16-10-2003, 03:06
Al Anbar History - March 20 - April 7
March 20, 2003: At exactly 5:30am Baghdad local time (0230 GMT), US-led forces launched their long-awaited attack on Iraq starting with a barrage of 40 cruise missiles and air raids by F-117s bombers.
Three hours following the start of the war, Iraqi president Saddam Hussein appeared on Iraqi television and urged Iraqis to defend their country and predicted victory.
US and British forces head toward Umm Qasr, an Iraqi port.
March 21, 2003: Massive air raids rocked Baghdad. Iraqis said US-led forces were targeting civilians.
Battles around Umm Qasr port continued as invading forces encountered fierce resistance.
British forces announced that oil pumping stations on the Faw peninsula had been secured.
The White House officially requested a number of countries to temporarily shut down Iraqi embassies and expel Iraqi diplomats. Most countries, however, refused to comply.
March 22, 2003: Missile attacks and air raids on Baghdad continued and also rocked two other cities, Kirkuk and Mosul.
Iraqi troops torched trenches filled with oil to obstruct vision over Baghdad and prevent invading forces from finding their targets.
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein appeared on television chairing a meeting with top government officials and praised the performance of the Iraqi army.
Anti-war protests broke out all over the world condemning the invasion of Iraq.
March 23, 2003: Iraqi television showed pictures of at least four dead US soldiers and interviews with five others captured in Nasiriya.
A fierce battle erupted between the Kurdish forces supported by US troops and the Iraqi army near the town of Irbil in northern Iraq.
US planes bombed the camps of the Kurdish Islamist Group and Ansar al-Islam in Northern Iraq close to the border with Iran killing many of them.
March 24, 2003: Bombing of Baghdad and Mosul continued. US-led forces intensified air raids on Nasiriya, as fighting broke out in Basra.
Iraqi television showed images of a US Apache helicopter forced down by an Iraqi civilian in Karbala, south of Baghdad.
Arab Foreign ministers met in Egypt. They condemned the invasion of Iraq and called for an immediate withdrawal from the country.
The Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein appeared on television promising Iraqis victory, praising the performance of Iraqi troops in the south and encouraging them to put up fiercer resistance.
March 25, 2003: Powerful sandstorms slowed down American forces advancing towards Baghdad from the south and west.
Fighting intensified around Basra International Airport.
Fierce fighting continues around Umm Qasr.
Iraqi officials accused US-led troops of preventing supplies paid under the Oil-For-Food programme from reaching Iraq.
Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal said that the kingdom had proposed a peace plan to the US and Iraq to end the conflict, but no response was received.
March 26, 2003: Renewed bombing of Baghdad, Basra and Mosul killed and injured many Iraqi civilians.
Air strikes targeted the Iraqi Radio and Television building, but later domestic service resumed.
The elite forces of the Iraqi Republican Guard clashed with US forces in Najaf.
March 27, 2003: Large explosions rocked residential areas in the cities of Najaf and Karbala. Many civilians, mostly women and children, were killed and injured.
Iraqi Information Minister, Muhammad Saeed al-Sahaf denied that areas near Kirkuk were occupied by Peshmerga Kurdish guerrillas.
Amnesty International expressed concern on reports of (American and British) war crimes following the invasion of Iraq, and called for an immediate and impartial investigation.
March 28, 2003: US-led forces intensified attacks on government and civilian targets hitting the ministries of Information, Foreign Affairs and Planning. The air campaign targeted a marketplace and the ruling Ba'ath party headquarter in Baghdad.
Stiff resistance continued in the southern cities of Umm Qasr, Faw and Basra.
A drone was shot down by Iraqis on the outskirts of Baghdad.
The Syrian government denied allegations made by the US that it was supplying Iraq with military equipment and accused the US of trying to distract attention from civilian casualties.
March 29, 2003: Four American soldiers were killed in an attack by a suicide bomber, who was later identified as an Iraqi army officer, near the city of Najaf in central Iraq.
The Iranian government strongly denied any involvement in the war, dismissing such allegations made by the US.
March 30, 2003: US-led air strikes covered almost all of Iraq. However, Najaf, Basra, Kirkuk and Mosul were hit hardest. Fierce fight also broke out between the Iraqi troops and US-led forces in Abu Khaseb and Zubair near Basra.
Telephone exchanges in Baghdad were severley damaged as a result of repeated strikes to the communication center.
Fifteen US soldiers were injured when an Egyptian truck driver ran over them outside Camp Udairi in Northern Kuwait.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group said volunteer Mujahideens arrived in Baghdad to fight alongside Iraqis against US troops.
