US forces intensify bombing against Baghdad, destroy al-Basra oil company, confrontations fierce
Iraq-USA, Military, 3/31/2003

Along the past hours on Sunday, the American- British fighters raided several areas in Baghdad and the shelling hit the residential areas especially al-Karrada area. More explosions were heard inflicting more casualties in lines of the Iraqis among the killed and wounded civilians.

Iraq had announced that the invading forces bombarded the headquarters of the south oil company, while Kallak town, to the east of al-Mousel was exposed to air bombardment that lasted for several hours.

A correspondent for the Qatari al-Jazira TV said that the explosions were heard around the city of Basra, while a spokesman for the British army said that the Iraqi forces still control the downtown of Basra and there are signals of strong Iraqi resistance in the city which tolls 1.5 million inhabitants.

Meantime, the US defense department said that soldiers of the air- borne 82nd contingent of the American army were transported to positions near al-Nasereyah in order to reinforce the supply lines.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi minister of information Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf said that an American Harrier plane and one Apache were downed in the central and southern area of Iraq and this resulted in at least killing two Americans and destroying four tanks and killing of their crews.

Al-Sahaf detailed an Iraqi tribal fighters who downed the helicopter in al-Basra area where Iraqi resistance men opened fire at "the Harrier" which went off in the air at al-Qadeseyah area in the downtown of Baghdad.

He said that some spare parts of the plane were found as well as the Identity Cards of its pilot.

The spokesman for the Iraqi army Lt. Gen. Hazem al-Rawi said the Iraqi army and people foiled the "enemy plans" of the attacks against Iraq and that the losses of the invading forces reached hundreds of killing and thousands of wounded, and more than 130 tanks and armored vehicles.

Previous Stories:
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  Scores of Iraqi civillians killed in new attack on Baghdad; Washington warns Syria and Iran   (3/29/2003)
  Al-Hayat: British writer says war on Iraq has already failed   (3/29/2003)
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