Matze
19.03.2003, 22:03
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With coalition warplanes striking Iraqi artillery sites, a military convoy headed toward Iraq, and Iraqi troops already surrendering to U.S. forces, there are clear signs of impending war in the few hours remaining before the U.S. deadline for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his sons to leave Iraq.
About a dozen U.S. and allied warplanes armed with precision-guided bombs Wednesday night struck 10 Iraqi artillery pieces that could have been in range of American troops poised to invade southern Iraq, Pentagon officials told CNN.
U.S. military officials said they had been watching the Iraqi positions for some time, since the artillery pieces could have been in range of U.S. and allied forces once they cross the Iraqi border in an invasion.
Also Wednesday, jets from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln struck Iraqi positions in the far west of Iraq's southern no-fly zone after Iraqi forces fired on allied warplanes.
Military sources told CNN routine strikes in the no-fly zones could continue even as the U.S.-led invasion force waits across the Kuwaiti frontier, since the zones house some targets U.S. forces would like to attack ahead of any invasion.
When Bush's ultimatum expires, around 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, virtually the brightest moon of the month will be hanging over Iraq throughout the night, which is not considered ideal for the U.S. military which "owns the night."
In Kuwait, hundreds of military vehicles have been spotted heading north toward the Iraqi frontier.
Witnesses described a 16-mile (26-kilometer) stretch of road filled with tanks, armored personnel carriers, fuel trucks and other vehicles.
Meanwhile, some Iraqi soldiers may have taken to heart the advice of an American military leaflet campaign as they surrendered Wednesday to U.S. forces
The 17 men are believed to be the first of their countrymen to give up -- a move the U.S. Air Force has been actively encouraging by showering the Iraqi landscape with more than 2 million leaflets in anticipation of a ground war.
Earlier, two New York Times correspondents embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division said 15 Iraqi border guards had crossed over the border into Kuwait and surrendered as some 20,000 American troops moved into the area.
In other developments:
• Pentagon officials said sandstorms in the region could be a problem for U.S. helicopters, which are expected to be a key element of the invasion. They said the Bush administration wants to launch the air campaign and ground assault almost simultaneously. (Full story)
• The king of the Persian Gulf state of Bahrain has offered "safe exile" to Saddam and his close associates, saying he hopes the Iraqi leader "would seriously consider this offer before the onset of war," the government-run Bahrain News Agency said Wednesday. (Full story)
• The Iraqi National Assembly met in "extraordinary session"; legislators backed Saddam and warned the United States that Iraqis would defend their leader. The information minister later said U.S. troops are facing "definite death" if they invade. (Full story)
• Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said that Iraq is fully responsible for the current crisis in the Middle East, the Kuwait News Agency said.
• Bush notified Congress on Wednesday he has made a determination that diplomacy will not work to disarm Saddam -- a condition required under a resolution approved by lawmakers in October authorizing the use of force against Iraq. (Bush's day, text of Bush letter to Congress)
• Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz stood before reporters in Baghdad Wednesday to quiet rumors that he had either been shot or had asked for political asylum. Aziz blamed the rumors on the U.S.-led coalition. He said people should expect more of the same in the days and months ahead. "We would like to warn you against cheap psychological rumors," Aziz said. "Don't believe them." (Full story)
• A Kuwaiti patrol boat fired at an Iraqi dhow overnight, killing at least one person aboard, according to the commander of the USS Constellation battle group. (Full story)
• Kurds in the north of Iraq were fleeing towns and retreating to mountain areas in anticipation of war, while in the southern region dozens of Iraqi dhows were moving through the Straits of Hormuz and out of the Persian Gulf. Baghdad residents have started fleeing the capital. (Mood in Baghdad)
• Turkey's parliament is expected to vote Thursday on the government's request to allow U.S. warplanes to fly over Turkey. But the government will not seek a vote on a U.S. request to use Turkish bases for about 62,000 troops to move against Iraq from the north.
• Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix met with U.N. Security Council member nations to discuss how remaining unresolved issues in Iraq could be settled peacefully. Absent from the meeting were U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio.
• The United States and Britain pledged millions of dollars in humanitarian aid Wednesday to ease the impact of a looming war with Iraq but faced criticism for abandoning diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan estimated the immediate cost of humanitarian aid in the event of war at $123.5 million.
• The lower house of Italy's parliament Wednesday authorized the government to offer the U.S.-led coalition use of Italian air space and military bases in a conflict with Iraq, but the approval does not include allowing departure points for direct attacks. The Senate was to vote later Wednesday night. (Full story)
• Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told Cabinet ministers that the "chance Israel will be hit" during an Iraqi war "is very small, but we have taken all necessary precautions as if we were in genuine danger." (Full story)
CNN Correspondents Ryan Chilcote, John King and Barbara Starr contributed to this report. For latest developments, see CNN.com's Iraq Tracker.
