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 Iraqi counterattack under way |
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Iraqi counterattack under way -- HanJian - (516 Byte) 2003-3-26 周三, 下午11:41 (387 reads) |
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作者：Anonymous 在 罕见奇谈 发贴, 来自 http://www.hjclub.org
KARBALA, Iraq (CNN) -- A column of up to 1,000 Iraqi military vehicles was reported moving south Wednesday night toward Najaf, the scene of an earlier battle with U.S. forces, U.S. Army officers told CNN.
The column is believed to be made up of troops from Iraq's elite Republican Guard. The forces were moving from Baghdad at a rate of 18 mph to 36 mph, toward the lead elements of the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division, CNN's Walter Rodgers reports.
Coalition military officials said they expect the Iraqi forces are heading south to try to retake a key Euphrates River bridge, captured by U.S.-led troops after fierce fighting this week.
U.S. commanders were calling in airstrikes to slow the Iraqi advance.
A persistent sandstorm is limiting the coalition's ability to protect its ground troops with helicopters and planes, Rodgers said. Apache helicopters haven't been able to fly for two days. However, the weather conditions have improved enough for some planes to fly close air support if needed, Rodgers said.
At nearly the same time, a column of 70 to 120 Iraqi armored vehicles poured out of the southern city of Basra, heading southeast in what reconnaissance intelligence said appeared to be an offensive charge. Coalition fighter jets were scrambled to intercept them.
Meanwhile, U.S. war planners may have miscalculated the strength and capability of paramilitary fighters in Iraq, a Pentagon official said Wednesday, as the first week of fighting came to an end.
Fighters of the Fedayeen Saddam, one of Iraq's most feared paramilitary groups, along with members of the ruling Baath Party and other security forces, have launched several attacks against U.S. and British forces for a week.
"We may have underestimated that they were dispersed to so many places across Iraq to enforce regime discipline," the Pentagon official said. "It's clear now they dispersed sometime before the war began."
Members of the group have caused problems for coalition forces in some areas, where they have disguised themselves as civilians to ambush troops or pretended to surrender and opened fire -- acts the United States have called "serious violations of the laws of war." (Full story)
The Pentagon is looking seriously at a report that Iraqi soldiers may have shot U.S. soldiers as they were surrendering, sources said Wednesday. Iraqi forces ambushed a supply convoy Sunday, killing seven soldiers and taking five others as prisoners.
Fighting was reported Wednesday in Karbala, Najaf, Nasiriya and Basra -- all cities south of Baghdad. There was no indication of when coalition forces might reach the Iraqi capital.
President Bush said Wednesday that the "military is making good progress" but that the war is far from over in Iraq.
"As they approach Baghdad, our fighting units are facing the most desperate elements of a doomed regime," Bush told troops in a speech at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida -- the home of U.S. Central Command. (Full story)
Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, a CNN analyst and former NATO supreme allied commander, said the scenario of a quick victory is "not going to happen." (Full story)
Iraqi officials said U.S. munitions killed 15 Iraqi civilians Wednesday at a popular market in Baghdad. Following the report from the Iraqi Information Ministry, photographers from international news agencies confirmed seeing an undetermined number of dead and injured people, apparently civilians, and burned vehicles in the capital city. No further information was available.
Before that incident, Iraq had reported 78 civilian deaths since Monday as a result of bombing raids. CNN cannot independently verify Iraq's figures.
U.S. Central Command spokesman Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said it's unclear who is to blame for the deaths but insisted coalition forces "have a very, very deliberate process for targeting" unlike any other in the world. He said the matter would be investigated.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Wednesday he was "increasingly concerned" about civilian casualties in Iraq and urged the warring sides to take "all necessary steps" to protect civilians.
作者：Anonymous 在 罕见奇谈 发贴, 来自 http://www.hjclub.org |
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