WARPLANES ATTACK

sky News ^ | 3/19/03

[areafiftyone]

ritish and American warplanes have attacked artillery units in southern Iraq, the Pentagon has said.

Pentagon sources said ten artillery pieces have been destroyed.

The Pentagon said the artillery units may have had chemical or biological weapons which could be used on US and UK troops on the border with Kuwait, said Sky News correspondent Keith Graves in Washington.

He said: "The Pentagon said warplanes have been and are now in action over southern Iraq."

Graves said the Pentagon had not revealed if the warplanes were American or British. The UK's Ministry of Defence confirmed British RAF planes were used. 

An MoD spokeswoman described the patrols as "standard 'no-fly' zone activity".

"We are targeting systems which are a threat to our forces," the spokeswoman said.

British and US aircraft have been patrolling the northern and southern "no-fly" zones since the end of the last Gulf War.

The patrols have stepped up in recent weeks, targeting Iraqi air defence systems in preparation for the expected invasion.

Around 250,000 British and American troops are in Kuwait ready to invade Iraq.

There are only a few hours left before the deadline issued to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein runs out.

US President George W Bush told Saddam he must leave Iraq by 1am GMT on Thursday or face war.

Sky's Emma Hurd, in Kuwait with British forces, said there are no signs that troops are launching a ground invasion.

Sky's David Chater, in Baghdad, said there are no signs of the city being attacked.

He said the atmopshere was "very tense" and locals had taken refuge in bomb shelters.

The Iraqi capital - home to up to 6 million people - had been turned into a "ghost town", he said.

"It's a time of fear," he added.

[Travis McGee]

If you are an Iraqi soldier tonight, you REALLY do not want to be within several hundred meters of any artillery piece or military vehicle.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST

[Green]

If we have been constantly attacking targets over the past 12 years in the no-fly zones, I don't understand how on earth there is anything left there to still target.

[The Wizard]

PMS said there wer 18 planes used including 117's

[areafiftyone]

Wow I am at work in my cubie and someone e-mailed me this alert! I was waiting for it to be debunked as a false alarm! Thanks for the Info.

[Allegra]

Gee...wonder why that old Carpenters' song "We've Only Just Begun" is stuck in my head right now?

[EternalVigilance]

The death of any Iraqi who is dumb enough to be near a weapon or a military facility in the next week will without a doubt upgrade the gene pool.

[Capitalism2003]

It begins...

[The PeteMan]

Let's Roll! Finally! Time to finish the business of 1991 and of Sept 11.

[Asclepius]

Is this it, then? Are we at war?

[MindBender26]

Downwind of an RAF Tornado is not a happy place to be.

[HapaxLegamenon]

Beatme to it by two minutes. I am sure the censures will pull my thread.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Its like a handful of orchestra members warming up before the show starts.

[AppyPappy]

It began in 1990. Now we are going to finish it.

[areafiftyone]

WOW!! And now I have to leave work and catch my train! DRAT! I won't know anything for at least 1 hour!! Well Discuss amongst yourselves! ;-)

[rockinonritalin]

Instead of fury and awe, or whatever it was called, do you think we could move slowly on this at first (a few airstrikes here and there) in the hope that the Iraqis will get spooked and take out the Hussein family themselves?

[katnip]

Safe home friend.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

How about if you are on the housekeeping staff at a presidential palace? Good time to put in for a vacation to visit your elderly aunt in Cairo?