It's On...

[cali_tkdbruin]

It's on now, the Iraq War has begun. I know this isn't a political forum, but, I just wanted to say I hope this thing is over very, very quickly without too many casualties. Unfortunately it had to come to this. I'm standing by our sailors, soldiers, airmen, marines and innocent civilians. Take care of yourselves, be safe... :asian:

 

[Bob Hubbard]

May whatever powers that watch over them, do so, and minimize the loss of life on both sides of this conflict, and bring it to a speedy conclusion.

 

[Nightingale]

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
--Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970)

 

[bdparsons]

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Edmund Burke

 

[Jill666]

Well it seems the CIA thought they had a fix on where Sadaam was hanging out, an the initial strikes aimed there. But their information was not correct-

all I thought was "here we go again". Having been over 18 during the Gulf War friends and family were fighting in Kuwait, and I followed that action closely. This time around I hope the same thing we all do, a quick and decisive end with the minimum of casualties.


:yinyang:

 

[jfarnsworth]

Hopefully this thing does move swiftly with the least amount of casualties as possible. I'm sure the u.s. & british troops have been trained very well to come back safetly. :asian:

 

[Seig]

As a vet during the last period of conflict n Iraq, all I can say is I hope they find the bastard and.......this is a family forum........:flammad:

 

[Bob Hubbard]

• U.S. 7th Cavalry rolling unopposed through southern Iraq after skirmish crossing the border
• Crash of CH-46 chopper kills 16 British, U.S. troops
• 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, British troops cross border after intense artillery barrage
• "Shock and awe" phase of war on hold while state of Iraqi leadership assessed after initial airstrikes

 

[Bob Hubbard]

• U.S., British troops seize strategically important H-2, H-3 airfields in western Iraq, senior U.S. military official says
• Official also says strategic oil fields near Basra taken, hundreds of Iraqis taken prisoner
• U.S. 7th Cavalry rumbling toward Baghdad unopposed in "wave of steel," U.S. forces inserted in northern Iraq
• First coalition fatality, an American Marine, killed in combat

• Coalition forces have taken control of the strategic Faw Peninsula, according to Lt. Col. Rick Long, spokesman for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. The peninsula includes key oil installations, as well as the port city of Umm Qasr -- Iraq's only outlet to the Gulf. The old port was taken by British troops; U.S Marines seized the new port.

• Retreating Iraqi forces set fire to as many as 30 oil wells among hundreds in southern Iraq, British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said Friday. CNN's Diana Muriel, with British troops in southern Iraq, said the thick, black smoke made it difficult to see, and the haze spread south over Kuwait City.

• Australian special forces are now operating inside Iraq, gathering details on Iraqi troop movements and military targets, Australia's defense department said.

 

[karatekid1975]

Originally posted by Seig
As a vet during the last period of conflict n Iraq, all I can say is I hope they find the bastard and.......this is a family forum........:flammad:

I'm with you, dude!

 

[Bob Hubbard]

BATTLES
• A contingent of more than 1,000 Turkish troops began crossing the border into Northern Iraq Friday, CNN Turk television reported. The Turks contend they need troops in northern Iraq to "manage the humanitarian situation" -- partly by keeping Kurdish refugees from crossing over into Turkey.
• Iraq's 51st Division -- an Army unit that was deployed in southern Iraq -- surrendered to U.S. troops, Pentagon officials said Friday. The number of troops in the division was not immediately known, but it is likely in the thousands, perhaps 8,000 to 10,000. Surrender 101
• Videotape shot by Kuwaiti TV crews Friday showed a group of about a dozen Iraqis warmly welcoming U.S. soldiers who briefly took up positions in the Iraqi village of Safwan. "Long live the soldiers!" one cheered.

AIRSTRIKES
• New explosions were heard on the outskirts of Baghdad early Saturday shortly after renewed air raid warnings sounded in the Iraqi capital.
• U.S. forces expect to unleash about 1,500 bombs and missiles across Iraq in the first 24 hours of its "shock and awe" A-Day air strike campaign which began Friday, Pentagon officials told CNN. Full story | 3D Model: F-117 Stealth fighter
• Iraq's Information Minister said airstrikes damaged Baghdad's "Peace Palace," a building used for visiting dignitaries. He said the "Flowers Palace" -- a museum that once was a palace for the king during the days of royal rule -- also was hit.
• Iraqi officials tried to reassure citizens amid waves of U.S.-led airstrikes Friday, broadcasting patriotic appeals and images of President Saddam Hussein despite western speculation that he had been killed in an early attack.

