Hundreds of US Apache and Black Hawks went into battle Sunday night against T-72 tanks of Republican Guards of Medina Division 2nd Armored Brigade at al Kut south of Baghdad. Helicopters encountered heavy ground fire.

American troops were within 20 miles of more than 30,000 Republican Guards.

The attack could go on for days. And this is where, if he's to use them at all, he'll use his WMD. Then pull into Baghdad for street to street fighting.

855 Also posted to: Home page . At: 11:47:36 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Quick post

"Army doctors who treated some Iraqi prisoners of war, believed to be some high-ranking Iraqi officials, found Cipro pills among the Iraqis"

Article also, details of how the US army is able to 'sniff' out poisons from 2-3 miles away. This is the real reason we're at war with Iraq.

Outside this munitions depot, Axelrod watched American Foxes, armored vehicles with the latest in chemical detection equipment, mechanically sniffing in the area around this munitions depot.

Standing at about two to three miles away, the Foxes could get initial readings from sensors that can read up to five kilometers, or a little more than three miles, away.

 Source: Little Green Footballs; 24/03/03; 09:45:06 pm.
846 Also posted to: Home page . At: 9:04:32 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: CBS: Search For Chemical Weapons

"Switzerland's leading financial institution UBS will comply with an American request to transfer million-dollar Iraqi funds, frozen under the UN sanctions imposed after the 1991 Gulf War, to a US treasury fund. The bank spokesperson who confirmed the decision refrained from specifying the exact sum involved. "

This is new to me, I wonder about the source though, let's see if anybody else picks up the story in the next few days.

845 Also posted to: Home page . At: 7:12:35 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: albawaba.com: Banks ordered to transfer $1.74 billion frozen Iraqi funds to US account

""They came some 15 times, held negotiations, promised to transfer funds, but they left and we never saw them again. They didn't buy anything," said Antonov. I told the Americans and our presidential administration that probably Iraq made these jammers itself or with the help of Yugoslavia," Antonov said."

It seems that these devices are cheap, commercially available and relatively easy to build. They could be responsible for sending some of the missiles off course into Iran and even Turkey. Though the Washington Post is reporting that the US has "credible evidence" that Russian companies supplied these GPS blocking systems to Iraq before the start of the war.

Still in the psychological war: Globe and Mail: "a special U.S. military unit took over the radio frequency used by Iraqi state radio. The stronger U.S. signal, broadcast from a plane flying over Baghdad, overwhelmed the Iraqi transmission equipment, allowing Washington to broadcast warnings in Arabic that Iraqis who fight U.S. forces will be destroyed."

844 Also posted to: Home page . At: 6:53:30 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: newsobserver: Russian military firm denies technicians are aiding Iraq

"Yesterday many leaflets were dropped on Baghdad, while going around in the streets I got lucky, I have two.

And we have had another email attack... Three of them are to army personnel and two to the general public in those they gave us the radio frequencies we are supposed to listen to. They are calling it "information Radio"."

The blogger from Iraq is back. She talks about the bad reception the US is getting in some of the southern towns, and wonders that it'll be much worse in Baghdad.

843 Also posted to: Home page . At: 6:36:02 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Where is Raed ?

"However, Canada's refusal to stand by the US has been noted, by politicians and ordinary citizens alike, and Canadians fear that they will pay an economic price for not going to war, either in trade disputes or tighter border controls."

There's a couple of ships hanging about the Gulf, a few Canadian officers, but publicly their not in the coalition, but still trying to hedge bets.

841 Also posted to: Home page . At: 6:17:17 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Guardian: Canadians fear a US backlash after declining to join the coalition backing war in Iraq

"O brothers, you know that our country's policy is to avoid evil, but when evil comes to us using the logic of treachery and destruction, there must be a stand of faith and jihad that honours those who adopt it and pleases God Almighty."

Arabic, translated directly, always sounds baroque and over theatrical. But this stuff really makes him sound like a space alien. As though he was from a different planet from us. Further driving a gulf between 'us' and 'them.'

840 Also posted to: Home page . At: 6:10:05 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: BBC: Saddam addresses nation - excerpts

"The result is idiosyncratic, passionate and often profane, with the sort of intimacy and attitude that are all but impossible in newspapers and on television.

Many of these so-called Weblogs eliminate the middleman -- the news outlets whose reach was once needed for a broad audience -- and allow participants to have their say, typos and all, without being run through the media's Cuisinart."

Blogging in the war news. If only there were more bloggers from Iraq, I just can't find enough. Each soldier should have been given a mobile phone/camera and a weblog that they could post to. Then the rawness of war would be open to all.

839 Also posted to: Home page , cyberSaps ,  At: 5:58:22 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Washington Post: 'Webloggers,' Signing On as War Correspondents (washingtonpost.com)

"In part, much of their discontent stems from the unknown. In speaking with them, the newly-liberated Iraqis ask the same questions that seem to nag many outside Iraq.

Why are you here in this country? Are you trying to take over? Are you going to take our country forever? Are the Israelis coming next? Are you here to steal our oil? When are you going to get out? "

I think they'll come over in time. They're suspicious, and with good reason, knowing their history.

838 Also posted to: Home page . At: 5:48:17 PM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: ABCNEWS.com: 'Liberated' Iraqis Question U.S. Motives