Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=3/25/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=IRAQ / WRAP UPDATE (L-ONLY)

NUMBER=2-301289

BYLINE=JIM MALONE

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: In Iraq, fierce sandstorms have slowed U-S led forces heading for Baghdad. But President Bush says there is no doubt about the outcome of the war. V-O-A Correspondent Jim Malone has the latest on the coalition campaign to remove Saddam Hussein from power.

TEXT: Powerful sandstorms blackened the skies over central Iraq Tuesday, slowing coalition forces closing on Baghdad from the south and west. The weather made it difficult for both land vehicles and helicopters to move about safely, though U-S and British warplanes continued to pound Republican Guard positions on the outskirts of Baghdad.

In southern Iraq, U-S Marines crossed the Euphrates River after intense fighting near the town of Nasiriyah.

U-S Air Force General Victor Renuart told reporters at coalition headquarters in Qatar that while U-S led forces have suffered some casualties in the fighting, Iraqi casualties have been much heavier:

/// RENUART ACT ///

The bottom line is we are on track and will deal with these irregular and regular forces wherever we find them.

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In Washington, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld cautioned those expecting a quick end to the war:

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We are still, needless to say, closer to the beginning than the end.

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Earlier, Secretary Rumsfeld briefed President Bush on the fighting in Iraq. Afterward, the president said U-S troops are making "good progress":

/// BUSH ACT ///

We cannot know the duration of this war, yet we know its outcome. We will prevail. The Iraqi regime will be disarmed, the Iraqi regime will be ended, the Iraqi people will be free and our world will be more secure and peaceful.

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The president is asking Congress for nearly 75-billion dollars in emergency funds to help pay for the war and rebuilding afterward.

/// OPT /// On the battlefield, the sandstorms in central Iraq are making the push northward extremely difficult. Private Steven Herbstreith (HERB-strith) is with the U-S Army's Third Infantry Division in central Iraq:

/// HERBSTREITH ACT ///

It's hard. I mean, like he said, sand gets in your eyes, it is hard to breathe, you know. We are pushing through it. That is what we get paid to do. That is why we are here.

/// END ACT /// ///END OPT ///

The head of the U-S military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, says the toughest battles still lie ahead as coalition forces prepare to face off against Republican Guard units near Baghdad.

V-O-A correspondent Alisha Ryu is with U-S forces in central Iraq as they prepare for what could be a fierce battle with the Republican Guard:

/// RYU ACT ///

I think the U-S Army wants to send a clear message to the rest of the Republican Guard forces out there that if we can neutralize one of these divisions, the others will get the message that maybe they should lay down their arms and not fight.

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/// OPT /// As coalition forces get closer to Baghdad, there are growing fears that the Iraqi regime could order chemical attacks in a last-ditch effort to stop the advance.

U-S Army Major Daniel Goodale-Porter says battle planners believe the chemical attacks could come once coalition forces draw to within about 50-kilometers of Baghdad:

/// GOODALE-PORTER ACT ///

The "Red Line" is a physical line that we draw on the map that we think Saddam Hussein and his folks are going to feel pressured enough to actually use weapons of mass destruction.

/// END ACT /// /// END OPT ///

Further south, Iraqi officials have denied a report of a public uprising in Iraq's second largest city, Basra. Earlier, British military officials declared the city a military target after Iraqi forces took up positions among civilians.

The commander of British forces in the Persian Gulf, Air Marshal Brian Burridge, says his troops have encountered stiff resistance from militias loyal to Saddam Hussein:

/// BURRIDGE ACT ///

These are bunches of determined men who will fight hard because they have no future in the new Iraq.

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British forces want to secure Basra for the delivery of badly needed humanitarian aid. The United Nations World Food Program is reportedly asking for one-billion dollars in donations to provide humanitarian assistance to Iraqi civilians.

/// OPT /// U-S military officials in Qatar say they are building camps for Iraqi prisoners of war and that Red Cross officials will have full access to them. They also called on the Iraqi military to allow Red Cross visits for American prisoners of war.

V-O-A T-V's Deborah Block is with U-S Marine units in southern Iraq who have come upon dozens of surrendering troops:

/// BLOCK ACT ///

They looked very tired, very worn out. And I could tell by the way they were grouped that they were most likely soldiers who had given up.

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In Washington, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld says more than 35-hundred Iraqi fighters have been taken prisoner by coalition forces. (Signed)

NEB/JBM/RH