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March 19th: Day 1 of US/British Invasion of Iraq

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November, 2003: 257 days ^{(as of 11/30/03)} of US Invasion / Occupation of Iraq

October, 2003: 226 days ^{(as of 10/31/03)} of US Invasion / Occupation of Iraq

10/10/03: From Triumph Has Sprung Murderous Fiasco: Ignoring Iraqis Comes With A Terrible Price --  Patrick Cockburn, ZNet

10/5/03: U.S. / U.K. Troops kill rioters in Baghdad and Basra -- Patrick Cockburn, The Independent

10/1/03: Oil, War and Panic: Don't Tell Me America Would Have Invaded Iraq If Its Chief Export was Beetroot -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

10/1/03: Police Open Fire to Break Up Iraqi Jobless Protest -- Andrew Gray, Reuters

September, 2003: 195 days ^{(as of 9/30/03)} of US Invasion / Occupation of Iraq

August, 2003: 165 days ^{(as of 8/31/03)} of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

8/30/03: Mosque Bombing Biggest Setback for U.S. Since Iraq Invasion  Began --- Tim Harper, Toronto Star

8/30/03: U.S. Resident Feels the Occupation Close-Up -- Cathy Breen in Baghdad, Voices in the Wilderness

8/29/03: 82 Iraqis Killed in Bombing of Mosque:  US Struggles in 'Out of Control' Iraq, Experts Say -- Agence France Presse

8/26/03: Grassroots Democracy in Iraq, American Style -- Medea Benjamin,  CommonDreams.org

8/25/03: In Iraq, Labor Protest is a Crime -- David Bacon, Counterpunch

8/24/03: ‘Over 400 women kidnapped, raped in post-war Iraq’ -- Agence France Presse

8/20/03: Bush's Crumbling Authority in Iraq: Now No One is Safe -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

8/20/03: Terror in Iraq: Aid workers paint image of postwar chaos -- Moni Basu, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

8/19/03: The things that keep us here -- Caoimhe Butterly in Baghdad, Iraq

8/19/03: US Admits Cameraman Was Shot Dead at Close Range -- Justin Huggler, The Independent

8/19/03: Gaza journalists honour fallen Reuters colleague killed by U.S. soldiers -- By Nidal al-Mughrabi, Reuters

8/18/03: 'Why I attacked US troops' -- Ferry Biedermann, Asia Times

8/16/03: US Justice in Iraq:  Hundreds of Civilians in Jail without charge or question -- Jonathon Steele, The Guardian

8/15/03: Iraqi Kids Toil in Dickensian Desperation--Vivienne Walt, San Francisco Chronicle

8/14/03: Shiite Muslim group demands U.S. troops leave Baghdad a day after Americans fired on protesters -- Tarek Al-Issawi, Associated Press

8/13/03: U.S. soldiers fire into thousands of protesting Iraqis, killing 1 -- Tarek Al-Issawi, Associated Press

8/10/03: Firing blindly during a power cut, U.S. soldiers kill a father and three children in their car --  Justin Huggler, The Independent

8/8/03: US occupation forces attack Iraqi journalists -- Jeremy Johnson, World Socialist Website

8/8/03: Carnage at Al Mansur -- Felicity Arbuthnot, CommonDreams.org

8/8/03: Children in Iraq caught in crossfire of gunbattles, kidnappings--David R. Baker, San Francisco Chronicle

8/6/03: Adding Indifference to Injury: At Least 20,000 Civilians Injured in Iraq War -- Hamit Dardagan, John Sloboda and Kay Williams of Iraq Body Count Project for Counterpunch.org

8/6/03: Iraqi Town's Anger Explodes Into Chaotic Revolt -- Anthony Shadid, Washington Post

8/5/03: Officials Confirm Dropping Firebombs on Iraqi Troops, Results are 'remarkably similar' to using napalm  -- James W. Crawley, San Diego Union-Tribune

8/1/03: Iraq Isn't Working -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

8/1/03: Facing resistance -- Graham Usher, Al-Ahram Weekly

7/29/03: Troops Turn Botched Saddam Raid Into A Massacre --  Robert Fisk, The Independent

7/29/03: "We Keep Asking Ourselves Who’s Next" -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

7/28/03: Bloody U.S. Raid in Baghdad Leaves Iraqis Furious; Five Civilians Killed -- Cynthia Johnston, Reuters

7/28/03: 'I Did Not Want to Be a Collaborator' -- Isam al-Khafaji, The Guardian

7/25/03: Guerrilla war in Iraq is out of control -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

7/19/03: U.S. Attacked Iraqi Defenses Starting in 2002 -- Michael R. Gordon, New York Times

May 22, 2003: Day 65 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

5/22/03: Clashes erupt in flashpoint Iraqi town -- BBC News

5/22/03: Surveys pointing to high civilian death toll in Iraq -- Peter Ford, Christian Science Monitor

5/16/03: Coalition 'tortured Iraqi POWs' --  Amnesty International

5/15/03: The truth about Jessica -- John Kampfner, The Guardian

5/14/03: Six Iraqi children killed playing with bomb -- Reuters

5/10/03: Troops die rescuing injured child -- Oliver Burkeman, The Guardian

5/9/03: Pentagon challenged over cluster bomb deaths -- Mark Oliver, The Guardian

5/8/03: WHO warns of Iraq cholera outbreak -- George Wright, The Guardian

5/7/03: How Many Civilians Were Killed by Cluster Bombs? The Pentagon says 1: Iraq Body Count says at least 200 -- IraqBodyCount.org

5/7/03: AUDIO  “At least when Saddam was here there may not have been freedom but there was security: Democracy Now! Producer Sharif Abdel Kouddous reports from streets of Baghdad -- Democracy Now

Eyewitness Reports:

5/6/03: Al-Thawra -- Caoimhe Butterly, Iraq Peace Team

5/6/03: US Troops "Encouraged" Iraqi Looters -- Jonathan Duffy, BBC in Nasiriya

5/6/03: Serious sanitation problems persist in Baghdad -- Report, IRIN

5/5/03: Britain and US accused over cluster bombs -- Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian

May 4, 2003: Day 47 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

5/4/03: A Tank Called "Hostile" -- Christian Peacemaker Teams, Baghdad

Foreign / Alternative Press:

5/4/03: Iraqi rage grows after Fallujah massacre -- Phil Reeves in Fallujah, The Independent

5/4/03: Bloodshed and bullets fuel rising hatred of Americans -- Ed Vulliamy in Fallujah, The Observer

5/4/03: The Real 'Saving of Private Lynch' -- Iraqi Medical Staff Tell a Different Story Than US Military -- Mitch Potter, Toronto Star

U.S. Corporate Press:

5/4/03: Civilian deaths in Baghdad total at least 1,101 -- Matthew Schofield, Nancy A. Youssef and Juan O. Tamayo, Knight Ridder News Service

May 3, 2003: Day 46 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

U.S. Corporate Press:

5/3/03: Baghdad battle 'killed 2,300' -- AP

May 2, 2003: Day 45 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

5/2/03: Iraq situation critical, warn aid agencies -- The Guardian

5/2/03: Iraq and ruin --Neal Ascherson, The Guardian

U.S. Corporate Press:

5/2/03: Iraqi teen shares her diary of war -- Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor

5/2/03: US soldiers to Iraqis: "I ©pork" Iraqi City Simmers With New Attack -- Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Scott Wilson, Washington Post

5/2/03: U.S. troops clash with exile leader's militia Shootout latest in string of problems -- Barbara Slavin and Dave Moniz, USA TODAY

May 1, 2003: Day 44 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

5/1/03: I watched in horror as American troops opened fire on a crowd of 1,000 unarmed people here yesterday.-- Chris Hughes, The Mirror

5/1/03: Mob Fury as US Soldiers Shoot Two Protesters Dead -- Catherine Philp, The London Times

5/1/03: Falluja grenade attack injures US soldiers -- The Guardian

5/1/03: Killings in Al Fallujah, City of Mosques:  Has America Taken on a New Military Culture with New Rules that Allow Us to Kill Civilians at Will? -- Sam Hamod, Counterpunch

5/1/03: We'll "kick you out" or "kill you":  Associated Press Puts Violent Words in Iraqi Protesters' Mouths -- The Memory Hole

April 30, 2003: Day 43 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/30/03: Crowd control, American-style -- Caoimhe Butterly in Baghdad, Iraq Peace Team

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/30/03: US troops 'shoot dead two more Iraqis' -- George Wright, The Guardian

4/30/03: To the US troops it was self-defence. To the Iraqis it was murder -- Jonathan Steele in Falluja, The Guardian

4/30/03: US fired warning shorts that were interpreted as gunfire from Iraqi demonstrators -- CBC AUDIO report (click on "On As It Happens Mitchell Prothero of United Press International describes what happened in Falluja.")

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/30/03: U.S. Soldiers Fire on Iraq Demonstrators Again -- Niko Price, AP

April 29, 2003: Day 42 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/29/03: Iraqi Man Arrested at U.S. Checkpoint -- Scott Kerr and Lisa Martens in Baghdad, Christian Peacemaker Teams

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/30/03: At least 10 dead as US soldiers fire on school protest -- Phil Reeves in Fallujah, Iraq, The Independent

4/29/03: AUDIO  Brutal crackdown on Iraqi protesters by U.S. occupation forces is continuing: U.S. troops kill three more Iraqis in Fallujah bringing the total of the week to 18. We go to Fallujah to speak with an AFP reporter  --  Democracy Now

4/29/03: US troops 'kill 13' after shooting at Iraqi crowd -- The London Times

4/29/03: US troops 'kill 13 Iraqi protesters' -- Sarah Left, The Guardian

4/29/03: Fallujah - A Shooting Too Far? -- Felicity Arbuthnot, CommonDreams

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/29/03: Anger Mounts After U.S. Troops Kill 13 Iraqi Protesters -- Edmund Blair, Reuters

4/29/03: UNICEF Warns on Water in Southern Iraq -- AP

April 28, 2003: Day 41 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/28/03: From a hospital in the al-Shu'la district -- Amany Haroon, MD, Baghdad

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/28/03: After Costly War, Iraqis Quickly Organize:  An Interview With Wade Hudson of The Iraqi Peace Team -- Wade Hudson and Scott Harris, Between The Lines

4/28/03: Real Looting:  In their present mood, there is no sign that either Bush or Blair appreciate the morass they have now entered -- Patrick Cockburn, The Independent

4/28/03: AUDIO  U.S. soldiers strip naked four suspected looters and parade them through the streets: The Norwegian reporter who broke the story joins us from Baghdad -- Democracy Now

4/28/03: Fighting is Over But the Deaths Go On -- Michael Howard, The Guardian

4/28/03: AUDIO  Who really saved private Jessica Lynch? The capture of the American P.O.W. might be one of the most heralded stories of the Iraqi invasion but a British reporter claims the U.S. media got the story all wrong -- Democracy Now

4/28/03: Americans arrest 'mayor' -- Phil Reeves, news.independent.co.uk

4/28/03: Iraqis protest at Baghdad talks -- George Wright, The Guardian

4/28/03: Fury at agriculture post for US businessman -- Heather Stewart, The Guardian

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/28/03: U.S. Forces Come Under Fire in Northern Iraq -- Reuters

4/28/03: Iraqis Target Gen. Franks for War Crimes Trial -- Jeffrey T. Kuhner, Washington Times

April 27, 2003: Day 40 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/27/03: Iraqis vent anger as 12 die in blast in Baghdad bomb -- Peter Beaumont, The Observer

4/27/03: Six die as Baghdad weapons dump is blown up -- Andrew Buncombe in Baghdad, The Independent

4/27/03: Civilian deaths higher since war ended -- Report, Human Rights Watch

4/27/03: Iraqis emulate Palestinians by stoning troops -- Phil Reeves in Baghdad, The Independent

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/27/03: Need help from U.S....Lack of Data Slowing Cluster Bomb Cleanup -- Paul Watson, Los Angeles Times

4/27/03: Militants' Crude Camp Casts Doubt on U.S. Claims -- Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times

4/27/03: U.S. 'Removes' Baghdad Mayor, Catches General -- By Huda Majeed Saleh, Reuters

April 26, 2003: Day 39 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/26/03: Geneva Conventions? American Troops ‘Paraded Naked Thieves’ -- Philip Pank, The London Times

4/26/03: Six killed in Iraq arms dump explosion -- Agence France Presse

4/26/03: What is a journalist’s life worth? -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/26/03: 12 Iraqis killed: Anti-U.S. Protests After Iraqi Arms Dump Carnage, by Nadim Ladki -- Reuters

4/26/03: Distraught Man Says Baghdad Blast Wiped Out Family -- Michael Georgy, Reuters

4/26/03: Marine Discusses Execution-Style Killing -- AP

April 25, 2003: Day 38 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/25/03: Unexploded ordnance killing dozens in north -- Report, IRIN

4/25/03: AUDIO An exclusive look at a U.S. bombing in Iraq that killed three family members in Iraq: Journalist Julia Guest discusses the tragedy she came across while reporting in Iraq -- Democracy Now

4/25/03: Powell defends attack on Baghdad hotel -- Ciar Byrne, The Guardian

4/25/03: Goodbye to Baghdad -- Suzanne Goldenberg, The Guardian

4/25/03: Keep out of town hall, Kut tells US troops -- Jonathan Steele in Kut, The Guardian

4/25/03: Uranium hazard prompts cancer check on troops -- Paul Brown, The Guardian

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/25/03: AUDIO At least 31 Iraqis killed in their sleep:  'Accidental Bombing of Aziziyah' -- National Public Radio

4/25/03: Shattered Iraqi Hospitals Struggle to Recover -- Michael Georgy, Reuters

4/25/03: U.S. deploys sniper teams to thwart pockets of resistance in Iraq -- Ray Quintanilla, Chicago Tribune

April 24, 2003: Day 37 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/24/03: UN relief agencies send more international staff back to Iraq -- Report, United Nations

4/24/03: Pilgrims threaten jihad against American forces -- Kim Sengupta in Karbala, The Independent

4/24/03: Coalition 'must reveal DU targets' -- Alex Kirby, BBC

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/24/03: Millions of Iraqis face hunger if shipments don't resume -- Edward Epstein, San Francisco Chronicle

4/24/03: US Bridles as UN's Kofi Annan Calls It 'Occupying Power' -- Jonathan Fowler, AP

April 23, 2003: Day 36 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/23/03: Americans Accused of Turning Blind Eye to Killings by Kurds -- Kim Sengupta in Kirkuk, The Independent

