The brass ring is finally in sight: members of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division can see Baghdad with the naked eye as they approach nine miles south of the capital city. The advancing column has blitzed through the Republican Guard's elite Medina and Hammurabi divisions, softened up considerably by coalition air strikes.
Iraqi air defenses, however, continue to take their toll on allied warplanes, bringing down a U.S. F/A-18 Hornet and Black Hawk helicopter. The fate of the Hornet pilot is still unknown, while up to seven soldiers are believed dead from the chopper crash.
A Guided Bomb Unit GBU-31 2000, foreground, sits on the flight deck of the USS Harry S. Truman while an EA-6B Prowler takes off for a strike operation over Iraq, Thursday, April 3, 2003. The aircraft carrier is conducting missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. (Associated Press)
The Other Side - Analysis, angles and opinions on the Web
A Message for Conservatives, MountShastaLive.com - A liberal commentator takes the inflammatory right wing to task.
Northern Iraq -- another Bosnia?, UPI - Could the Turks and Kurds become the new Serbs and Croats?
Arab Historian Says Iraqi Pride, Skepticism Of U.S. Intentions, Fueling Resistance, Radio Free Europe - A Middle East expert explores the Iraqi identity and how it factors into the war.
After Iraq, the world, ABS-CBN News (Philippines) - "Iraqi liberation" or "U.S. imperialism"?
Postwar Iraq, back to the future, UPI - Will post-war reconstruction in Iraq be a repeat of history?
Dangerous Hubris, AlterNet.org - America's overconfidence was exposed within the first few days of the war, says this writer.
Posted by uswarblog
at 12:12 PM EST
Updated: Thursday, 3 April 2003 12:18 PM EST
