Iraq will treat POWs according to international laws: Saddam
BAGHDAD, March 22 -- Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has ordered that the rights of captives of coalition troops be respected according to the Geneva Convention for POWs, the official INA news agency reported late Friday.Saddam issued the order as the US-British forces unleashed an all-out ground offensive against Iraq and a new wave of devastating air raids on the Iraqi capital and other cities. It remained unclear the whereabouts of the Iraqi president since the United States and Britain initiated the war early Thursday under the name of disarm Saddam of weapons of mass destruction.Iraqi officials were quoted by the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera TV as saying Friday that Iraqi forces had already captured many US, British and Australian soldiers in the southern town of Fao, where heavy fighting was reported overnight.
The Iraqi officials declined to say the exact number of such captives taken, but adding they would be put on show after arrangement was made.US-British troops escalated their operations inside Iraq overnight with ground forces rapidly advancing to Baghdad from the south after crossing the Kuwait-Iraq border.The coalition forces reportedly captured the port of Umm Qasr aswell as two airports in the west. The Pentagon stated Friday that the commander of Iraq's regular 51st Division surrendered Friday to US Marines advancing towards Baghdad in southern Iraq.
Countering the US-British claims, Iraqi Defense Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmed insisted Friday evening that Iraqi forces were still holding their positions in Al Fao and Umm Qasr, Iraq's only deep-water port in the south. "Until this moment, our 45th Brigade in Umm Qasr is standing in its positions, and the enemy has not been able to dislodge them," he said.
Ahmed noted that Americans were lying when they say that only two soldiers were killed in the battle, because the fact was that their losses were much more greater.Late Friday, the Iraqi capital of Baghdad came under the most devastating wave of bombings since the war started early Thursday.Cruise missiles and precision-guided bombs rained down on the city of 5 million people, as deafening explosions were heard aroundthe city where the night sky was lit up by giant fire balls and anti-aircraft fire.
Two presidential palaces, the buildings of the Military Industrialization Commission headquarters, which was in charge of weapons development, and the military intelligence headquarters were hit in the raids.Loud explosions were also heard in the northern cities of Mosul and the oil hub Kirkuk, where anti-aircraft fire and fire balls triggered by the blasts were visible from far away.So far two US Marines have been killed by Iraqi forces in the fighting, while eight British and four US soldiers died in a helicopter crash in Kuwait.
British, Iraqi Soldiers Surrender to enemy
WASHINGTON, March 21 -- An entire Iraqi army division of 8,000 soldiers surrendered Friday to coalition forces, Pentagon officials said.The 51st division of the Iraqi army surrendered as coalition forces approached the southern Iraqi city of Basra.It is the first time that Iraqi soldiers surrendered en masse since the US-led military action against Iraq began Wednesday night. The 51st division is a key force protecting Basra, a city of strategic significance in the south
An unspecified number of British soldiers have surrendered in a small town near Nasiriyadh in southern Iraq, Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf said on Saturday. He told a press conference that the media accounts by the US-led coalition were "misleading" and "lies" as Iraqi forces were still engaged in fighting with invading troops in and around Umm Qasr, a port in southern Iraq and the front line of the aggressorshave been stopped due to resistance by Iraqi soldiers. There was a large number of casualties on the side of the US-led forces, he said. In the strategic Faw peninsula, the Iraqi soldiers were still in position and fighting, he said. The Iraqi forces have also destroyed five enemy tanks and a number of military vehicles in fighting near Nasiriyadh, 360 kilometers to the south of Baghdad. The British soldiers who have surrendered are kept with the local tribal families in the small town, according to the Iraqi minister.
Sahaf said 207 civilians, most of them women and children, werewounded in the massive US and British bombardment on Baghdad Friday night. They were "hit in their homes" and were being treated in five hospitals around the capital, said the minister, adding that "I invite you to visit them and ask them how and where they were hurt." On Friday evening, the United States launched heavy bombings onBaghdad and the northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk with B-52 bombers and cruise missiles as part of its "shock and awe operation." During the airstrikes, US forces fired about 320 missiles at Baghdad and surrounding areas, according to Rear Admiral Matthew G.Moffit, commander of the Kitty Hawk battle group deployed in the Gulf.Despite mounting international opposition, the United States launched its war against Iraq at 0530 a.m. (0230 GMT) on Thursday,in a bid to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. US-led coalition troops launched the war across Iraq on Friday night, with ground forces advancing in the south, airfields seized in the west and air strikes on two northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk and the capital city of Baghdad.
