Centcom says that more Iraqi troops have surrendered.
CNN reports that the official name of the op is “Operation Iraqi Freedom”. The network is flooding its marquee with quotes from Saddam, most of which amount to nyah-nyah type stuff. British official called last night’s strikes “merely a warning” to Iraq.
CNN reports that Iraq is again attacking its own citizens, specifically Kurds in northern Iraq, with artillery and mortar fire. Iraqi Foreign Minister called Bush a war criminal. Special forces and CIA are tracking Saddam and his two sons, Uday and Qusay. White House spokespeople say that last night’s “decapitation strikes” will be followed by massive and overwhelming force sometime within the next 24 to 48 hours.
CSPAN is interviewing Entifadh Qanbar, Director of the Washington Office of the Iraqi National Congress. Qanbar was an officer in the Iraqi army in the 1980s and says that this is a “great day”. He says that he believes that even the elite Republican Guard will offer little if any resistance to coalition forces. “No one wants to die for Saddam,” he says.
Fox News embedded reporter says that his guys have just exchanged fire with Iraqi positions north of the border. He cannot report details, but says that “the good guys won”. There were no coalition casualties. Iraqi casualties are unknown. A small plane, apparently coming from Iraq, has crashed near their position.
BBC reports Saddam is calling this attack a jihad and calling the citizens to rise in defense against the criminal USA.
CNN International reports France denounces the US attacks and expresses “deep concern” over the military operations.
Fox News reports that the US military has comandeered and is transmitting on Iraqi radio. Last night’s precision strikes hit the main bunker where Iraqi leadership meets. Limited raids will continue for up to 3 days. Plane that crashed might have been a drone. An Iraqi anti-ship missile crashed in Kuwait. No injuries are reported. Many reporters are wearing gas masks and bio-chem suits.
CNN is reporting that one of the missles which were fired by Iraq was “green with yellow stripes.” If it weren’t for the gravity of the situation, I’d be laughing uncontrollably.