EDITOR'S NOTE: CNN's policy is to not report information that puts operational security at risk.
Quelle: http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/19/sprj.irq.main/index.html
Matze
About a dozen U.S. and allied warplanes armed with precision-guided bombs Wednesday night struck 10 Iraqi artillery pieces that could have been in range of American troops poised to invade southern Iraq, Pentagon officials told CNN.
U.S. military officials said they had been watching the Iraqi positions for some time, since the artillery pieces could have been in range of U.S. and allied forces once they cross the Iraqi border in an invasion.
Also Wednesday, jets from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln struck Iraqi positions in the far west of Iraq's southern no-fly zone after Iraqi forces fired on allied warplanes.
Military sources told CNN routine strikes in the no-fly zones could continue even as the U.S.-led invasion force waits across the Kuwaiti frontier, since the zones house some targets U.S. forces would like to attack ahead of any invasion.
When Bush's ultimatum expires, around 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, virtually the brightest moon of the month will be hanging over Iraq throughout the night, which is not considered ideal for the U.S. military which "owns the night."
In Kuwait, hundreds of military vehicles have been spotted heading north toward the Iraqi frontier.
Witnesses described a 16-mile (26-kilometer) stretch of road filled with tanks, armored personnel carriers, fuel trucks and other vehicles.
Meanwhile, some Iraqi soldiers may have taken to heart the advice of an American military leaflet campaign as they surrendered Wednesday to U.S. forces
The 17 men are believed to be the first of their countrymen to give up -- a move the U.S. Air Force has been actively encouraging by showering the Iraqi landscape with more than 2 million leaflets in anticipation of a ground war.
Earlier, two New York Times correspondents embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division said 15 Iraqi border guards had crossed over the border into Kuwait and surrendered as some 20,000 American troops moved into the area.
In other developments:
• Pentagon officials said sandstorms in the region could be a problem for U.S. helicopters, which are expected to be a key element of the invasion. They said the Bush administration wants to launch the air campaign and ground assault almost simultaneously. (Full story)
• The king of the Persian Gulf state of Bahrain has offered "safe exile" to Saddam and his close associates, saying he hopes the Iraqi leader "would seriously consider this offer before the onset of war," the government-run Bahrain News Agency said Wednesday. (Full story)
• The Iraqi National Assembly met in "extraordinary session"; legislators backed Saddam and warned the United States that Iraqis would defend their leader. The information minister later said U.S. troops are facing "definite death" if they invade. (Full story)
• Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said that Iraq is fully responsible for the current crisis in the Middle East, the Kuwait News Agency said.
• Bush notified Congress on Wednesday he has made a determination that diplomacy will not work to disarm Saddam -- a condition required under a resolution approved by lawmakers in October authorizing the use of force against Iraq. (Bush's day, text of Bush letter to Congress)
• Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz stood before reporters in Baghdad Wednesday to quiet rumors that he had either been shot or had asked for political asylum. Aziz blamed the rumors on the U.S.-led coalition. He said people should expect more of the same in the days and months ahead. "We would like to warn you against cheap psychological rumors," Aziz said. "Don't believe them." (Full story)
• A Kuwaiti patrol boat fired at an Iraqi dhow overnight, killing at least one person aboard, according to the commander of the USS Constellation battle group. (Full story)
• Kurds in the north of Iraq were fleeing towns and retreating to mountain areas in anticipation of war, while in the southern region dozens of Iraqi dhows were moving through the Straits of Hormuz and out of the Persian Gulf. Baghdad residents have started fleeing the capital. (Mood in Baghdad)
• Turkey's parliament is expected to vote Thursday on the government's request to allow U.S. warplanes to fly over Turkey. But the government will not seek a vote on a U.S. request to use Turkish bases for about 62,000 troops to move against Iraq from the north.
• Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix met with U.N. Security Council member nations to discuss how remaining unresolved issues in Iraq could be settled peacefully. Absent from the meeting were U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio.
• The United States and Britain pledged millions of dollars in humanitarian aid Wednesday to ease the impact of a looming war with Iraq but faced criticism for abandoning diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan estimated the immediate cost of humanitarian aid in the event of war at $123.5 million.
• The lower house of Italy's parliament Wednesday authorized the government to offer the U.S.-led coalition use of Italian air space and military bases in a conflict with Iraq, but the approval does not include allowing departure points for direct attacks. The Senate was to vote later Wednesday night. (Full story)
• Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told Cabinet ministers that the "chance Israel will be hit" during an Iraqi war "is very small, but we have taken all necessary precautions as if we were in genuine danger." (Full story)
CNN Correspondents Ryan Chilcote, John King and Barbara Starr contributed to this report. For latest developments, see CNN.com's Iraq Tracker.
EDITOR'S NOTE: CNN's policy is to not report information that puts operational security at risk.
Quelle: http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/19/sprj.irq.main/index.html
Matze