Republican Guard forces, Iraq's best troops, on the outskirts of Baghdad on Thursday.
Posted on 04/04/2003 4:05:16 AM PST by RJCogburn
The main Iraqi force facing American troops on the outskirts of Baghdad is now the Iraqi Army's Special Republican Guard and internal security units that are charged with defending the interior of the city - all told, a force of about 15,000 to 20,000.
An unknown number of regular Republican Guard and other Iraqi Army soldiers are also believed to have drifted back into the city. But American commanders are not certain whether they are an organized force or are simply troops looking to escape the battlefield. A hodgepodge of Iraqi soldiers are still deployed on the outskirts of the capital, but they have been weakened and will be targets for American warplanes in the days ahead.
The American strategy at this point is to maintain the military momentum and the psychological pressure on Saddam Hussein and his forces. To take on the Iraqis the Americans can be expected to isolate the city and cut off the routes from the capital.
Aerial reconnaissance and probes will be conducted to identify the whereabouts of members of the government and its defenders, intelligence gathering efforts that American commanders hope will be aided by opponents to the Iraqi government.
American light infantry and engineers will carry out thrusts into the city's interior to attack remaining political and military targets, according to Lt. Gen. William S. Wallace, the V Corps commander. American Special Operations forces, which raided several places near Baghdad today, will have an important role.
Air power will be critical, too. The Iraqis are believed to still have considerable antiaircraft artillery in and around the capital. They have been launching surface-to-air missiles, but they have been unguided firings as the Iraqis are afraid that turning on their fire-control radars will invite destruction from the radar-seeking missiles from American warplanes.
The Americans plan to use laser-guided bombs to attack targets inside Baghdad more than satellite-guided JDAM's, according to Air Force officials. American officials believe there is a better prospect of limiting unintentional damage within the capital if soldiers or airmen observe the target area and then guide the bombs to their targets themselves instead of simply punching in satellite coordinates.
The United States also has a large inventory of 500-pound laser-guided bombs. The American JDAM satellite-guided bombs come in 1,000- and 2,000-pound versions, which would create more damage.
At the same time, the United States military has begun an intensive psychological operations campaign, with the capital's population as its target. The message is that Mr. Hussein's government is finished and that the United States has no interest in negotiating with the remaining Iraqi authorities.
The Army and Marines are reinforcing on the outskirts of the capital. American commanders are also rushing to get the Army's Fourth Infantry Division ready so at least some of its forces are available for the Baghdad battle.
That division was redirected to Kuwait after Turkey refused to allow its territory to be used to open a northern front. But American military officials say it is not necessary to wait for the Fourth Division to proceed with its offensive inside the city.
Several factors have propelled American forces to the gates of Baghdad. First, the American air campaign has been relentless. The Medina and Baghdad Divisions of the Republican Guard were major targets for the bombing campaign before Army and Marine forces engaged them.
The American advantage in the air made it difficult for the Iraqi forces to maneuver and also weakened them. American commanders estimate that more than 1,000 of Iraq's 2,500 tanks have been destroyed. Many Iraqi soldiers have deserted or abandoned their equipment.
Second, G.I.'s and marines exploited their success to continue their thrust deep into Iraq before the defenders could react.
Another important factor is that the United States military demonstrated its ability to take casualties and adapt to shifting battlefield conditions.
When American supply lines were attacked by Iraqi paramilitary units, the Army and Marines counterattacked inside Nasiriya, Najaf and other southern cities.
Mr. Hussein hoped to frighten the Americans with the prospect of urban warfare, but in the south the Americans appear to have risen to that challenge. American casualties were not great and fear of them does not appear to have deterred Army and Marine forces from chasing the paramilitary forces out of their urban sanctuaries.
The battle of Baghdad will present new dangers. American officials say an urgent intelligence report on Wednesday that Republican Guard forces had been ordered into the city was based on a misinterpretation about where forces from the Nida Republican Guard Division were being ordered to relocate.
Units from several Republican Guard divisions, like the Hammurabi and Nida, are weakened but still defending positions to the west, north and east of the capital.
But these Iraqi units will be hard pressed in the face of overwhelming American air power. To boost its striking power in central Iraq, the Air Force has taken over the former Iraqi air base at Tallil and it used it to refuel its A-10 tank-buster planes.
Operating inside a vast city of 4.5 million residents could still be difficult, especially since it will constrain the Americans' ability to conduct airstrikes or use its tanks, and will preclude the use of artillery. Still, American planners have been mapping the city, studying its streets and its ethnic composition.
American troops must also still deal with isolated groups of troops they have already bypassed and that might try to attack supply lines: "stay-behinds" in the argot of the Americna military.
The threat of chemical weapons is also still present.
Nobody is saying the war is over. But American commanders seemed more confident than ever. The storming of the airport today was an important military and psychological blow because it had been a well-defended target.
Republican Guard forces, Iraq's best troops, on the outskirts of Baghdad on Thursday.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.