4/23/03: AUDIO  Precarious situation in Baghdad: report from Kathy Kelly of Voices in the Wilderness who just left Baghdad -- Democracy Now

4/23/03: AUDIO  Mines and unexploded munitions in Iraq continue to maim and kill: Sean Sutton of the Mines Advisory Group speaks from northern Iraq

-- Democracy Now

4/23/03: Photos Of Highway Slaughter At Taji -- "Human Shield" Returns Home With Images Of Carnage, Leo Warren

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/23/03: U.S. Warns Iraqis Against Claiming Authority in Void -- Michael R. Gordon and John Kifner, New York Times

April 22, 2003: Day 35 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/22/03: AUDIO  Robert Fisk discusses looting, the U.S. targeting of journalists, the possibility of civil war in Iraq and why he feels the u.s. will not attack Syria -- Democracy Now

4/22/03: What happened to Iraq's army? Nobody knows how many thousands of Iraqi soldiers were killed -- and the U.S. doesn't seem eager to let reporters find out. -- Ferry Biedermann, Salon

4/22/03: Iraq: Al-Qurnah hospital stripped bare -- Report, IRIN

4/22/03: Suspicion greets US general with a country to rebuild --  Phil Reeves in Baghdad, The Independent

4/22/03: AUDIO  New York Times publishes Pentagon story of anonymous Iraqi scientist's amazing claims, Publisher of Harper's magazine calls the story "the closest thing I've ever seen to American state media" and "a watershed in the history of the paper" -- Democracy Now

4/22/03: Manufacturing the news: New York Times report on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction -- Patrick Martin, World Socialist Website

4/22/03: Chalabi's men shot dead by American Marines -- Phil Reeves in Baghdad, The Independent

April 21, 2003: Day 34 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/21/03: This Is Your Country Now -- Kathy Kelly, Iraq Peace Team

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/21/03: US wants permanent access to military bases in post-war Iraq -- Donald Macintyre in Qatar, The Independent

4/21/03: Dozens of children killed by mines and unexploded bombs every day in Iraq -- Report, Mines Advisory Group

4/21/03: US bars access to oil ministry, power plant -- Habib Battah, Al Jazeera

April 20, 2003: Day 33 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/20/03: A New Kind of Democracy -- Hamsa Mohammed in Baghdad, CommonDreams

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/20/03: Food aid reaches Baghdad, but US blocks relief in north -- Kim Sengupta in Baghdad, The Independent

April 19, 2003: Day 32 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/19/03: How is War Ever Won? -- Haider Hamza in Baghdad, CommonDreams

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/19/03: A Dangerous Groundswell of Resentment is Building Up on the Streets of Baghdad --  Fergal Keane, The Independent

4/19/03: Basra's pivotal issue - water -- Report, IRIN

4/19/03: Democracy Flourishes in the Streets, but with a Warning for Allies -- Phil Reeves, The Independent

4/19/03: "They Did the Destroying. So Why Can't They Get Everything Working Again?" -- Kim Sengupnta, The Independent

4/19/03: Protesters call for 'army of occupation' to quit Iraq -- Kim Sengupta in Baghdad, The Independent

4/19/03: Children Main Victims of Cluster Bombs -- Richard Lloyd Parry, The Times/UK

4/19/03: Why Iraqis talk of occupation, not liberation -- Paul McGeough's, The Age

4/19/03: The looting of Baghdad’s museum and library: US government implicated in planned theft of Iraqi artistic treasures -- Ann Talbot, World Socialist Website

4/19/03: Baghdad's banks stripped as US soldiers stand by -- Phil Reeves in Baghdad, The Independent

4/19/03: Gunfire interrupts first press conference by 'Pentagon's man' -- im Sengupta in Baghdad, The Independent

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/19/03: Pilgrimage of Sorrow: Shiite Faithful Bury Dead--Anthony Shadid, The Washington Post

4/19/03: Photo Slideshow:  Najaf's City of the Dead -- Michael Robinson-Chavez, The Washington Post]

4/19/03: Pentagon Expects Long-Term Access to Four Key Bases in Iraq -- Thom Shanker and Eric Schmitt, New York Times

April 18, 2003: Day 31 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/18/03: AUDIO  Dr. April Hurley, recently back from Baghdad, speaks about Ali Ismaeel Abbas, the badly-burned child amputee wounded in a missile strike on his house -- Democracy Now

4/18/03: Gangs who looted historic treasures had keys to vaults -- Paul Peachey, The Independent

4/18/03: Fighting breaks out over food in Tikrit -- Alexandra Zavis in Mosul, The Independent

4/18/03: Tens of thousands in Baghdad call for end to occupation -- Al Jazeera

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/18/03: U.S. Actions Questioned After Killing, Family in Mosul Angered by Death -- Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post

4/18/03: Antiquities Expert: Some Looting was "Commissioned"--CNN Report

April 17, 2003: Day 30 of US Invasion/Occupation of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/17/03: "Why, why, why?" -- Cathy Breen in Baghdad, Iraq Peace Team

4/17/03: Heavy-handed & Hopeless, The U.S. Military Doesn't Know What It's Doing In Iraq -- Ramzi Kysia in Baghdad, Iraq Peace Team

4/17/03: Barred! US military bans peace team members from Palestine Hotel -- Electronic Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/17/03: The Army of Occupation: Something is Going Terribly Wrong -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

4/17/03: More die as troops open fire on Mosul crowd -- Michael Howard and Rory McCarthy, The Guardian

4/17/03: Occupying powers responsible for grave humanitarian crisis in Iraq --  International Doctors in Baghdad

4/17/03: Raid on Laboratory of 'Dr Germ' Fails to Turn Up the Smoking Gun -- Nicholas Watt, The Guardian

4/17/03: Fear Reigns, As One Detested Militia Replaces Another -- Phil Reeves in Baqubah, The Independent

4/17/03: Scientists Urge Depleted Uranium Clean Up to Protect Civilians -- Paul Brown, The Guardian

4/17/03: Dire situation in hospitals -- Report, Internatioanl Committee of the Red Cross

4/17/03: US blocks charity aid flight -- Matt Weaver, The Guardian

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/17/03: In the Dark Over Power Outage -- Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Washington Post

4/17/03: Many Iraqis Turn Anger Toward the U.S. -- AP

4/17/03: Experts: Looters Had Keys to Iraqi Vaults -- Jocelyn Gecker, Associated Press

April 16, 2003: Day 29 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/16/03: Journey from Baghdad -- Robert Cruikshank on Syrian/Iraqi border, Oxfam International

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/16/03: Embedded Photographer: "I Saw Marines Kill Civilians" -- Michael Guerrin, Le Monde

4/16/03: American soldiers fire on political rally, killing at least 10 civilians -- Patrick Cockburn in northern Iraq, The Independent

4/16/03: Riots greet would-be leader of Mosul, 12 Iraqis killed by US Marines -- Michael Howard in Mosul, The Guardian

4/16/03: At least 7 more Iraqis killed by US forces in Mosul -- Al Jazeera

4/16/03: Tens of Thousands of Iraqis Greet US at Iraqi Meeting: ‘No to Saddam, No to US’ -- Essam Al-Ghalib, Arab News

4/16/03: The Shia of Najaf seethe ominously, fearing the yoke of US occupation -- Phil Reeves in Najaf, The Independent

4/16/03: Nothing left to drink in Basra -- Brian Scudder,  Gulf-news

4/16/03: Contract with Iraq -- Alexander Cockburn, Counterpunch

4/16/03: Pro-Saddam gangs challenge marines' control of Tikrit -- Luke Harding in Tikrit, The Guardian

4/16/03: Baghdad's unexploded bombs -- Peter Ford and Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor

4/16/03: AUDIO  The unexploded bombs of Baghdad:  Christian Science Monitor reporter Scott Peterson reveals how cluster bombs are still killing Iraqis -- Democracy Now

4/16/03: Special analysis: Iraq has fallen. Saddam is deposed. But, after 27 days of war, little else is resolved -- The Independent

4/16/03: Nero in Baghdad: Watching the History of Civilization Burn -- Michael Sells, Counterpunch

4/16/03: So who really did save Private Jessica? Doctor claims that soldiers terrorised unarmed staff -- From Richard Lloyd Parry in al-Nasiriyah, The London Times

4/16/03: AUDIO  U.S. marines raid the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad: We go to the Iraqi capital to speak with a reporter inside the hotel -- Democracy Now

4/16/03: Arab world set to foot the war bill - at least $1 trillion -- Al Jazeera

4/16/03: Day 27: The real targets are still elusive in this land of chaos -- Paul Vallely, The Independent

4/16/03: US neglect casts dark shadow over a city without light or much love for the invaders -- James Meek in Baghdad, The Guardian

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/16/03: Pentagon says it won't tally civilian casualties -- Bradley Graham and Dan Morgan, Washington Post

4/16/03: U.S. Inspectors Find No Forbidden Weapons at Iraqi Arms Plant -- Judith Miller, New York Times

April 15, 2003: Day 28 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/15/03: From Baghdad: Other Hearts -- Kathy Kelly in Baghdad, CommonDreams

4/15/03: Occupation Diary: April 11-15 -- Cathy Breen, Iraq Peace Team

4/15/03: "Dancing Days are Done" -- Kathy Kelly, Iraq Peace Team

4/15/03: "what is most important..." -- Bettejo Passalaqua, Baghdad, Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/15/03: Library Books, Letters and Priceless Documents are Set Ablaze in Final Chapter of the Sacking of Baghdad -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

4/15/03: "Yes to freedom ... Yes to Islam ... No to America, No to Saddam," 20,000 Iraqis Protest US Arranged Meeting -- Agence France Presse

4/15/03: Unexploded Munitions Continue to Maim -- Mohammed Alkhereiji, Arab News War Correspondent

4/15/03: On the plains, Kurds and Arabs clash in the most dangerous flashpoint of all --  Patrick Cockburn in northern Iraq, The Independent

4/15/03: With battles over, a perilous phase begins -- Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian

4/15/03: UN relief agencies report some progress in Iraq but grave health problems persist -- Report, United Nations

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/15/03: Iraqis Say Lynch Raid Faced No Resistance -- Keith B. Richburg, Washington Post

4/15/03: Iraqi Protesters Block Marines in Kut -- Burt Herman, Associated Press

April 14, 2003: Day 27 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/14/03: War Crime: The Invaders Arrive -- Cynthia Banas, Iraq Peace Team

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/14/03: The US has a Lot to Answer For: Mounting Ethnic Violence and Misery -- Patrick Cockburn in Northern, Iraq, The Independent 

4/14/03: Reflections on the Battle of Baghdad -- Wade Hudson in Jordan, CommonDreams

4/14/03: Small successes outweighed: Confusion, looting and tension about Syria overshadow the few achievements of this war -- Brian Whitaker, The Guardian

4/14/03: Three weeks on, and still no water. Now doctors fear an epidemic -- Ewen MacAskill in Basra, The Guardian

4/14/03: Americans defend two untouchable ministries from the hordes of looters -- Robert Fisk in Baghdad, The Independent

4/14/03: US Blamed for Failure to Stop Sacking of Museum --  Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles and David Keys, The Independent

4/14/03: Marines in battle to quell Saddam loyalists in Tikrit -- Phil Reeves in Baghdad, The Independent

4/14/03: Another chaotic day in Baghdad: Crowds besiege the job club as others go looting -- Kim Sengupta in Baghdad, The Independent

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/14/03: In Iraq's north, fears that disorder could spur ethnic strife -- Ilene R. Prusher, Christian Science Monitor

4/14/03: Groups of Kurds Are Driving Arabs From Northern Villages -- C. J. Chivers, New York Times

April 13, 2003: Day 26 of US Invasion of Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/13/03: A Civilisation torn to pieces -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

4/13/03: The Iraqi family: 'What freedom, when we have robberies and murders going on?' -- Kim Sengupta, The Independent

4/13/03: Yarmouk hospital: Corpses were piled in the entrance hall before being buried in the hospital grounds -- Report, International Committee of the Red Cross

4/13/03: 'They came with guns and took everything' -- Kim Sengupta, The Independent

4/13/03: Baghdad, Mosul and Basra suffer the joys of liberation -- Al Jazeera

4/13/03: Anger swells amid anarchy -- Peter Beaumont in Baghdad, The Observer

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/13/03: Strike at Hussein left neighborhood shattered, angry -- Thanassis Cambanis, Boston Globe

4/13/03: War Brings Casualties to Iraqi Village -- Brian Murphy, Associated Press

4/13/03: Mosul Seethes With Anger and Danger -- Paul Watson, Los Angeles Times

4/13/03: Media Watchdog Concerned CNN Had Armed Guard, Reuters

April 12, 2003: Day 25 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/12/03: Where Now, America? -- Ramzi Kysia in Amman Jordan, CommonDreams

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/12/03: Free to do bad things -- Brian Whitaker, The Guardian

4/12/03: The Hell That Once Was a Hospital -- Suzanne Goldenberg in Baghdad, The Guardian

4/12/03: A city in flames. A nation in chaos -- Andrew Buncombe in Baghdad and John Lichfield, The Independent

4/12/03: Voices from the street: 'We saw what US did at the hospital. Where are they now?' -- Interviews by Kim Sengupta, The Independent

4/12/03: Civilians, US tank crew killed in attempt to destroy arms -- Al Jazeera

4/12/03: People of Baghdad guard hospitals from looters -- Andrew Buncombe in Baghdad, The Independent

4/12/03: Flames engulf the symbols of power -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

4/12/03: Frenzy over Ali, but there are thousands of children like him -- Kim Sengupta in Baghdad, The Independent

4/12/03: Children killed as marines fire on vehicle -- The Guardian

4/12/03: Kurds avenge a generation of oppression with the bloodless capture of oil-rich Mosul -- Patrick Cockburn in Mosul, The Independent

4/12/03: Who is to blame for the collapse in morality that followed the 'liberation'? -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

4/12/03: Mosul descends into chaos as even museum is looted -- Luke Harding in Mosul, The Guardian

4/12/03: Counting the cost: 23 days of conflict in numbers -- The Guardian

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/12/03: Looters Ransack Baghdad's Antiquities Museum -- Hassan Hafidh -- Reuters

4/12/03: Baghdad Seeths With Anger Toward U.S. -- Niko Price, Associated Press

April 11, 2003: Day 24 of US Invasion of Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/11/03: Baghdad: the day after -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

4/11/03: "US Forces Encourage Looting" -- Ole Rothenborg, Dagens Nyheter

4/11/03: "Catastrophic" Situation at Baghdad Hospital: ICRC Official -- Agence France Presse

