Debris of war mounts as US units near Baghdad
Date: 08-Apr-03
Country: IRAQ
Author: Sean Maguire
The Marine unit, pressing through a mass of military vehicles to reinforce the front line outside Baghdad, pointed to bursts of smoke from U.S. artillery hitting targets in the city.
In sweltering temperatures of up to 100F (38C), they moved forward nervously to dig in just outside the south-eastern suburbs, some 20 km (12 miles) from the centre of the capital.
Sighting of an Iraqi armoured vehicle caused momentary panic for the Marines until they realised it had been abandoned. Two dead Iraqi soldiers lay nearby and other deserted tanks and armoured vehicles were dotted in the palm groves.
"We are in bad guy territory now, gentlemen," U.S. Marine Captain Mike Martin told his platoon commanders at a roadside briefing as a U.S. artillery barrage boomed in the background.
In the other direction, a few families were fleeing the war crammed into cars. Iraqi men, many of them of military age but dressed in civilian clothes and waving white flags, were also walking away from Baghdad.
During the day, the unit moved some 50 km (30 miles) along Highway 6, the main road into Baghdad from the south-east, and watched the debris of war mount.
The sides of the road were littered with burnt-out Iraqi tanks, pulverized artillery pieces and destroyed supply vehicles all mown down by Marine units who started advancing down the road on Friday. Some charred ruins were still smoking.
WRECKS, WHITE TAPE
Some wrecks were cordoned off with white tape and spray-painted signs saying they contained unexploded munitions. Trees and grass in nearby fields were charred from fires started when Iraqi vehicles were destroyed.
But there were signs that some Iraqi units had punched back. One wreck was a supposedly invincible American M1-A1 tank, in which at least one Marine is believed to have died.
It is not yet clear what mission lies ahead for the tens of thousands of Marines gathering outside Baghdad on the 18th day of the war. U.S. army units have already struck into the city on raiding missions.
As Marines moved forward, the landscape of poor villages gave way to tidier fields and the occasional weekend villa of some well-to-do Baghdad residents. Motorcycles carrying Marine messengers scurried down the road.
This Marine armoured unit passed two Cobra attack helicopters being refueled and rearmed by the roadside.
Other units nearing Baghdad has passed similar scenes. Nervous-looking Iraqi civilians wave white cloths or handkerchieves to passing troops.
To the southwest of the city, a road is strewn with everything from Soviet-built Iraqi tanks to trucks. Abandoned bodies lie by the road and boots and blood stains mark where wounded or dead Iraqis have lain.
There were also dead cows - perhaps killed by heat-seeking weaponry.
The Marines in the southeast, stuck in the traffic jam of vehicles trying to get to Baghdad, were airing their feet, catching up on sleep and trying to hide from the sun.
Most of the troops were too weary to show much excitement at their advance. "I suppose it's a step closer to getting home," said Marine Corporal Jesse Dupas.
- Additional reporting by Luke Baker at Baghdad airport.
