 |
| AIRSTRIKES |
|
|
 • U.S.-led forces unleashed one of the heaviest bombardments on Baghdad overnight, sending clouds of smoke rising into the air. The airstrikes came as coalition forces opened up a northern front and their campaign in the south continued. Full Story |  Video
• Pentagon sources said two 4,500-pound GBU-37 "bunker-buster" bombs were dropped Thursday on a target in Baghdad from a B-2 stealth bomber. It marked the first time the bombs have been used in this war.
• With the forces on the doorstep of the Iraqi capital, Iraq's information minister said Baghdad would be the "graveyard" for coalition troops. Full Story
• Improved weather let U.S. planes focus airstrikes on Republican Guard units south and northwest of Baghdad, Pentagon sources said. Full Story | Video
• B-52 bombers struck a convoy of Iraqi military vehicles overnight before they could reach U.S. Army troops in Najaf, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, CNN reported. U.S. Air Force air traffic controllers told CNN that the B-52s "pounded" the convoy "almost into oblivion." Full Story | Video
• Coalition forces destroyed an Iraqi missile launcher near Basra believed to be responsible for missiles fired against Kuwait, military sources told CNN.
Weapons: 3-D models, descriptions and more
|
|
| BATTLES |
|
|
• About 1,000 U.S. soldiers from parachuted into Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq Thursday. An airlift of troops, tanks and equipment began once the airfield was secure. Full Story | Video | 173rd Airborne Brigade
• About 30,000 troops from the Army's 4th Infantry Division and other units will leave Fort Hood, Texas for Iraq in a few days, and another 100,000 ground troops will be deployed next month, Pentagon officials said Thursday. Full Story
• After braving nearly constant fire for 72 hours, the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division fighting near Najaf got a break Thursday -- reinforcements got a chance to go to the back of the line for a short respite. Full Story | Video
• British forces near Basra face "stiff opposition" from Iraqis, a British commander said. Full Story | Video
• British military officials said they found chemical weapons suits when Iraqis abandoned a facility in southern Iraq. Full Story | Video
• The Republican Guard are positioned in rings around Baghdad and Saddam Hussein's ancestral home of Tikrit, the U.S. Secretary of Defense said Thursday.
Gallery: War photos | Audio Slide Show: In harm's way
Weapons: 3-D models, descriptions and more
|
|
| CASUALTIES |
|
|
 • Coalition deaths in the war total 47.
Killed in Action: List of coalition fatalities
• Iraq's health minister said Thursday more than 350 Iraqi civilians have been killed in the war. CNN cannot verify Iraq's claims. Full Story
• Military officials said 14 Marines from Camp LeJeune were wounded in fighting around Nasiriya.
|
|
| POWs/MIAs |
|
|
• Twelve Marines with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force were listed as missing amid fighting near Nasiriya, military officials said Thursday.
• Iraq has executed some prisoners of war, the Pentagon's No. 2 general said. There are seven known U.S. prisoners of war. Full story | Video
Who are they? Coalition POWs/MIAs
|
|
| ON THE SCENE |
|
|
 Sadler: U.S. troops fall from sky
Savidge: Digging in with Marines
Nettleton: Parade of C-17s
More On the Scene reports |
| | | | |
|
• The World Health Organization is distributing health supplies in northern Iraq and is seeking permits to travel from Baghdad to Basra, where lack of access to clean water threatens Iraqis.
Explore U.S. war plans and tactics