4/11/03: The medical system in Baghdad has virtually collapsed -- Report, International Committee of the Red Cross

4/11/03: UN agencies stress dangers to relief efforts from lawlessness in Iraq -- Report, United Nations

4/11/03: 'We're here to fight the regime, not civilians, but I had to save my men' -- Robert Fisk in Doura, Baghdad, The Independent

4/11/03: Kurdish victory provokes fears of Turkish invasion -- Patrick Cockburn in Kirkuk, The Independent

4/11/03: Kurdish fighters to withdraw from Kirkuk -- Al Jazeera

4/11/03: AUDIO  Kurds pull out of Kirkuk after Turkey Threatened to send in troops: We go to Northern Iraq for a report -- Democracy Now

4/11/03: On the spot: chaos and a US retreat in Mosul -- Catherine Philp in Mosul, The London Times

4/11/03: Volunteers resist US troops in Baghdad -- Al Jazeera

4/11/03: US troops fire on ambulance, two killed -- Al Jazeera

4/11/03: Up to 30,000 Iraqis gather near border with Iran -- Report, UNHCR

4/11/03: Murdered in a mosque: the cleric who went home to act as a peacemaker -- Cahal Milmo, The Independent

4/11/03: US troops kill merchant defending shop against looters -- Agence France Presse

4/11/03: How best to disarm the anti-war movement?  Kill the independent media and convey the illusion that "the War is over" --  Michel Chossudovsky, Centre for Research on Globalisation

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/11/03: A fighter's last words as Kirkuk falls -- Paul McEnroe, Star Tribune

4/11/03: U.S., Kurds Take Mosul; Looting Begins -- Brian Murphy, The Associated Press

April 10, 2003: Day 23 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/10/03: "You're sitting in a dangerous place." -- Kathy Kelly, Iraq Peace Team

4/10/03: There will be No Victors in this War -- Cathy Breen in Baghdad, Iraq Peace Team

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/10/03: Final Proof that War is About the Failure of the Human Spirit -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

4/10/03: A day that began with shellfire ended with a once-oppressed people walking like giants -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

4/10/03: AUDIO  Iraq regime disintegrates as fighting and looting continues in Baghdad: May Ying Welsh reports live from the Iraqi Capitol -- Democracy Now

4/10/03: Bodies litter streets of Baghdad surburb -- Agence France Presse

4/10/03: AUDIO  U.S. occupies an Arab Capitol for the first time in history as Hussein's regime falls: British reporter Andrew Buncombe joins us from Baghdad -- Democracy Now

4/10/03: Turkey sending military observers to Kirkuk - Assoc. Press

4/10/03: AUDIO  Turkey sends military observers into Kirkuk while U.S. prepares to install a new government: a look at what happens after the invasion ends with writer Dilip Hero and Iraqi American Salam al-Rawi -- Democracy Now

4/10/03: Red Cross worker among 13 killed in one incident in Baghdad -- Eleanor Hall, ABC (Australia)

4/10/03: Iraqi Shiite Leader, Aide Assassinated in Najaf -- Mehrdad Balali, Reuters

4/10/03: Disorder and fear rampant in Basra: Power Vacuum Hurting Goal to Win Over Iraqis' Loyalty -- Sudarsan Raghavan. San Jose Mercury News

4/10/03: Lack of security creating serious humanitarian situation -- Joel R. Charny, Refugees International

4/10/03: The toppling of Saddam - an end to 30 years of brutal rule -- Suzanne Goldenberg in Baghdad, The Guardian

4/10/03: US stops short of announcing victory -- Al Jazeera

4/10/03: Nasiriyah citizens claim mistreatment by US Forces -- Al Jazeera

4/10/03: Eyewitness: Baghdad after Saddam -- Rageh Omaar and Paul Wood, BBC

4/10/03: Britain admits there may be no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq -- Ruben Bannerjee, Al Jazeera

4/10/03: Eyewitness: "The marines shot anything they considered a threat" -- Paul Eedle in Baghdad, Financial Times

April 9, 2003: Day 22 of US Invasion of Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/9/03: We Said It Would Be a Nightmare. And Yes, That's Exactly What It Is -- Alexander Cockburn, WorkingForChange.org

4/9/03: AUDIO  Looting breaks out near baghdad as the presence of the Iraqi government diminishes: We talk to AFP reporter Ezzadin Said in the Palestine Hotel -- Democracy Now

4/9/03: AUDIO  U.S. Forces enter Palestine Hotel as signs indicate that Iraq regime has lost power in the Capital: We go to Baghdad for a live report from May Ying Welsh -- Democracy Now

4/9/03: The dogs were yelping. They knew bombs were on the way -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

4/10/03: Descent into a charnel-house hospital hell -- Paul McGeough, Sidney Morning Herald

4/9/03: Surgeons using headache pills instead of anaesthetic -- Cahal Milmo and Andrew Buncombe in Baghdad, The Independent

4/9/03: 'A picture of killing inflicted on a sprawling city - and it grew more unbearable by the minute' -- Suzanne Goldenberg in Baghdad, The Guardian

4/9/03: Bombs Blast Homes Instead of Saddam -- Peter Arnett, The Mirror

4/10/03: Rising toll questions targeting -- Marian Wilkinson, Sidney Morning Herald

4/9/03: Iraq Humanitarian Crisis Verging on Catastrophe: Ill-supplied nation faces 'a huge problem like you have never seen' -- Todd Richissin, Baltimore Sun

4/9/03: AUDIO  US and British forces risk committing war crimes by depriving Iraqi civilians of safe water: A look at humanitarian aid demands in post-invasion Iraq -- Democracy Now

4/9/03: Lack of clean water remains a concern in Umm Qasr -- Report, Integrated Regional Information Networks of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

4/9/03: Baghdad hospitals pushed to the limit, Supply of drugs and water run low -- Owen Bowcott, The Guardian

4/9/03: UNICEF warns of worsening state of Iraqi children -- UNICEF Report

4/9/03: Aid that comes too little, too late -- Burhan Wazir in Basra, The Guardian

4/9/03: Slaughter, guilt, comfort and denial -- Carmen Lawrence, Sidney Morning Herald

4/9/03: Is there some element in the US military that wants to take out journalists? -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

4/9/03: Arab TV reporters still trapped in Baghdad offices -- Middle-East-Online

4/9/03: Three die in attacks on media bases: Journalists 'target' as hotel and Al-Jazeera bombed -- Rory McCarthy in Doha, Jonathan Steele in Amman and Brian Whitaker, The Guardian

4/9/03: Pandemonium at the hotel reporters called home -- Suzanne Goldenberg in Baghdad, The Guardian

April 8, 2003: Day 21 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/8/03: Peace-activists enter besieged Baghdad -- Indymedia

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/8/03: Amid Allied jubilation, a child lies in agony, clothes soaked in blood -- Robert Fisk in Baghdad, The Independent

4/8/03: US warplanes bomb Al Jazeera office in Baghdad, kill journalist -- Al-Jazeera

4/8/03: AUDIO  U.S. Bombs Al Jazeera and Abu Dhabi TV Offices in Baghdad Killing One: We Talkt o Jihad Ballout from Al Jazeera -- Democracy Now

4/8/03: AUDIO  U.S. Forces Shell Palestine Hotel in Baghdad Where Most of the Unembedded International Reporters Were Staying, At least one Journalist if Killed.  We go to Baghdad to Speak with Independent Reporter May Ying Welsh -- Democracy Now

4/8/03: It seemed as if Baghdad would fall within hours. But the day was characterised by crazed normality, high farce and death -- Robert Fisk in Baghdad, The Independent

4/8/03: Lack of fresh water threatens hospitals swamped by casualties -- Owen Bowcott, The Guardian

4/8/03: The American bombs that shattered a middle-class neighborhood vaporized more than houses and people -- Paul McGeough in Baghdad, Sidney Morning Herald

4/8/03: At ease in Saddam's palace -- Suzanne Goldenberg in Baghdad, The Guardian

4/8/03: The Real Face of War -- Maria Tomchick, AlterNet

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/8/03: U.S., Iraqi Forces Trade Heavy Gunfire in Baghdad -- Anthony Shadid and Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Washington Post

April 7, 2003: Day 20 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/7/03: Open letter to all Americans and our "allies" the Brits -- Cynthia Banas, electroniciraq.net

4/7/03: Interview with Neville Watson: Life in Baghdad -- Iraq Peace Team

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/7/03: AUDIO  U.S. Forces Reportedly Enter Saddam Hussein's Palaces after Thousands of Iraqis are Killed:  We go to Baghdad for a Report from May Ying Welsh -- Democracy Now

4/7/03: AUDIO  With the Number of Casualties in Baghdad Soaring, Hospitals are Forces to Stop Counting:  The Internatioanl Red Cross Responds to the Humanitarian Crisis  -- Democracy Now

4/7/03: UN aid agencies paint grim picture of massive relief tasks in Iraq -- United Nations

4/7/03: Allied grip tightens on Baghdad -- Robert Fisk, independent.co.uk

4/7/03: They had cannon, rockets and faith, but next time the US tanks come that won't be enough -- Suzanne Goldenberg, guardian.co.uk

4/7/03: US Pilot Kills 18 in Kurdish Convoy -- Patrick Cockburn, Counterpunch

4/7/03: The twisted language of war that is used to justify the unjustifiable -- Robert Fisk, independent.co.uk

4/7/03: "Smoking gun" WMD site in Iraq turns out to contain pesticide -- Yahoo News

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/7/03: US troops face children, and hard calls, in battle -- Kieran Murray, Reuters

April 6, 2003: Day 19 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/6/03: A Letter to the President of the United States from an American in Baghdad -- Kathy Kelly, Iraq Peace Team

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/6/03: The battle of Baghdad -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

4/6/03: Baghdad Yarmouk hospital: one hundred patients an hour -- International Committee of the Red Cross

4/6/03: Hospital staff and facilities in Baghdad are stretched to the limits --  International Committee of the Red Cross

4/6/03: The deadly choice now facing Badhdad -- Peter Beaumont in Amman and Patrick Graham in Baghdad, The Observer

4/6/03: 'Friendly Fire' kills at least 12:  'This is just a scene from hell' -- John Simpson, BBC

4/6/03: One boy's war... bathed in blood of his family -- James Meek in Iraq, The Observer

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/6/03: Red Cross: Iraq Casualties Too High to Count -- AP

April 5, 2003: Day 18 of US Invasion of Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/5/03: Red Cross horrified by number of dead civilians -- Canadian Press

4/5/03: Where were the panicking crowds? Where were the food queues? Where were the empty streets? -- Robert Fisk in Baghdad, The Independent

4/5/03: US Marines 'kill seven Iraqis after truck fails to stop' -- Andrew Clennell, The Independent

4/5/03: Invasion of Baghdad Begins with Heavy Iraqi Casualties -- Suzanne Goldenberg in Baghdad, The Guardian

4/5/03: Umm Qasr is not under control. It's like the Wild West -- Patrick Nicholson, The Independent

4/5/03: The Saddest Story of All -- Anton Antonowicz in Baghdad, The Mirror

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/5/03: Thousands abandon homes, hope -- Anthony Shadid, Washington Post

4/5/03: Near Baghdad, U.S. troops encounter a 'remarkable' foe -- John Murphy, Baltimore Sun

April 4, 2003: Day 17 of US Invasion of Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/4/03: Civilian Casualties 'Horrifying': Truck Delivered Dismembered Women, Children -- Dennis Bueckert, Canadian Press

4/4/03: Contrary to Policy, US Forces Occupy Schools and Church -- Catherine Taylor, Christian Science Monitor

4/4/03: AUDIO  Keeping Track of Iraqis Killed by the US Invasion:  Interview with IraqBodyCount.org founder Hamit Dardagan -- Democracy Now

4/4/03: Official Story Vs. Eyewitness Account: On Najaf Killings, Some Outlets Seem to Prefer the Sanitzied Version -- Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting

4/4/03: In an instant we were plunged into endless night -- Suzanne Goldenberg in Baghdad, The Guardian

4/4/03: UN aid agencies step up supplies in Iraq but concerned over Baghdad's water -- United Nations

4/4/03: 'Liberated' City Where Looters Run Wild and Death Stalks the Streets -- by Andrew Buncombe in Nasiriyah, The Independent

U.S. Corporate Press:

4/4/03: Law and order challenge for US as it takes Iraq city -- Phillip Smucker, Christian Science Monitor

4/4/03: Blackout Increases Foreboding -- Anthony Shadid, Washington Post

April 3, 2003: Day 16 of US Invasion of Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/3/03: AUDIO and TRANSCRIPT  Dozens of Iraqi dead after cluster bomb attack in Hilla -- Democracy Now! interview with AFP reporter Nayla Razzouk in Iraq

4/3/03: AUDIO Live Interview with Non-Embedded Independent Reporter May Ling Welsh -- Democracy Now

4/3/03: 27 killed in bombing of Baghdad Thursday -- Middle East Online

4/3/03: Wailing children, the wounded, the dead: victims of the day cluster bombs rained on Babylon -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

4/3/03: Missile kills eight Iraqi civilians in Baghdad -- Middle East Online  

4/3/03: Cluster Bombs Liberate Iraqi Children -- Pepe Escobar, Asia Times

4/3/03: Red Crescent maternity hospital damaged in attack --  International Federation of the Red Cross

4/3/03: Poor pay with their lives in cratered suburbia -- Suzanne Goldenberg in Baghdad, The Guardian

4/3/03: Three killed as maternity hospital is hit by bombs -- Owen Bowcott, agencies, and Jon Henley in Paris -- The Guardian

4/3/03: US Claims to be 20 miles from Baghdad:  'It will be an all-arms battle - we have overwhelming firepower' -- Rory McCarthy in Camp as-Sayliya, Qatar, Julian Borger in Washington and Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian

4/3/03: Two US aircraft shot down over Iraq, Seven die as helicopter gunned down, Heavy air raid rocks Baghdad, Republican Guard battle looms, Iraq expels al-Jazeera reporter -- George Wright, The Guardian

4/3/03: Western Journalists Beaten, Starved by Americans -- Essam Al-Ghalib, Arab News

US Corporate Press:

4/3/03: In Iraqi Hospitals, Child War Casualties Mount -- Samia Nakhoul, Reuters

4/3/03: U.S. forces will 'lay siege' to the capital, then seek to break the regime, a Pentagon official says. The Iraqis shoot down two American aircraft. -- Geoffrey Mohan and Tony Perry,.Los Angeles Times

