Airstrikes Shake Iraq's Capital Around the Clock - 2003-03-30

Airstrikes shake Iraq's capital around the clock - 2003-03-30. General Tommy Franks, commander of coalition forces in Iraq, states that coalition ground forces are positioned at several fronts, 100 kilometers from Baghdad. General Franks denied any pause in the advance of American forces towards the Iraqi capital during his press conference in Qatar today. He mentioned that the attacks have so far been accompanied by significant progress but could not predict when it would end. Concurrently with General Franks' press conference in Qatar, heavy bombing of military and telecommunications centers resumed in Baghdad and its outskirts. The special forces of the Iraqi Republican Guard are now responsible for securing the entry points to Baghdad. In southern Iraq, British forces report progress in their efforts to capture Basra, Iraq's second-largest city. A British military spokesperson stated that their commandos captured an Iraqi general and killed a colonel of the Republican Guard during a battle in the outskirts of Basra. A Navy helicopter crashed at a refueling point in southern Iraq, killing three soldiers and injuring another. In another incident, Taha Yassin Ramadan, Iraq's vice president, threatened American forces with further attacks, similar to a suicide bombing that resulted in the deaths of four American soldiers in central Iraq yesterday. Iraqi television reported that the suicide bomber yesterday was an officer who posed as a taxi driver, and immediately after detonating himself, he was promoted to the rank of colonel, with Saddam Hussein awarding him two medals. Iraq has given the family of this suicide bomber a reward of thirty thousand dollars. Mohammed al-Sahhaf, Iraq's information minister, claimed that Iraqi forces shot down at least two American helicopters and killed two pilots. The U.S. Department of Defense stated that it has no reports of any missing helicopters. In southern Iraq, British forces report progress in their efforts to capture Basra, Iraq's second-largest city. A British military spokesperson stated that their commandos captured an Iraqi general and killed a colonel of the Republican Guard during a battle in the outskirts of Basra. Reports also indicate fierce fighting in Najaf and its surroundings, 150 kilometers south of Baghdad. American officials state that since the beginning of the war, 37 American soldiers have been killed, and 14 others are missing. Iraq claims to have captured seven Americans as prisoners of war. The number of British soldier casualties is 23. It remains unclear how many Iraqis have been killed in the war. Iraqi officials state that over four hundred civilians have been killed and more than four thousand others injured. Additionally, anti-war protests continued around the world, including in the United States, where war supporters also organized rallies in several cities. Countries like India, Pakistan, and Indonesia witnessed some of the largest anti-war demonstrations since the U.S.-led invasion began on Sunday.