U.S. military targeting Iraqi leaders
WASHINGTON, March 20 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld confirmed the start of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" Thursday and warned the coming war will be far more furious than anything that has come before. "What will follow will not be a repeat of any other conflict. It will be of a force and scope and scale that has been beyond what has been seen before. The Iraqi soldiers and officers must ask themselves whether they want to die fighting for a doomed regime," Rumsfeld told a Pentagon news briefing.
Turkey allows overflight for U.S. fighters
ANKARA, Turkey, March 20 (UPI) -- The Turkish parliament Thursday approved overflight rights for U.S. military aircraft and the dispatch of Turkish troops into northern Iraq. Under the decision, U.S. planes will be able to use Turkish airspace for six months. The resolution passed 332-202, with one abstention. Parliament rejected an earlier resolution to allow U.S. troops on Turkish soil, disrupting Washington's plans to advance into Iraq from the north. The earlier rejection also resulted in the Bush administration dropping an offer of billions of dollars in aid for Turkey. The role of Turkish troops entering northern Iraq remained unclear even after the meeting of Iraqi opposition leaders in Ankara on Wednesday.
U.S. asks nations to break ties with Iraq
WASHINGTON, March 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department has asked countries to "suspend Iraq's diplomatic presence in country on a temporary basis," the government announced Thursday. U.S. ambassadors asked countries Thursday to also freeze the assets of the Iraqi government and expel top-level diplomats.
Bush: 'Coalition of the willing' grows
WASHINGTON, March 20 (UPI) -- President Bush said Thursday the coalition supporting the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq is "ever-growing" and now totals more than 40 nations. The president didn't respond to a question about whether he believes Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has been killed.
Iraq to treat U.S. troops as mercenaries
BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 20 (UPI) -- U.S. and British troops captured by Iraq will be treated as mercenaries for whom no international laws applies, its government said Thursday. But Information Minister Mohammed Said Sahhaf also told journalists covering the war he would facilitate their work so they can transmit pictures of U.S. and British-caused destruction.
Ground war begins; Marines enter Iraq
WITH THE FIFTH MARINES, Iraq, March 20 (UPI) -- Thousands of U.S. Marines crossed the Kuwait border into Iraq late Thursday, signaling the beginning of the ground campaign against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The attack, code named by the Marines Camel Toe, began about 12 hours earlier than planned. Military officials told UPI the attack began early after intelligence indicated the Iraqis were preparing to destroy one of the Marines' important objectives. Due to operational security, officials would not disclose the objective.
Jordan sees no Iraqi refugee influx yet
AMMAN, Jordan, March 20 (UPI) -- U.N. agencies in the Jordanian capital said Thursday there was no Iraqi refugee movement toward the countries bordering Iraq but they confirmed about 180 third-country nationals had fled the country into Jordan's transit camp shortly after the U.S. strikes were launched. Peter Kessler, spokesman for the U.N High Commission for Refugees, told reporters until 3:00 p.m., local time, only two Iraqi individuals had been seen on the Iraq-Jordan border seeking to enter the country. He said the two had said they were planning to join their wives in Libya and Yemen.
U.N. hopes int'l humanitarian law observed
UNITED NATIONS, March 20 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, expressing hope the requirements of international humanitarian law will be observed in the Iraq conflict to shield civilians from harm, said if diplomatic efforts had lasted a little longer, perhaps Iraq could have been disarmed peacefully. He said despite the "best efforts" of the international community "war has come to Iraq for the third time in a quarter of a century.
U.S. begins detaining Iraqis
WASHINGTON, March 20 (UPI) -- U.S. authorities said Thursday they had begun detaining Iraqi nationals who might pose a security threat. "The Iraqis targeted ... were identified using a range of intelligence criteria and all are in the country illegally," said a statement from the new Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a divison of the Department of Homeland Security. FBI Director Robert Mueller said his agents "are running down every lead, responding to every threat" to protect Americans from terrorism during the war with Iraq.
Court martial not advised for U.S. pilots
WASHINGTON, March 20 (UPI) -- An Air Force judge Thursday advised against court-martialing two Air National Guard pilots who mistakenly bombed a Canadian ground force near Kandahar. The incident killed four Canadian soldiers.
Oil prices lower as Iraq war pressed
LOS ANGELES, March 20 (UPI) -- Crude prices continued to fall Thursday as world oil markets appeared to be still looking forward to a rapid end to the American-led attack on Iraq. News reports that Iraq had started setting its own oil wells on fire caused some early upward price movement on the New York Mercantile Exchange that was soon reversed when it became apparent that only a handful of wells may have been burning. May NYMEX crude was trading more than $1 lower in the early afternoon and was under $29 per barrel. May crude on London's International Petroleum Exchange was off $1.20 at $25.55 per barrel.
Stocks gain despite war worries
NEW YORK, March 20 (UPI) -- Stock prices on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market rose slightly Thursday in light trading after a relatively calm first day of conflict in Iraq. The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average, which gained 71.22 points Wednesday, was up 21.15 points to 8,286.60. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index, which lost 3.48 points in the previous session, rose 5.96 points to 1,402.76.
War in Iraq affects television sports
BRISTOL, Conn., March 20 (UPI) -- As advertised, much of the first-round action in the NCAA basketball tournament was telecast by ESPN because of continuing coverage of the war in Iraq by CBS. The games were played on schedule.
