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| Iraq |
| Secret special forces assault on west Iraq |
| 2003-03-28 |
| Sussssh, don't tell anyone, it's a secret! United States Special Operations forces operating in secret had established dominance over a broad swath of territory in western Iraq that extends about 273 kilometres into the country from the border with Jordan, US military officials said. While much of the area is lightly populated desert, it includes several airfields and countless hiding places that US military officials have been worried Iraq might use to launch drone aircraft or Scud missiles against Israel, Jordan or Saudi Arabia. Since nothing has been launched at Israel, I'd say that we must have gotten there in time. A senior official, describing the area now claimed by US forces, said it stretched from the border with Jordan as far as the Mudaysis airfield, 273 kilometres to the east. In trying to secure the area, troops had "some combat engagements", he said. While "pockets of resistance" might remain, forces loyal to the Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, could no longer mount a significant challenge. "I wouldn't say we control all the area, but it is territory that Saddam no longer controls," the official said. In contrast with the much publicised slog north over the week by coalition troops out of Kuwait, or the airlift on Wednesday of troops into northern Iraq, operations in the west have remained shrouded in secrecy. One reason for this is that the troops in the west are believed to be basing some of their operations in Jordan and Saudi Arabia, which are sensitive about being identified with any such activity. The size of the US contingent in the west has not been disclosed, but Pentagon officials say it numbers in the hundreds. How many hundreds, we wonder? Initial missions included targeting Iraqi military facilities such as border observation towers, communication nodes and command posts. The troops also struck early at the two largest airfields in the west, known as H-2 and H-3, where some Iraqi helicopter units were based. But much of the focus of the troops, officials said, had been on hunting for Scud missiles and launch vehicles and storage sites for chemical or biological weapons. I think something big may be coming out of that western area, real soon. |
| Posted by:Steve |