April 2, 2003: Day 15 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/2/03: Report from CPTer Scott Kerr who left Baghdad on 1 April 2003 -- Christian Peacemaker Team

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/2/03: Children Killed and Maimed in Cluster Bomb Attack on Town -- Robert Fisk in Baghdad and Justin Huggler, The Independent

4/2/03: Bombings kill 48 more civilians south of Baghdad -- Agence France Presse

4/2/03: Iraqi children maimed at play by US Military -- Agence France Presse

4/2/03: The Morning After the Slaughter at Nasser: "Ask Bush Why He Did This?" -- By Gustavio Sierra, Clarin

4/2/03: Civilian deaths rock campaign -- Bradley Graham and Marian Wilkinson in Washington, Sidney Morning Herald

4/2/03: AUDIO  US Military Killing Iraqi Civilians: Iraq Peace Team member Cliff Kindy just returned from Iraq -- Democracy Now

4/2/03: The Proof:  Marketplace Deaths Were Caused by a US Missile -- Cahal Milmo, The Independent

4/2/03: Truth and Subterfuge: Cows and Armed Guards on a College Campus -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

4/2/03: The Price of Indifference: The Siege of Basra -- N.D. Jayaprakash, Counterpunch

4/2/03: Russian Military Intelligence Assessment of US Invasion of Iraq: "Exceptionally difficult and unstable situation has developed on the US-Iraqi front by the morning of April 1..." -- Iraqwar.ru website

4/2/03: War Watch:  Claims and counter claims made during the media war over Iraq -- Annie Lawson, Lisa O'Carroll, Chris Tryhorn, Jason Deans, The Guardian

4/2/03: Final countdown for Baghdad -- Donald Macintyre in Qatar and Robert Fisk in Baghdad, The Independent

April 1, 2003: Day 14 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

4/1/03: IPT Report: Bombing in a residential area in southern Baghdad -- Cathy Breen, elecroniciraq.org

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/1/03: AUDIO  Live Report in Baghdad from Independent Journalist May Ying Welsh reporting on US attacks on Civilians  -- Democracy Now

4/2/03: US-British bombing kills 33 civilians south of Baghdad: hospital -- ABC (Australia)

4/2/03: Fifteen members of family killed in Apache attack in Iraq: witness -- ABC (Australia)

4/1/03: Seven children killed in US assault -- Ewen Mackaskill in Washington and Suzanne Goldenberg in Baghdad, The Guardian

4/1/03: Civilian death toll rises in Iraq -- Agence France Presse

4/1/03: Russian Military Intelligence Assessment of US Invasion of Iraq: As of the morning of April 1 active combat operations continued along the entire US-Iraqi front -- Iraqwar.ru website

4/1/03: 'You didn't fire a warning shot soon enough!' -- Brian Whitaker, The Guardian

4/1/03: U.S. Military Detains, Beats and Threatens to Kill Four Foreign Journalists in Iraq -- Democracy Now

4/1/03: UN relief agencies warn of soaring heat and water shortages in Iraq -- United Nations Report

US Corporate Press:

4/1/03: US Attempts to Sell Urgently Needed Water to Civilians in Basrah -- Richard Sisk, New York Daily News

4/1/03: Woman Sees Firsthand Effect of War on Iraqis -- Robert Collier, San Francisco Chronicle

March 31, 2003: Day 13 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

3/31/03: Enduring Storm Revisited -- Kathy Kelly in Baghdad, Iraq Peace Team

3/31/03: American Peace Activists Confirm Iraqi Hospital Bombed -- Charles Hanley, AP

Foreign / Alternative Press:

4/1/03: Iraq is littered with graves of Britons killed in another colonial war -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

3/31/03: Twenty Civilians Killed When Raid Hit Farm -- Agence France Presse

4/1/03: 10 Civilians shot dead by US troops: "You just [expletive] killed a family because you didn't fire a warning shot soon enough!" -- BBC News

3/31/03: Slaughter at the Bridge of Death: US Marines Fire on Civilians -- Mark Franchetti in Nasiriya, Iraq, London Times

3/31/03: 'Friendly' Fire: 'The Yank opened up. He had absolutely no regard for human life. He was a cowboy out on a jolly' -- by Patrick Barkham, London Times

3/31/03: Three British soldiers sent home after protesting at civilian deaths -- Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian

4/1/03: When 'Precision' Bombing Isn't:  Iraqi Civilians Learn the Lesson of Afghanistan -- Marc W. Herold, University of New Hampshire

4/1/03: US troops accused of excess force -- Steven Morris, The Guardian

US Corporate Press:

3/31/03: 'The Sky Exploded' and Arkan Daif, 14, Was Dead:  A Boy Who Was 'Like a Flower' -- By Anthony Shadid, Washington Post

March 30, 2003: Day 12 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

3/30/03: Goodbyes -- Jo Wilding, Electronic Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

3/31/03: Sergeant's suicidal act of war has struck fear into Allied hearts -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

3/31/03: Dozens killed as US special forces overrun 'terrorist' camps -- Patrick Cockburn in Sherawa, northern Iraq, The Independent

3/30/03: US Marines Turn Fire on Civilians at the Bridge of Death -- Mark Franchetti, Nasiriya, The Times of London

3/30/03: Bloodied but still unbowed, Baghdad prepares to fight -- Patrick Graham in Baghdad, The Observer

3/30/03: US Insiders Gloomy: War "Not Going According to Plan," Navy Dolphins go AWOL -- Alexander Cockburn, Counterpunch

US Corporate Press:

3/30/03: US Stalls Invasion South of Baghdad, Iraq reports 420 civilians killed, 4000 wounded since start of invasion, US troops attacked in Kuwait -- Nadim Ladki, Reuters

March 29, 2003: Day 11 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

3/29/03: Peacemakers expelled from Iraq -- Christian Peacemaker Team

3/29/03: Why? -- Jo Wilding in Baghdad, Electronic Iraq

3/29/03: "I am his mother" -- Jo Wilding in Baghdad, Electronic Iraq

3/30/03: Expelled Peace team members in car accident near border with Jordan -- Iraq Peace Team

Foreign / Alternative Press:

3/30/03: In Baghdad, blood and bandages for the innocent -- Robert Fisk in the Baghdad suburb of Shu'ale, The Independent

3/29/03: US accused of using cluster bombs -- Richard Norton-Taylor and Dan Plesch, The Guardian

3/29/03: Suicide bomber kills American soldiers -- AP, The Independent

3/29/03: Facts, some fiction and the reporting of war:  Reports of uprisings, break-outs and breakthroughs from thick of the action prove premature -- Stuart Millar and Michael White, The Guardian

3/30/03: War traumatises Iraqi children: UNICEF -- ABC (Australia)

US Corporate Press:

3/29/03: Rations and Fuel Short, U.S. Orders 4-6 Day Pause in Iraq Advance -- Reuters

3/29/03: Iraqis Mourn Baghdad's Civilian Victims, Iraq claims 130+ killed throughout Iraq, Communications Building Knocked Out -- Hamza Hendawi, AP

March 28, 2003:  Day 10 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

3/28/03: March 28th bombing of Al Sholeh district of Baghdad -- Iraq Peace Team

3/28/03: "We are not the enemy or against you. We love freedom for every man, for every human in the world. Bush is the enemy against humanity." -- Cathy Breen in Baghdad, Iraq Peace Team

3/28/03: Baghdad home hit by possible anti-personnel fragmentation bomb; Three civilians wounded -- Iraq Peace Team

3/28/03: AUDIO  Live Report from Independent Reporter May Ying Welsh -- Democracy Now

Foreign / Alternative Press:

3/28/03: Raw, devastating realities that expose the truth about Basra--Robert Fisk, The Independent

3/29/03: 52 die in Baghdad market blast, Women and children among victims of alleged US missile attack -- Suzanne Goldenberg in Baghdad, The Guardian

3/29/03: Bombs return after more than 50 die in market blast -- The Independent

3/29/03: War Watch: Claims and counter claims made during the media war over Iraq -- Lisa O'Carroll, Chris Tryhorn, Annie Lawson, Jason Deans -- The Guardian

3/28/03: 'Civilians killed' in Mosul raid -- Sunday Times (Australia)

3/29/03: Al-Jazeera Tells the Truth About War: My station is a threat to American media control - and they know it -- Faisal Bodi, The Guardian

US Corporate Press:

3/29/03: Crowded Market Turns Into Scene of Carnage: 'The Whole World Cries' --  Anthony Shadid, Washington Post

3/28/03: VIDEO  Over 50 Civilians Killed by US Bombing of Baghdad Market -- Reuters

3/28/03: Iraqis Say 50 Die in Baghdad Market Air Raid, 15 more killed overnight in Baghdad -- Reuters

3/28/03: Thunderous Explosions Rock Baghdad--AP

3/28/03: Iraq Says Bombs Kill 75--Najaf Worst Hit--Reuters

March 27, 2003:  Day 9 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

3/27/03: 16 Iraqis Killed by US 'Apache' Helicopther Gunship -- April Hurley, MD, Iraq Peace Team

3/27/03: Following the Bombs -- Doug Johnson, Iraq Peace Team

3/27/03: Nowhere is Safe -- Jo Wilding, Electronic Iraq

3/27/03: In an alien world -- April Hurley, M.D., Iraq Peace Team

Foreign / Alternative Press:

3/27/03: 'It was an outrage, an obscenity' -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

3/27/03: Wayward bombs bring marketplace carnage -- Suzanne Goldenberg in Baghdad, The Guardian

3/27/03: Jubilation turns to hate as aid arrives -- Burhan Wazir in Zubayr, Iraq, The Guardian

March 26, 2003:  Day 8 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

3/26/03: US bomb damage and civilian casualties in residential/commercial areas of Baghdad, 22-26 March 2003 -- Iraq Peace Team members, Baghdad, Iraq

3/26/03: AUDIO  An Iraqi speaks out from Baghdad, Al-Jazeera under attack, Live Report from Kurdistan -- Democracy Now

3/26/03: Impressions on the Destruction of War -- Wade Hudson, Iraq Peace Team

3/26/03: Report It as It Is -- Neville Watson, Iraq Peace Team

3/26/03: "The bombs are still exploding..." -- Bettejo Passalaqua, Iraq Peace Team

3/26/03: The focused thoughts of children, the scattered destruction of bombs -- Kathy Kelly in Baghdad, Iraq Peace Team

3/26/03: Baghdad Diary -- Cathy Breen, RN, Iraq Peace Team

Foreign / Alternative Press:

3/27/03: 'It was an outrage, an obscenity' -- Robert Fisk, The Independent

3/27/03: Wayward bombs bring marketplace carnage -- Suzanne Goldenberg in Baghdad, The Guardian

3/26/03: Bombing of Baghdad market kills 15--Globe and Mail Update with Associated Press

3/31/03: Liberating Iraqis...From Their Homes -- IOUs for Looting, David Lindorff, CounterPunch

3/26/03: Both sides in Iraq war may be guilty of war crimes: Amnesty--AFP

3/26/03: Iraqi Television bombed by coalition forces, Condemned by International Federation of Journalists

March 25, 2003:  Day 7 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

3/25/03: Live From Iraq, an Un-Embedded Journalist: Robert Fisk on Washington’s ‘Quagmire’ in Iraq, Civilian Deaths and the Fallacy of Bush’s ‘War of Liberation’ --  Robert Fisk, Amy Goodman and Jeremy Scahill, Democracy Now

3/25/03: AUDIO  Live Report from Baghdad, Robert Fisk on Saddam Hussein, Kurds Report 150 killed by US Bombing -- Democracy Now

3/25/03: Civilian Deaths From Airstrikes on Baghdad Fuel Rising Anger -- John Daniszewski, Los Angeles Times

3/25/03: The View from the Ground -- April Hurley, Kathy Kelly, Lisa Ndjeru and Scott Kerr, Iraq Peace Team

Foreign / Alternative Press:

3/26/03: In the Long Hours of Darkness, Baghdad Shakes to the Constant Low Rumble of B-52s --  Robert Fisk, The Independent

3/25/03: Fighting in Basra intensifies as fears of a crisis grow -- Oxfam International

March 24, 2003:  Day 6 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

3/24/03: AUDIO  Kathy Kelly in Baghdad, Humanitarian Crisis in Basrah, Millions Protest Around World, Michael Moore at the Oscars:  "Shame on You Mr. Bush!" -- Democracy Now

3/24/03: A Letter from Baghdad -- Bettejo Passalaqua, Iraq Peace Team

3/24/03: Eyewitness War report from Baghdad -- Doug Pritchard, Christian Peacemaker Team

Foreign / Alternative Press:

3/25/03: Crisis in Basra as troops fail to create corridor for aid, Nearly 100,000 children could be at risk, warns UN agency -- Ewen MacAskill, The Guardian

3/25/03: New setbacks for allies -- Mohammed Almezel, Gulf News

3/24/03: Basra Facing Disaster After Supplies Cut -- Edinburgh Evening Herald

3/24/03: Coalition force 'surprised' by stiff resistance -- ABC (Australia)

March 23, 2003:  Day 5 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

3/24/03: Angry, Very Angry -- Kathy Kelly, Iraq Peace Team

3/24/03: Outrage in Baghdad -- April Hurley, MD, Iraq Peace Team

3/23/03: A Birthday in Baghdad: "What a day to be thirteen" -- Ramzi Kysia, Iraq Peace Team

Foreign / Alternative Press:

3/24/03: Resistance Raises Fears for the Endgame, Rapid campaign hit by unexpectedly fierce battles -- Julian Borger in Washington and Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian

3/23/03: ITN correspondent confirmed dead: Two other crew members missing -- Shot at by US/British Military -- Hani Sabra, Committee to Protect Journalists

3/23/03: US faces tough resistance, 147 Iraqis killed, 25 US soldiers killed -- Daily Times (Pakistan)

3/23/03: Iraqis resist advance on Basra, US Soldiers refuse to feed starving Iraqis: "We're doing them enough of a favor fighting a war." -- ABC (Australia)

US Corporate Press:

3/23/03: Battles Rage in Iraqi Cities, Bodies Litter Desert -- By Luke Baker and Rosalind Russell, Reuters

3/23/03: U.S. Bombs Northeast Iraq, Kurds Nervous -- Mike Collett-White, Reuters

3/24/03: Family Weathers Attacks, Prepares for U.S. Siege: 'We're in a Dark, Dark Tunnel' -- Anthony Shadid, Washington Post

March 22, 2003:  Day 4 of US Invasion of Iraq

Foreign / Alternative Press:

This is the reality of war. We bomb. They suffer -- Robert Fisk in Baghdad,  The Independent

50 civilians killed by US bombing in Basrah, says Arab TV -- Severin Carrell, The Independent

Red Cross Pleads for the People of Basrah -- Agence France Presse

Carnage and confusion as US hits Kurd bases, 50-100 Kurds killed -- ABC (Australia)

Ominous Signs for Coalition in Battle for Umm Qasr -- Victor Mallet on the Kuwait-Iraq border, Financial Times

A shameful day in American history: US blitzkrieg turns Baghdad into an inferno -- World Socialist Website

US Corporate Press:

3/23/03: Fighting South of Baghdad as City Bombed Again -- Reuters

Red Cross Sees 200 Baghdad 'War-Wounded'

March 22, 2003

By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) - Red Cross workers saw about 200 people described as war-wounded in Baghdad hospitals on Saturday and delivered emergency surgical supplies amid continuing air raids, a spokeswoman said.

