President Bush gave war in Iraq its most important go-ahead Wednesday night, and American military in Kuwait, the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf began its attacks soon after.
The initial assault consisted mostly of cruise missiles launched by sea and aircraft aimed at three “leadership targets,” intended to kill Saddam Hussein at the onset of the war and leave the country’s military without its commander.
At press time Thursday morning, Hussein was not believed to have been hit, and no order had been given to ground troops sending them into battle.
The U.S. began only the most preliminary assault of its full intended war campaign. The much- spoken-of “Shock and Awe” plan – to drop 3,000 bombs and missiles in the first 48 hours alone, 10 times more than the number of weapons fired in that time frame in the 1991 Gulf War – had not yet been enacted Thursday morning.
The goal of that plan, and the plan to kill Hussein and topple his command early on, is to deliver a “knockout punch” that eliminates the chance of a prolonged war and establishes a swift American victory, which Bush promised in a speech Wednesday night.
“These are opening stages of what will be a broad and concerted campaign,” Bush said.
The U.S. has also begun a major psychological campaign in Iraq, instructing Iraqi soldiers how to surrender and avoid being attacked. The military delivered messages via Kuwaiti radio, an airborne radio station, and leaflets dropped over the country.
Earlier Wednesday, 17 Iraqi soldiers surrendered themselves before the war began, and are now under the control of Kuwaiti border command.
By 5:30 Thursday morning, Iraq had begun firing scud missiles at U.S. forces, which were intercepted by American missiles and caused no damage, according to the Associated Press.
The full American attack, which will likely be in place by Friday, is to be comprised of missile bombing in Baghdad, hits against the Iraqi Republican Guard, and the eventual invasion of Army and Marine troops toward and into Baghdad after the bombing.
The U.S. command for this war does not allow for an end until Saddam Hussein has been killed and Baghdad has been seized.