St. Petersburg Times (Florida) March 25, 2003
Republican Guard units
The heroic names of some of the Republican Guard units underscore their elite character. Here are the divisions:
1st Hammurabi Division, named for the ruler who chiefly established the greatness of Babylon
2nd Medina Division
3rd Tawakalna Division, which derives its name from the phrase Tawakalna ala Allah, which may be translated as "depending on God."
4th Al-Faw Division
5th Baghdad Division
6th Nebuchadnezzar Division, named after the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.
7th Adnan Division
8th Special Forces Division
Al Abed Division
Al Nida Armored Division SOURCE: GlobalSecurity.org
Giant sandstorm complicates flight
As coalition forces advance on Baghdad a powerful sandstorm is forecast to hit the region and challenge fighting forces with winds of over 50mph and near-zero visibility.
Some effects in the air:
+ Flights get canceled, limiting troop movement and bombing runs.
+ Reduced visibility makes sighting targets difficult or impossible.
+ Equipment such as helicopter rotors wear down and must be replaced.
+ Sensitive technical instruments and mechanical equipment must be cleaned constantly of fine particles.
Some effects on the ground:
+ Monitoring troop movement difficult.
+ Targets hard to see.
+ Moving parts in weapons malfunction.
+ Added discomfort to troops already in heavy protective clothes.
+ Troops suffer dehydration and respiratory complications.
A wall of sand
The powerful sandstorm is expected to be twice as strong as a storm that grounded helicopters and limited troop movement last week. The sandstorm is caused by hot dry winds rushing north to unstable weather and carrying a wall of sand that can be thousands of feet high.
Sources: New York Times, Acuweather
GRAPHIC: MAP, DON MORRIS; PHOTO; Map of Iraq locates the path of coalition forces nearing Baghdad. Map also locates the expected path of a sandstorm from the West. Inset map locates jet stream and weather systems over Iraq. Includes silhouette of a soldier with weapon drawn.; Apache; attack helicopter
Copyright © 2003, Times Publishing Company