At the same time, anti-war protests went throughout the world, denouncing US hegemony and praying for peace. US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's regime is "starting to lose control of their country." "The confusion of Iraqi officials is growing. Their ability to see what is happening on the battlefield, to communicate with their forces and to control their country is slipping away," Rumsfeld added. However, Iraqi Defense Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmed said his country's forces are strongly resisting American and British invaders, and acknowledged for the first time that US and British troops have crossed the borders into Iraq from Kuwait, attacked Umal-Qasser and headed toward Basra.
PROTESTS, CRITICISM AGAINST IRAQ WAR GO THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
Iraq's Ambassador to the United Nations Mohammed Aldouri accused UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan of breaching the UN Charter by not criticizing the US-led invasion of his country and criticized him for withdrawing UN weapons inspectors before the attack. Aldouri said Annan's behaviors would help the United States andBritain put Iraq's natural resources u nder "the control of the world American and Zionist oil mafia." "It is a flagrant material breach of international law, the UN Charter and the Security Council resolutions relevant to Iraq," hesaid. The Iraq war sparked one of the most widespread rounds of anti-war protests throughout the United States. San Francisco was once again the scene of the largest anti-war protests in the country, with bands of demonstrators marching through the streets.
From demonstrations near the White House to a march through downtown Boulder, Colorado, from candlelight vigils to traffic disruptions, anti-war activities continued while the war is going on. Tens of thousands of people are gathering in London and marching to the city's Hyde Park for a rally in protest against the ongoing US-led war aimed at toppling Iraqi President Saddam. Anti-war groups said they were expecting half a million people to take to the streets of central London in the peace marches. Further peace demonstrations are expected in cities across Britain and at US military bases in Gloucestershire in southwestern England and Yorkshire in northern England.
Anti-war demonstrations also took place in many cities across Canada. Protesters blocked access to the British High Commission in Ottawa. They used bicycle locks to fasten themselves to gates and doors.In the country's largest city of Toronto, thousands of protesters staged a sit-in in the city's main street, blocking traffic for several hours. In three other major cities - Vancouver, Manitoba and Montreal,huge crowds of people turned out to protest against the war. It is reported that anti-war rallies are planned all across Canada for Saturday and Sunday. Iranian supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned the US-led war on Iraq, saying this invasion marks the emergence of a new form of Hitlerism in world history.
Khamenei told large groups of people at the advent of the Iranian New Year in the eastern city of Mashhad that an attack by a sovereign state against another under any false pretext is abominable in the eyes of world public opinion. Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi has termed the war as "unjustifiable" because it "has been launched in violation of UN rules and regulations." Jordanian King Abdullah II on Friday called on his people to unite to overcome the repercussions of the war in neighboring Iraq. Pope John Paul, in his first public comment on the Iraq war, said it threatened the whole humanity and that weapons could neversolve mankind's problems.
"When war, like the one now in Iraq, threatens the fate of humanity, it is even more urgent for us to proclaim, with a firm and decisive voice, that only peace is the way of building a more just and caring society," he said. Amnesty International said it was seeking urgent details from the United States about measures taken to avoid civilian casualties during ferocious bombing of Baghdad overnight.
The human rights group said the strikes on the Iraqi capital, described by the Pentagon as the start of a "shock and awe" air war, should be called off if the civilian death toll proves too high. The Brazilian government announced that it was prepared, at therequest of the United Nations, to receive war victims from Iraq ifthere was a humanitarian crisis. The Brazilian government Thursday demanded respect for international humanitarian laws and for the protection of civilians, especially refugees. Paraguayan President Luis Gonzalez criticized the United Statesfor its unilateral military action against Iraq, saying such action has violated the basic rules of the United Nations.
"This war decision and the loss of human life are regrettable,"Gonzalez said in the Paraguayan capital, Asuncion. He added that the dignity of the United Nations had been "seriously weakened" with the beginning of this conflict. Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Durao announced that his government had turned down the US request to expel Iraqi diplomatsand the Iraqi Embassy in Lisbon would remain open. "We do not have the intention of closing the Iraqi Embassy and there is no reason to expel Iraqi diplomats from Portugal," Durao said. The lower house of the Mexican Parliament condemned the use of force against Iraq and supported the pacifist position of the country in the UN Security Council. The lawmakers said in a statement that they agreed to support the United Nations in its humanitarian assistance to victims of the Iraqi conflict.