But the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) could not confirm Iraqi statements that three people were killed and 207 civilians hurt in Friday night's U.S.-led blitz on the capital, which took the toll of wounded to 250.

U.S. and British warplanes pounded Baghdad around the clock on Saturday, upping the ferocity of their aerial bombardment as U.S. Marines battled Iraqi forces on the outskirts of the southern city of Basra.

ICRC teams managed to reach the Al-Yarmouk General Teaching Hospital and Al Kindi Hospital, the capital's largest, where they distributed surgical supplies, chief ICRC spokeswoman Antonella Notari said.

"ICRC delegates visited two hospitals and saw about 100 wounded in each," Notari told Reuters in Geneva.

"The ICRC cannot say under what circumstances they were wounded, or whether they are civilians or military personnel," she said.

The ICRC said in a statement: "ICRC Baghdad has considerable stocks of surgical materials for the treatment of the wounded."

The Swiss-based ICRC is one of the few aid groups to deploy foreign aid workers in Iraq (news - web sites), with six expatriate staff in Baghdad and four in the northern city of Arbil.

CONTACTS ON POWS

The agency has also contacted U.S. and British forces about visiting Iraqi prisoners-of-war (POWs).

"The ICRC has made contact with 'coalition' forces to discuss the issue of prisoners of war. No access to prisoners has yet been possible," the statement said.

Britain's Chief of Defense Staff, Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, said in London that many thousands of prisoners-of-war had been rounded up in the area of Basra following the surrender of the Iraqi 51st division.

The ICRC, which remains neutral during conflicts, registers prisoners-of-war and tries to ensure that they are treated in line with the Geneva Conventions forbidding ill-treatment. It also helps POWs to re-establish contact with their families.

WATER, POWER

The six ICRC expatriate officials in Baghdad were also monitoring the city's water supply and power.

Both systems appeared to function normally during most of the day, but fresh explosions rocked Baghdad shortly before midnight on Saturday and large parts of the capital were plunged into darkness, a Reuters witness said.

The ICRC had prepared pumps, storage tanks and sites for emergency water distribution "if and when needed" in Baghdad, it said in an earlier statement.

Water supplies for Iraq's second city Basra -- which has 1.8 million residents -- stopped late on Friday, but ICRC and Iraqi officials worked all Saturday and to restore some of the supply, Notari said.

She did not know what had caused the damage which cut off water in the city, about 550 km (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad.

U.S. Marines said on Saturday they had defeated Iraqi forces on the outskirts of the city after a day of fierce fighting.

The ICRC's Notari said: "Our team in Basra together with the Iraqi Water Board managed to set up an alternative water supply line drawing water from the Shatt-Al-Arab waterway, where the Tigris and Euphrates flow together. They managed to reinstall water supplies for 40 percent of the city."

"It was a real life-saving operation. In 122 Fahrenheit heat, if people don't have water over a few days, you can have serious problems."

She added: "They will do their best to continue repairs on Sunday. I am so proud of them."

March 21, 2003:  Day 3 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

Spring Morning: After "Shock & Awe" -- Kathy Kelly in Baghdad, Iraq Peace Team

We've Been Through the Heaviest Bombardment of the War So Far... --  Wade Hudson, Iraq Peace Team

Foreign / Alternative Press:

Minute after minute the missiles came, with devastating shrieks -- Robert Fisk in Baghdad, The Independent

Baghdad blitz kills 250, wounded more than 200 -- The Age

Turks ignore US plea and move troops across border -- John Lichfield and Paul Waugh, Independent.co.uk

US Corporate Press:

U.S. Unleashes Blitz on Baghdad, TV Still on Air

March 21st, 2003

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces unleashed a devastating blitz on Baghdad on Friday night, triggering giant fireballs and deafening explosions and sending huge mushroom clouds above the city center.

March 20, 2003:  Day 2 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

AUDIO  Independent Live Coverage from Iraq and Direct Action Protests in San Francisco and Around the World -- Democracy Now

Report from Baghdad: Mothers, Kids and Crash Kits -- Cathy Breens, CounterPunch

Word from Iraq Hours Before "Shock & Awe" -- Kathy Kelly & Ramzi Kysia, CommonDreams

First Day of Spring -- Bettejo Passalaqua, Iraq Peace Team

Foreign / Alternative Press:

Bubbles of fire tore into the sky above Baghdad -- Robert Fisk in Baghdad, The Independent

US Corporate Press:

US Blasts Baghdad, Troops Cross Iraqi Border

March 20, 2003

By Samia Nakhoul

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United States and Britain blasted targets in Baghdad with cruise missiles on Thursday, setting government buildings on fire, and sent advance troops probing into southern Iraq ahead of a full-scale invasion.

Events unfolded swiftly on the first full day of a U.S.-led campaign aimed at ridding Iraq of suspected weapons of mass destruction and destroying the rule of President Saddam Hussein.

Witnesses in the Iraqi capital reported several explosions near government buildings after cruise missiles swooped down, shaking the city with massive explosions. There was relatively little Iraqi anti-aircraft fire.

One of the targets struck was Saddam's main Baghdad palace complex on the banks of the Tigris River. Another housed an office of Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz.

A Jordanian taxi driver was confirmed killed in first U.S. missile strike on Baghdad.

It was the second round of U.S. attacks after Saddam defied a U.S. ultimatum to leave the country. The previous raid at dawn on Thursday targeted the Iraqi president himself. Saddam was shown on Iraqi television a few hours later, although it was not clear if the image was live or recorded.

The United States launched the war to remove Saddam from power, saying he continued to develop weapons of mass destruction that had to be neutralized before they could be used. It was the first use of a new U.S. strategic doctrine of pre-emptively attacking any country seen to pose a threat. Iraq denies having such weapons.

After two waves of attacks, the skies quieted once again, although air raid sirens sounded at least three more times. U.S. and British officials said the main brunt of the assault was yet to come.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the initial missile and bombing attacks in and around Baghdad were just a first taste of what would soon be unleashed.

"What will follow will not be a repeat of any other conflict," he said. "It will be of a force and a scope and a scale that has been beyond what we have seen before."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, addressing a nation in which anti-war sentiment is strong, said British forces were fighting Iraq from air, land and sea. A British military source said British submarines had fired several Cruise missiles at targets in Baghdad.

To the south, U.S. and British forces entered Iraq, crossing the desert border from Kuwait under cover of an intense artillery barrage. Large explosions were reported from the direction of the Iraqi city of Basra.

MAIN OFFENSIVE IMMINENT

A British military source said the main offensive was about to begin. U.S. officials said their aim would be to "shock and awe" the enemy to the point that Iraqi leaders and soldiers would lose the will to resist.

In Baghdad, Reuters reporter Nadim Ladki said missiles flew in at a very low altitude and hit several targets. He could see buildings ablaze in the southeast of the city and around the Planning Ministry in the center of Baghdad.

State-run Iraqi television said four of their soldiers and one civilian were killed and five soldiers wounded on Thursday.

Three hours after the raids began, a grim-faced Saddam appeared on state television in military uniform, black beret and thick-rimmed glasses.

"The criminal little Bush has committed a crime against humanity," he said, reading from notes. U.S. sources said the voice appeared to be that of Saddam, but it was unclear whether he was appearing live or whether his statement was recorded.

He urged Iraqis to "draw your sword" against U.S. invaders -- a striking metaphor for the disparity in power and military technology between the United States and Iraq.

Units of the U.S Marine 1st Expeditionary Force crossed from Kuwait into southern Iraq to begin securing positions for a thrust northward by U.S. and British troops massed in Kuwait near the border, U.S. officials said.

The Kuwaiti news agency said U.S.-led troops had captured the Iraqi border town of Umm Qasr.

A number of Iraqi troops, who had been laying a minefield, surrendered to U.S. Marines who had just crossed into Iraq, a CBS radio reporter traveling with the unit said.

Reuters correspondent David Fox, reporting from near the Kuwaiti border, said he heard big explosions from the direction of Basra, which will be an important early objective of the ground invasion.

Other reporters saw U.S. missiles strike areas in southern Iraq as well as helicopter gunships firing at ground targets. About 280,000 U.S. and British troops are in the Gulf region, many of them in Kuwait, poised to invade Iraq.

IRAQ FIRES AT KUWAIT

Iraq responded to the first U.S. attack with several missile strikes on northern Kuwait. All missed their targets or were intercepted by U.S. missiles.

On Wall Street, share prices moved into positive territory as news of the second round of air attacks came in. The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average closed 21.15 points, or 0.26 percent, higher.

Rumsfeld urged Iraqi citizens to stay in their homes and told Iraqi troops to disobey any orders to use chemical weapons or destroy oil wells. He said those who surrendered would have a place in a future free Iraq but those who fought would share Saddam's fate.

Rumsfeld said Iraq may have set fire to three or four oil wells in the south of the country. Kuwait television said several wells near Basra had been set alight by Iraqi troops. Iraqi Oil Minister Amir Muhammed Rasheed denied the reports.

Reaction to the U.S. attack was swift and largely negative, as nations that had opposed the American effort to disarm Iraq decried the conflict, and Arab protesters took to the streets.

Anti-war demonstrators staged marches across the world, often clashing with police as they converged on heavily guarded U.S. embassies. Thousands of protesters blocked streets in San Francisco and other U.S. cities.

March 19, 2003:  Day 1 of US Invasion of Iraq

Eyewitness Reports:

Bombs at Dawn -- Bettejo Passalaqua, Iraq Peace Team

As the Bombs Fall on Baghdad, Report From Belgian Human Shields -- Phil Sands in Baghdad

US Corporate Press:

U.S. warplanes bomb southern Iraq

By Charles Aldinger

March 19, 2003, 11:54pm, local Iraq Time (8 hours ahead of time in New York City)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With war looming, U.S. warplanes have bombed military targets in southern Iraq and dropped nearly 2 million warning leaflets into the area, the U.S. military says.

The bombs were dropped in a southern "no-fly" zone in response to Iraqi anti-aircraft fire, a Navy admiral said on Wednesday.

Rear Adm. John Kelly said on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf that the latest of dozens of such recent strikes in no-fly zones of northern and southern Iraq were against "command and control" targets in response to attempts on Tuesday to shoot down U.S. and British aircraft.

The leaflets dropped on 29 military and civilian sites in southern Iraq warned Iraqi civilians to stay away from military targets and urged Iraq's forces to surrender without a fight in any invasion, a U.S. military announcement from the region said.

The drops brought to more than 17 million the number of leaflets scattered in recent months.

U.S. President George W. Bush said in a televised address on Monday night that Saddam and his sons had to get out of Iraq by 8 p.m. EST (1:00 a.m. on Thursday British time) or the United States would strike at a time of its own choosing. Saddam spurned the warning on Tuesday.

As the bombs and leaflets again fell on Iraq, more than 280,000 U.S. and British troops along with dozens of missile-carrying warships and up to 1,000 aircraft were arrayed in the Gulf region facing Iraq.

TROOPS MASSED NEAR IRAQ BORDER

Of those, nearly 175,000 American and British troops were in northern Kuwait awaiting any order to sweep northward into Iraq to depose Saddam and rid the country of what Washington charges are huge stockpiles of deadly chemical and biological weapons. Iraq denies that charge.

Large numbers of those forces in Kuwait on Wednesday morning moved into the demilitarised zone that straddles the Iraq-Kuwait border. The zone extends 3 miles (5 km) into Kuwait and 6 miles (10 km) into Iraq.

U.S. defence officials and private analysts say one of the first objectives of an invasion would be to overwhelm regular army units and take Basra, about 40 miles (65 km) from the Kuwait border.

Basra is 340 miles (550 km) southeast of Baghdad.

Wednesday's military announcement said that some of the newly dropped messages stressed that U.S.-led forces did not wish to harm innocent Iraqis. One message informed Iraqi citizens they could be the victims if Saddam used chemical weapons. Another told the Iraqi military to refrain from using weapons of mass destruction or burning oil fields.

"We are also continuing to broadcast radio messages to the region," said a Pentagon official, referring to broadcasts from C-130 military Special Operations aircraft.

The purpose of the psychological warfare campaign, according to officials in Washington, is in large measure to persuade Iraqi forces in the south to stand aside when U.S.-led forces are expected to advance from Kuwait toward the oil fields around Basra en route to Baghdad.

Instructions to Iraqi forces have been specific, including telling them to leave their tanks with their turrets reversed and to abandon vehicles in the open while returning to barracks.

The war has started

By Robert Fox, Defence Correspondent and David Taylor, Evening Standard Evening Standard

19 March 2003

British and American troops were involved in fierce fighting near Iraq's main port today as the war to topple Saddam Hussein began.

The firefight broke out near Basra as men of the Special Boat Service targeted the strategically vital city and the oilfields in southern Iraq.

At the same time allied troops were flooding into the demilitarised zone on the Iraqi border with Kuwait 40 miles away to take up positions for an all-out invasion.

Cruise missiles were also loaded onto B52 bombers at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, a clear sign that the bombardment of Baghdad could be only hours away.

British troops taking up "forward battle positions" were ordered to switch off satellite phones and allied warplanes bombed targets in Iraq after coming under fire in the no-fly zone.

By lunchtime, allied forces were in position to strike from the moment the 48-hour deadline set by President Bush for Saddam to quit Iraq expires at 1am British time tomorrow. But the White House had refused to rule out a strike before that.

The fighting reported at Basra was believed to involve British special forces and US marines in an operation to prepare landing sites for amphibious craft during an invasion.

