Ground Phase Kicks In
At this moment, approaching 5:00 AM in the morning (Baghdad is eight hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time), the city is quiet, the allies apparently pausing in their air attack.

However, the ground advance continues with the U.S. Marines 1st Expeditionary Force, U.S. Army 7th Cavalry Regiment, and British Royal Marines rolling into southern Iraq. Explosions have now been reported in Iraq's third-largest city of Basra which, if captured, military analysts say would be a huge victory for allied forces.


The planning ministry in Baghdad explodes after being hit during the second day of U.S. raids on the Iraqi capital March 20, 2003. The United States attacked key targets in Baghdad, including President Saddam Hussein's family home, with cruise missiles on Thursday, setting government buildings on fire in a ferocious assault intended to topple Saddam's government. (Reuters)

Stay tuned for updates throughout the day and continuous additions to the list of interesting Web articles below, or catch minute-by-minute breaking headlines at Lycos News.
_____________________________

Peace camp needs to get its house in order, The Straits Times - Is it better to be a strong, swift hawk than a meek dove?

UFOs are Saddam's secret - UFO watchers claim, Stuff - All righty, then.

Web Sites Vandalized With Antiwar Messages, Washington Post - A battle being waged in cyberspace by opponents of the war against Iraq.

Europe Can't Afford to Stay Mad for Long, BusinessWeek - A close look at the shaky economic and political ground members of the European Union are standing on.

Saddam's men, Radio Netherlands - Examining the loyalty of the people Saddam Hussein surrounds himself with.

Benson's View, The Arizona Republic - Some comic relief courtesy of Pulitzer prize-winning political cartoonist Steve Benson.

Forgotten victims of Iraq's venom, New Zealand Herald - A look back at those who have suffered at the hands of Saddam Hussein.

Qatar: The model post-Iraq State?, MSNBC - So what's Qatar? Possibly the ideal political structure for an oil-producing, Middle East country.

Winning the peace is no easy task, The Ithaca Journal - It's not what happens during the war, but what happens afterwards that counts, says this guest columnist.

Victory in Iraq may be hard to define, The Globe and Mail - What exactly will clearly signal the endgame?

The path to war in Iraq: a look back, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - A comprehensive timeline of events, going back two years, leading up to the war on Iraq.

'Blair played his cards brilliantly', Guardian Unlimited - Tony Blair, it would seem, has managed to win over a few critics in Britain.

War with Saddam? It had to happen--the man wouldn't comply, Free Lance-Star - An earnest op-ed piece written by a 15-year-old Virginia high school student.

Preventive war sets perilous precedent, Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Helen Thomas thinks the world may be less, not more, secure after the Iraq war is over.