US/Allied CASUALTIES (14 confirmed KIA)
• Two U.S. Marines were killed in action Friday, the first reported U.S. combat casualties in Iraq, according to U.S. military officials.
• Eight British troops and four U.S. troops killed in the crash of a U.S. Marine CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter early Friday in Kuwait.

 

[cali_tkdbruin]

Thanks for the update, no need for me to tune into CNN and Fox News.

The Turks jumping into the fray by crossing the Iraqi border really complicates things for we Americans... :shrug:

 

[Johnathan Napalm]

The US and the British will win this war so fast and decisive that they will be embarrassed!

All those who stood opposed to the US and the UK, will lost clout and credibility. From now on, it is Pax Americana! The French, the German, the Russians, the Chinese, have just put themselves in the back seat.

This proves that America can and will go her own way. And only America's words counts.

So long UN! So long Chirac.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

So far, in the first days of the military campaign, 21 deaths have been confirmed among coalition troops -- 14 Britons and seven Americans.

In addition, four U.S. soldiers were killed Saturday in central Iraq, according to a reporter from Britain's Sky TV who was traveling with them. Journalist Colin Brazier said the four reconnaissance scouts were ambushed while driving Humvee vehicles at the head of a column.

Other developments
• About 35 cargo ships carrying equipment for the U.S. Army's Fourth Infantry Division, originally slated to move into Iraq from northern Turkey, will be moved instead through the Suez Canal and then on to the Persian Gulf and Kuwait, Pentagon officials said Saturday. Turkey did not agree to allow the U.S. to use its territory to attack Iraq, so the Fourth will be part of the follow-on force instead of the original combat force.

• A Tomahawk cruise missile might have missed its Iraqi target, instead landing in southwest Iran, Pentagon officials said Saturday. Military officials are investigating the possibility. Hundreds of cruise missiles were used during the coalition bombing attacks Friday.

• CNN's Nic Robertson, who was expelled from Iraq along with three other CNN staff members, said Friday's punishing aerial campaign seemed to focus on Iraq's presidential palace, across the river from their hotel. He said the explosions appeared limited to governmental areas. The number of direct hits the palace took during the seven-minute barrage was "incredible," Robertson said. Iraqi officials said two major buildings -- the "Peace Palace" and the "Flower Palace" -- were turned "into ruins" and that more than 200 civilians were injured.

• Kurdish forces told CNN's Brent Sadler that over the next seven days, thousands of U.S. airborne troops are expected to fly into northern Iraq from eastern Jordan, bypassing Turkish airspace.

Aviation ordnancemen move JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Ammunition) GPS-guided bombs on the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt on Saturday.

• There are conflicting reports whether Turkish troops have crossed the border into Iraq. The Turks contend they need a buffer zone in northern Iraq to "manage the humanitarian situation" -- partly by keeping Kurdish refugees from crossing over into Turkey. U.S. officials do not want Turkish troops moving into Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Iraq for fear there will be clashes between Turkish and Kurdish troops.

• Four people were shot dead and dozens more were injured Friday as police clashed with demonstrators trying to storm the U.S. Embassy in Yemen, witnesses told CNN, on a second day of worldwide protests against the war in Iraq.

 

[karatekid1975]

To the Brits ..... :asian: :cheers: You guys Rock! Thanks dudes

 

[cali_tkdbruin]

Conflicting reports just coming out say that the four ambused American military scouts may not have been killed, but just wounded. Here's hoping the guys didn't pay the ultimate price with their lives.
If anyone knows the latest news please inform us... :asian:

 

[theletch1]

As a vet during the last period of conflict n Iraq, all I can say is I hope they find the bastard and.......this is a family forum........

Was at Camp Lejeune during last one. Do you have the same itch I've been fighting the last several days?

