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US bombs Republican GuardTue, March 25, 2003Source: Ananova NewsHuge explosions shook buildings in the Iraqi capital overnight as US forces bomb defensive positions on the outskirts of the cityHuge explosions shook buildings in the Iraqi capital overnight as US forces bomb defensive positions on the outskirts of the city. With coalition troops closing in, the streets were nearly empty and nervous residents prepared for ground fighting. Thousands of Marines are pouring towards the city in convoys, taking dirt roads to avoid cities and towns and creating traffic jams in the push north. The explosions started at midnight, concentrated on units of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard. Pentagon officials said US helicopters had started attacking Saddam's forces arrayed around the capital. At about the same time heavy bombing was heard from near the key northern city Mosul, indicating that coalition forces were hitting positions closer to the border with the Kurdish area. On Monday security and police officers in Baghdad dug more trenches around military offices in the centre of the capital. Anti-aircraft guns that had been removed earlier were placed once again on top of one of the main gates to the Old Palace, a presidential compound hit in earlier attacks. Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf said the American bombardment of Baghdad had injured 194 civilians. |
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