Other special units were deep inside Iraq on secret operations to prepare landing strips in the desert for airborne troops.

Basra, Iraq's only seaport, lies on the Shatt al Arab waterway where the Tigris and the Euphrates open into the northern Gulf.

Surrounded by treacherous sandbanks and marshes it is difficult to approach from the sea.

Artillery, infantry and the tanks of the 7th Armoured Brigade had already moved into Forming Up Positions, and some were already on the start line.

An attack could target Basra and proceed up alongside the Euphrates towards the strategic cities of Nasariya, Najaf and Karbala.

Tony Blair said he believed all MPs, irrespective of their views on the war, now wished British troops well.

"I know everyone in this House wishes our Armed Forces well," he said in the Commons.

Storm in the desert: a British soldier protects himself against swirling sand and howling winds

A sandstorm whipped across northern Kuwait as the pace of preparations suddenly quickened Kuwaiti security sources disclosed that allied troops move into the demilitarised zone, which straddles the Iraq-Kuwait border, at around 11am local time, 8am UK time.

The source, working in the Umm Qasr area in the east of the zone, said: "American convoys are still driving towards Umm Qasr."

A US military spokesman said he could not confirm or deny that troops were inside the zone.

A British Army spokesman said only that soldiers had taken up " forward battle positions".

At Fairford, 14 giant American B52 bombers which will lead the fight against Saddam were loaded up with cruise missiles this morning.

The first flight of B52s were expected to take off two hours before sunset to give them enough flying time to identify their targets and drop their first devastating payload before heading for home.

The missiles were driven to the aircraft in five articulated lorries escorted by police at 10.30am.

Troops meticulously loaded the weapons - each costing around £1million - into the bomb bays by forklift truck.

With an estimated flight time of only six hours to Iraq the bombers are expected to play a huge part in the initial air bombardment. A single B52 can deliver a payload of more than 70,000lb at a range of 8,800 miles without being refuelled. They are likely to take up positions over the Mediterranean or the Red Sea to unleash cruise missiles or satelliteguided smart bombs. RAF Tornados, Harriers and Jaguars are also likely to be involved in the opening 48-hour offensive.

The Tornados will be given the specific task of taking out air defences and barracks round small missile batteries and air strips in the Iraqi desert.

This will enable the enemy positions to be quickly seized by airborne forces and turned into bases for the advancing allied armies.

The Harrier force of up to 20 planes has the job of supporting special forces, the SAS and Special Boat Service and American Rangers in the hunt for Scud missile sites and any artillery shells with chemical warheads. Intelligence suggests Saddam has given his generals personal authority to unleash the deadly weapons as a last desperate measure to hold the Allies off from attacking Baghdad.

The mainstay of the bombing attack will be the 750 American and British fighter bombers from Gulf bases and the six American aircraft carriers now at battle stations in the Mediterranean and the Arabian Sea.

The aircraft, including RAF Tornados and Harriers, F16s, F15s and F18 Hornets will work on a "taxi rank" basis, forming ranks in the air before being sent in on targets. Along with the B52s from Fairford, other longrange bombers include the almost mythical B2 Spirit bat-wing supersonic aircraft which will fly from bases on Diego Garcia. Also spearheading the attack will be B1B Lancer and F117 Stealth bombers.

Action began in the air today as warplanes from the USS Abraham Lincoln bombed Iraqi positions after coalition aircraft - including two RAF Harrier jets - were fired on by Iraqi forces.

"There were, yesterday, four firings against our aircraft flying in the southern no-fly zone," Rear Admiral John Kelly told reporters on board the Lincoln. He said US forces had responded by bombing "a series of targets" he described as "command and control" positions.

US B-1 Bomber Attacks Iraqi Radars

March 15, 2003

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A United States B-1 heavy bomber taking part in U.S.-British patrols over Iraq on Friday [3/14/03] attacked two Iraqi radars west of Baghdad, defense officials said.

The attack was the latest in a long series of such strikes by Western planes, but it was unusual in that it was carried out by a heavy bomber. The B-1, the backbone of America's long-range bomber force, is one of numerous U.S. warplanes being moved into the Gulf region for use in a possible war against Iraq.

The aircraft, which one official identified as a B-1B Lancer, used precision-guided weapons to target two mobile radar systems about 230 miles west of Baghdad.

The attack was launched after Iraqi forces moved one of the radar systems into the "no-fly zone" over southern Iraq, where it was a threat to the U.S. and British planes patrolling the zone, defense officials said. They said it was the 34th such strike by Western planes since January.

More than 250,000 American and British troops in the Gulf are poised for a possible U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The no-fly zones were set up after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurds in northern Iraq and Shiite Muslims in the south from Baghdad's forces. Iraq does not recognize the zones.

B-1B bombs Iraqi radar sites

The Herald-Sun (Australia)

From correspondents in Washington

March 15, 2003

IN a departure from the patrols by fighter jets over Iraq in recent months, a United States B-1B bomber struck two anti-aircraft radar sites in western Iraq today [Australian time], military officials said.

The strikes at 1420 GMT (0120 Saturday AEDT) targeted a radar system near Iraq's H3 airfield and another airfield near Ruwayshid, only a kilometres from the border with Jordan, military officials said.

The strikes came after Iraqi forces moved one of the systems into the no-fly zone patrolled by US and British planes over southern Iraq, the officials said.

The B-1B Lancer, a heavy bomber originally designed to carry nuclear warheads but shifted in recent years to carry conventional munitions, is one of three kinds of heavy bombers repositioned in recent months during the buildup for a possible US-led war on Iraq.

Western jets attack Iraqi radar

March 14, 2003

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Warplanes taking part in U.S.-British patrols over southern Iraq have attacked an Iraqi radar southwest of Baghdad, the U.S. military says.

With more than 250,000 American and British troops in the Gulf poised for a possible U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the U.S. military's Central Command said the planes used precision-guided weapons to target a mobile radar system about 265 miles (426 km) southwest of the Iraqi capital on Thursday.

In recent weeks, Western aircraft have stepped up attacks in the "no-fly zones" over southern and northern Iraq while extending the targets to include battlefield missiles and rockets that could hinder a ground invasion.

The last strike came on Monday when Western warplanes attacked a mobile radar system about 230 miles (370 km) west of Baghdad.

The no-fly zones were set up after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurds in northern Iraq and Shiite Muslims in the south from Baghdad's forces. Iraq does not recognise the zones.

More allied airstrikes in Iraq.

Assoc. Press

March 11, 2003

The U-S military says coalition planes patrolling the southern no-fly zone bombed three unmanned, underground military communication sites early today.

The sites are located in separate towns southeast of Baghdad.

In recent weeks, the ongoing airstrikes have been used to soften Iraqi defenses in preparation for a possible U-S-led war.

Western jets again attack Iraq air defense

March 10, 2003

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - Warplanes taking part in U.S.-British patrols over southern Iraq on Monday attacked air defense targets in a "no-fly" zone for the fourth consecutive day, the U.S. military said.

With a possible U.S.-led invasion of Iraq looming and more than 250,000 American and British troops gathered in the Gulf, the military's Central Command said the planes used precision-guided weapons to target a mobile radar system about 230 miles (370 km) west of Baghdad and south of Rutba.

The strike was about 5 p.m. in Iraq (1400 GMT).

Western warplanes on Monday also again dropped hundreds of thousands of warning leaflets over both northern and southern no-fly zones of Iraq, the military said.

U.S. defense officials say warplanes from the two countries have recently more than doubled patrols to at least 500 a day in the two no-fly zones.

The western aircraft on Sunday night also attacked five unmanned underground cable repeater sites in the south used in Iraq's sophisticated air defense system, the Southern Command said earlier from its headquarters in Tampa, Florida.

In recent weeks the warplanes also have extended targets being attacked in no-fly zones to include battlefield missiles and rockets that could hinder a ground invasion.

The no-fly zones were set up after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurds in northern Iraq and Shiite Muslims in the south from Baghdad's forces. Iraq does not recognize the zones.

The Central Command and U.S. European Command said the leaflets were dropped on Monday near Iraqi anti-aircraft batteries in the northern zone and also near Hilla in the southern zone about 62 miles (100 km) south of Baghdad.

Millions of such leaflets have been dropped in recent months encouraging Iraqi troops not to fight if there is a war, warning against the destruction of oil wells and giving civilians the frequencies of western military radio broadcast critical of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Third day of no-fly zone strikes

March 9, 2003

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, United States (CNN) -- Coalition aircraft have again bombed military sites in southern and western Iraq, the third straight day allied jets have struck targets between Baghdad and Iraq's border with Jordan, according to the U.S. Central Command.

Allied warplanes enforcing the southern "no-fly" zone over Iraq hit four military communication sites about 10:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m. GMT) Saturday after Iraqi troops fired at them, a Central Command statement said.

The sites were related to Iraqi forces' ability to control air defenses.

The sites were located near Qalat Sukkar, approximately 200 kilometers (125 miles) southeast of Baghdad.

Earlier, coalition jets hit a mobile missile guidance system about 370 kilometers (230 miles) west of Baghdad at about 8:20 a.m. (4:10 a.m. GMT), according to a statement from the Florida-based Central Command. The military said the strike was ordered "in response to Iraqi threats."

Warplanes monitoring the southern "no-fly" zone over Iraq targeted sites west of Baghdad on Thursday and Friday as well. Iraq's official news agency said the allied forces had targeted civilian infrastructure, but Central Command denied that charge.

U.S. and British forces have been monitoring no-fly zones in the northern and southern sections of Iraq since the end of the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Iraq considers the zones, and the patrols monitoring them, a violation of its sovereignty.

Leaflets

In the past week, with a military confrontation looming, the allies have increased dramatically the number of airstrikes in southern Iraq, focusing on mobile missile systems being moved into the area, military officials told CNN.

Officials said as many as 750 missions a day are now being flown by all types of aircraft, including fighters, refueling and reconnaissance aircraft -- two to three times the previous routine.

Military sources say Iraq is trying to move mobile surface-to-surface missiles, mobile surface-to-air missiles, early warning radars and anti-ship missiles into the southern no-fly zone.

Central Command said coalition aircraft also dropped 720,000 leaflets on Iraqi troops in four locations in southern Iraq, warning them not to resist U.S. and allied troops if war breaks out and listing radio frequencies for coalition propaganda broadcasts.

Other leaflets warned Iraqi troops against using chemical or biological weapons against coalition troops.

Western Jets Attack Iraqi Radar System

March 8, 2003

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Warplanes on U.S.-British air patrols on Saturday attacked an Iraqi mobile radar system in a southern "no-fly" zone, the U.S. military said.

The strike, the second in as many days in an area about 230 miles west of Baghdad, was in response to threats against the regular patrols, the military's Central Command said in a statement.

Precision-guided weapons were used to target a mobile missile guidance radar system, the statement said. A similar surface-to-air missile system and an anti-aircraft artillery site were attacked on Friday and Wednesday.

The raids came as diplomats tried to work out a draft U.N. resolution sponsored by the United States, Britain and Spain that would set a March 17 deadline for Iraq to disarm or face war.

The United States and Britain have committed more than 200,000 troops to the Gulf region, and U.S. defense officials have said warplanes from the two countries had recently more than doubled patrols to at least 500 a day in the no-fly zones of northern and southern Iraq.

The no-fly zones were set up after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurds in northern Iraq and Shiite Muslims in the south from Baghdad's forces. Iraq does not recognize the zones.

But the western warplanes have in recent weeks extended the targets being attacked by air patrols in no-fly zones to include weapons that could hinder a ground invasion.

Baghdad routinely describes the raids' targets as civilian, while U.S. and British military authorities say they are only military and the aircraft strive to avoid civilian casualties.

No-fly patrols 'hit radar system'

 March 7, 2003

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (CNN) -- For a second day in a row, coalition aircraft Friday dropped precision-guided weapons on an Iraqi target in Iraq's southern no-fly zone, according to U.S. Central Command.

At 7:10 a.m. Baghdad time (0410 GMT), Operation Southern Watch forces bombed a mobile target acquisition radar system, which had been moved into the southern no-fly zone where it was a threat to coalition forces, Central Command said.

"The radar system allows Iraqi air defense to locate, track and target coalition aircraft," the Central Command statement said.

The attack happened about 240 miles west of Baghdad in the same area where coalition aircraft Thursday targeted a mobile surface-to-air missile system and an anti-aircraft artillery site, according to Central Command.

"Three innocent citizens" were killed in the strike, according to the Iraqi News Agency.

Central Command stressed that "coalition aircraft never target civilian populations or infrastructure and go to painstaking lengths to avoid injury to civilians and damage to civilian facilities."

Operation Southern Watch aircraft Thursday dropped 660,000 leaflets over 11 locations approximately 220 to 250 miles southeast of Baghdad.

The leaflets included discussion about the inspection regime and warnings directed at Iraqi forces not to fire on coalition aircraft.

U.S. and British forces have been monitoring no-fly zones in both the north and south of Iraq since the end of the 1991 Gulf War.

Iraq considers the zones, and the patrols monitoring them, a violation of its sovereignty.

On Monday, coalition forces targeted four Iraqi communications facilities and an air-defense facility near Al Kut, about 95 miles southeast of Baghdad, after Iraqi forces fired anti-aircraft artillery on the coalition forces, according to Central Command.

In Britain, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has denied that increased patrols over the no-fly zone were the first, disguised shots of war.

And U.S. Marines were accused Friday by the U.N. of violating the demilitarized zone between Kuwait and Iraq and said there had been several breaches in the electric border fence.

Iraq says allied raid kills three civilians

SABC News

March 06, 2003

Three Iraqi civilians were killed when US and British warplanes bombed targets in a southern "no-fly" overnight, the Iraqi military said today.

A military spokesperson said in a statement the aircraft patrolling the no-fly zone hit civilian targets in the Anbar province, killing three. It said Iraqi forces fired at the planes before they returned to bases in Kuwait.

The US military said earlier today that US and British warplanes had attacked an anti-aircraft missile system west of Baghdad.

Washington and London, who stepped up patrols over southern and northern Iraq as they mass forces in the Gulf for possible invasion to disarm Baghdad, say the planes attack only military targets.

Iraq said on Monday six civilians were killed and 15 wounded in a raid near Basra. - Reuters

March 3, 2003.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said on Monday that U.S. and British warplanes killed six civilians and wounded another 15 in raids on Basra, but Washington said the jets struck military targets after coming under anti-aircraft fire.

