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Allies 'destroy' Republican Guard force in pincer move on Baghdad

Qatar,Donald Macintyre
Thursday 03 April 2003 00:00 BST
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Massive allied pressure on Baghdad intensified yesterday as US-led forces said they had destroyed a Republican Guard division that was protecting Baghdad and were continuing a rapid advance on two armoured fronts across the Euphrates and Tigris to within 20 miles of the Iraqi capital.

As units of the 3rd Infantry Division moved north through the Karbala Gap to the west of the holy city, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force to the east accelerated its progress north in the direction of Baghdad's perimeter after seizing a bridge over the Tigris near the city of Kut.

Although the most advanced units of the 3rd Infantry were thought to have reached points within 20 miles of the capital, spearhead troops of US marines were thought to be still 25 miles from Baghdad.

Brigadier General Vincent Brooks, deputy director of operations, said the Baghdad Division of the Republican Guard – 10,000-strong – which took heavy casualties as it defended Kut, and endured heavy air bombardment in the resumed advance, had been destroyed and was no longer combat effective. General Brooks added: "The dagger is pointed at the heart of the Baghdad regime and will continue to be pointed at the heart of that regime, until the regime is gone."

He said some US forces had crossed part of the so-called "red line" which he defined as a "conceptual line" within which Allied troops were at risk of chemical weapons from Iraqi forces protecting the capital

The Iraqis are defending the area with extended-range Frog rockets, artillery and surface-to-surface missiles that can carry chemical weapons but General Brooks said: "The Republican Guard is in serious trouble. They remain in contact with the most powerful force on earth"

Two 15,000lb "daisy-cutter" bombs dropped from Hercules transport aircraft were reported to have helped in the destruction of Republican Guard units. Sergeant Jeff Lanter, crew chief of a Marine Sea Knight assault helicopter, said as he surveyed the advancing convoys: "The noose is starting to tighten around Baghdad."

The Medina Division charged with defending Karbala, which numbered between 10,000 and 12,000 men until a huge aerial assault began over a week ago, was also said by Allied military sources to have been severely "written down". It was estimated to be at only 50 per cent of its strength on Tuesday. Lieutenant-Colonel Scott Rutter, a battalion commander, said Iraqi troops concentrated their attacks on his unit, allowing the rest of the brigade to pass through the Karbala Gap unscathed.

Senior US and British commanders warned against assuming that the success of the first day's advance towards Baghdad meant further progress would be easy and that a prolonged siege of the city could be ruled out.

General Brooks said "We are not overconfident. There is still a lot of fighting to be done. That fighting is ongoing. The situation is under control. We are not meeting any surprises but we are having fights as we go along. We are winning the fights."

US troops near the city of Karbala, also engaging with the Republican Guard's Nebuchadnezzar Division, which had moved south from Saddam Hussein's northern home base of Tikrit to reinforce the weakened Medina Division, attacked towns and positions north of the city where 2,000 Fedayeen loyalists and Baath party members were believed to be digging in.

Asked whether the US forces were being deliberately lured by some withdrawing Republican Guards units into potential urban warfare in the Iraqi capital, General Brooks acknowledged: "The regime would like to do some fighting in Baghdad and would like to draw us in."

Around Karbala, Iraqi defenders fired anti-aircraft guns most of the night, as US artillery bombarded suspected military positions in the ancient town. B-52 bombers circled throughout the night, bombing some areas while fighter jets went after small targets.

General Brooks said: "In some cases, we bypass their lines of force; in some cases we prevent them withdrawing and in some cases we destroy them as they try to reposition."

A senior British military source said the forces were proceeding in a "manoeuvrist" mode, bypassing Iraqi positions in some cases rather than seeing their overall progress slowed.

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