forces fired several missiles into the Kuwaiti dessert in apparent response to an American-led attack against Iraq.
The United States military said it had intercepted one of three SCUD missiles fired from Iraq near the Kuwaiti border, and that soldiers, journalists and residents were wearing gas masks amid concern that the devices could contain chemical weapons. There was no immediate word of any casualties, but the attack seemed to put strain on troops already coping with sand-storms and heat.
Air raid sirens were heard in Kuwait City, resembling a similar situation as in the 1991 Gulf War, witnesses said. In Baghdad, most shops were closed as most residents seemed to remain indoors, after dozens of missiles fired from Persian Gulf locations rained down on several targets earlier in the day on the Iraqi capital.
EARLY STRIKE
In a televised address to the nation late Wednesday, March 19, President Bush said that "American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger."
"On my orders, coalition forces have begun striking selected targets of military importance to undermine Saddam Hussein’s ability to wage war," he said about the missile strike, which was apparently aimed at killing Saddam Hussein and surprised local commanders.
Iraq’s Ministry of Information claims that up to 10 Iraqis died in the strike.
WHITE HOUSE MEETING
The attack came after a near four hour meeting with top advisers and military leaders at the White House where Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director George Tenet reportedly told the president that they had a "fix" on the Iraqi leader.
Apparently based on human intelligence, Tenet told Bush they had reliable information that Saddam Hussein and most senior leadership huddled together in a private home in southern Baghdad as the 48-hour American ultimatum neared, The Washington Post reported.
Bush was said to have listened calmly to Tenet’s explanation on the intelligence and induced Bush to defer the Pentagon’s intricate war plans painstakingly worked out over several months and take a calculated opening shot to "decapitate" the Iraqi regime.
U.S. warships launched about 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles and several aircraft including F-117A stealth fighters also swooped down over Baghdad to deliver 2,000-pound "bunker-buster" bombs on the isolated residence, said the Pentagon and news reports.
HUSSEIN BACK?
But soon after the early morning hours attack, a person alleged to be Saddam Hussein appeared on Iraqi radio and television, countering reports that the U.S. military was in control of the airwaves and saying that Iraq would be "victorious".
He warned the over quarter of a million U.S. and British troops surrounding his nation that they will face certain death and told his soldiers not to be afraid as "the enemies would go to hell." Not all forces seemed convinced, as at least 17 Iraqi soldiers had already surrendered in Kuwait, the U.S. military said.
In addition some U.S. sources cautioned that the man talking on television could have been "one of his" imitators and that there was no absolute certainty about the fate of Saddam Hussein.
ATTACK CRITICIZED
While the British and Spanish government expressed support for the U.S. led attack on Iraq, several European and Middle East leaders condemned the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed concern about what he called "the law of the fist" and described the attack as "a major political mistake."
Putin added there was "no proof that Iraq has (currently) weapons of mass destruction or willing to use them" and suggested that the United Nations inspectors should have received more time. The Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, said the U.S.-led military action "marked a sad day for Arabs."
However British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw defended the latest military operations saying the international community had "show great patience" with the Iraqi regime.
He suggested that U.N. Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix had made clear that the recent "three and a half months had not brought the assurances needed about the absence of weapons of mass destruction" and related items. There was also major concern among government leaders and relief organizations about the humanitarian impact of the war.
REFUGEES ARRIVE
The first group of 25 refugees arrived in Jordan Thursday, March 20 with thousands more expected in the coming days across the region and the Kurdish controlled northern region of Iraq, the Red Crescent aid organization said.
Several Christian organizations are also working in the region in an effort to distribute food and what they see as the hope and love of Jesus Christ for a suffering peoples, BosNewsLife learned.
Correspondent Jeremy Reynalds said they include members of the Jordan Evangelical Committee for Relief and Development (JECRAD) are gearing up for emergency relief efforts in light of the impending war.
"The ministry is planning to feed as many as 5,000 people daily for as long as eight weeks," said JECRAD chairman Fadi Haddad.
PRAYERS REQUESTED
Christian leaders including preachers of the Trinity Broadcasting Network and other Christian broadcasting stations have also urged Christians around the world to pray for the Middle East, as well as Iraqi Christians and the U.S.-led troops.
"Millions of Americans are praying with you for the safety of your loved ones and for the protection of the innocent," confirmed President Bush, himself a Bible believing Christian, late Wednesday, March 19, in address to the nation.
"For your sacrifice, you have the gratitude and respect of the American people and you can know that our forces will be coming home as soon as their work is done," he said in reference to the U.S. and other troops on the ground.
"Our nation enters this conflict reluctantly, yet our purpose is sure. The people of the United States and our friends and allies will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime that threatens the peace with weapons of mass murder, " he added. " I assure you, this will not be a campaign of half measures and we will accept no outcome but victory," President Bush said.
