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Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2003 10:15 PM
Subject: 03/19 9:59P (DJ)+DJ US Launches Missile Strike Against
Iraqi Leaders -Source
03/19 9:59P (DJ)+DJ US Launches Missile Strike Against Iraqi Leaders
-SourceStory 9052 DJ US/Iraqi Leaders -2: Iraqi Leaders May Have Been In
Area WASHINGTON (AP)--U.S. forces launched a surgical military strike
against a "target of opportunity" near Baghdad after U.S. intelligence
detected the possibility Iraqi leaders were in the area, a senior government
official said Wednesday night. The official declined to identify
the leaders who were targeted or to say whether the attack was successful.
Earlier, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters the
war against Iraq had begun. "The opening stages of the disarmament of the
Iraqi regime have begun," he said. Bush planned to address the
nation at 10:15 p.m. EST (0315 GMT Thursday), little more than two hours
after the deadline the president set for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to
flee his nation or face war. Fleischer spoke as anti-aircraft fire
and explosions were heard across Baghdad after air raid sirens went off at
the capital at dawn. Fleischer didn't elaborate on his statement, but
U.S. officials said it signaled the beginning of military action against
Iraq. The statement came at the end of an anxious day of waiting at
the White House. Bush scrutinized final battle plans and told
Congress why he was poised to launch the largest pre-emptive attack in U.S.
history. The president stayed out of the public eye even as his 8 p.m
EST (0100 GMT Thursday) deadline for Saddam Hussein to leave his country or
face war passed. "The disarmament of the Iraqi regime will begin at a
time of the president's choosing," Fleischer said shortly after the deadline
passed. "The American people are ready for the disarmament of Saddam
Hussein. They understand what's at stake. The military is ready, the nation
is ready and the cause is just." After meeting yet again with
Pentagon officials, including U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld,
Bush had just finished dinner Wednesday night at stake. The military is
ready, the nation is ready and the cause is just." After meeting yet
again with Pentagon officials, including U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H.
Rumsfeld, Bush had just finished dinner Wednesday night and was in the
living room of the White House residence with his wife when his chief of
staff, Andrew Card, called. Card informed the president hat intelligence
officials had no information that Saddam had left Iraq. Earlier,
Fleischer spoke of somber realities of war. "Americans ought to be
prepared for loss of life," he said. Extra security enveloped the
executive mansion while aides inside whispered rumors of Iraqi defections
and surrenders. One official rushed past the Oval Office at
lunchtime, glanced at his watch and grimaced. Eight more hours, he said.
The president began his day with the usual briefing from FBI Director
Robert Mueller and CIA Director George Tenet. He also met throughout the day
with his war council, including Rumsfeld, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney,
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser
Condoleezza Rice. They reviewed the final details for war in
Iraq, aides said, poring over weather forecasts and troop positions.
Bush also discussed battle plans by telephone with Prime Minister
Tony Blair, who has sent 40,000 British troops to the Persian Gulf.
An Oval Office address that would announce the beginning of
hostilities was nearly complete. White House speechwriters had been working
on it for days. Bush himself sent Congress formal notice that he had
determined "further diplomatic and other peaceful means alone" would not be
enough to contain the "threat posed by Iraq." Bush has contended that Saddam
possesses chemical and biological weapons that he could use on his enemies
or slip to terrorists. Bush closed the window to diplomacy Monday
when he addressed the nation, but the congressional notification was
required under the terms of a resolution passed last year to authorize
military action. The resolution also required Bush to verify that
ousting Saddam would not hurt the global war on terrorism. Bush complied
with a seven-page report asserting that Iraq supports terrorist networks,
including Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida organization. Offering fresh
justification for war, the report said one of the spoils of victory may be
information about terror cells in the U.S. "United States government
personnel operating in Iraq may discover information through Iraqi
government documents and interviews with detained Iraqi officials that would
identify individuals currently in the United States and abroad who are
linked to terrorist organizations," the report said. White House
officials said the assertion was mostly speculative. The U.S. has
initiated attacks in such places as Grenada and Panama, but war in Iraq
would set a new standard for pre-emptive military action. Fleischer
offered no promises of a swift or easy conflict. "On the brink of war
with Iraq, Americans should be prepared for what we hope will be as precise,
short a conflict as possible, but there are many unknowns and it could be a
matter of some duration," the spokesman said. The president, who
warned Monday that terrorists might retaliate for a U.S. attack on Iraq,
promised that a war spending bill soon going to Congress would include money
to help communities combat and respond to terrorism. New York and
Washington were attacked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. Though Iraq was
not implicated, the strikes set Bush on a course to combat terrorism across
the globe _ a mission that eventually led him to the brink of war with
Saddam. (END) Dow Jones Newswires 03-19-03
2209ETAdditional Codes ( N/MLT, N/NWS, N/PET, N/TNW, N/UKMR, N/WSJC, P/HDL,
R/IZ,R/ML, R/NME, R/US)
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