2003 invasion of Baghdad
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Baghdad also known as the Fall of Baghdad was a military invasion of Baghdad
that took place in early April 2003, as part of the invasion of Iraq
.
Three weeks into the invasion of Iraq, Coalition Forces Land Component Command
elements, led by the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division moved into Baghdad
.
The United States declared victory on April 14, and President George W. Bush
gave his Mission Accomplished Speech on May 1.
Baghdad suffered serious damage to its civilian infrastructure, economy, and cultural inheritance from its bombing and invasion, as well as looting and arson.
During the invasion, the Al-Yarmouk Hospital in south Baghdad saw a steady rate of about 100 new patients an hour.
Several thousand Iraqi soldiers were killed in the battle, and a very small number of coalition forces.
After the fall of Baghdad, Coalition forces entered the city of Kirkuk
on April 10 and Tikrit
on April 15, 2003.
Limited bombing began on March 19, 2003 as United States forces unsuccessfully attempted to kill Saddam Hussein
. Attacks continued against a small number of targets until March 21, 2003, when, at 1700 UTC, the main bombing campaign of the US and their allies began. Its forces launched approximately 1700 air sortie
s (504 using cruise missile
s).
The invasion of the city commenced three days after Allied forces
had secured the Baghdad airport
.
U.S.
officials said that their forces fought skirmishes there with Iraq
's Special Republican Guard
, with two task forces going up to the Tigris
river from the southern outskirts of the city before moving west towards the airport. Major General
Victor Renuart said the intention was to indicate to the Iraqi leader that coalition forces could move in and out of Baghdad whenever they wished. The Guardian
reported that U.S. forces occupied two "presidential palaces". The Army also surrounded the Information Ministry and other key government installations for a while.
On March 24, retired US Army general Barry McCaffrey
, told BBC Newsnight :
"If [the Iraqis] actually fight, clearly it's going to be brutal, dangerous work and we could take, bluntly, a couple to 3,000 casualties"
's 3rd Infantry Division and the United States Marine Corps
' 1st Marine Division, equipped with M1 Abrams
tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles
and M113
armored personnel carriers. These forces along with American and British aircraft, including B-52s, Harrier GR7 attack jets and A10 Warthogs, went
against the Iraqi Special Republican Guard
, of 36,000 soldiers protected in sprawling bunkers 30 miles outside Baghdad, using Asad Babil tanks and heavy artillery.
Non-Iraqi volunteer fighters were involved in combat in streets in the Aadhamiya district, the nearby Waziriya district, and the Mansur district west of the Tigris river, close to the Iraqi intelligence service headquarters.
U.S. planes also dropped about 200,000 leaflets warning civilians to stay in their homes.
An American Black Hawk helicopter was shot down near Karbala
, and a United States Navy F/A-18C Hornet was shot down near Baghdad.
On April 4, 2003, First Brigade, Third Infantry Division advanced on the Baghdad International Airport. This location turned out to be the best defended Iraqi location of the entire war. Intense fighting continued for several hours, and resulted in the division's first Medal of Honor since World War II, awarded to Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith
. This critical terrain would become the hub of American logistics in Iraq for the next seven years.
Two days later, the entire 2nd Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division was ordered to conduct another "Thunder Run", following the same route as before. This route had been fortified in the intervening period, and senior leaders feared much more substantial resistance than during the prior encounter. COL David Perkins, the brigade's commander, followed the original Thunder Run route north into Baghdad, but then veered east into the government districts instead of west towards the airport. The 2nd Brigade easily took control of what is now the "Green Zone" in one day, dramatically speeding up the end of conventional ground combat in Iraq.
. American commanders on the ground said that they would remain in the city center rather than retreat to the outskirts as they had done previously.
Within hours of a palace seizure and with television coverage of this spreading through Iraq, U.S. forces ordered Iraqi forces within Baghdad to surrender, or the city would face a full-scale assault. Iraqi government officials had either disappeared or had conceded defeat.
the palaces, as well as government offices.
At the Yarmuk Hospital, not only all beds, but all medical equipment was stolen. One other hospital managed to keep on functioning in a manner by organizing local civilians as armed guards.