Fair winds and following seas to All coalition troops.

Respectfully,
theletch1:asian:

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Holy ****!
===========
Soldier detained in grenade attack on 101st Airborne
Investigators: Suspect had been cited for insubordination
Saturday, March 22, 2003 Posted: 11:09 PM EST (0409 GMT)

CAMP PENNSYLVANIA, Kuwait (CNN) -- A U.S. soldier has been detained and is being questioned in connection with a grenade and small arms attack early Sunday at an Army camp in northern Kuwait, the U.S. Central Command said.

The attack at Camp Pennsylvania, where soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division are stationed, wounded 13 people -- six of them seriously -- U.S. military officials said. Central Command said the suspect is assigned to the division.

Financial Times correspondent Charles Clover -- who is embedded with the unit -- said he was told by Col. Ben Hodges, a commander of the 1st Brigade, that the soldier lobbed three grenades into the three tents housing commanding officers from the tactical operations center. At least two of the grenades exploded, Hodges told Clover.

Two people were wounded by gunfire, Clover said, the others by fragments.

Central Command said two were treated at the scene, and the 11 others were taken by helicopter to Army combat support hospitals in the region. The Army criminal investigation command is conducting the probe into the incident.

Video obtained by CNN showed the suspect sitting on the ground with his legs in front of him. His head was partially covered by his camouflage jacket, and he appeared to have bloodstains on his leg and his back or arm.

A base spokesman at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where the 101st is based, said news of the incident upset families at the base was a blow to morale.

Military criminal investigators said the suspect was recently reprimanded for insubordination and was told he would stay behind when his unit left camp for Iraq, according to Time magazine correspondent Jim Lacey, who is accompanying the unit.

Lacey said he was told by a military commander that the soldier lobbed three grenades into the operations center and yelled, "You're under attack!" A major told Lacey he saw a grenade roll by him before an explosion.

Lacey, who was in a tent about 20 yards from the blast, helped move two of the wounded to an ambulance. "The carnage inside those tents was pretty severe," he said.

Lacey said a "full company" of soldiers was guarding the camp's perimeter before the blast, but there had been traffic in and out, including "trucks, buses, and contractors. It's not a foolproof system."

About 2,100 soldiers are encamped at the post. Lacey said soldiers were assembled and deployed around the compound after the blast.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

WAR UPDATE BATTLEFIELD


BATTLES
• A U.S. soldier has been detained in connection with a grenade and small arms attack early Sunday at an Army camp in northern Kuwait, the U.S. Central Command said. The attack at a camp for the 101st Airborne Division wounded 13 people, U.S. military officials said. Military criminal investigators say the soldier detained was recently reprimanded for insubordination, Time Magazine's Jim Lacey said.
• U.S.-led coalition troops have advanced more than 150 miles into Iraqi territory and have crossed the Euphrates River using existing bridges, the Pentagon said Saturday.
• Tukish military officials denied Saturday sending Turkish troops into Northern Iraq. Late Friday, CNN Turk reported seeing more than 1,000 Turkish troops crossing the border.

AIRSTRIKES
• Heavy U.S. airstrikes continued around Iraq Sunday with both manned and unmanned aircraft, according to a Pentagon official. Air Force and Navy aircraft Saturday flew 1,500 sorties, 800 of those actual air strikes.
• The northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, major oil-producing centers, were the target of bombing for the third night in a row Saturday night. More explosions were heard in Baghdad early Sunday.
• An Iraqi missile was fired at a U.S. Army base in northern Kuwait early Sunday but was destroyed in the air by two U.S. Patriot missiles, commanders at the base said.
• Three Tomahawk missiles fired by the United States might have missed their intended target, possibly landing in southwestern Iran, state department officials said Saturday. The State Department is trying to hold off a potential diplomatic crisis with Iran, sending messages through a Swiss intermediary.
• Thousands of U.S. airborne troops are expected to fly into northern Iraq from eastern Jordan, bypassing Turkish airspace, Kurdish sources tell CNN.