Civilian targets hit by US missiles: Iraqi ministerBAGHDAD, March 21- Civilian targets were hit by missiles in US air raids on the Iraqi capital on Friday evening, Iraqi Information Minister Mohammad Said al-Sahaf said.Speaking to reporters after the US bombardment, Sahaf said two palaces, both of them civilian targets, were among those hit in theair raids.Sahaf also accompanied a number of local and foreign reporters on a tour of Al-Diafa (hospitality) Palace and Al-Zohour (flowers) Palace.
"The air raids targeted at civilian areas, not military ones, contradicting claims by US officials, including Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld," he said.Al-Diafa Palace is a place where the Iraqi government hosts heads of state of foreign countries, Sahaf said, adding Al-Zohour Palace is a royal palace.Al-Zohour Palace is a very important one from archaeological point of view, he said.US forces fired about 320 missiles at Baghdad and surrounding areas during the "shock and awe operation" on Friday evening, al-Jazeera TV channel said. Rear Admiral Matthew G. Moffit, commander of the Kitty Hawk battle group deployed in the Gulf, was quoted as saying "approximately 320 missiles have been fired at targets in and aroundBaghdad."Despite mounting international opposition, the United States launched its war against Iraq at 0530 a.m. (0230 GMT) on Thursday, in a bid to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
The offensive, the first preemptive strike in the US history, kicked off about 90 minutes after the expiration of an ultimatum issued by US President George W. Bush for Saddam to leave the country or face war.The United States has accused Iraq of hiding and secretly developing banned weapons as well as having linkage with the al-Qaeda terror network, and vowed to disarm Iraq by force if necessary. Iraq strongly denies the US allegation.
Air Transport Well Prepared for the Looming Middle East Conflict : IATA
With armed conflict looming over Iraq, all parties involved in air transport have now put into place planned additional safety and security procedures to keep our passengers flying safely, with as little
inconvenience as possible. "Aircraft are being re-routed around the conflict zone in accordance
with air route contingency plans that were developed and agreed by IATA, ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) and national governments in advance. These plans have been coordinated with the national authorities concerned. For flights to and from Persian Gulf destinations, pre-determined temporary routes will divert flights well away from any military activity," said IATA Director General and CEO, Giovanni Bisignani.The approximately 150 flights between Europe and Southeast Asia will most likely not experience any noticeable change as they are normally routed well north of the conflict zone. Travellers in the Persian Gulf area, however, could experience up to one hour or more added flight time when re-routed. Air transport is well prepared as an industry to cope with this type of situation as was witnessed, for example, during the military events in Bosnia, Kosovo and last year in Afghanistan. Bisignani added: "IATA is cooperating with governments, to put into place any additional operational measures that could be needed." An IATA Task Force is in place and active 24 hours a day in updating contingency plans. Its activities are fully coordinated with ICAO and the different national governments involved.
Air transport has been going through its worst crisis in its hundred-year history accumulating over 30 billion dollars of losses since the tragic events of 11 September 2001. "The present armed conflict will only worsen these losses. In such difficult circumstances, we call on governments and industry partners, in particular infrastructure service providers, to share with the airlines the burden of this new crisis and to endeavour to reduce their charges," Bisignani concluded. The airlines are continuing to do business as usual and encourage their customers to do likewise. Civil aviation is a fundamental element of modern life and contributes not only to the economy of the world, but also to social and political welfare. We will keep flying and look forward to seeing you on board.
US missile hits Iranian oil refinery
CAIRO, March 21 -- A US missile hit a depot of an oil refinery by mistake in western Iran near the border with Iraq on Friday evening, al-Jazeera TV channel reported. Two people were injured in the accident, the TV report said. The missile may have been missed when the United States launcheda new wave of air raids on Iraq Friday evening. Despite mounting international opposition, the United States launched its war against Iraq at 0530 a.m. (0230 GMT) on Thursday, in a bid to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
US-led massive bombing campaign on Iraq starts
BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON/CAIRO, March 22 -- Dozens of deafening explosions rocked central Baghdad at the start of an intensive bombing campaign by US-led forces Friday night, while loud speakers of mosques across the Iraqi capital were blaring out"Allah Akbar (God is great)" as prayers for peace.Local citizens counted explosions in their homes. "Twenty-five of them now," a Baghdadi told Xinhua journalists at the 20th minute of bombardment.
The massive airstrike, a part of the "shock and awe" campaign against targets across Iraq, befell on Baghdad at 21:00 (1800 GMT). Giant fireballs and heavy fumes of smoke were seen rising up from some striken sites. Xinhua journalists also saw missiles flying over head. Tracer fire lit up the night sky and anti-aircraft guns were firing towards the sky.
