 Saddam Appears On Tv As U.S. Forces Pound Baghdad By LARRY KAPLOW and ROBERT W. GEE Cox News Service BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S. ground forces choked escape routes from the Iraqi capital on Friday while state-run television showed what it said was Saddam Hussein confidently strolling through the streets of Baghdad, mobbed by supporters chanting his name. Saddam also gave a televised address Friday, urging his people to strike back after an all-night attack in which U.S. tanks and infantry seized Saddam International Airport, which was immediately renamed Baghdad International Airport. "Hit them hard, hit them with the force of belief whenever they approach you and resist them, you the people of the brave, glorious Baghdad," Saddam said. "Whenever they approach you and try to attack you, depend on God." But Iraqi forces offered only sporadic resistance to the steady U.S. push toward Baghdad. With the airport secured southwest of the city, U.S. forces attacked eastern Baghdad with a fierce artillery barrage early Saturday, drawing return fire from Iraqi troops. For now, U.S. forces plan to ring Baghdad rather than immediately trying to capture it, according to military officials. Near the city of Kut, south of the capital, Marines said they accepted the surrender of 2,500 Republican Guard troops. Elsewhere, advancing U.S. forces discovered discarded green Iraqi uniforms in canals and on roadsides, suggesting some Iraqi forces melted into the civilian population. Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf warned Friday of an "unconventional" counterattack against U.S. troops that had captured Baghdad's airport -- 12 miles from the city center. "Tonight they are going to witness some military action that isn't ordinary. Not necessarily by our military," he said. Asked if the attack would include non-conventional weapons he said, "Not at all. I mean some kind of martyrdom, guerilla war done in a very good way." U.S. military officials fear that the closer forces move to Baghdad the greater the likelihood that desperate Iraqi forces might employ chemical or biological weapons. At an industrial site 25 miles south of Baghdad, troops found a white powder in thousands of boxes that was initially suspected of being a chemical agent. U.S. officials later said the material appeared to be explosives. However, a nerve agent antidote and gas masks were also discovered at the complex. Saddam's reference in his TV address to the downing of U.S. helicopter on March 23 was being interpreted by U.S. intelligence officials as a sign he is probably alive. It was unclear when the images were recorded or whether it was the real Saddam or one of his many body doubles. In the outdoor scenes, the mustached man wearing a green army uniform, a pistol at his belt, smiled broadly as men ran toward him to kiss his hand. Rubble in the street and a sky smudged with black smoke suggested the video could have been shot recently, if not Friday. White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said that the taped TV appearances of Saddam did not clarify one way or the other whether he is alive. "In the bigger scheme of things, it really doesn't matter because whether it is him or isn't him, the regime's days are numbered and are coming to an end," he said. Saddam has not appeared in public since December 2001 and the video was clearly intended as part of a government-wide campaign to rally Iraq's defense and show that his regime was still in control, despite American assertions that he may have been hurt or killed in an air strike March 20. It was unclear how many Iraqis could have seen the video. Iraqi television is still airing, despite numerous U.S. attacks on its many transmitters. But the signal is weak and power was out Friday night in much of the capital. Footage from independent television news crews with U.S. troops showed starkly different pictures: charred Iraqi tanks and corpses and Iraqi civilians cheering American infantry and armor approaching the capital. "The day of liberation is drawing near," Secretary of State Colin Powell said. He met Friday with administration officials to discuss, in part, the structure of an interim government in Iraq, he told reporters in Washington. President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are scheduled to meet Monday and Tuesday in Northern Ireland to discuss battle plans, the future of postwar Iraq and a broader Middle East peace. U.S. warplanes continued to bomb Baghdad early Saturday. The night sky was ablaze with explosions and Iraqi anti-aircraft fire. On Friday, thousands of ordinary Iraqis expecting a siege of the city packed up possessions and fled the city, many to the northeast in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Much of city remained without power and running water since Thursday night. Iraqi officials blamed the American military, but U.S. officials said they had not targeted the power grid. Generators provided power to hospitals crowded with civilians and soldiers injured in fighting around the airport. A representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross said 350 to 400 war wounded were being treated in Baghdad's hospitals. A prolonged power outage would disrupt water and sewage service, ripening conditions for outbreak of disease in the city of 5 million people. U.S. troops were massing on the southern outskirts of the capital, and elements of the Army's 101st Airborne Division landed in helicopters to reinforce troops who had seized the airport earlier in the day. Sporadic fighting continued at the massive facility, one-third the size of Baghdad, as U.S. soldiers fanned out and searched buildings and an underground complex. Navy warplanes from the carrier USS Kitty Hawk dropped satellite- and laser-guided bombs on hangars and a fuel depot at the airport, and struck a nearby military complex. Many people moved out of neighborhoods near the airport and Iraqi militias garrisoned forces in the area, bringing in light artillery and taking over homes for use as cover. The Army's 82nd Airborne fought fierce gun battles with paramilitary forces in south-central Iraq, according to a journalist embedded with the unit, taking 23 prisoners and killing an unknown number of Iraqis. Three U.S. soldiers were reported injured. At least 11 civilians were injured in fighting, some shot in their homes. Elsewhere, Marines fighting near Baghdad said Egyptian and Jordanian mercenaries were fighting among Iraqis, but it was unclear how they knew so. In an apparent suicide attack there, a truck exploded near an M1A1 Abrams tank, disabling the tank and injuring some Marines. At a checkpoint in western Iraq, 80 miles from the Syrian border, a car exploded, killing three soldiers, the driver and a pregnant woman, in an apparent suicide attack. Larry Kaplow reported from Baghdad. Robert W. Gee reported from Kuwait City. |
advertisement
advertisement
Marketplace
Win a trip for 4 to the beautiful Outrigger Fairway Villas Waikoloa and dinner at Romano's Macaroni Grill!
Right now, you can adopt two cats or kittens for the price of one. Click here for more info.
Experience the enjoyment and fun of learning an instrument from Alan Akaka .
A free 2-3 week summer transition program to help entering Kindergarten students adjust before the school year begins.
One year anniversary special $25 HA evening show and FREE buffet dinner, now through the end of August.advertisement
Win a Gold Pass trip to Kaua`i and the Kaua`i Country Farm Bureau Annual Fair! Details here .
Get a Goal. Get a Life. Get College!
Territorial Airwaves is Hawaii's longest continuously running radio broadcast proudly celebrating 30 years on the radio!
Come on Hawaii...It's time for the 2010 American Heart Association HEARTWALK ! Get details here!
Join Kaiser Permanente for their 3rd Annual Take A Hike Series ! Fun for the whole family!
Check out the latest happenings Around Hawaii ...brought to you by Road Runner!
100% original, 100% local. Full episodes of shows and sports. Live streaming 24/7.
From fast food to fine dining, find it all in our Local Business Directory .
Shop for cars, find a dealer, and get the latest automotive news in our Local Car Buying Guide powered by AutoTrader.com
Better sound. New stations. No fees. Discover the benefits of HD RadioTM
Stay ahead of the storm. Find evacuation routes, safety tips and more in the Hurricane Guide.
© All Media Guide, LLC. Portions of content provided by All Music Guide®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. 