March 31, 2003: Iraqi television showed pictures of President Saddam Hussein, along with his two sons, meeting with top advisors and officials; thus dismissing US allegations that he was killed.
Seven Iraqi women and children were killed by US troops when they fired on their vehicle at a check point near Najaf.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell accused Syria and Iran of supporting what he called “terrorist groups”.
US warplanes targeted an Iraqi presidential palace in Baghdad where Saddam’s son Qusay was known to stay.
April 1, 2003: US and British warplanes continued the onslaught against Iraqi targets and the number of civilian casualties was mounting. At least 11 members of one family, including six children, were killed in al-Hilla south of Baghdad.
Speaking at a Pentagon briefing, Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers announced that more than 8700 bombs and missiles were fired by US-led forces into Iraq since the beginning of the invasion.
In a televised statement, Saddam Hussein denied allegations made by the Pentagon that some of his close family members had fled Iraq.
April 2, 2003: The Iraqi Republican Guard units encountered heavy attacks from US-led ground forces south of Baghdad and around Karbala.
The Russian government summoned the US ambassador in Moscow to convey its anger at air raids that targeted areas close to its embassy in Baghdad.
Aljazeera suspended all its activities in Iraq after the Iraqi Information Minister banned one of its correspondents and ordered another to leave the country.
April 3, 2003: Fierce battles continued between US-led forces and pockets of Iraqi resistance in Najaf, al-Aziziyah and Basra. Attacking British troops around Basra were forced to retreat as they faced fierce resistance from Iraqi fighters.
April 4, 2003: US warplanes continued to hit targets all over Iraq. In the south, fighting went on around the cities of al-Kut, al-Hilla, Najaf and Karbala.
Iraqi television displayed images of Saddam Hussein visiting residential areas in Baghdad that had been bombed by US-led forces.
The US congress approved $80bn to finance the war on Iraq.
Aljazeera resumed its work in Iraq after authorities had lifted ban imposed on two of our correspondents. Reasons of ban were not mentioned.
April 5, 2003: US forces cease attacking Iraqi ground positions. Heavy airstrikes continue.
April 6, 2003: Bush the Monkey announces that all supposed sites of WMD have been secured and the threat from Iraq is over.
April 7, 2003: US and British forces announce they have completed their objectives and will advance no further into Iraq. US forces begin digging in along the frontline.
March 20, 2003: At exactly 5:30am Baghdad local time (0230 GMT), US-led forces launched their long-awaited attack on Iraq starting with a barrage of 40 cruise missiles and air raids by F-117s bombers.
Three hours following the start of the war, Iraqi president Saddam Hussein appeared on Iraqi television and urged Iraqis to defend their country and predicted victory.
US and British forces head toward Umm Qasr, an Iraqi port.
March 21, 2003: Massive air raids rocked Baghdad. Iraqis said US-led forces were targeting civilians.
Battles around Umm Qasr port continued as invading forces encountered fierce resistance.
British forces announced that oil pumping stations on the Faw peninsula had been secured.
The White House officially requested a number of countries to temporarily shut down Iraqi embassies and expel Iraqi diplomats. Most countries, however, refused to comply.
March 22, 2003: Missile attacks and air raids on Baghdad continued and also rocked two other cities, Kirkuk and Mosul.
Iraqi troops torched trenches filled with oil to obstruct vision over Baghdad and prevent invading forces from finding their targets.
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein appeared on television chairing a meeting with top government officials and praised the performance of the Iraqi army.
Anti-war protests broke out all over the world condemning the invasion of Iraq.
March 23, 2003: Iraqi television showed pictures of at least four dead US soldiers and interviews with five others captured in Nasiriya.
A fierce battle erupted between the Kurdish forces supported by US troops and the Iraqi army near the town of Irbil in northern Iraq.
US planes bombed the camps of the Kurdish Islamist Group and Ansar al-Islam in Northern Iraq close to the border with Iran killing many of them.
March 24, 2003: Bombing of Baghdad and Mosul continued. US-led forces intensified air raids on Nasiriya, as fighting broke out in Basra.
Iraqi television showed images of a US Apache helicopter forced down by an Iraqi civilian in Karbala, south of Baghdad.
Arab Foreign ministers met in Egypt. They condemned the invasion of Iraq and called for an immediate withdrawal from the country.
The Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein appeared on television promising Iraqis victory, praising the performance of Iraqi troops in the south and encouraging them to put up fiercer resistance.
March 25, 2003: Powerful sandstorms slowed down American forces advancing towards Baghdad from the south and west.
Fighting intensified around Basra International Airport.
