BREAKING NEWS ONLY

[Glocksman]

Stas Bush:

Red Halfmoon hospital bombed, Reuters says.

The English word is 'Crescent'.
Halfmoon may be a literal translation from German, but that's not the name of the Red Crescent Society in English.

[Oberleutnant]

The GROM is a tough unit. They operated in Haiti and the Balkans with great success. I had no idea they were involved in Iraq as well.

[Sea Skimmer]

Supposedly the USMC has captured a bridge over the Tigris river at Al Kut, and is now fighting in the city. Iraq wants urban combat, but I still don’t see why there not at least partially dropping there bridges.

[Sokar]

Supposedly the USMC has captured a bridge over the Tigris river at Al Kut, and is now fighting in the city. Iraq wants urban combat, but I still don’t see why there not at least partially dropping there bridges.

May not have time, or the orders to blow the bridge dont come in time from the central command. Iraq's Military(much like the rest of the Arab world's) is driven from the top down. Front line commanders may not have the authority to order the bridges blown, and by the time orders are issued, we've already taken the bridge. Although your right that it makes NO tactical sense to not blow the bridges .....

[Beowulf]

2 Iraqi divisions smashed. Way to Baghdad mostly clear.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtm ... ID=2497815

[Vympel]

Army UH-60 BlackHawk shot down. 7 killed, four wounded.

[TrailerParkJawa]

Local radio station (ABC affiliate) is reporting a F-18 was shot down over Iraq. Did not specify if it was a Navy or Marine F-18.

[Master of Ossus]

Local radio station (ABC affiliate) is reporting a F-18 was shot down over Iraq. Did not specify if it was a Navy or Marine F-18.

It was Navy, off the Kittyhawk.

[XPViking]

The Arabic news channel al-Jazeera says it is suspending its reports from Iraq in protest after Baghdad banned two of its correspondents from working there.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2911935.stm


XPViking

[theski]

Us forces 6 miles from Baghdadhttp://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?ty ... ID=2500010

[Enforcer Talen]

4 miles, according to yahoo.

100 miles according to baghdad.

[Darth PhysBod]

Nearly a very ugly scene at Najaf. US troops wanted to move up to the mosque, a large crowd decided they weren't going to let them; "City ok, mosque no". Fortunatly cooler heads prevailed, the clerics calming the crowd down, helped when the US commander ordered his troops to kneel and lower their weapons, then eventually withdrawing.

"Everybody smile!"

[Tsyroc]

My local radio station reported that the USN F/A-18 that was shot down may have been taken out by a Patriot Missile. At least we aren't just shooting down the Brits anymore

Anyone else think the U.S. guys are relying too much on IFF? I've seen IFF not work or only partially work before so if these guys are all twitchy I wouldn't be shocked if they shoot first and ask questions later when they don't get the correct IFF.

Have there actually been any attacks by Iraqi aircraft?

[Warspite]

(...)

Only if you count ultralight pilots with AKs or pistols... The Iraqis can't put a plane up without AWACs detecting them.
The Patriot batteries must twitchy, and most of these FF can probably be due to faulty IFF's.
Anybody knows the SOP for Patriot batteries?

[Oberleutnant]

Have there actually been any attacks by Iraqi aircraft?

No, none whatsoever. All Iraqi planes have been staying on the ground, hidden somewhere. There has been some footage of Coalition aircraft attacking couple Iraqi planes that were parked on an airfield somewhere, but it has been suggested that they may have been only mock-up planes.

[Ted]

Iraqi's took out one half of the bridge, only "3 lanes to Baghdad".

[The Duchess of Zeon]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... 3Apr3.html

Elements of 3ID within a mile and a half of Saddam International according to this article, and the Grand Ayatollah of the Shi'ite faith is now officially on our side.

[Warspite]

YAY! Less civilians and soldiers to worry about.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtm ... ID=2501924

[Dargos]

[/url]http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid=34 ... vement[url]



Land of the Free!!![/url]

[Col. Crackpot]

alleged chemical weapons lab and Al Qaeda fighters found in Northern Iraq

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,83047,00.html

[Coyote]

The Shi'ite religious leader in Najaf, of Ayatollah status, issued a fatwa (religious decree, almost a law) that the Iraqis (especially the Shia'a) should not resist coalition forces and should in fact help them. Supposedly townspeople have begun pointing out minefields and being otherwise cooperative.

It seems the Shia'a, like the Kurds, victims of Saddam, have decided that the US is serious about ousting the Great Hoser if Baghdad and that open friendliness is permissible...

[Stravo]

Allied Forces currently assaulting Sadaam International Airport. Leading elemenst of the 3rd ID are now engaged in a "pitched battle" with "up to elements of four REGULAR Iraqi army divisions." According to Fox News there are some unconfirmed reports that there are many dead both militray and civilian in this battle.

Its on the Fox news ticker and CNN ticker, no links yet and my dad called letting me hear the report from the Fox News on air from work.

[Coyote]

If you're interested, I started a new thread explaining Arab and Islamic history here in the Politics forum. Ask questions and people who know other things shoukld feel free to post them. (ahem, Marina)

[Stravo]

Coalition Forces have taken Sadaam International Airport. Prior reports of heavy casualties may have been exxagerated as images of civilians waving to the tanks and troops as they roll into the airport have been circulated by ABC News.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,83087,00.html

[theski]

Chirac, sends letter of apology to Queen http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2003151453,00.html