WASHINGTON, March 18 (UPI) -- U.S. forces on Tuesday dropped 360,000 leaflets over southern Iraq telling Iraqi soldiers not to use chemical or biological weapons and warning civilians to avoid military sites, with an invasion of Iraq possibly just a day away, according to U.S. Central Command.
One day after the Office of Homeland Security raised the domestic threat alert to "orange," or "high alert," all American forces and their families in Europe were put on a boosted threat alert Tuesday. The entire European theater -- including Turkey -- is now operating under force protection condition "Charlie," meaning officials believe a terrorist or military attack is imminent, a EUCOM official said.
President George W. Bush announced in a televised address Monday that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his sons had 48 hours to leave Iraq, the only way to avert a war with the United States.
Coalition aircraft dropped the leaflets between 8:15 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. EST over the southern Iraqi cities of An Nasiriyah, located approximately 170 miles southeast of Baghdad; Rumaylah, located approximately 225 miles southeast of Baghdad; and al-Basrah, located approximately 250 miles southeast of Baghdad.
Three of the leaflets gave broadcasting frequencies where Iraqis can listen to information about U.N. Security Council resolutions, weapons inspectors and propaganda against Saddam. A fourth leaflet warned Iraqi troops against using chemical, radiological or biological weapons, saying that "unit commanders will be held accountable for non-compliance."
A fifth leaflet says the United States is only targeting military sites and that the United States does not want to destroy Iraqi landmarks or "harm the noble people of Iraq." It warns civilians to stay away from possible military targets.
The sixth leaflet was directed to Iraqi troops "not risk their life and the life of their comrades," and to "leave now, go home, and learn, grow, prosper."
Tuesday's leaflet drop added to the millions of pamphlets already distributed over Iraq, since late last year, most of them in the south.