Serious looting was described at National Museum of Iraq
, and the Saddam Arts Center, the University of Baghdad
, three five-star hotels: the Al-Rashid
, the Al-Mansour and Babel Hotel
, state-owned supermarkets, many embassies, and state-owned factories.
At the National Museum of Iraq
, which had been a virtual repository of treasures from the ancient Mesopotamian cultures as well as early Islam
ic culture, many of the 170,000 irreplaceable artifacts were either stolen or broken (partially found safe and well later). On April 14, the Iraq National Library and National Archives were burned down, destroying thousands of manuscripts from civilizations dating back as far as 7,000 years.
Within eight days following the 2003 invasion, only 35 of the 700 animals in the Baghdad Zoo
survived. This was a result of theft of some animals for human food, and starvation of caged animals that had no food or water. Survivors included larger animals like lion
s, tiger
s, and bear
s. Notwithstanding the chaos brought by the invasion, South African Lawrence Anthony
and some of the zoo keepers cared for the animals and fed the carnivores with donkey
s they had bought locally.
As the U.S. forces were occupying the Republican Palace and other central landmarks and ministries on April 9, Saddam Hussein had emerged from his command bunker beneath the Al A'Zamiyah district of northern Baghdad, and greeted excited members of the local public. This impromptu walkabout was probably his last and his reasons for doing so are still unclear. It is possible that he wished to take what he thought might be his last opportunity to greet his people as their country's president. The walkabout was captured on film and broadcast several days after the event on Al-Arabia Television and was also witnessed by ordinary people who corroborated the date afterwards. He was accompanied by bodyguards and other loyal supporters including at least one of his sons and his personal secretary. After the walkabout Hussein returned to his bunker and made preparations for his family.
On April 9, 2003, Baghdad was formally occupied by Coalition forces. Much of Baghdad remained unsecured however, and fighting continued within the city and its outskirts well into the period of occupation. Saddam, certain members of his family and close subordinates had vanished, and his whereabouts were unknown.
Many Iraqis celebrated the downfall of Saddam by vandalizing the many portraits and statues of him together with other pieces of his cult of personality
. One widely publicized event was the dramatic toppling of a large statue of Saddam in Baghdad's Fardus Square. This attracted considerable media coverage at the time.
corporal
named Edward Chin of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines Regiment
placed a United States flag on the statue's head, though it was replaced with an Iraqi flag. Various other symbols of the president's personality cult were defaced.
Iraq
, which had no free press
, initially issued a statement contradicting western reporters' accounts of the invasion. Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf, head of the Information Ministry, told a press conference on April 7 that there were no U.S. troops in Baghdad, saying: "Their infidels are committing suicide by the hundreds on the gates of Baghdad. Be assured, Baghdad is safe, protected. Iraqis are heroes."
On April 8, two American air to surface missiles hit Al Jazeera
's office in Baghdad
and killed a reporter and wounded a cameraman
. The nearby office of Arab
satellite channel Abu Dhabi
was also hit by air strikes. Al Jazeera accused the U.S. of attacking Arab media to hide facts. On the same day a U.S. Army tank
fired into the 15th floor of the Palestine Hotel
in Baghdad, where almost all foreign journalists resided, and killed two cameramen and wounded three. In the Abu Dhabi case the station aired the picture of Iraqi fire from beneath of the camera. In the hotel case, however, other journalists on the scene deny any fire from or around the hotel.,
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
that took place in early April 2003, as part of the invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
.
Three weeks into the invasion of Iraq, Coalition Forces Land Component Command
Coalition Forces Land Component Command
Coalition Forces Land Component Command, or CFLCC, is a generic U.S. and allied military term. In U.S. military terminology, Unified Combatant Commands or Joint Task Forces can have components from all services and components – Army ~ Land, Air, Naval, Marine, and Special Operations...
elements, led by the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division moved into Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
.
The United States declared victory on April 14, and President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
gave his Mission Accomplished Speech on May 1.
Baghdad suffered serious damage to its civilian infrastructure, economy, and cultural inheritance from its bombing and invasion, as well as looting and arson.
During the invasion, the Al-Yarmouk Hospital in south Baghdad saw a steady rate of about 100 new patients an hour.
Several thousand Iraqi soldiers were killed in the battle, and a very small number of coalition forces.