Other witnesses said presidential palaces of Saddam Hussein were hit by missiles and several buildings were ablaze. "It was the worst moment since missile attack (since Thursday) on Baghdad," a local said.Ambulances seen shuttling between attacked places and hospitals after the bombardment of Baghdad, suggesting many catualties, according to witnesses. Al-Jazeera TV reported that US-led forces fired about 320 missiles at Baghdad and surrounding areas during the "shock and awe" operation and some 10 missiles hit the presidential palaces.
Meanwhile, air raid sirens woke up the northern Iraqi cities of Mosul and Kirkuk. Al Jazeera TV pictures showed barrages of anti-aircraft fire opening up to the key in the two cities. Speaking at a Pentagon press conference held shortly after the intense air strikes on Iraq, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld confirmed that the US-led forces have already started the devastating "shock and awe" bombing blitz, which was designed to bring Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to knees."The regime (of Saddam Hussein) is starting to lose control of their country," Rumsfeld said.
General Richard Myers, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff,also said at the press conference that US-led ground forces have pushed forward about 160 km deep into Iraq, and US-led forces will hit several hundred Iraqi military targets in the coming hours. As the US-led war on Iraq proceeded to the second day, reports said the US and British ground forces have captured the town of Safwan in southern Iraq and the strategic Gulf port of Umm Qasr, which was located along the Kuwait border about 460 km southwest of Baghdad. Meanwhile, in thundering explosions in Baghdad, Iraqi Defence Minister Hashim Ahmed told reporters that Iraqi forces are strongly resisting American and British invadors and stopped their advancement in certain stages. There are reports saying the US-led forces have taken prisoner some 600 Iraqi soldiers, some of them surrendering themselves to the US and British troops by Friday night.
Iraqi defense minister says Iraq strongly resists enemy
BAGHDAD, March 21 -- Iraqi Defence Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmed said here Friday evening that Iraqi forces are strongly resisting American and British invadors.At a press conference held in Baghdad, he acknowledged for the first time that US and British troops have crossed the borders into Iraq from Kuwait and attacked Um al-Qasser and headed towardsBasra.He also said that US and British paratroopers landed in a number of border towns close with Syria and Jordan. Towns they attacked include Rutba, 350 km west to Baghdad, al-Nakhaib near Mosul, besides Al-Walid military base close to the Syrian border.But the paratroopers met strong resistance from Iraqi troops and tribesmen.
In Rutba area, "two enemy armed vehicles were destroyed by rocket propelled grenades," he said, adding battles in that area still continued.The press conference was disrupted by loud explosions at around2100 local time when coalition forces launched massive bombardmenton Baghdad.He also said that British forces landed behind al-Saw peninsulaand bombarded the town of al Saw by artillery. "The enemy forces have advanced further more into the northern Rumeila area, which has rich oil reserve."
Another army force heads the city of Basra 520 km north of Baghdad, but "was stopped because of strong resistance.Meanwhile, a statement issued by the military said Iraqi missile force fired surface-to-surface missiles to coalition forces concentrations in Al-Rouqa, and Ali Salem base in Kuwait onFriday
Saddam remains safe despite two days of bombing
BAGHDAD, March 21 -- Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his family were safe despite a bombing targeted at his residence compound by the United States forces on Friday, Iraqi Information Minister Mahammad Said al-Sahaf said here.The president, quoted by Iraq's state television as defying theUS-led aggression, said, "The Iraqi people and their armed forces are ready to resist any attack, despite US-British enemy propaganda to try to weaken their morale."
The president made the statement in a speech, which was addressed to US and British leaders and read out on state television on his behalf."A curse on anyone who says the Iraqi army and people would joyfully welcome your aggressiveness and the forces under your orders and rejoice," Saddam said in the speech.As many as 37 civilians were wounded by intensified US bombardment on Baghdad overnight, the official Iraqi news agency said on Friday.The US and British forces launched ground attacks on Iraq overnight, supported by air force.A series of explosions were heard throughout the southern Iraqitown of Basra early Friday, Egyptian official MENA news agency reported.
