US view of the war advance in Iraq
US-UK aircraft flew more than 1,500 sorties in the continuing air war against Iraq on March 24, US-UK officials in the region said today.
More than 800 were strike sorties, with 200 of those being flown against "preplanned" targets. The rest were flown against "emerging targets" -- targets of opportunity.
Coalition aircraft strike to suppress ballistic missile threats, to degrade Republican Guard and Special Republican Guard units, to support special operations forces and to strike targets of opportunity as they arise, U.S. Central Command officials said.
Coalition air operations are aimed at the regime of Saddam Hussein and not against the Iraqi people, officials stressed.
They said specific targets in and around Baghdad include the government control center, the offices of the Special Security Organizations, the headquarters of the Special Republican Guards and the Iraqi Intelligence Service.
Meantime, all of Iraq is a battlefield and coalition forces are challenging the heart of Iraqi resistance around Baghdad, Air Force Maj. Gen. Victor Renuart said yesterday in Qatar.
Renuart, U.S. Central Command operations chief, said despite bad weather, coalition forces are making adjustments and progressing in all areas.
Brig. Gen. Vince Brooks, U.S. Central Command's vice operations chief said coalition land forces continue advancing north of Nasiriyah and defeated an enemy attack north of Basra.
Renuart said coalition forces had suffered casualties in those actions, but would not go into detail until next-of- kin notification is complete.
"We inflicted more (damage) on the enemy and destroyed a number of their tanks, artillery pieces and troop formations," he said. "We are on track and we'll deal with these regular and irregular forces wherever we find them."
The US said: Winds clocked close to 100 miles per hour, and rain has complicated the situation for coalition forces. "However, that hasn't stopped us," Renuart said. "Our precision all- weather weapon systems and an aggressive integrated operations plan by our air and land components have allowed coalition forces to maintain and increase pressure on the regime on all fronts."
So, for example, if Apache helicopters cannot fly, then the mission can go to other aviation assets, he said.
The fighting around Basra highlights irregular Iraqi efforts mixing with regular forces, Brooks said. "The attack began with the arrival of several (Iraqi) tanks, which were repelled," he said. "Shortly after the battle was joined, a bus -- a civilian bus, with people in civilian clothes -- and several civilian vehicles joined the battle. Out of those vehicles came Fedayeen Saddam in civilian clothes, with weapons. The attack was repelled."
Renuart said these pockets of "almost terrorist-type forces" are challenging British and American service members in and around Basra and further south. He defended coalition intelligence estimates.
"We expected the Iraqi regime to fight," he said. "We didn't expect that it would be any kind of an easy operation."