After the fall of Baghdad, Coalition forces entered the city of Kirkuk
Kirkuk
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
on April 10 and Tikrit
Tikrit
Tikrit is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river . The town, with an estimated population in 2002 of about 260,000 is the administrative center of the Salah ad Din Governorate.-Ancient times:...
on April 15, 2003.
Preparation
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
. Attacks continued against a small number of targets until March 21, 2003, when, at 1700 UTC, the main bombing campaign of the US and their allies began. Its forces launched approximately 1700 air sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
s (504 using cruise missile
Cruise missile
A cruise missile is a guided missile that carries an explosive payload and is propelled, usually by a jet engine, towards a land-based or sea-based target. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high accuracy...
s).
The invasion of the city commenced three days after Allied forces
Multinational force in Iraq
The Multi-National Force – Iraq was a military command, led by the United States, which was responsible for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Multi-National Force – Iraq replaced the previous force, Combined Joint Task Force 7, on 15 May 2004, and was later itself reorganized into its successor, United...
had secured the Baghdad airport
Baghdad International Airport
Baghdad International Airport, originally Saddam International Airport, , BIAP is Iraq's largest airport, located in a suburb about west of downtown Baghdad in the Baghdad Governorate...
.
U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
officials said that their forces fought skirmishes there with Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
's Special Republican Guard
Iraqi Special Republican Guard
The Iraqi Special Republican Guard , also known as the Special Forces Brigade of the Presidential Palace, Republican Guard Special Protection Forces, or the Golden Division, was an Iraqi praetorian guard founded in either early 1992 or March 1995 in Iraq...
, with two task forces going up to the Tigris
Tigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
river from the southern outskirts of the city before moving west towards the airport. Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Victor Renuart said the intention was to indicate to the Iraqi leader that coalition forces could move in and out of Baghdad whenever they wished. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
reported that U.S. forces occupied two "presidential palaces". The Army also surrounded the Information Ministry and other key government installations for a while.
On March 24, retired US Army general Barry McCaffrey
Barry McCaffrey
Barry Richard McCaffrey is a retired United States Army general, former U.S. Drug Czar, news commentator, and business consultant....
, told BBC Newsnight :
"If [the Iraqis] actually fight, clearly it's going to be brutal, dangerous work and we could take, bluntly, a couple to 3,000 casualties"
Forces
The invasion of Baghdad of was led by the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
's 3rd Infantry Division and the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
' 1st Marine Division, equipped with M1 Abrams
M1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...
tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles
M2 Bradley
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle is an American fighting vehicle platform manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments, formerly United Defense.As with other infantry fighting vehicles, the Bradley is designed to transport infantry with armor protection while providing covering fire to suppress enemy...
and M113
M113 armored personnel carrier
The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier that has formed the backbone of the United States Army's mechanized infantry units from the time of its first fielding in Vietnam in April 1962. The M113 was the most widely used armored vehicle of the U.S...
armored personnel carriers. These forces along with American and British aircraft, including B-52s, Harrier GR7 attack jets and A10 Warthogs, went
against the Iraqi Special Republican Guard
Iraqi Special Republican Guard
The Iraqi Special Republican Guard , also known as the Special Forces Brigade of the Presidential Palace, Republican Guard Special Protection Forces, or the Golden Division, was an Iraqi praetorian guard founded in either early 1992 or March 1995 in Iraq...
, of 36,000 soldiers protected in sprawling bunkers 30 miles outside Baghdad, using Asad Babil tanks and heavy artillery.
Non-Iraqi volunteer fighters were involved in combat in streets in the Aadhamiya district, the nearby Waziriya district, and the Mansur district west of the Tigris river, close to the Iraqi intelligence service headquarters.
Aerial bombing
At the time of invasion, Allied aircraft were making bombing runs on Baghdad at the rate of 1,000 sorties a day, most of them aimed at the Republican Guard and Special Republican Guard.U.S. planes also dropped about 200,000 leaflets warning civilians to stay in their homes.
An American Black Hawk helicopter was shot down near Karbala
Karbala
Karbala is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorate, and has an estimated population of 572,300 people ....
, and a United States Navy F/A-18C Hornet was shot down near Baghdad.
Baghdad International Airport
Paul Ray Smith
Paul Ray Smith was a United States Army Sergeant First Class who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions in Operation Iraqi Freedom...
