09:12 2003-03-27

Seven Days of War, But No Progress Yet

Sandstorms made allied troops suspend battles

The war in Iraq has been going on for seven days already. Obviously, it is too early to say that the allied troops of the American and British forces have achieved any progress that would be visible at first sight. On the contrary, one shall assume that the allies’ situation is far from being the best. However, it would not be absolutely correct to say that it was all caused on account of the strong resistance that the Iraqi army showed. As it turns out, sandstorms are guilty of the failure.

To all appearances, American military men decided that it would be best for them to copy the tactics of their Iraqi “colleagues,” but in a greater scale, of course. For example, Western news agencies and television channels keep reporting severe battles on the outskirts of the town of an-Najaf, 160 kilometers to the south of Baghdad. News stories said that the losses of the Iraqi army were growing every hour. At first it was said that there were 150 Iraqi soldiers killed, then the number increased to 200, then to 500 and finally stopped at 750. Nothing was reported about the losses of the allied troops.

The Iraqi television was put out of order last night with an experimental electronic bomb. This bomb is a device, which generates powerful electromagnetic impulses. The broadcast has already been resumed.

Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone was pronounced dead at an Army field hospital in Kuwait. The general was wounded as a result of an Iraqi serviceman's attack on the staff tent, where the general was staying.

Members of the Iraqi volunteer corps put out of action two Abrams tanks of the US forces. This was said by a CNN correspondent, who reports news from the deployment of American units to the south of Baghdad. As it was reported, tanks were hit with anti-tank guided missiles. Tanks’ crews are reportedly safe.

Earlier, it became known that two British Challenger II tanks shot each other by mistake. The British Defense Ministry confirmed the information. As it was said in a statement from the British Defense Ministry, four crewmembers of Challenger II tank battled Iraqi troops in the area to the west of Basra. The tank fired a shot in the direction of another Challenger II tank by mistake. Two servicemen of four crewmembers of another tank died. Wounded servicemen were hospitalized.

The offensive on Baghdad was suspended on account of bad weather. Battles for Basra were ceased for the same reason. Weather forecasters say that the sandstorm will last until the nighttime.

It has recently become known that an American missile blew up on a marketplace in Baghdad. Not less than 15 people were killed
as a result, according to the information from Iraqi authorities.

PRAVDA.Ru

http://english.pravda.ru/war/2003/03/27/45106.html