US-led forces closed in on Baghdad, where the distant crash of artillery could be heard yesterday. US warplanes and helicopters came under heavy fire during their first Thousands more US Marines moved north toward the Iraqi capital, taking safer dirt roads to avoid cities and towns where they could face Iraqi fire. The Army's 3rd Infantry Division was within 80km of the capital, although thick sand-storms continued to slow down and even halt the progress of some units. PHOTO: AFP Republican Guard units defending Baghdad came under attack from ground and air forces. American artillery barrages typically lasted a half-hour followed by a break as the gunners took aim at another target. The intermittent sound of explosions from the outskirts of Baghdad could be heard in the center of the city of 5 million. Meanwhile, British forces -- a day after coming under heavy attack -- declared that parts of Basra, Iraq's second largest, were now a "military target." A second British soldier was reported killed overnight near the town of Az Zubayr, close to Basra. Previously, US and British troops had refused to enter Basra for fear of being caught in an urban bloodbath. At the southern oil fields, once considered secure, shadowy Iraqi forces apparently ambushed a British unit by feigning surrender. The resistance, sporadic and sometimes fierce, is generally the work of Iraqi forces like the Fedayeen, Saddam Hussein's most trusted paramilitary fighters. They wear no uniforms and hide among civilians, striking and then receding. US pilots captured The helicopter assault around Baghdad marked the first known engagement between forces in central Iraq, and many of the American craft were hit by Iraqi groundfire. One went down behind enemy lines -- the cause was unknown -- and the Pentagon said the two-person crew had been taken prisoner. Iraqi state television on Monday showed the two US Army pilots captured by Iraqi forces. The airmen were the second set of POWs paraded by the Iraqis in as many days. Iraqis have set up mortar positions south of the city and piled sandbags around government buildings and other strategic locations, in evident anticipation of a battle to come. State radio and television continued to broadcast patriotic songs and archival footage of Saddam, together with emotional messages of support from Iraqis for their president of 23 years. Yesterday's edition of Babel, a daily newspaper owned by Saddam's eldest son, Uday, published pictures of decapitated bodies it said belonged to Iraqi civilians killed in bombing raids. The US Air Force flew more than 1,500 sorties over Iraq on Monday. So far, 80 percent of the bombs and missiles used by the Air Force have been guided by lasers, radar, satellites or video cameras, a defense official said. The Pentagon says the munitions are highly accurate, but Iraq claimed that 58 civilians were killed Sunday and 469 were injured. It did not give any figures for military deaths. Iraq criticizes Arabs Iraq's Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan yesterday criticized Arabs for not supporting Iraq, hinting the Arabs should instead impose an oil embargo on the US and Britain. "Why don't they stop the flow of oil to the countries of aggression?" he asked. He didn't make a call, however, for such action. He denied that coalition troops were closing in on Baghdad. "On the sixth day, they have not entered any Iraqi village." Iraq also accused the US and Britain of creating a humanitarian crisis by forcing the UN to halt food and medicine destined for the country. Iraq's Trade Minister Mohammed Mehdi Saleh denounced what he described as the "inhumane and immoral behavior" of the two countries for blocking the UN's oil-for-food program. The program allows Iraq to sell unlimited quantities of oil, provided the money is used primarily for humanitarian relief. Revenue from oil sales is kept in a UN-controlled account. It fed about 60 percent of Iraq's 22 million people before it was halted by last week's start of the US-led war. US President George W. Bush meets with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, his staunchest ally, later this week. The US president also talked with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone, complaining that Russia is selling anti-tank guided missiles, jamming devices and night-vision goggles to Iraq. Baghdad and Moscow have denied the claims. General Tommy Franks, the US war commander, told reporters that 3,000 Iraqis had been taken prisoner. Blair said yesterday that "nobody should be surprised" that coalition forces had met resistance as they drove toward Baghdad. "In the five days since military action began, a huge amount has already been achieved," Blair said in his second news conference since the invasion began. "Our aim remains to remove Saddam as the route to disarming Iraq of weapons of mass destruction. The progress toward Baghdad is of vital strategic importance." Blair said British forces had "secured" the port of Umm Qasr and were engaging the Iraqis around Basra. "Iraq and its security apparatus exists to support the regime of Saddam Hussein. Nobody should be surprised therefore that there are parts of the armed forces determined to fight, for they know that when the regime falls, which it will, they will have nowhere to go," Blair said. The prime minister said he would fly to Washington today.
US Army soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division carry a wounded Iraqi prisoner of war to the battalion aid station on a captured airfield in southern Iraq. US military officials said a US Marines helicopter airlifted the three wounded Iraqi POWs and the body of one Iraqi fighter following a battle in Nasiriyah.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS