TROOPS KILLED IN ROCKET GRENADE ATTACK
Mar 22 2003
By Shiraz Lalani, Ben Rankin and Neil Roberts
�
Four US soldiers were killed in an ambush today as the American advance on Baghdad met resistance in central Iraq.
The reconnaissance scouts died when their two Humvee jeeps were hit by rocket propelled grenades.
Sky TV reporter Colin Brazier, who was travelling in the same convoy,�revealed: "Rocket-propelled grenades were fired, one at each Humvee, killing both sets of occupants.
"There was a position we were heading to for refuelling at about the same time - it was clearly a coordinated attack...that came under mortar fire."
Meanwhile allied forces continued their speedy advance deep into Iraq. American troops took Nassiriya, securing�a crucial bridge across the Euphrates.
The Battle for Basra continued as British and American troops surrounded the key city in a bid to force an Iraqi surrender.
The southern Iraqi port of Umm Qasr was under allied control after stiffer than expected resistance from defending forces.
The American General in command of the invading force said the outcome of Gulf War 2 was in no doubt.
General Tommy Franks said the first 72 hours of the war had gone according to plan. "We believe we are on our time-line," he said at US Central Command in Qatar.
He added:�"This will be a campaign unlike any other in history. It will be characterised by shock, by surprise, by flexibility, by the employment of precise munitions on a scale never before seen, and by the application of overwhelming force."
Meanwhile a British television reporter�and two of his crew were missing in Iraq after being caught in a machine gun ambush. Terry Lloyd of ITN, a familiar face from news bulletins, disappeared after�his car was�hit by a hail of�bullets on the road to the city of Basra.
Cameraman Fred Nerac and translator Hussein Othman, were also missing. A second cameraman, Daniel Demoustier, was injured in the attack, but managed to escape.
Earlier six British servicemen and a US officer were killed when two helicopters collided in the Gulf. The Sea King helicopters, based on aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, crashed over international waters at 1.30am British time killing everyone on board.
Ark Royal's captain, Alan Massey, called the crash a "tragic accident" but said flying in zones at night was not without risks.
"We all know that military flying is an inherently risky business and those risks increase when you fly at night," he told the BBC.
"They increase perhaps still further when you fly under operational pressure but this is what we're paid to do.
"These aircrew, like all the other aircrew out here, are extremely professional, well-trained. This was a tragic accident."
An investigation was launched into the collision.
British and American forces launched daytime attacks on Baghdad today, starting just hours after waves of Cruise missiles and bombs pounded the Iraqi capital.
Three huge explosions�shook the�city centre and sent mushroom clouds of white smoke billowing into the sky. It was the first time strikes had been carried out in daylight since the start of the war.
Last night allied forces brought "shock and awe" to Baghdad in a bombing onslaught of a size unprecedented in military history.
Massive blasts rocked the city in a campaign designed to shatter the resistance of Saddam's regime.
Missiles slammed into Iraq's intelligence headquarters and�key government buildings. Saddam's presidential complex in the city centre was also hit.
The Pentagon said several hundred targets�were targetted in the raids and some 1,000 bombs and missiles were used.
Fresh attacks were carried out�on the outskirts of the city early today before the dawn strikes on the centre.
Soon after the first strikes on Baghdad at 6pm British time yesterday the smoke-filled night sky was coloured red by fires raging across the city after a devastating display of firepower.
Dozens of�missiles and bombs landed across the city in�the relentless aerial assault. It was not known if there were any civilian casualties.
There was speculation over the fate of Saddam with both British and American government spokesman unable to confirm reports that he had been injured or even killed.
A squadron of B-52 bombers which took off from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire yesterday morning was�believed to have been involved in the Baghdad blitz. The massive warplanes arrived back at 2am GMT.
More blasts were reported in the northern cities of Kirkuk and Mosul and Saddam's hometown of Tikrit.
The RAF confirmed British jets�were involved in the strikes. US Warships fired 320 Tomahawk Cruise missiles.
This story will be updated as reports arrive from the Gulf...
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