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Iraq slows down US march to Baghdad
Southern Iraq, Mar 24: Fresh bombardment rattled Baghdad early Monday as American and British troops tried to slash through resistance by Iraqi troops who fired rockets and anti-aircraft guns to defend the holy city of Najaf, south of Baghdad.
Southern Iraq, Mar 24: Fresh bombardment rattled Baghdad early Monday as American and British troops tried to slash through resistance by Iraqi troops who fired rockets and anti-aircraft guns to defend the holy city of Najaf, south of Baghdad.
Allied casualties mounted as two British soldiers were reported missing Monday after vehicles they were travelling in were attacked in southern Iraq, British defence officials said. The attack took place on Sunday but no details were disclosed.
Twelve US soldiers were missing and presumed captured by Iraqis in an ambush on an army supply convoy at An Nasiriyah, Central Command said.
Lt. Gen. John Abizaid of US Central Command said a fake surrender near An Nasiriyah, a crossing point over the Euphrates River northwest of Basra, set off the "sharpest engagement of the war thus far."
"We, of course, will be much more cautious in the way that we view the battlefield as a result of some of these incidents," Abizaid said. The march to Baghdad also left as many as nine Marines dead in the fighting near An Nasiriyah, a southern city far from the forward positions of the allied force. A dozen US soldiers were also taken prisoner in the area.
Early Monday, a convoy of hundreds of vehicles backed up along the road leading to a pontoon bridge over the Euphrates. Tanks, tow missiles and armored personnel carriers snaked forward in the huge traffic jam clogging the road.
Although US leaders declared the invasion on target despite the bloody setbacks on the third day of the campaign, any expectation that Iraqi defenders would simply fold was gone.
"Clearly they are not a beaten force," said Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "This is going to get a lot harder." As the resistance stiffened, the allied forces moved to increase the pounding of Baghdad. The capital city of 5 million people was hit with what appeared to be its strongest airstrikes since Friday. One large explosion shook a Ministry of Planning building within the Old Palace, a presidential compound hit in earlier attacks.
Iraqi Defence Minister Lt. Gen. Sultan Hashim Ahmed on Sunday expressed confidence his troops can hold the capital. "If they want to take Baghdad they will have to pay a heavy price," he said. Bureau Report
Twelve US soldiers were missing and presumed captured by Iraqis in an ambush on an army supply convoy at An Nasiriyah, Central Command said.
Lt. Gen. John Abizaid of US Central Command said a fake surrender near An Nasiriyah, a crossing point over the Euphrates River northwest of Basra, set off the "sharpest engagement of the war thus far."
"We, of course, will be much more cautious in the way that we view the battlefield as a result of some of these incidents," Abizaid said. The march to Baghdad also left as many as nine Marines dead in the fighting near An Nasiriyah, a southern city far from the forward positions of the allied force. A dozen US soldiers were also taken prisoner in the area.
Early Monday, a convoy of hundreds of vehicles backed up along the road leading to a pontoon bridge over the Euphrates. Tanks, tow missiles and armored personnel carriers snaked forward in the huge traffic jam clogging the road.
Although US leaders declared the invasion on target despite the bloody setbacks on the third day of the campaign, any expectation that Iraqi defenders would simply fold was gone.
"Clearly they are not a beaten force," said Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "This is going to get a lot harder." As the resistance stiffened, the allied forces moved to increase the pounding of Baghdad. The capital city of 5 million people was hit with what appeared to be its strongest airstrikes since Friday. One large explosion shook a Ministry of Planning building within the Old Palace, a presidential compound hit in earlier attacks.
Iraqi Defence Minister Lt. Gen. Sultan Hashim Ahmed on Sunday expressed confidence his troops can hold the capital. "If they want to take Baghdad they will have to pay a heavy price," he said. Bureau Report