Saddam Hussein today pledged victory over the ”enemies of God” and urged Iraqis to ”hit the enemies hard” in an address broadcast on Iraqi state television.
Billed as a ”historic” address, it was not known whether the speech was pre-recorded, or if it really was the Iraqi leader. Against a backdrop of the Iraqi flag and the national eagle ensign, he read from a notepad.
He said: ”Iraqis will strike the necks as God has commanded you. Strike them, and strike evil so that evil will be defeated.
”We are witnessing the bravery of brave Iraqis, all the glorious armed forces and holy believers. All the infidels will be defeated. We will be victorious over the enemies of God.”
President Saddam said: ”We made a lot of sacrifices to avert war.” He praised the ”valiant” contribution of the Iraqi military.
Bombers pound northern Iraq
Coalition bombers hit military barracks in northern Iraq this morning, causing residents to flee as smoke filled the sky.
At least six bombs struck Iraqi positions. The ground shook, and windows were shattered up to 3kms away. ”People are evacuating, but not because of the bombing. They are afraid that Saddam will respond with chemical weapons,” said Ahmad Qafoor, a schoolteacher.
Warplanes continued to fly overhead after the first wave of bombings that struck the Bani Maqem barracks, near the line separating the Kurdish-held area, including Chamchamal, from Iraqi-controlled territory .
”We heard the aircraft, some anti-aircraft fire, and then the jets started bombing,” a witness, Mariwan Khorshid, said.
Heavy bombing also took place near the key oil area of Kirkuk for at least 15 minutes as warplanes flew overhead.
US missile hits civilian bus
A US missile has reportedly hit a Syrian passenger bus near the Iraqi border, killing five people and wounding at least ten.
The official Syrian news agency reported today that the air-to-surface missile hit the bus, on the Iraqi side of the border, yesterday evening.
It was carrying Syrians fleeing the war in Iraq, the agency said.
The bus was attacked near al-Rutbeh, some 160km from the Syrian border.
Attack on Baghdad
Meanwhile, air raid sirens sounded over Baghdad at this morning, warning residents of the Iraqi capital of further heavy bombardment.
The city suffered a series of bombings by US forces earlier this morning. Several large explosions rocked the city centre before dawn. There had been no prior warning from air raid sirens, and no sign of anti-aircraft fire.
The blasts were among the largest to hit the city since US and British bombardments began on Thursday. Central Baghdad shook under the weight of bombing.
But Iraqi fighters, reportedly emboldened by their first capture of coalition soldiers, were able to stall troops trying to sweep north to the capital. ‘Worst day since Black Hawk Down’
US and British troops suffered their heaviest combat casualties on Sunday. Some 10 US marines were killed and 14 soldiers, two of whom were British, were missing in action.
Most of those who died had been fighting near Nasiriyah, in the south.
The US soldiers who went missing included five prisoners who were paraded on Iraqi television. The footage included shots of four American corpses and outraged US politicians, who vowed to treat such a move as a war crime.
US military officials said that yesterday was the worst day for its forces since Black Hawk Down in Somalia 10 years ago. Then, the bodies of US soldiers were dragged triumphantly through the streets.
A Ministry of Defence representative said that it was being deliberately vague about the suspected location of the missing soldiers for safety and operational reasons.
Conditions are unlikely to improve for coalition forces during the coming days. Sandstorms are expected to affect operations, the captain of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln said today.
Warplanes from the Lincoln, stationed in the Gulf, kept up a high pace of sorties this morning, including missions to provide close support for ground troops in Iraq.
”There are still many challenges ahead,” Captain Kendall Card told the crew over the public address system. ”The most significant is the call for support of US and coalition land forces around the clock, and especially during all weather.
”We do not know exactly how much the weather will deteriorate over the next couple of days, but we do know that it’s going to deteriorate significantly,” he said.
Oilfields ‘could be booby trapped’
A planned press trip to Iraq’s southern Rumaila oil fields was cancelled this morning, with the US military declaring the area a no-go zone, Reuters reported.
Armed Iraqis appeared in the oil fields today, prompting further fears that more of Rumaila’s 500 wells could be set on fire. Currently, only seven of the wells are on fire, with two having been damaged significantly, the US military told the news agency.
”As I understand it, there are still bad guys with guns. It is a war zone,” US military representative Lieutenant Colonel Jennifer Cassidy told Reuters.
But US and British troops appear to still have their grip on the vital southern oil fields, secured in the early hours of their assault on the major oil producer.
The US military says an unknown number of wellheads and plants to separate gas from oil at Rumaila, may be booby trapped. They are capable of pumping up to 1-million barrels per day. – Guardian Unlimited Â