Fierce fighting continues around Umm Qasr.
Iraqi officials accused US-led troops of preventing supplies paid under the Oil-For-Food programme from reaching Iraq.
Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal said that the kingdom had proposed a peace plan to the US and Iraq to end the conflict, but no response was received.
March 26, 2003: Renewed bombing of Baghdad, Basra and Mosul killed and injured many Iraqi civilians.
Air strikes targeted the Iraqi Radio and Television building, but later domestic service resumed.
The elite forces of the Iraqi Republican Guard clashed with US forces in Najaf.
March 27, 2003: Large explosions rocked residential areas in the cities of Najaf and Karbala. Many civilians, mostly women and children, were killed and injured.
Iraqi Information Minister, Muhammad Saeed al-Sahaf denied that areas near Kirkuk were occupied by Peshmerga Kurdish guerrillas.
Amnesty International expressed concern on reports of (American and British) war crimes following the invasion of Iraq, and called for an immediate and impartial investigation.
March 28, 2003: US-led forces intensified attacks on government and civilian targets hitting the ministries of Information, Foreign Affairs and Planning. The air campaign targeted a marketplace and the ruling Ba'ath party headquarter in Baghdad.
Stiff resistance continued in the southern cities of Umm Qasr, Faw and Basra.
A drone was shot down by Iraqis on the outskirts of Baghdad.
The Syrian government denied allegations made by the US that it was supplying Iraq with military equipment and accused the US of trying to distract attention from civilian casualties.
March 29, 2003: Four American soldiers were killed in an attack by a suicide bomber, who was later identified as an Iraqi army officer, near the city of Najaf in central Iraq.
The Iranian government strongly denied any involvement in the war, dismissing such allegations made by the US.
March 30, 2003: US-led air strikes covered almost all of Iraq. However, Najaf, Basra, Kirkuk and Mosul were hit hardest. Fierce fight also broke out between the Iraqi troops and US-led forces in Abu Khaseb and Zubair near Basra.
Telephone exchanges in Baghdad were severley damaged as a result of repeated strikes to the communication center.
Fifteen US soldiers were injured when an Egyptian truck driver ran over them outside Camp Udairi in Northern Kuwait.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group said volunteer Mujahideens arrived in Baghdad to fight alongside Iraqis against US troops.
March 31, 2003: Iraqi television showed pictures of President Saddam Hussein, along with his two sons, meeting with top advisors and officials; thus dismissing US allegations that he was killed.
Seven Iraqi women and children were killed by US troops when they fired on their vehicle at a check point near Najaf.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell accused Syria and Iran of supporting what he called “terrorist groups”.
US warplanes targeted an Iraqi presidential palace in Baghdad where Saddam’s son Qusay was known to stay.
April 1, 2003: US and British warplanes continued the onslaught against Iraqi targets and the number of civilian casualties was mounting. At least 11 members of one family, including six children, were killed in al-Hilla south of Baghdad.
Speaking at a Pentagon briefing, Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers announced that more than 8700 bombs and missiles were fired by US-led forces into Iraq since the beginning of the invasion.
In a televised statement, Saddam Hussein denied allegations made by the Pentagon that some of his close family members had fled Iraq.
April 2, 2003: The Iraqi Republican Guard units encountered heavy attacks from US-led ground forces south of Baghdad and around Karbala.
The Russian government summoned the US ambassador in Moscow to convey its anger at air raids that targeted areas close to its embassy in Baghdad.
Aljazeera suspended all its activities in Iraq after the Iraqi Information Minister banned one of its correspondents and ordered another to leave the country.
April 3, 2003: Fierce battles continued between US-led forces and pockets of Iraqi resistance in Najaf, al-Aziziyah and Basra. Attacking British troops around Basra were forced to retreat as they faced fierce resistance from Iraqi fighters.
April 4, 2003: US warplanes continued to hit targets all over Iraq. In the south, fighting went on around the cities of al-Kut, al-Hilla, Najaf and Karbala.
Iraqi television displayed images of Saddam Hussein visiting residential areas in Baghdad that had been bombed by US-led forces.
The US congress approved $80bn to finance the war on Iraq.
Aljazeera resumed its work in Iraq after authorities had lifted ban imposed on two of our correspondents. Reasons of ban were not mentioned.
April 5, 2003: US forces cease attacking Iraqi ground positions. Heavy airstrikes continue.
April 6, 2003: Bush the Monkey announces that all supposed sites of WMD have been secured and the threat from Iraq is over.
April 7, 2003: US and British forces announce they have completed their objectives and will advance no further into Iraq. US forces begin digging in along the frontline.