[This story was updated on 03.20.2003 at 10:49 p.m. ET.]
U.S. military forces warned of a "shock and awe" attack on day two of Operation Iraqi Freedom, but instead opted for a more precise campaign that included only about 10 minutes of missile fire Thursday evening in Baghdad.
Soldiers from the United States and Britain also launched ground campaigns in southern Iraq, and although there were reports of battles with Iraqi troops, the overall invasion was met with little resistance.
The U.S. and Britain did suffer 16 casualties, however, in a helicopter crash in Kuwait early Friday morning local time (7:37 p.m. ET). Four Americans and 12 Brits — everyone aboard — died when a CH-46 Sea Knight assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force fell about nine miles from the Iraqi border, military officials told reporters.
Officials said hostile fire had not been reported in the area and that the cause of the crash is under investigation. Marines use the buslike CH-46 to fly troops from ships at sea or base camps to forward positions.
Iraq fired about 10 missiles at American troops in Kuwait early Thursday (March 20), but two were shot down and the rest were inaccurate, and no injuries were reported.
The strategic attack was effective enough that by the end of the day, members of Iraq’s Republican Guard, an elite security organization run by Saddam Hussein’s son Qusay, were pursuing secret surrender talks with the Pentagon, according to NBC News. The Pentagon said some soldiers have surrendered, but no exact figures were given.
Iraqis are being told they can avoid all-out war if they take out Saddam themselves, U.S. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld said.
Day two of the invasion began with cruise missiles launched from ships and fired from fighter jets hitting Baghdad around 9 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET). A pair of U.S. and British submarines was also involved in the attack.
As anti-aircraft fire dotted the night sky, the missiles struck at least three targets in the Al-Karkh district, near Hussein's presidential palace, the Republican Guard compound and other government buildings, according to CNN. One of the buildings hit is the former office of Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz.
Iraqi TV reported 72 missiles struck Baghdad and killed four people since the air strikes began early Thursday morning, local time.
The ground war began when the U.S. 1st Marine Division exchanged fire with Iraqi soldiers around 4 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET), according to The New York Times' Web site. The troops reportedly encountered two Iraqi personnel carriers and destroyed them with chain guns and rockets. The Marines have since crossed the border and are headed toward their undisclosed destination within Iraq.
The U.S. 3rd Infantry Division also fired upon Iraqi troops in southern Iraq with Paladin self-propelled howitzers and multiple launch rocket batteries. British forces launched a similar campaign heading toward the border town of Umm Qasr in the Al Faw Peninsula, a military spokesperson told CNN.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair released a recorded statement declaring his country's commitment to taking Hussein's regime down. "Dictators like Saddam and terrorist groups like al Qaeda threaten the very existence of [a peaceful] world," Blair said. "That is why I have asked our troops to go into action tonight."
U.S. officials stressed that an intimidating "shock and awe" campaign had not begun yet and that when such a hellfire is unleashed, it will be unmistakable.
The missile strikes and ground attack followed Iraq's small missile attack, a retaliation for Wednesday's strikes by American forces. Air raid sirens filled the air and troops donned gas masks and prepared for the strike, but the weapons proved not to have chemical or biological capabilities.
On day one, in the early morning hours in Baghdad, the U.S. launched about 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles aimed at what President Bush called "selective targets of military importance" (see "Bush Addresses Nation, Confirms Attack On Iraq Has Begun").
Details surfaced later that some of the strikes were aimed at Hussein, including cruise missiles that hit his family home, according to MSNBC. No casualties were reported, however, in the bombing of the Iraqi leader's residence.
Other key developments:
- The Pentagon confirmed the attack in Baghdad on day one struck key Iraqi leaders in a residential compound, contradicting Iraqi officials' claims that the compound was empty. Saddam appeared on Iraqi TV hours after the attack, seemingly a sign that he survived the attack, though authorities are trying to authenticate the appearance.
- In a press conference at the Pentagon, Donald Rumsfeld warned Iraqi military officials not to follow Hussein's orders to destroy Baghdad's infrastructure (bridges, highways, etc.), use weapons of mass destruction or set fire to oil reserves. "You will have a place in Iraq if you do the right thing," he said before informing Iraqi citizens to stay in their homes, not flee the country and avoid military structures. "The day of your liberation is at hand."
- Nevertheless, the United Nations asked bordering countries to accept fleeing Iraqis into their countries. Jordan, the country west of Iraq, immediately began bracing itself for an influx of refugees.
- Firefighters were tackling oil wells set ablaze in southern Iraq early Friday morning (late afternoon ET), according to CNN.
- To assist Allied forces, the Turkish Parliament announced Thursday morning that the Allies are free to use Turkey's airspace, located to the north and northwest of Iraq, for air strikes.
- The White House has authorized urgent food supplies for the Iraqi people, according to CNN. The U.N. also said it is preparing an appeal for more than $1 billion in emergency humanitarian aid.
- As the U.S. launched its attack on Baghdad, more than 1,000 U.S. troops began a raid on villages east of Kandahar in Afghanistan, hunting for members of the al Qaeda terrorist network. According to CNN, two teams of soldiers arrived near the Pakistani border in Humvees as well as Apache, Chinook and Black Hawk helicopters, responding to transmissions emanating from caves in the hills. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld called the incident "a big coincidence." The action, called Operation Valiant Strike, is the largest anti-terrorist ground offensive in the country since Operation Anaconda in the wake of September 11.
- On the home front, the FBI issued a BOLO ("be on the lookout") alert for Adnan G. El-Shukrijumah, 27, a suspected terrorist with possible ties to al Qaeda whom the FBI likens to 9/11 mastermind Mohamed Atta. El-Shukrijumah, a pilot, may originate from Yemen or Guyana.
- The Department of Homeland Security increased its efforts and raised the terror alert to high. Reports citing a threat against the Palo Verde nuclear power plant 50 miles west of Phoenix, one of the country's largest, have surfaced, and security in New York has not been this tight since immediately after 9/11.
- Air traffic was being restricted over Manhattan, according to CNN.
- Three Iraqi diplomats stationed in Washington, D.C., have been ordered to leave the country, according to CNN, because they're suspected of working for Iraqi intelligence. The president also made a worldwide call for Iraqi embassy services to be halted.
- In a taped press conference in Washington, Bush said the Coalition Against Iraq counts 40 countries — including South Korea, Japan, Romania, Denmark and Bulgaria — that support military action against Iraq.
- Civil protests in the U.S. and abroad surfaced as little as three hours after the initial strikes (see "War Protesters March On U.S. Embassies, Speak Out Via E-Mail" and "Protesters Clash With Cops As Rallies Spark Across Country").
- Elsewhere around the globe, China, Russia, France and Malaysia condemned the U.S. strikes, and Iraq's longtime nemesis Iran described the attacks as "unjustifiable and illegitimate."
