CBS MarketWatch April 1, 2003
U.S. grabs POW as Karbala fight flares
By August Cole, CBS.MarketWatch.com;
August Cole is spot news editor at CBS.MarketWatch.com in Chicago
WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- An American prisoner of war has been rescued, U.S. officials said in a predawn announcement Wednesday that coincided with a sharp flare-up in ground fighting within 50 miles southeast of Baghdad.
Officials confirmed that 19-year old U.S. Army Private Jessica Lynch of Palestine, W.Va., was snatched from her captors near the southern town of Nasiriyah and taken to back to allied-controlled territory. Lynch, a soldier with the 507th Maintenance Company, had been missing since March 23.
The announcement of her rescue came amid reports of fierce fighting between the 3rd Infantry Division and the Iraqi Republican Guard's Medina Division near the city of Karbala. U.S. forces are preparing for a push on Baghdad that could come as soon as the next 48 hours, the Financial Times reported.
"The coalition attacked regime targets over the last 24 hours in Baghdad and areas throughout the country," said Gen. Vincent Brooks, spokesman for U.S. Central Command in Doha, Qatar. "Precision attacks against surface-to-surface missiles and Republican Guard forces also continued. The coalition remains focused on every aspect of the regime.
Meanwhile, al-Jazeera footage carried by U.S. networks showed another round of air strikes in Baghdad.
Earlier in the day, speculation mounted that Saddam Hussein was dead or wounded after he failed to appear on Iraqi television following reports he would address the country.
Against this backdrop, U.S. stocks advanced in the first day of second-quarter trading. Crude prices in New York pulled back by more than 2 percent.
The 3rd Infantry Division has been engaged in fighting on the capital's southern approach, also the scene of numerous air strikes.
According to CBS News, 50 U.S. soldiers and 26 British soldiers have been killed in the campaign. Six POWs remain, and 16 soldiers are missing in action.
With coalition forces about 50 miles south of the capital, Franks said there has been no pause in the military effort. Some small units are probing Baghdad's defenses and are inside the perimeter that some expect will trigger Iraqi units using chemical weapons, according to CBS News' Defense Department sources.
Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz said Monday the regime wouldn't stop fighting until U.S. forces have left the country. "We're not going to beg for a cease-fire as long as there's one soldier in our territory. Cease-fire OK, end of war OK, but with complete unconditional withdrawal and with decision to leave," he told ABC News.
So far, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force is conducting raids near al-Kut, on the Tigris River southeast of Baghdad. The Marines also captured chemical-warfare equipment near Nasiriyah.
Special operations forces are also at work near Nasiriyah, officials said, directing air strikes and working with local groups.
In southern Iraq, Basra remains outside of coalition control as British troops continue to battle for the second-largest city. Mine clearing continues in the shipping channel at umm-Qasr as ships heading into the port are being searched by Navy commandos.
On the ground, there are 125,000 coalition troops involved in Iraq, and the Defense Department is expected to double that count in the coming weeks.
According to GlobalSecurity.org, there are about 850 M1 tanks. Ships carrying part of the 4th Infantry Division began crossing through the Suez Canal on March 23, GlobalSecurity.org reported.
Iraqi positions near the northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk were bombed in what appears to be some of the heaviest air strikes so far. U.S. and British special operations forces are on the ground in the area, along with a contingent of paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, dropped in to secure an airfield last week.
As of Tuesday evening, the air campaign so far had involved 700 cruise missiles and 8,000 precision-guided munitions, the Pentagon said.
© Copyright 2003 MarketWatch.com Inc.