CASUALTIES
• Six British crewmembers and one American died when two U.K. Navy Sea King helicopters collided over the Persian Gulf, U.K. officials said Saturday.
• Iraqi officials reported Saturday that 207 civilians had been injured in air strikes on Baghdad.
• An Australian cameraman and three Kurdish soldiers died Saturday when a bomber blew up his taxi at a checkpoint in northern Iraq, a Time Magazine reporter said.
• At least 14 British and seven American military personnel have died as a result of the conflict, according to coalition military sources.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

WAR UPDATE BATTLEFIELD
From CNN.Com

POWs Reported Taken:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A group of fewer than 10 U.S. soldiers have been captured or killed by Iraqi military forces, Pentagon officials said Sunday.

The process of informing the soldiers' families has begun, officials said.

The soldiers, attached to a maintenance unit in south-central Iraq, went astray and were confronted by Iraqi military, officials said.

Some U.S. soldiers were killed, and others were being held as prisoners of war, officials said.

Iraqi television filmed interviews Sunday with what it said were American soldiers captured in southern Iraq.

The Arabic language, Qatar-based news network Al-Jazeera broadcast a tape Sunday of what appear to be U.S. soldiers identifying themselves and their place of origin. At least two of the soldiers interviewed appeared to be wounded; one of the wounded was a woman.

Richard Myers, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, called the soldiers' appearance a violation of the Geneva Convention.

"This is just one more crime by the Iraqi regime," a grim-faced Myers told reporters at the Pentagon shortly after the capture had been confirmed.

The news came as coalition ground forces faced pockets of strong resistance as they drove Sunday through the Iraqi desert toward Baghdad and other strategic targets.

U.S. Marines encountered heavy resistance and have suffered casualties Sunday in fighting near the southeastern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah.

Marines entered the city after Iraqi forces ambushed a U.S. military convoy bringing supplies to coalition forces in the region, according to CNN's Alessio Vinci, who is with the Marines.

Coalition forces had opted Saturday not to try to occupy Nasiriyah in order to speed up their advance to Baghdad.

Several thousand Marines are involved in the operation, according to Vinci.

BATTLES
• U.S. Marines encountered heavy resistance and have suffered casualties Sunday in fighting near the southeastern Iraqi city of Nasiriya. Marines entered the town after Iraqi forces ambushed a U.S. military convoy carrying supplies.
• The U.S. Army 7th Cavalry's 3rd Squadron encountered heavy artillery fire Sunday in south-central Iraq. Earlier, reconnaissance soldiers told CNN that Iraqi forces were using women and children as human shields at key military positions.
• Australian commandos operating deep in Iraq called in allied fighter jets to destroy an Iraqi ballistic missile site, defense and government officials said Sunday. Full story
• U.S. Marines Sunday ended a skirmish with a small pocket of Iraqi forces in the port city of Umm Qasr, calling in an air strike from a Harrier jet and rounding up prisoners of war. Full story
Gallery: Photos of the war | Video: U.S. war report


AIRSTRIKES
• Iraqi crews searched the Tigris River on Sunday, looking for a coalition warplane that crashed in Baghdad, Arab media reported. U.S. and U.K. military sources said they have no reports of downed aircraft.
• A Patriot missile shot down a British Tornado GR4 aircraft with two crewmembers near the Iraq-Kuwait border, U.K. officials said Sunday. Full story
• Iran said Sunday a missile that landed in the western region of Sardasht last week belongs to Iraq -- not the United States, as first suspected. U.S. officials say they are still probing another incident in which three U.S. Tomahawk missiles fired Friday mistakenly landed in southwestern Iran.
• Manned and unmanned coalition planes continued to strike targets around Iraq on Sunday, honing in on Baghdad as well as the oil-rich northern Iraqi cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, a Pentagon official said.


CASUALTIES
• One U.S. soldier was killed and another injured in a vehicle accident Sunday in southern Iraq.
• Jordan's foreign minister said Sunday that airstrikes in Mosul killed four Jordanian students, adding that it is unclear who fired the missiles.
• At least 14 U.K. and 9 U.S. military personnel have died during the conflict, according to coalition military sources. Fewer than 10 soldiers may be unaccounted for in southern Iraq, Gen. Richard Myers said.