. This critical terrain would become the hub of American logistics in Iraq for the next seven years.
Thunder Runs
On April 5 Task Force 1-64 Armor of the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division, 2nd Brigade, executed a raid, later called the "Thunder Run", to test remaining Iraqi defenses. The operation began south of Baghdad and went through main roads to the newly secured airport. The force encountered no organized resistance, and appeared to have caught Iraqi forces completely off guard. The unit was forced to abandon one tank due to two RPG-7 strikes in the rear that penetrated a fuel cell and set the engine on fire. The crew was unharmed. later, the Air Force bombed the tank to destroy it in place, and the Iraqi Information Ministry claimed credit for destroying it.Two days later, the entire 2nd Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division was ordered to conduct another "Thunder Run", following the same route as before. This route had been fortified in the intervening period, and senior leaders feared much more substantial resistance than during the prior encounter. COL David Perkins, the brigade's commander, followed the original Thunder Run route north into Baghdad, but then veered east into the government districts instead of west towards the airport. The 2nd Brigade easily took control of what is now the "Green Zone" in one day, dramatically speeding up the end of conventional ground combat in Iraq.
Tharthar Palace
On April 7, U.S. troops took control of a major presidential palace along the Tigris river. It had been hoped that leaders of the regime would be found in the complex, located near Saddam Hussein's home town of TikritTikrit
Tikrit is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river . The town, with an estimated population in 2002 of about 260,000 is the administrative center of the Salah ad Din Governorate.-Ancient times:...
. American commanders on the ground said that they would remain in the city center rather than retreat to the outskirts as they had done previously.
Within hours of a palace seizure and with television coverage of this spreading through Iraq, U.S. forces ordered Iraqi forces within Baghdad to surrender, or the city would face a full-scale assault. Iraqi government officials had either disappeared or had conceded defeat.
Looting
As the American forces secured control of the capital, Iraqi civilians immediately began lootingLooting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
the palaces, as well as government offices.
At the Yarmuk Hospital, not only all beds, but all medical equipment was stolen. One other hospital managed to keep on functioning in a manner by organizing local civilians as armed guards.
Serious looting was described at National Museum of Iraq
National Museum of Iraq
The National Museum of Iraq is a museum located in Baghdad, Iraq. It contains precious relics from Mesopotamian civilization.-Foundation:...
, and the Saddam Arts Center, the University of Baghdad
University of Baghdad
The University of Baghdad is the largest university in Iraq and the second largest Arab university following the University of Cairo.- Nomenclature :Both University of Baghdad and Baghdad University are used interchangeably....
, three five-star hotels: the Al-Rashid
Al-Rashid
Al-Rashid or Ar-Rashid may refer to:*Al Rashid a historic dynasty of the Arabian Peninsula*One of the 99 Names of Allah, "righteous"*Harun al-Rashid, caliph of Iraq, 786–809*al-Rashid caliph of Baghdad 1135–1136...
, the Al-Mansour and Babel Hotel
Babel Hotel
Babel Hotel, or Babylon Hotel is a large hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, originally built for Oberoi Hotels %26 ResortsIt is located on Haifa Street, on the banks of the Tigris, in Zuweia district, 10 min from downtown, and is 4 star hotel with 300 rooms....
, state-owned supermarkets, many embassies, and state-owned factories.
At the National Museum of Iraq
National Museum of Iraq
The National Museum of Iraq is a museum located in Baghdad, Iraq. It contains precious relics from Mesopotamian civilization.-Foundation:...
, which had been a virtual repository of treasures from the ancient Mesopotamian cultures as well as early Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic culture, many of the 170,000 irreplaceable artifacts were either stolen or broken (partially found safe and well later). On April 14, the Iraq National Library and National Archives were burned down, destroying thousands of manuscripts from civilizations dating back as far as 7,000 years.
