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DebkaFile reports that the liberation of Iraq campaign started IST (Israeli Standard Time) 15:10 today.IST 15:10 Invasion begins. US war commanders grabbed the element of surprise after all. While most analysts and forecasters predicted a mighty aerial-missile blitz over Baghdad as the wars opener, the campaign began Wednesday, March 19 with a lighting advance by Marine forces into southern Iraq along the Shatt el Arb River towards the big naval base and town of Umm Qasr. Fighting alongside the Americans are two brigades of the British 1st Armored Division and naval vessels landing Marine units south of Basra. The first clash of the war occurred shortly after in the mouth of the Khawr al-Zubayr river, a few miles south of Umm Qasr. The US-UK column is heading at top speed for the oil fields of southern Iraq which have been surrounded by American and British special forces since earlier this month. DEBKAfile's military experts view this first major military move in the war as a bold tactic to prevent the sabotage of the oil fields, with the largest field in southern Iraq, Rumailah, at highest risk. A second column of US 3rd Infantry Division troops crossed into the demilitarized zone on the Iraqi border with Kuwait accompanied by thousands of tanks, combat vehicles and fuel trucks.With an interesting update at IST 16:30:
IST (Israeli Standard Time) 16:30 DEBKAfile Exclusive: Tareq Aziz, Taha Ramadan defect According to an exclusive report reaching DEBKAfile from its military and intelligence sources, top members of the Saddam Hussein regime have begun to desert him. Sources in Kurdistan report that deputy prime minister Tareq Aziz visited Turkey and instead of returning to Baghdad headed into Kurdistan and went into hiding under Kurdish protection. He is said to be under interrogation by American intelligence officers. Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan has not been seen in Baghdad for three days and may too have fled the country. Both men were elevated to their positions in 1991 after long service to Saddam Hussein as his most trusted lieutenants. From northern Iraq we hear that hundreds of Iraqi soldiers and officers are streaming to the Turkoman town of Tozkhurmato, discarding their weapons outside the town and turning themselves in. From the warfront we hear that the Marine column crossing the demilitarized line from Kuwait is moving toward Nassariyah in southern Iraq, its objective being to cross the Euphrates and reach Baghdad in two or three days.Good news, very good news indeed.
Nothing (yet) on the mainstream media (although they all confirm the move into the demilitarized zone). So did DebkaFile dream that advance towards Umm Qsar?
From Instapundit to Hesiod who is relaying the DebkaFile information too with further developments.
Fog of disinformation, indeed.
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