Thursday, March 20,
2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq — The United
States launched its opening attack against Iraq Thursday
morning, smashing "targets of military opportunity" in a
pre-dawn "decapitation" strike after President Bush's deadline
for Saddam Hussein to leave the country passed unheeded. Iraq
responded hours later, sending Scud missiles towards U.S.
troops stationed in Kuwait, but reports say that at least
one was intercepted by American Patriot missiles.
U.S.
officials told Fox News the attack targeted Saddam personally,
and that the barrage of cruise missiles and
bombs would be a prelude to a major invasion of
Iraq.
U.S. officials said one of the main hits in
Iraq was on a residence that contains a heavily fortified
bunker where they believe Saddam and some other key Iraqi
leaders were sleeping for the night. The sources added there
was still no word if the hit was successful at all.
Instead of an all-out aerial bombardment,
the opening salvo turned out to be a surgical strike aimed at
eliminating Saddam and his inner circle even before an
invasion. After the initial hit, Fox News learned
that two Iraqi missles were intercepted in Kuwait --
one in the desert area of Mutlaa not far from the
border.
Coinciding with the attack, about 1,000
U.S. troops launched a raid on villages in southeastern
Afghanistan, hunting for members of the Al Qaeda terrorist
network. It was the biggest U.S. operation there in over a
year, and appeared to signal to Usama bin Laden and his Al
Qaeda lieutenants that war with Iraq would not mean any kind
of respite for them.
The State Department warned U.S. citizens
abroad that they face increased danger of retaliatory
terrorist actions and anti-American violence.
The first missiles hit targets in Baghdad
shortly before dawn Thursday, less than two hours after Bush's
deadline of 8 p.m. EST Wednesday for Saddam to yield
power.
"These strikes are being characterized as a
'decapitation,' targeted at command and control nodes," U.S.
spokesman Marine Colonel Chris Hughes told Reuters of the
strike. "If successful, it will radically change the way we do
things."
Bush briefly addressed the nation to
announce that war had begun. He said the barrage was the
opening salvo in a "broad and concerted" operation to "disarm
Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave
danger."
"I assure you, this will not be a campaign
of half measures, and we will accept no outcome but victory,"
the president said.
U.S. and British troops massed in northern
Kuwait were still awaiting orders to cross into Iraq, but
welcomed news of the first strikes.
"It's about time," said Lance Cpl. Chad
Borgmann, 23, of Sydney, Neb., a member of the 15th Marine
Expeditionary Unit. "We've been here a month and a week. We're
ready to go."
Even before any shooting, 17 Iraqi soldiers
surrendered to American soldiers. U.S. officers said they
expected mass surrenders by Iraqi troops in the early stages
of the war.
The initial salvos against Baghdad
consisted of 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from Navy
ships in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, as well as
precision-guided 2,000-pound bombs dropped from two F-117A
Nighthawk stealth jets.
U.S. officials said the attacks were not a
sign that the main air offensive against Iraq had begun, but
were approved by Bush in response to intelligence on the
whereabouts of Saddam and other Iraqi leaders.
Sources told Fox News that U.S.
intelligence has been tracking five high-ranking Iraqi
officials for several weeks, among them Saddam and his sons,
Odai and Qusai.
About two hours after the cruise missiles
hit, a subdued-looking Saddam seemed to appear on Iraqi
television in a military uniform and vowed an Iraqi
victory.
"We promise you that Iraq, its leadership
and its people will stand up to the evil invaders," he said.
"They will face a bitter defeat, God willing."
U.S. officials told Fox News they are
reviewing the speech and attempting to see if it may have been
taped, not live.
Shortly before dawn, air sirens blared in
Baghdad, while yellow and white anti-aircraft tracers streaked
through the sky. Several explosions could be heard.
Hundreds of armed members of Saddam's Baath
party and security forces took up positions in Baghdad after
the attack, though the streets of the capital were mostly
empty of civilians. There were no signs during the day of
regular army troops or armor in or outside Baghdad, where
Saddam was widely expected to make his final stand.
Bahrain, a small Persian Gulf state allied
with the United States, offered Saddam a haven Wednesday, the
first such offer to be publicly extended to him. There was no
immediate Iraqi comment on the offer.
Across the United States, the start of war
was an emotional moment for families of U.S. troops.
"I thought I was prepared for this, but I'm
really not," said Suzanne Hoefler of Coronado, Calif., whose
husband, Navy Petty Officer John Hoefler, left in January for
the Persian Gulf.
In other nations, reactions varied
dramatically. Iran's foreign minister, Kamal Kharrazi, called
the military action "unjustifiable and illegitimate," and
China demanded a halt to the attack.
Support for Washington came from allies
Britain and Japan, among others. Australia, which has
contributed 2,000 soldiers to the U.S.-led force, said its
warships and fighter jets were involved in combat support
operations Thursday.
Israeli civilians began carrying gas masks
to protect them from a possible retaliatory Iraqi attack.
In southeastern Afghanistan, helicopters
ferried troops from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division to a
remote, mountainous area as the hunt for bin Laden and his
terror network intensified. U.S. military officials in
Washington said radio transmissions had been detected coming
from caves above the villages.
It was the largest U.S. military operation
in Afghanistan since Operation Anaconda just over a year ago,
an eight-day battle involving hundreds of Taliban and Al Qaeda
fighters against thousands of American and allied Afghan
troops.
Fox News' Rita Cosby and The Associated
Press contributed to this report. |