A general from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's army has been captured in southern Iraq and is being pressed to provide strategic information, British officers said yesterday. An Iraqi official said 4,000 Arab volunteers have arrived in Iraq, eager to carry out suicide attacks against US and British forces.
Group Captain Al Lockwood, a British spokesman, said the general -- the highest-ranking Iraqi prisoner of war thus far -- was captured in the southern city of Basra
"We'll be asking him quite politely if he's willing to assist us to continue our operations against the paramilitary forces in Basra," Lockwood said.
PHOTO: AFP
Lockwood also said Royal Marine Commandos killed a Republican Guard colonel who apparently was sent to Basra to strengthen the resolve of the defense forces, who are encircled by British troops.
Four American infantrymen were killed in a suicide bomb attack in Iraq on Saturday, and yesterday a man in civilian clothes rammed a white pickup truck into a group of US soldiers standing by a store at their base in Kuwait.
Between 10 and 15 people were injured, said Lieutenant Colonel Larry Cox, public affairs officer at Camp Udairi. He had no immediate information on the fate of the driver.
General Tommy Franks, commander of the allied coalition, said he was unsure whether the two incidents were linked. He called the suicide attack "pure terrorism" and said his troops would henceforth exercise more caution in dealing with Iraqis.
Along the approach routes to Baghdad, some US units have paused while supply lines are shored up, but others were engaged in battles to clear the way for an all-out assault. US and British warplanes have focused three-quarters of their strikes in recent days on Republican Guard positions defending the capital.
The US Central Command said the latest targets hit by allied aircraft included military facilities at the Abu Garayb Presidential Palace, the Karada military intelligence complex and the barracks of a major paramilitary training center, all in different sectors of Baghdad.
Several telephone exchanges in the city also were hit yesterday, as well as a train loaded with Republican Guard tanks.
Although allied commanders have been unflaggingly upbeat about the progress of the war, US soldiers in the field were jolted by news of Saturday's car bombing in which an Iraqi soldier posing as a taxi driver gestured for help at a checkpoint near the city of Najaf, then blew up his car as soldiers approached.
"It's a shame they are doing that, because now we're going to have to treat every civilian vehicle like it is hostile," said Staff Sergeant Bryce Ivings, a member of 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment.
"If we accidentally kill a civilian because they took a wrong turn and came at us, it will be on their [the Iraqi leadership's] head," he said.
Captain Chris Carter, Ivings' commander, told his men not to take chances.
"I'm not going to trust any civilian vehicle," said Carter. "If you see any hostile intent, take it out."
Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf contended at a briefing yesterday that several Iraqi civilians had been shot dead in their cars by allied soldiers in a mood for vengeance after the suicide attack.
Lieutenant General Hazem al-Rawi, a senior Iraqi defense official, said the suicide attack marked "the beginning of a long path of jihad for Iraqis and Arabs against the invaders." More than 4,000 volunteers have come from numerous Arab countries to participate in suicide attacks, he said.
Iraq's state television reported that the Najaf bomber -- identified as Ali Jaafar al-Noamani, a noncommissioned officer with several children -- was posthumously promoted to colonel and awarded two medals by Saddam. His family reportedly was awarded 100 million dinars -- about US$34,000.
Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan indicated the attack was part of a coordinated effort to thwart the invasion and he raised the specter of terrorism on US or British soil. "The day will come when a single martyrdom operation will kill 5,000 enemies," Ramadan said.
"We will use any means to kill our enemy in our land and we will follow the enemy into its land. This is just the beginning," he said.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Richard Myers, in an interview yesterday with the BBC, said the attack was "a reminder that there are some very desperate people out there."
"I would think the toughest fighting is ahead of us," Myers said.
Fighting continued in several areas, notably around the southern cities of Nasiriyah and Basra.
Al-Sahhaf said Iraqi tribesman had shot down an Apache helicopter near Basra.
"They buried the two pilots there," al-Sahhaf said. US Central Command said it had no information of such an incident.
In central Iraq, thousands of US Marines pushed north yesterday in "seek and destroy" missions, trying to clear the route toward Baghdad that they have nicknamed "Ambush Alley."
* US destroys "terrorist facility" in northern Iraq; no operational pause in Iraq, says US General Tommy Franks
* Attacker drives truck into soldiers at US base in Kuwait, says a US military source
* Some US troops say land advance may pause for several weeks; military "reshaping" for next stage, says a UK minister
* Iraq says more than 4,000 Arabs go to Iraq as willing "martyrs" against US-led invasion
* US denies Iraqi claim that its forces bombed the Basra headquarters of Iraq's South Oil Company
* UK forces say they have captured an Iraqi general during clashes with Iraqi units south of Basra
Source: Reuters
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
‘NATO-PLUS’: ‘Our strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific are facing increasing aggression by the Chinese Communist Party,’ US Representative Rob Wittman said The US House of Representatives on Monday released its version of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes US$1.15 billion to support security cooperation with Taiwan. The omnibus act, covering US$1.2 trillion of spending, allocates US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, as well as US$150 million for the replacement of defense articles and reimbursement of defense services provided to Taiwan. The fund allocations were based on the US National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 that was passed by the US Congress last month and authorized up to US$1 billion to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency in support of the
A Vietnamese migrant worker yesterday won NT$12 million (US$379,627) on a Lunar New Year scratch card in Kaohsiung as part of Taiwan Lottery Co’s (台灣彩券) “NT$12 Million Grand Fortune” (1200萬大吉利) game. The man was the first top-prize winner of the new game launched on Jan. 6 to mark the Lunar New Year. Three Vietnamese migrant workers visited a Taiwan Lottery shop on Xinyue Street in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan District (崗山), a store representative said. The player bought multiple tickets and, after winning nothing, held the final lottery ticket in one hand and rubbed the store’s statue of the Maitreya Buddha’s belly with the other,
CLASSIFIED BRIEFING: The ministry said the special budget focuses on building a comprehensive defense system and strengthening the domestic defense industry The Ministry of National Defense yesterday released information on seven categories of weapons systems to be procured under a stalled NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.57 billion) special defense budget, including precision artillery, long-range missiles, air defense anti-tank missiles and more than 200,000 uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). The Executive Yuan approved a draft version of the budget on Nov. 27 last year and submitted it to the legislature for review. The legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee yesterday invited Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to deliver a classified briefing and answer questions at a closed-door session. Koo said he hoped to provide lawmakers
RSS