Iraqi missile targeted coalition HQ during war

CNN ^ | Thursday, May 29, 2003 Posted: 1:15 PM EDT (1715 GMT) | Henry Schuster

[FourtySeven]

CAMP DOHA, Kuwait (CNN) -- The Iraqi military came within seconds of possibly wiping out the headquarters of the coalition ground forces with a missile on March 27, U.S. military officials said. The missile was intercepted and destroyed by a U.S. Patriot missile shortly before it could have hit its target.

[OXENinFLA]

CNN- "Where we bring you the news when WE think you should know about it."

[alloysteel]

March 27, hunh? Little slow about releasing the story - who caught CNN out on this one? It is clear that they spiked the report, and probably had no intention of reporting it at all, just in case Saddam might have prevailed. Wouldn't want to lose access, you know.

[JRandomFreeper]

was able to plot the location of the Iraqi launch site and two A-10 Thunderbolts already in the Basra area destroyed the missile battery.

Warthogs to the rescue. The lesson for islamofacists is that if you do shoot at us, be prepared to lose your @$$.

/john

[sarasota]

I thought it said that "the material from the crew was embargoed under an agreement with the military until major hostilities in Iraq were over."

[RayBob]

Read the story. It was "embargoed" until the end of major operations under agreement with Coalition Command. In other words, the Military asked CNN not to report how close they came to getting "blowed up, real good" while hostilities were ongoing, lest the Iraqis try to take another shot.

[drjimmy]

Doesn't anybody at FreeRepublic bother to read anymore before shooting off their mouth? From the story: "The material from the crew was embargoed under an agreement with the U.S. military until major hostilities in Iraq were over."

If you have a beef about why it took so long to report this story, bring it up with Rummy. I'm sure that if CNN had reporter this earlier than the U.S. military had wanted them to, some Freepers would have been up in arms that CNN was giving aid and comfort to the enemy.

[Semper Paratus]

But liberals said a missle defense will not work.

[FourtySeven]

But liberals said a missle defense will not work.

Ha! I thought that too when I read this.

[Daus]

Maj. Gen. William Webster, deputy ground forces commander, said he believed the targeting was the result of intelligence gathered by Saddam Hussein's regime.

Somebody should check if the Al Jazeera reporter was present for the briefing that day.

[Blueflag]

From the story ... "The Iraqi military came within seconds of possibly wiping out the headquarters ...

"This was Saddam's decapitation strike," said CNN national security analyst Ken Robinson, part of the CNN crew embedded at ground forces headquarters. "

No. Not really. The Al-Samoud is essentially a SMALLER version of a scud. It would not have WIPED OUT anything except in the immediate area of impact. I doubt the HQ was concentrated into a 100' diameter area. I also doubt the folks there were not at GQ. I'd like to believe there were sandbagged revetments and reinforced walls and shelters etc etc.

Mr. Robinson overstates the damage potential of an Al-Samoud.

This is not really news. interesting, but not 'news'.

[ido_now]

This story is mistaken. Didn't they say that a car blew up outside headquaters in a trash dump. I think it was the gasoline tank which exploded and caused a 300 foot high column of black smoke.

Yes that was it. Unless they attached this car to a rocket which was then shot down by a patriot missle.

Yes, that's what happened.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

They didn't work very well till they were updated with Ageis technology, something Clinton didn't do because of the anti-ballistic treaty with the Soviets.

[cake_crumb]

"The missile was intercepted and destroyed by a U.S. Patriot missile shortly before it could have hit its target."

HEY, that can't be possible!! Scudball Ritter told us that the Patriot system is a total failure...I can't find the exact quote yet, but it was something like the odds of a Patriot taking out another missile were similar to firing one bullet into another and hitting it...

Did he LIE to us?? Why...he's a former UN Weapons inspector!! THEY wouldn't lie, would they?

[Common Tator]

From the story: "The material from the crew was embargoed under an agreement with the U.S. military until major hostilities in Iraq were over."

Major hostilities were over 3 weeks after the war started. They were over a month and a half before CNN released this story.

You write like a person that took lessons on how to be a Dumb A$$ but were too ignorant to pass the course.

[Pearls Before Swine]

I'm glad we intercepted it, but it sounds like it would have been a lucky shot rather than a planned decapitation. Those missiles aren't very accurate.

As I remember, the majority of US casualties in GW1 came from just such a lucky shot by a Scud.

[drjimmy]

Major hostilities were over 3 weeks after the war started. They were over a month and a half before CNN released this story.
With members of the U.S. military currently being killed by the enemy at a rate that seems equal to that during the 3 aforementioned weeks, I'd say major hositilities ain't nearly over yet.

[aristeides]

What's the distance from the launch pad north of Basra to Camp Doha? Does this incident prove that the al-Samoud has a range greater than it was allowed under the '91 truce?

[M Kehoe]

Somebody should check if the Al Jazeera reporter was present for the briefing that day.

Interesting question.

5.56mm

[aristeides]

Somebody should check if the Al Jazeera reporter was present for the briefing that day.

Especially now that we know that the head of Al Jazeera was being paid off by the Iraqis.