Fire tongues snaked up and clouds of black plumes billowed up in Basra, MENA said, adding the Iraqi troops fired anti-aircraft barrages in response to the blitz.British troops met with stern resistance at Umm Qasr, some 32 kilometers south of Basra, the British military said Friday."Our forces are in fact already facing some stern resistance atUmm Qasr as I speak," a military spokesman said.Reports said British troops had built a beachhead on the strategic Faw peninsula and taken control of key oil pumping equipment.The official Kuwait news agency reported earlier Friday that USand British forces had taken the Gulf port of Umm Qasr, a report which has been denied by Iraq, and that British Royal Marines commandos had landed on the Faw peninsula south of Baghdad.
British Royal Marines have grabbed a key oil pumping equipment on the Faw peninsula in southeast Iraq, said a British military spokesman on Friday.British troops have taken the oil pumping equipment that leads into the northern Gulf and secured it, said Group Captain Al Lockwood of the Royal Air Force.The British officer said that elements of the Marines' Three Brigade were met with only light resistance after crossing the northern Gulf late Thursday to land on the peninsula.No casualties were reported and "operations are continuing as planned," Lockwood added.Earlier reports said Iraqi forces have set fire to some 30 oil wells in southern Iraq. The oil fields in southern Iraq account for 60 percent of total crude oil production.
Al-Jazeera TV news channel reported multiple explosions in the direction of northern city of Mosul as well as flare on the horizon.The United States started the war against Iraq on Thursday morning, some 90 minutes after the expiration of an ultimatum issued by US President George W. Bush for Saddam to leave the country or face war.The United States has accused Iraq of hiding and secretly developing banned weapons as well as having linkage with the al-Qaeda terror network, and vowed to disarm Iraq by force if necessary. Iraq strongly denies the US allegation.
The US authorities had not got any concrete information on the fate of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein after the first bomb attacks on Baghdad, the White House said on Friday.Earlier, the Iraqi authorities acknowledged that one of Saddam's homes was bombed in the coalition attacks, but stressed the president is safe. The Iraqi state television broadcasted a statement by the president.
"The CIA's assessment of the tape is that it does appear to be the voice of Saddam, but there is no conclusive evidence about whether that was taped before or after the operation began," WhiteHouse spokesman Ari Fleischer told a regular briefing.Despite strong opposition from the international community, theUS launched a military attack on the capital city of Baghdad at 05:30 local time (0230 GMT) on Thursday morning, targeting the Iraqi president.
CNN reporters expelled from Iraq
WASHINGTON, March 21 - The four-person team of CNN (Cable News Network) was expelled from Baghdad on Friday. CNN reported that its journalists in Baghdad had been told to leave the country and were making arrangements to do so. CNN was the only US television network left in Baghdad. On Wednesday, another American TV network CBS pulled its news team out of Iraq for safety reason when the ultimatum was approaching.
Iraq shoots down US or British warplane: INA
BAGHDAD, March 21 -- Iraqi air defense forces earlier Friday shot down a US or British warplane, the official INA news agency reported on Friday.The fighter jet was shot down during the US-led airstrikes and crashed into the Kuwaiti territory, an Iraqi military spokesman was quoted by the INA as saying."At 5:55 a.m. (0255 GMT) on March 21, 2003...our heroic missileforces...hit a fighter jet," the INA reported.However, the INA's report could neither be confirmed by the US nor the British military at present.A US Marine helicopter crashed in Kuwait on Friday, killing eight British Marines and four US soldiers
Iraq claims coalition warplane shot down, Pentagon denies
BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON, March 21 -- Iraq claimed on Friday that its air defense forces shot down a US or British warplane, but the Pentagon denied it.The fighter jet was shot down during the US-led airstrikes and crashed into the Kuwaiti territory, an Iraqi military spokesman was quoted by the INA as saying.But the US Department of Defense officials denied it."At 5:55 a.m. (0255 GMT) on March 21, 2003...our heroic missileforces...hit a fighter jet," the INA reported.
However, the INA's report could neither be confirmed by the US nor the British military at present.A US Marine helicopter crashed in Kuwait on Friday, killing eight British Marines and four US soldiers.Two other US military helicopters, which were a MH-53 "Pave Low" Special Operations helicopter and a AH-64 "Apache" attack helicopter made crash landings in intense operations along the Kuwait-Iraq border on Wednesday night and Thursday But none of the total eight crew members on the two helicopters were injured, US officials said.
All key oil wells in southern Iraq safe: British Official
LONDON, March 21 -- All key components of oil fields in a southern Iraqi port remain safe, with only seven oil wells being set on fire, Admiral Michael Boyce, British chief of defense staff told reporters Friday.British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon earlier said that about 30oil wells at Umm Qasr, a city not far from Basra, have been set onfire by Iraqi forces.
