Most dangerous fighting still ahead for coalition forces
By Wolf Blitzer
CNN
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The U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division launches a missile near Karbala, an Iraqi city southwest of Baghdad.
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KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT (CNN) -- There are dramatic developments unfolding in the war right now.
In recent hours, U.S. Army soldiers and marines -- backed by enormous fixed-wing and helicopter air power -- have moved aggressively toward the outskirts of Baghdad. U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks of the Central Command says one of six Republican Guard divisions -- the Baghdad Division -- now has been "destroyed." That means, he says, it can no longer fight effectively. According to the Central Command, at least two other Republican Guard divisions have also been seriously damaged though they still remain capable of posing serious problems for the U.S. ground forces.
In shaping the battlefield, U.S. warplanes, by all accounts, have done a devastating job hitting Iraqi tanks, armored vehicles and artillery pieces. Remember, the Iraqis still have a few hundred warplanes and helicopters. But so far, two weeks into this war, they have not dared fly one of them -- in any sector of the country. The reason, according to U.S. military commanders, is simple. As one of them put it to me the other day: "If they fly, they die."
At the same time, as critical as air power is, the final capitulation of the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's regime will require ground forces driving into Baghdad. That will be incredibly dangerous. If the Iraqi army is ever going to use chemical or other weapons of mass destruction, the time would be now. That is why U.S. ground forces moving toward Baghdad are prepared with their protective suits and their gas masks. For these young men and women (and their families back home), this is probably the most frightening part of the battlefield right now, in part because of the uncertainty of it all.
Before anyone jumps to any final conclusions about this war, remember the wise words of Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He told me in no uncertain terms that the hardest part of the war is still ahead of the U.S. military. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld suggested there will be mood swings -- from upbeat to gloomy -- depending on any particular development. Don't be overly swayed by them.
What is very clear to me -- as I sit here and watch this unfold in the Persian Gulf -- is this: While the final outcome may not be in doubt, as President Bush repeatedly says, great dangers remain.
