Calgary Sun (Canada) March 20, 2003
Missiles Target Saddam
Surgical First Strike on Iraq Signals Start of War to Drive Hussein From Power
CP/REUTERS
Cruise missiles that may have had Saddam Hussein in their crosshairs slammed into a single target in Baghdad at dawn, signalling the start of the U.S.-led war against Iraq.
"American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger," U.S. President George W. Bush told Americans late last night.
The Pentagon said the strike was a surgical attack aimed at a particular building where members of Iraq's leadership were thought to be housed.
That suggested the volley of about 40 Tomahawk missiles may have been earmarked for Saddam or his sons. However, a defiant Saddam later addressed his people on television, urging them to fight.
"The criminal little Bush has committed a crime against humanity," he said, wearing military uniform and a black beret.
He urged his people to "go draw your sword" against the enemy.
"You will be able to achieve glory and your despicable infidel enemies will be defeated," he said.
Three hours earlier, precision-guided Tomahawks were fired from F-117 stealth fighters at "targets of opportunity," Bush said.
Other missiles were fired from U.S. ships in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.
Meanwhile, CNN correspondents reported U.S. soldiers in northern Kuwait were bunkered down and told to put on their facemasks when a missile or unmanned aircraft screeched overhead.
After hearing screams of "bunker, bunker" and "inbound," members of the media -- along with soldiers -- were directed underground before listening to the projectile fly by from a north to south direction.
An explosion was heard a few seconds later.
The soldiers and reporters were later permitted to remove their masks.
In the dawn air strikes, a massive assault force of more than a quarter-million U.S. and British troops immediately began storming towards Iraq.
"Now that conflict has come, the only way to limit its duration is to apply decisive force," Bush said.
"We will accept no outcome but victory."
The strike came 90 minutes after Bush's 48-hour deadline for Saddam's exile had expired.
Few expected a surgical strike would begin the war.
Pentagon generals had promised a campaign of "shock and awe" -- a firestorm of precision-guided munitions raining down simultaneously on targets across Iraq would open the fighting.
Bush administration officials said the pinprick volley was a hastily ordered strike for fear an opportunity could be lost.
The president ordered the strike after being told by the CIA that Saddam was still in Iraq and had ignored Bush's deadline.
The U.S. said the war was necessary because Iraq refused to give up deadly chemical and biological weapons and still maintained nuclear ambitions.
Baghdad denied having any such weapons and said it fully co-operated with UN weapons inspectors, who spent almost four months in the country but found little evidence of the banned weapons.
After France threatened to use its veto at the UN Security Council to stop any aggression towards Iraq, the U.S. and Britain formed a "coalition of the willing" to disarm Hussein by force.
Reuters correspondent Nadim Ladki, reporting from the centre of Baghdad, said the first blasts seemed to come from the southern and eastern suburbs.
Heavy plumes of black smoke billowed from the east after the same target appeared to have been hit three or four times. Several explosions later hit the city centre.
The U.S. also succeeded in taking over Iraqi state radio and broadcasting a message to the Iraqi people that Saddam's days were numbered.
"This is the day we have been waiting for," an announcer said in Arabic shortly after the normal Iraqi broadcast went off the air suddenly, minutes after air strikes began.
Bush promised U.S. forces would do their best to avoid innocent civilian casualties.
GRAPHIC: 1. illustration by REUTERS; IN THE 1991 GULF WAR, A 100-HOUR GROUND WAR WAS PRECEDED BY A FIVE-WEEK AIR CAMPAIGN. THIS TIME GROUND TROOPS ARE EXPECTED TO BE HEAVILY INVOLVED.; --Sources: GlobalSecurity.org, Federation of American Scientists, Center for Defense Information; 2. photo by ALAN J. BARIBEAU, AP; MOVE MADE... The U.S.S. Donald Cook in the Red Sea fires three Tomohawk Land Attack Missiles yesterday aimed at Iraq.
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