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150 Iraqis Killed After AmbushWed, March 26, 2003Source: Ananova NewsThe US military has claimed at least 150 Iraqi soldiers have been killed when they ambushed the US cavalryThe US military has claimed at least 150 Iraqi soldiers have been killed when they ambushed the US cavalry between the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf, 50 miles from Baghdad. Some reports put the Iraqi death toll in the battle - the fiercest so far in the Iraqi war - at up to 500. The Seventh Cavalry, which led the charge out of Kuwait and is equipped with Abrams main battle tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles, was east of Najaf when it suddenly came under fire from rocket-propelled grenades, a US defence official says. The Iraqis were on foot and it is not clear whether they were from regular army units, paramilitary forces or the Republican Guard. Some of the 7th Cavalry's equipment was damaged in the attack, the official says. Despite sandstorms that slowed down the allied advance toward the Iraqi capital, the Republican Guard Divisions surrounding Baghdad were pounded all day by bombs and missiles. RAF jets took part in the attacks. US intelligence, meanwhile, has picked up signs suggesting the closer ground troops get to Baghdad the greater the chance they will face chemical weapons, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says. The US 3rd Infantry Division has drawn to within about 50 miles of Baghdad, with the Medina armoured division of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard in its path. Elements of the 1st Marine Division are approaching the capital from a more easterly direction, and some analysts believe the 101st Airborne Division will join the battle for Baghdad which is protected by three Republican Guard divisions. Asked about reports Republican Guard forces ringing Baghdad have been given authority to use chemical weapons, Rumsfeld cited "scraps" of intelligence suggesting that the closer the 3rd Infantry gets to the capital, the greater the danger. |
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