Reuters: U.S. Puts Secretive Special Forces in Spotlight
Thu April 3, 2003 02:32 PM ET
By Claudia Parsons AS SAYLIYA CAMP, Qatar (Reuters) - Dramatic footage of U.S. special forces raiding an Iraqi presidential palace and dam has turned the spotlight on secretive elite units who usually stay in the shadows.
The U.S. military on Thursday showed reporters grainy black and green video footage it had shot of two recent night raids by the heavily armed troops.
In one film, combining aerial and ground shots, an aircraft shoots at enemy positions on the ground as a helicopter drops troops near the turreted wall of what military officials said was one of President Saddam Hussein's residences.
Curtains billow in the wind as the troops burst in to search the palace for officials loyal to Saddam. None was found but officials said they seized documents with valuable intelligence. The special forces played an important role in the war in Afghanistan, launched in 2001 after the September 11 attacks on the United States.
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SPECIAL FORCES OPERATE IN NOERTHEN IRAQ
Officials say special forces are working with Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, seizing strategic sites such as dams, calling in air strikes and controlling traffic on key roads in the west and north of the country.
The second video shown on Thursday depicted the seizure of the Haditha dam northwest of Baghdad.
U.S. officials say the dam was taken to prevent any attempt by Saddam to destroy it to flood the battlefield and cause a humanitarian disaster that could complicate U.S.-led efforts to take Baghdad.
The film showed air strikes near the dam as the troops went in, and an explosion which U.S. Brigadier General Vincent Brooks told reporters was caused by Iraqi artillery trying to dislodge the troops.
U.S. armored units pushing forward in two parallel waves were advancing close to the city limits of Baghdad on Thursday, closing in on the main airport. Military sources said an attack on the airport had later begun.
Tim Garden of the Center for Defense Studies at King's College, London said the special forces in the north and west were playing a crucial role in maintaining pressure on Saddam and the elite Republican Guard defenders of Baghdad.
"What they're trying to do, I imagine, is keep enough of a threat on the north side to stop the Iraqis from deploying too much of their untouched Republican Guard," Garden said.
Special forces from Britain and Australia are also operating in Iraq, military officials say. Searching for weapons of mass destruction is thought to be one of their tasks.
Thu April 3, 2003 02:32 PM ET
By Claudia Parsons AS SAYLIYA CAMP, Qatar (Reuters) - Dramatic footage of U.S. special forces raiding an Iraqi presidential palace and dam has turned the spotlight on secretive elite units who usually stay in the shadows.
The U.S. military on Thursday showed reporters grainy black and green video footage it had shot of two recent night raids by the heavily armed troops.
In one film, combining aerial and ground shots, an aircraft shoots at enemy positions on the ground as a helicopter drops troops near the turreted wall of what military officials said was one of President Saddam Hussein's residences.
Curtains billow in the wind as the troops burst in to search the palace for officials loyal to Saddam. None was found but officials said they seized documents with valuable intelligence. The special forces played an important role in the war in Afghanistan, launched in 2001 after the September 11 attacks on the United States.
>>
SPECIAL FORCES OPERATE IN NOERTHEN IRAQ
Officials say special forces are working with Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, seizing strategic sites such as dams, calling in air strikes and controlling traffic on key roads in the west and north of the country.
The second video shown on Thursday depicted the seizure of the Haditha dam northwest of Baghdad.
U.S. officials say the dam was taken to prevent any attempt by Saddam to destroy it to flood the battlefield and cause a humanitarian disaster that could complicate U.S.-led efforts to take Baghdad.
The film showed air strikes near the dam as the troops went in, and an explosion which U.S. Brigadier General Vincent Brooks told reporters was caused by Iraqi artillery trying to dislodge the troops.
U.S. armored units pushing forward in two parallel waves were advancing close to the city limits of Baghdad on Thursday, closing in on the main airport. Military sources said an attack on the airport had later begun.
Tim Garden of the Center for Defense Studies at King's College, London said the special forces in the north and west were playing a crucial role in maintaining pressure on Saddam and the elite Republican Guard defenders of Baghdad.
"What they're trying to do, I imagine, is keep enough of a threat on the north side to stop the Iraqis from deploying too much of their untouched Republican Guard," Garden said.
Special forces from Britain and Australia are also operating in Iraq, military officials say. Searching for weapons of mass destruction is thought to be one of their tasks.
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