Within eight days following the 2003 invasion, only 35 of the 700 animals in the Baghdad Zoo
Baghdad zoo
The Baghdad Zoo is a zoo originally opened in 1971 and located in Baghdad, Iraq, in the al-Zawraa' Gardens area along with the Zawraa Amusement Park and Zawraa' Tower. Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the zoo housed 650 animals...
survived. This was a result of theft of some animals for human food, and starvation of caged animals that had no food or water. Survivors included larger animals like lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s, tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
s, and bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
s. Notwithstanding the chaos brought by the invasion, South African Lawrence Anthony
Lawrence Anthony
Lawrence Anthony and raised in rural Rhodesia , Zambia, and Malawi, is an international conservationist, environmentalist, explorer, and bestselling author....
and some of the zoo keepers cared for the animals and fed the carnivores with donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
s they had bought locally.
Political control
On April 9, 2003, Baghdad was formally occupied by Coalition forces. Much of Baghdad remained unsecured however, and fighting continued within the city and its outskirts well into the period of occupation. Saddam, certain members of his family and close subordinates had vanished, and his whereabouts were unknown.
Many Iraqis celebrated the downfall of Saddam by vandalizing the many portraits and statues of him together with other pieces of his cult of personality
Cult of personality
A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods, to create an idealized and heroic public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. Cults of personality are usually associated with dictatorships...
. One widely publicized event was the dramatic toppling of a large statue of Saddam in Baghdad's Fardus Square. This attracted considerable media coverage at the time.
Firdos Square statue destruction
Before a conglomerate of international press (and small crowd of around 100 U.S.-supported Iraqi militia ), a 20 feet (6.1 m) statue of Saddam in Firdus Square was toppled by an U.S. Marine Corps M88 Recovery Vehicle. Initially, a MarineUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
named Edward Chin of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines Regiment
3rd Battalion 4th Marines
3rd Battalion, 4th Marines is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Nicknamed "Thundering Third" it is known within the battalion as "Darkside" and the radio callsigns of the command and staff reflect this moniker. They are based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center...
placed a United States flag on the statue's head, though it was replaced with an Iraqi flag. Various other symbols of the president's personality cult were defaced.
Search for Hussein
The Americans had meanwhile started receiving rumors that Saddam was in Al A'Zamiyah and at dawn on April 10, they dispatched three companies of U.S. Marines to capture him. The marines fought a fierce four-hour battle at a Baghdad mosque where senior Iraqi leaders had been thought to be holed up, as American warplanes attacked areas of the city under the control of Iraqi fighters. "We had information that a group of regime leadership was attempting to organize...a meeting. The fighting in and around the mosque complex could not be avoided as enemy forces were firing from the area of the mosque." said Navy captain Frank Thorp. Marines came under fire from rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and assault rifles. One marine was killed and more than 20 were wounded, but neither Saddam nor any of his aides were found.Reporting
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, which had no free press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
, initially issued a statement contradicting western reporters' accounts of the invasion. Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf, head of the Information Ministry, told a press conference on April 7 that there were no U.S. troops in Baghdad, saying: "Their infidels are committing suicide by the hundreds on the gates of Baghdad. Be assured, Baghdad is safe, protected. Iraqis are heroes."
On April 8, two American air to surface missiles hit Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
's office in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and killed a reporter and wounded a cameraman
April 8, 2003 journalist deaths by U.S. fire
On April 8, 2003, three locations in Baghdad housing journalists were fired upon by U.S. armed forces during 2003 invasion of Iraq, killing three journalists and wounding four.- Al Jazeera's office :...
. The nearby office of Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
satellite channel Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
was also hit by air strikes. Al Jazeera accused the U.S. of attacking Arab media to hide facts. On the same day a U.S. Army tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
fired into the 15th floor of the Palestine Hotel
Palestine Hotel
The Palestine Hotel , often referred to simply as The Palestine, is an 18-story hotel in Baghdad, Iraq located on Firdos Square, across from the Sheraton Ishtar. It has long been favored by journalists and media personnel...
in Baghdad, where almost all foreign journalists resided, and killed two cameramen and wounded three. In the Abu Dhabi case the station aired the picture of Iraqi fire from beneath of the camera. In the hotel case, however, other journalists on the scene deny any fire from or around the hotel.,
External links
- U.S. Forces Enter the Heart of Baghdad
- US Forces Occupy Palaces - The Guardian
- Washington Post Daybook - Tuesday, April 8, 2003; Page A25
- Iraqi museum of antiquities looted; 8000 year old treasures lost forever
- Iraqi Perspectives Report, Joint Center for Operational Analysis at United States Department of DefenseUnited States Department of DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
, March 2006