"I'm pleased to be able to tell you that the latest informationI have is that only seven well heads have been fired, as opposed to the some 30 or so that we suspected might have been on fire today," Boyce told a press briefing at the Ministry of Defense in London."We are absolutely determined not to let (Iraqi President) Saddam (Hussein) to bring more damage to the lives of his people through some sort of scorched-earth policy," Boyce said, adding that "specialist civilian contractors" would be in the area "in a day or two" to snuff out the fires.Umm Qasr has been overwhelmed by US Marines and now "is in coalition hands," Boyce said, adding that two Iraqi vessels loadedwith mines for deployment in the Gulf have been captured by alliedforces.
Progress made in the campaign so far was "promising" and humanitarian supplies were expected to be brought into Iraq withinthe next few days, Boyce said.He also praised the British and American advance into southern Iraq, under air cover provided by the RAF and US air force.On Friday, local reports said the US and British forces were expected to take Basra, Iraq's southern stronghold, later in the day.
Islamic Jihad calls for war against US
GAZA, March 21- The Palestinian radical group Islamic Jihad (Holy War) Friday called upon Arab and Islamic countries to declare a war against the United States that leads a war against Iraq.The group said in a leaflet that the Arab and Islamic nations "have to fight America with all what they have of power and energy and hit the US economical interests and demonstrate in every town and neighborhood in their countries."
"A bright future is waiting for you Arabs and Muslims if you continue with your Jihad and resistance against the Imperial-Zionist coalition and their aggressive colonialist plans," the leaflet said.Iraq as a country "is not the target of this crazy war, it is the while nation beginning with Palestine up to Afghanistan," the group said, adding that "today is Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria and Iran come after."The leaflet blasted US Secretary of State Colin Powell for his statement that the United States wants to draw a new map for the region, saying "that serves the interests of America and Israel."
Also in the leaflet, the group claimed responsibility for firingfour missiles at an Israeli army convoy of jeeps and armor vehicleseast of Gaza City, saying that the missiles had directly hit the target. Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians demonstrated in several West Bank and Gaza Strip cities in support for Iraq and condemning the US-led war that began on Thursday aiming at disarming Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. About 5,000 demonstrators took the streets of Gaza City, waving Palestinian and Iraqi flags and holding banners condemning the US-led war against Iraq and posters of Saddam Hussein. Demonstrations went out of the mosques in the Gaza Strip after the weekly Muslims Friday prayers and shouted slogans called upon Saddam Hussein to attack Israel and defeat the US and British forces.
Most of the Palestinian political groups, leaders and supportersparticipated in the demonstrations in the Gaza Strip, including theIslamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Islamic Jihad, Fatah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The quadriplegic Hamas founder and spiritual leader Sheikh AhmedYassin, sitting on his wheeling chair, participated in the rally and called upon all "the Mujahideen (freedom fighters) men and women in Iraq to use roadside bombs and suicide bombing attacks in Iraq against the Americans."
Yassin told reporters in the rally that he predicts that "triumph would be in the side of the Iraqi people and the Palestinians against the Americans and the Israelis." "But this depends on how much support the Arab and Muslim nations all over the world would give Iraq and the Iraqi people," said Yassin, who called upon the Iraqi people "to kill every American who enters into your territories."During the rally, dozens of demonstrators burned the flags of the United States, Britain and Israel, and shouted Allaho Akbar (God is Great) and "we sacrifice our soul and our blood for Saddam
US launches financial offensive against Iraqi government
WASHINGTON, March 21-- The United States has started a new financial offensive against the Iraqi government, pledging to seize assets of Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi government as the fund to rebuild Iraq.US Treasury Secretary John Snow said Thursday that President George W. Bush issued the order to confiscate non-diplomatic Iraqigovernment assets in the United States.
Snow said the United States called upon the world to identify and freeze all the assets of Hussein and the Iraqi government. The Washington Post reported Friday that the amount of the Iraqi government money frozen in US banks that the United States pledged to seize is 1.4 billion dollars. The report said that the money, plus an additional 600 million dollars frozen by Britain and 10 other countries, will be used to help defray the costs of rebuilding Iraq after the Iraqi government is toppled. The financial step against Iraq was another one after all thosemilitary, political, diplomatic and psychological strategies, analysts said. In order to achieve a quick victory in the Iraq war, the UnitedStates has launched all-round offensives against Iraq apart from the military attacks.