U.S. Strikes Iraq Communications Sites

Assoc. Press

Feb 27, 2003

WASHINGTON - In a third straight day of airstrikes on Iraq, American planes on Thursday fired upon military communications sites, U.S. officials said.

U.S. planes hit three communications sites 15 miles west and 18 miles south of the northern city of Mosul, according to a statement from the U.S. task force that patrols the northern no-fly zone.

The strikes on fiber-optic, microwave and cable communications facilities — in response to anti-aircraft artillery attacks on no-fly zone patrols — came at about 2:20 p.m. EST, said the statement from Combined Task Force Operation Northern Watch.

The communications sites help link Iraq's air defenses, the statement said. All the planes involved returned safely to their base at Incirlik, Turkey, the statement said.

On Wednesday, American planes bombed two military communications sites in southern Iraq. A day earlier, U.S. planes struck mobile surface-to-surface missile equipment and a mobile surface-to-air missile launcher in southern Iraq near Basra, about 35 miles from the border with Kuwait. U.S. planes also hit three mobile surface-to-surface missile launchers in northern Iraq on Tuesday.

The airstrikes come as U.S. and British troops are massing in Kuwait in preparation for a possible war to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Military officials say the surface-to-surface missiles hit this week threaten those troops and ones the United States wants to send to Turkey, Iraq's northern neighbor.

All of the strikes were within the no-fly zones set up after the 1991 Persian Gulf War to keep Saddam's military from attacking opposition Kurds in the north and Shiite Muslims in the south.

Saddam does not recognize the no-fly zones and his forces frequently shoot at the planes patrolling them. Iraq has never shot down a piloted plane in either zone.

American Warplanes Bomb Two Iraqi Sites

Feb. 26, 2003

WASHINGTON  (AP)- U.S. warplanes bombed two military communications sites in southern Iraq Wednesday, the U.S. military said, marking the fourth American strike on Iraq in two days.

February 25, 2003

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Warplanes taking part in U.S.-British patrols over a "no-fly" zone in southern Iraq attacked a mobile anti-aircraft missile system near Basra on Tuesday, the U.S. military said.

U.S. Bombs Northern, Southern Iraq

February 25, 2003

By MATT KELLEY

Iraq says U.S. and British jets hit southern areas

February 23, 2003

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq says U.S. and British warplanes have attacked civilian targets in the south of the country but has reported no casualties.

An Iraqi defence spokesman said in a statement carried by the official news agency INA on Sunday that U.S. and British planes enforcing a "no-fly" zone flew over 100 sorties over a number of Iraqi cities in the south overnight and again on Sunday.

A spokesman at the U.S. Central Command said he was unaware of any strike on Iraq after Saturday.

"Our last strike was last night," the spokesman in Florida said.

The Iraqi statement said the planes bombed "civilian installations" in the provinces of Basra, about 245 miles, and Dhi Qar, 235 miles south of Baghdad. It made no mention of casualties.

The report said Iraqi air defences fired at the planes.

The U.S. military earlier said American and British warplanes attacked communications sites in southern Iraq on Saturday after Iraqi forces fired at the aircraft.

The U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Gulf region, said the aircraft used precision-guided weapons to target six unmanned cable repeater sites.

The communications sites were located between Al Kut, about 95 miles southeast of Baghdad, and Al Basra southeast of Baghdad, the U.S. statement said.

Both the United States and Britain have massed forces in the Gulf region for a possible invasion of Iraq.

For months, U.S. and British jets have stepped up attacks on Iraqi air defence sites as well as radar and communications installations in northern and southern areas.

The no-fly zones were established after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurds in the north and Shi'ite Muslim communities in the south. Iraq insists the air patrols violate international law.

Western Jets Strike Iraqi Communications Sites

February 22, 2003

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Warplanes taking part in U.S. and British patrols over a "no-fly" zone in southern Iraq attacked communications sites on Saturday after Iraqi forces fired at the aircraft, the U.S. military said.

The U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Gulf region, said the aircraft used precision-guided weapons to target six unmanned cable repeater sites.

"The coalition executed today's strike after Iraqi air defenses fired anti-aircraft artillery at coalition aircraft," the Central Command said in a statement posted on its Web site.

"Target battle damage assessment is ongoing," the statement said.

The communications sites were located between Al Kut, about 95 miles southeast of Baghdad, and Al Basrah, about 245 miles southeast of Baghdad, the statement said.

The strikes took place at about 2:45 p.m. EST, the Central Command said.

U.S. and British jets have increasingly attacked Iraqi air defense missiles, radar and communications for months in the northern and southern "no-fly" zones.

This year, Iraqi air defenses have fired at coalition aircraft more than 100 times and have violated the southern "no-fly" zone on three separate days, the Central Command said. The U.S. and British patrols have responded by striking Iraqi military targets more than 40 times, the statement said.

Both the United States and Britain have massed forces in the Gulf region for a possible invasion of Iraq.

US Warplanes swoop again on Iraq

February 18, 2003

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Aircraft taking part in U.S.-British patrols over Iraqi "no-fly" zones have attacked an Iraqi air defence radar, in the seventh strike in 10 days, the U.S. military says.

The U.S. Central Command, which has responsibility for the Gulf region, said the jets launched guided weapons against a mobile early-warning radar near Ar Rutbah, about 250 miles (400 km) southwest of Baghdad.

The strike occurred at about 4:10 p.m. EST (9:10 p.m. British time), the military said.

"The coalition executed today's strike after Iraqi forces moved the mobile radar into the southern no-fly zone where it was a threat to coalition aircraft," Central Command said in a news release.

U.S. and British jets have been increasingly attacking air defence missiles, radar and communications in Iraq's northern and southern no-fly zones over the past several months.

Both the United States and Britain have massed forces in the Gulf region for a possible invasion of Iraq.

Sun, Feb 16, 2003.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iraqi military said on Sunday that aircraft taking part in U.S.-British patrols over "no-fly" zones hit civilian targets in southern Iraq in the sixth strike in nine days.

U.S. Planes Hit Iraq Missile Sites

Assoc. Press

Feb 15, 2003

WASHINGTON - American warplanes bombed two anti-aircraft missile sites in southern Iraq early Saturday, the U.S. Central Command announced.

U.S. pilots bombed two mobile, surface-to-air missile sites near Basra, Iraq's major port about 245 miles southeast of Baghdad, at about midnight EST, Central Command said in a statement.

The strike was the fourth in the Basra area this week — the second in as many days — by American planes patrolling the no-fly zone over southern Iraq. Basra, the country's second-largest city, is only about 35 miles from the border with Kuwait.

Tens of thousands of U.S. troops are massing in Kuwait in preparation for a possible invasion of Iraq. Airstrikes in the Basra area this month have included strikes against surface-to-surface missiles that U.S. commanders say threaten those ground troops.

On Friday, American planes also dropped 360,000 leaflets over three towns about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad, Central Command said. The leaflets included directions for tuning in to American military radio broadcasts carrying messages against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. U.S. forces have dropped millions of leaflets over southern Iraq in recent months.

The United States set up the southern no-fly zone to prevent Saddam from attacking restive Shiite Muslims there. Iraq claims flight-interdiction zones in northern and southern Iraq violate its sovereignty and frequently tries to shoot down the U.S. and British planes patrolling the zones.

Iraq has not shot down a piloted plane in either no-fly zone.

Western Jets Again Attack Iraq

Friday, Feb. 14, 2003

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Aircraft taking part in U.S.-British patrols attacked Iraqi missile systems on Friday, the fifth strike on Iraqi assets in a week, the U.S. military said.

U.S. warplanes bomb missile site in southern Iraq

By Matt Kelley, Assoc. Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. planes bombed a ballistic missile launcher in southern Iraq on Tuesday, Pentagon officials said, in the first operation against Iraqi weapons that are meant to hit ground targets instead of aircraft or ships.

Eight American warplanes dropped a total of 16 bombs on the Iraqi missile system near Basra at about 11 a.m. EST, Pentagon officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A statement from U.S. Central Command said the Iraqis had moved the mobile missile-launching system into the southern no-fly zone. "Saddam Hussein put these systems in range of our troops and the people of Kuwait, and under U.N. authority, we struck them," said Jim Wilkinson, a Central Command spokesman.

The U.S. bombs struck an Iraqi Ababil-100 missile launcher, a command van and resupply vehicles, senior defense officials said.

The Ababil is a solid-fueled missile developed after the 1991 Gulf War. Iraq says it does not fly farther than the 93-mile limit on Iraqi missiles imposed by United Nations sanctions. The United States and Britain say the Ababil probably either has a longer range or could easily be modified to fly farther. U.S. officials say the Ababil also can be used to carry chemical or biological warheads.

Even under the U.N. limit, an Ababil missile fired from Basra could easily reach Kuwait, where thousands of U.S. troops are massing in preparation for a possible invasion of Iraq.

U.S. warplanes also attacked a mobile surface-to-air missile system near Basra on Monday. Iraq claimed that strike killed two civilians. American military officials say they go to great lengths to avoid hitting civilians and say Iraq often lies about civilian casualties.

Tuesday was the 15th day this year that U.S. or coalition forces have struck at targets inside Iraq's two no-fly zones. The airstrikes are meant to retaliate against Iraqi attempts to shoot down coalition warplanes and to soften up Iraqi defenses before a possible invasion.

Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, is about 245 miles southeast of Baghdad in the southern no-fly zone set up by the United States to protect Iraq's Shiite Muslims.

Iraq considers the zones over northern and southern Iraq to be violations of its sovereignty and repeatedly tries to shoot down the U.S. and British warplanes patrolling them. Iraq has not succeeded in downing a piloted plane over either zone.

The United States also has dropped millions of leaflets in the southern no-fly zone, warning soldiers not to repair damaged facilities and telling Iraqis how to tune in to American military propaganda radio broadcasts.

Iraq Says 2 Dead in Allied Airstrike

February 10, 2003, AP.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. and British fighters bombed a site in Iraq's southern no-fly zone on Monday, killing two people and injuring nine others, the Iraqi News Agency reported.

US, British Planes Attack North Iraq 'No-Fly' Zone
Fri January 31, 2003 02:42 PM ET
By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Warplanes taking part in a U.S.-British patrol staged their first attack in Iraq's northern "no-fly" zone in nearly two months on Friday, dropping precision-guided munitions after coming under fire from Iraqi air defenses, the U.S. military said.

An Iraqi air defense spokesman said in a statement in Baghdad that one civilian was wounded when U.S. and British planes bombed civilian targets near the northern city of Mosul, 230 miles north of Baghdad.

The warplanes patrolling the northern no-fly zone attacked a site located 10 miles east of Mosul after drawing fire from Iraqi integrated air defenses, said Maj. Timothy Blair, a Pentagon spokesman. All the coalition planes departed the area safely, Blair added. No details were provided about damage to the Iraqi targets.

The Iraqi air defense spokesman said the Western planes flew 16 sorties over wide areas in the north before attacking civilian installations near Mosul. Iraqi air defense units opened up at the attacking planes, forcing them to return to bases in Turkey, the spokesman added.

The U.S. military says the patrolling aircraft never target civilian sites and "go to painstaking lengths" to avoid hurting civilians.

The vast majority of attacks by the U.S. and British aircraft come in the southern no-fly zone. The previous attack in the northern no-fly zone was on Dec. 4, Blair said.

The frequent tit-for-tat exchanges in the no-fly zones have escalated as the United States assembles a large military force in the Gulf region for a possible invasion of Iraq.

Iraq does not recognize the two no-fly zones set up after the 1991 Gulf War with the stated intention of protecting Kurdish rebels in the north and minority Shiite Muslims in the south from attack by Iraqi government forces.

The most recent attack in the southern no-fly zone came Sunday when the warplanes targeted five cable repeater sites that can be used for air defense communications. There have been a dozen attacks by the patrolling aircraft in the southern no-fly zone in January.

In the southern no-fly zone on Friday, coalition aircraft dropped 360,000 leaflets exhorting Iraqis to listen to U.S. special forces radio broadcasts to the area, the U.S. military's Central Command said in a statement.

The leaflets were dropped over Al Kut, about 95 miles southeast of Baghdad, Central Command said.

It was the second time in as many days and the 19th time since October that the planes have dropped leaflets over southern Iraq, Central Command added. On Thursday, the planes dropped 480,000 leaflets over five locations in southern Iraq, Central Command said.

The leaflets pointed Iraqis to frequencies of broadcasts criticizing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and providing information on the U.N. Security Council resolution demanding Iraqi disarmament and U.N. arms inspections.

U.S. Warplanes Strike in Southern Iraq No-Fly Zone

January 26, 2003

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and British coalition warplanes patrolling "no-fly" zones over Iraq bombed five communications sites in southern Iraq Sunday, the U.S. military said.

It was the latest in what has become frequent activity in the no-fly zones as the U.S. military builds up forces in the Gulf region to prepare for a possible war with Iraq. The last strike in southern Iraq occurred on Jan. 24.

Sunday's strikes occurred at about 7 a.m. EST on cable repeater sites located between Al Kut, about 100 miles southeast of Baghdad, and An Nasiriyah, about 170 miles southeast of Baghdad, the U.S. Central Command said.

"Coalition strikes in the no-fly zones are executed as a self-defense measure in response to Iraqi hostile threats and acts against Coalition forces and their aircraft," the U.S. military statement said. "The coalition executed today's strike after Iraqi military aircraft violated the Southern No-Fly zone."

The United States and Britain declared no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurds in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from Baghdad's forces. Iraq does not recognize the zones.

U.S.-British planes hit targets in Iraq 'no-fly' zone

Reuters

January 25, 2003

WASHINGTON - U.S. and British aircraft hit two targets in southern Iraq's "no-fly" zone in as many days, and Iraq said on Saturday three Iraqi civilians were injured in one of the attacks.

The U.S. military said the U.S.-British patrol attacked an anti-artillery site near Tallil, about 170 miles (275 southeast of Baghdad on Saturday.

There was no immediate assessment of the damage from the strike after the United States said Iraqi air defense forces fired anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles at the patrolling aircraft.

It said earlier that an air patrol had attacked an air defense command and control communication facility near al-Haswah, 60 miles south of Baghdad in the Babel area.

The U.S. military said the aircraft carried out the strikes in response to "Iraqi hostile threats against Coalition aircraft."

The Iraqi News Agency said the aircraft had hit non-military installations in Babel province, injuring three people.

Prior to the Friday and Saturday strikes, the last strike by aircraft patrolling the no-fly zone over southern Iraq was on Jan. 19, when the United States said Coalition aircraft attacked cable repeater sites between Al Kut and An Nasiriyah.

