Fri, Mar 21, 2003
Tomahawk Strike, Scud Strike -- Warmups are Over.
Iraq has fired surface-to-surface missiles at U.S. forces based
in Kuwait, DoD officials said Thursday morning. There are no
reports of casualties.
U.S.
Central Command officials said the Iraqis launched missiles into
Kuwait. They confirmed that Patriot missiles intercepted the
rockets. It is unclear if the missiles contained chemical or
biological agents, but forces in the area are taking
precautions.
The Iraqi attack follows U.S. air operations launched against
targets in and around Baghdad. News reports say the U.S. attacks
were part of a "decapitation strategy" aimed at killing senior
Iraqi leaders. Media reports indicate Saddam Hussein was the
intended target, but the Iraqi dictator went on television and
called for his people to "draw their swords" to defend the
country.
U.S. Navy ships and submarines launched Tomahawk cruise missiles
[roughly 40 in total, we're told --ed.] at Iraq from the Red Sea
and the Persian Gulf, U.S. Central Command officials said. The
ships were the destroyers USS Milius and USS Donald
Cook, the cruisers USS Bunker Hill and USS
Cowpens and the attack submarines USS Montpelier and
USS Cheyenne.
In addition,
Central Command officials said a number of aircraft took part in
the strikes and all returned safely. They would not detail what
types of aircraft or their numbers.
British Defense Minister Geoffrey Hoon told the BBC that the
attacks are not the start of the aerial offensive designed to
"shock and awe" Iraq. News reports said the strikes came about as a
result of intelligence pinpointing the location of Iraqi
leaders.
Hoon said the main aerial offensive would begin "soon."
[Thanks to Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service --ed.]
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