Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=03/20/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=IRAQ WRAP (L-UPD)

NUMBER=2-300976

BYLINE=JIM MALONE

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The United States has begun its long-awaited military campaign to topple Saddam Hussein from power. Iraq responded by firing a few missiles at coalition forces in northern Kuwait. National Correspondent Jim Malone has the latest.

TEXT: The initial phase surprised those expecting an all-out assault from the air. Instead, U-S forces launched a targeted strike against Baghdad with cruise missiles and stealth bombers.

British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said the target was a meeting of senior Iraqi leaders and he warned the Iraqis that more attacks are on the way:

/// HOON ACT ///

This is simply a warning shot, if you like, across the bows of the Iraqi leadership. They cannot rest, they cannot hide, and we will certainly deal with them.

/// END ACT ///

Iraq says one civilian was killed in the attack and several others wounded.

Shortly after the strike, President Bush formally announced the beginning of the military campaign in a nationally televised address from the White House:

/// BUSH ACT ///

We have no ambition in Iraq, except to remove a threat and restore control of that country to its own people.

/// END ACT ///

A short time after the attack on Baghdad, Iraqi television broadcast a speech by Saddam Hussein:

/// HUSSEIN IN ARABIC ///

Iraqis will resist and they will be victorious, he said. It was not clear if his remarks were recorded or broadcast live.

Iraq's Information Minister, Mohammed Said Kazin al-Sahhaf, lashed out at the U-S attack at a news conference in Baghdad:

/// AL SAAHAF ACT ///

This is a good proof that they are criminals and they are killers and they are believing in assassinations.

/// END ACT ///

Iraq later fired missiles into northern Kuwait where U-S and British troops are massing in anticipation of a full-scale ground invasion. At least one of the Iraqi missiles was knocked out of the air by a U-S Patriot missile. Soldiers were ordered to briefly don gas masks and protective suits after the Iraqi missiles hit the ground.

V-O-A correspondent Alisha Ryu is with U-S forces in northern Kuwait:

/// RYU ACT ///

We just know that when we hear "gas, gas, gas!" we take cover.

/// END ACT ///

There were no casualties reported from the Iraqi strikes and officials said they were not carrying chemical or biological weapons.

International reaction to the start of military action has been mixed. Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an immediate end to the military campaign, saying it is a big political mistake.

Germany and France also expressed dismay over the start of hostilities and there were further condemnations from China and India.

But U-S allies in Asia including South Korea, Japan, and Australia offered support, saying they believe military action is justified. (SIGNED)

NEB/JBM/RAE