The United States and Britain created no-fly zones in north and south Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurds in the north and Shiite Muslims in the south. Iraq says the zones are not U.N.-authorized and it does not recognize them.

An increase in the number of attacks in the no-fly zones has coincided with a U.S. military build-up in the Gulf region to prepare for a possible war with Iraq.

U.S., British Planes Hit Iraqi 'No-Fly' Sites

January 19, 2003 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Warplanes participating in a U.S.-British patrol over a "no-fly" zone in southern Iraq on Sunday attacked eight sites after Iraqi air defenses opened fire, the U.S. military said.

The targets were cable repeater sites that were part of the command and control system for Iraq's air defense, U.S. Central Command said in a statement from its headquarters in Tampa, Fla.. The strikes were "in response to Iraqi hostile acts against coalition aircraft," the statement said.

"The coalition executed today's strike after Iraqi air defense forces fired anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles at coalition aircraft patrolling the Southern No-Fly zone," Central Command said.

The strikes took place at about 7:10 a.m. EST and were aimed at sites located between Al Kut, about 95 miles southeast of Baghdad, and An Nasiriyah, around 170 miles southeast of Baghdad, according to the Pentagon. It said it was still assessing the damage.

Iraq said U.S. and British warplanes policing a no-fly zone in south of the country attacked civilian targets on Sunday, but it reported no casualties.

An Iraqi military spokesman said the planes carried out 46 sorties from bases in Kuwait, flying over a number of cities in the south of the country. The planes attacked civilian targets in Dhi Qar province, about 270 km, southeast of Baghdad, he added.

The United States and Britain created no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurds in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from Iraqi government forces. Iraq does not recognize the zones.

A major escalation of attacks in the no-fly zones has coincided with a U.S. military build-up in the Gulf region to prepare for a possible war with Iraq. On Friday, U.S. and British patrols struck cable repeaters also located between Al Kut and An Nasiriyah.

U.S., British aircraft attack Iraqi 'no-fly' zone

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Warplanes participating in a U.S.-British patrol over a "no-fly" zone in southern Iraq on Friday attacked Iraqi military communications sites after Iraqi forces fired on the aircraft with artillery and missiles, the U.S. military said.

The U.S. Central Command, in a statement from its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, said the warplanes used precision-guided weapons to target two cable repeater sites that are part of Iraq's military air defense command and control system. The Pentagon says fiber-optic cables are part of a sophisticated Iraqi air defense communications network, linking radars, command posts and anti-aircraft weapons.

The sites were located between Al Kut, about 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Baghdad, and An Nasiriyah, about 170 miles (270 km) southeast of Baghdad, said Central Command, which oversees military operations in the region.

"Target battle damage assessment is ongoing," according to the statement.

"The coalition executed today's strike after Iraqi air defense forces fired anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles at coalition aircraft patrolling the southern no-fly zone," Central Command said.

The statement did not identify the nationality of the planes involved in Friday's attack.

The United States and Britain created no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurds in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from Iraqi government forces. Iraq does not recognize the zones.

A major escalation of attacks in the no-fly zones has coincided with a U.S. military build-up in the Gulf region to prepare for a possible war with Iraq. The last such strike was on Monday, when patrolling aircraft attacked an Iraqi anti-ship missile launcher.

Iraq says the attacks frequently hit civilian sites. The United States says coalition aircraft never target civilian populations or infrastructure.

U.S.-British Planes Stage 'No-Fly' Zone Attack

January 13,2003

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Warplanes participating in a U.S.-British patrol over a "no-fly" zone in southern Iraq on Monday attacked an Iraqi anti-ship missile launcher, deeming it a threat to American and allied vessels in the Gulf, the U.S. military said.

In addition, aircraft dropped hundreds of thousands of leaflets over southern Iraq, pressing Iraqi troops and citizens to listen to U.S. radio broadcasts to the area, officials said.

The U.S. Central Command, in a statement from its headquarters in Tampa, Florida, said the aircraft used precision-guided weapons to strike the anti-ship missile launcher near Al Basrah, about 300 miles southeast of Baghdad.

Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Gulf region, said damage assessment was ongoing.

"Coalition strikes in the southern no-fly, no-drive zone are executed as a self-defense measure in response to Iraqi hostile threats and acts against coalition forces," the statement said. "The coalition targeted the anti-ship missile launcher because it was a threat to coalition maritime forces operating in the North Arabian Gulf."

It marked the first such "no-fly" zone attack since Friday, when aircraft attacked an Iraqi military air defense command and control site at Tallil and four cable repeater sites that can be used for military communications in targeting patrolling aircraft, Central Command said.

The United States and Britain established no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War protect Kurds in the north and Shiite Muslims in the south from Iraqi government forces. Iraq does not recognize the zones.

A major escalation of attacks in the no-fly zones has coincided with a U.S. military build-up in the Gulf region to prepare for a possible war with Iraq.

Central Command said the patrolling warplanes dropped 240,000 leaflets over An Najaf, about 85 miles southeast of Baghdad. It was the 14th such drop of leaflets over southern Iraq in three months, officials said.

The leaflets revealed the frequencies of broadcasts criticizing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and provided information on U.N. Security Council resolutions and U.N. arms inspections in Iraq.

Western Warplanes Again Attack Iraqi Air Defenses

 January 10, 2003

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Aircraft taking part in U.S.-British patrols attacked five air defense targets in a "no-fly" zone in southern Iraq on Friday in response to attempts to shoot down the warplanes, the U.S. military said.

The strikes against a military command and control site at Tallil and four cable repeater communications targets between al Kut and Basra were the latest in an increasing series of tit-for tat exchanges in no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq.

The U.S. military's Central Command, which is responsible for American military action in the Gulf region, said in a statement that the attacks were "in response to Iraqi acts against coalition aircraft."

The attacks occurred at about 3:15 p.m. (7:15 a.m. EST) in Iraq, the command said, adding that all aircraft left the area safely and damage to targets was being assessed.

It was the second time in three days that the warplanes struck cable repeater sites in the south. The Pentagon says fiber optic cables are part of a sophisticated Iraqi air defense communications network, linking radars, command posts and anti-aircraft weapons.

The sharp escalation of skirmishes in the no-fly zones has coincided with a U.S. military build-up in the Gulf region to prepare for a possible war with Iraq.

The United States and Britain declared no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurds in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south from Baghdad's forces. Iraq does not recognize the zones.

Iraq Says Two Killed in U.S. Airstrike

January 8, 2003

Assoc. Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq said Wednesday that two people were killed and 13 injured when U.S. and British warplanes bombed what it called civilian installations in the south of the country.

In a statement published in state-run newspapers, an unidentified military spokesman said the strike took place Monday night, but he gave no details of the targets.

On Tuesday, the U.S. military said American warplanes bombed two Iraqi anti-aircraft radars that threatened pilots patrolling the southern no-fly zone.

The planes used precision-guided weapons to target the mobile radar equipment near Al Amarah, about 165 miles southeast of Baghdad, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command. The airstrike took place at about 3:30 p.m. EST Monday, the statement added.

It was the second airstrike this year by American planes patrolling the southern no-fly zone, which was set up more than a decade ago to prevent Iraq's army from attacking restive Shiite Muslims in the region. A strike on Saturday targeted three Iraqi air defense communications sites in the same general area as Monday's strike.

U.S. and British warplanes patrol another no-fly zone in northern Iraq to protect the Kurdish minority. Iraq considers the no-fly zones violations of its sovereignty and frequently tries to shoot down the planes.

US Bombs Southern Iraq

[relevant information re: bombing is in bold]

U.S. Sending Iraq Battle Staff to Gulf

January 7, 2003

Robert Burns

Assoc. Press

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military command that would run a war against Iraq is dispatching much of its battle staff to a Persian Gulf base equipped to coordinate a large-scale land, sea and air war, officials said Tuesday.

Amid an accelerating buildup of U.S. troops in the Gulf region, the command post at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar is being readied in case President Bush decides that military force is needed to disarm Iraq's Saddam Hussein.

A senior official who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity said the movement of Central Command battle planners, which began this week, does not mean that war against Iraq is imminent or inevitable. The official said the move is a necessary step to prepare the military in case Bush gives the go-ahead.

Jim Wilkinson, the Central Command director of strategic communications, confirmed the decision to send the battle planners to Qatar, but he declined to provide details on when they would arrive or in what numbers.

"Central Command continues to cycle personnel into and out of the region," Wilkinson said. "We refuse to discuss deployments in advance. However, you can expect to see continuing deployments to Qatar and elsewhere in support of ongoing diplomatic activities."

Last month, the commander of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Tommy Franks, oversaw an extensive computer-based exercise at As Sayliyah that many viewed as a tune-up for a war against Iraq. Franks said the exercise verified technologies that would enable him to coordinate with air, ground and naval commanders in the region.

Franks and his battle staff returned to their permanent headquarters in Tampa, Fla., before Christmas.

Later this month, most of the same battle staff will be back at As Sayliyah, a desert encampment with newly designed command posts hidden inside enormous warehouses near the Qatari capital of Doha.

The new deployment to As Sayliyah is not an exercise.

In the December exercise, about 1,000 battle planners participated. Wilkinson would not say how many will be returning this month, but other officials said it likely would be about the same as the December group.

If there is war, Franks would run it from As Sayliyah, but he is not returning immediately with his battle staff, officials said.

The senior officer at As Sayliyah in coming days will be Army Lt. Gen. John Abizaid, a deputy commander of Central Command. The other deputy commander, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Mike DeLong, is at the Tampa headquarters.

Although Rumsfeld and other officials say Bush has not made a decision on war, U.S. warplanes are frequently bombing air defense installations in southern Iraq. On Monday they attacked two anti-aircraft radars that a Central Command statement said had threatened pilots patrolling the "no-fly" zone south of Baghdad.

The planes used precision-guided weapons to hit the mobile radar equipment near Al Amarah, a frequent target of U.S. attacks over the past few months. An airstrike on Saturday targeted three Iraqi air defense communications sites in the same general area. American planes also dropped leaflets in the Al Amarah area Sunday giving Iraqis the frequencies of U.S. propaganda radio broadcasts.

Franks was in Washington on Tuesday for private consultations on the Iraq situation, including the ongoing troop deployments, as well as the hunt for al-Qaida in Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa. He was scheduled to meet with Rumsfeld and Bush this week.

At a Pentagon news conference, Rumsfeld made no mention of the decision to send Franks' battle staff back to As Sayliyah, but he said the flow of U.S. weapons and troops into the Gulf region would continue.

Rumsfeld said there is still time for Iraq's leader to avoid war.

"The first choice would be that Saddam Hussein would pick up and leave the country tonight, that would be nice for everybody, or he decides suddenly to turn over a new leaf and cooperate with the U.N. and disgorge all of his capabilities," Rumsfeld said.

The defense secretary also said he saw no reason to reinstate a military draft, as proposed by Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. Rangel, a Korean War veteran and an opponent of invading Iraq. Rangel argues that the current all-volunteer military places a disproportionate burden of service on minorities and the underprivileged.

"We're not going to re-implement a draft," Rumsfeld said. "There is no need for it at all."

Iraq Says Allied Warplanes Carry Out New Raid

January 4, 2003

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's armed forces said on Saturday U.S. and British warplanes hit civilian targets in a "no-fly zone" in southern Iraq in the third such raid in as many days.

An Iraqi military spokesman said the raid was on Friday, but a spokesman for the Florida-based U.S. Central Command said he had no information about such a strike. There was no immediate word from the British military.

The U.S. military has said allied aircraft bombed military targets in Iraq on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Iraqi spokesman in Baghdad said the U.S. and British aircraft flew 60 sorties as of 8:05 p.m. (1705 GMT) on Friday [January 3rd] over large areas of the south of country.

He said that during one of the sorties the planes fired at civilian targets. He reported no casualties and gave no further details on the bombing.

The spokesman said Iraqi defense units fired at the planes and drove them back to bases in Kuwait. He said the planes flew again over the south on Saturday, but did not attack although ground forces fired at them.

Friday's reported air strike was the latest in a lengthy series of tit-for-tat exchanges since the 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites) that drove Iraqi invasion forces out of Kuwait.

A recent escalation in the number of such incidents has coincided with the U.S. military build-up in the region ahead of a possible war against Iraq to eliminate its alleged banned weapons programs.

No-fly zones were set up after the Gulf War to protect Kurdish rebels in the north and Shi'ite Muslims in the south. Iraq does not recognize the no-fly zones.

Allied Aircraft Strike in Iraq 'No-Fly' Zone

January 2, 2003

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Aircraft taking part in U.S.-British patrols over southern Iraq on Thursday attacked Iraqi air defense communications facilities in response to hostile fire, the U.S. military said.

The aircraft used precision-guided weapons to target Iraqi air defense communications near Al Kut, approximately 100 miles southeast of Baghdad, the Tampa, Florida-based U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

"Today's strike came after Iraqi forces fired anti-aircraft artillery at coalition aircraft in the southern no-fly zone," said the command, which coordinates U.S. military operations in the Gulf area.

The strike occurred at about 3 p.m. EST and damage assessment was ongoing, the command said.

Thursday's attack was the latest in a lengthy series of tit-for-tat exchanges since the Gulf War. A recent escalation in the number of such incidents has coincided with the U.S. military build-up in the region ahead of a possible war against Iraq to eliminate its alleged banned weapons programs.

The U.S. Central Command said on Wednesday that Western aircraft attacked an Iraqi military air defense radar near Al Qurnah, 130 miles southeast of Baghdad, after the radar was moved into the no-fly zone.

No-fly zones were set up after the 1991 Gulf War to protect Kurdish rebels in the north and minority Shi'ite Muslims in the south.

Iraq, which does not recognize the no-fly zones, has accused the United States of targeting civilians and commercial activities.

Coalition warplanes strike Iraqi radar, killing one Iraqi

Channel News Asia

January 1, 2003

US and British coalition warplanes attacked at an Iraqi air defence radar in a "no-fly zone" in southern Iraq on Wednesday.

The US Central Command said strike occurred near the city of Al Qurnah, about 210 kilometres southeast of Baghdad.

It said the planes used precision-guided munitions against the Iraqi target.

It was not immediately clear whether the target was hit as the command said damage assessment was still ongoing.

An Iraqi military spokesman said Iraqi anti-aircraft and missile batteries fired back.

The spokesman said the planes attacked civilian and service installations, killing one citizen and wounding two others.

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