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U.S. move to lay siege to Baghdad

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA April 2 . After two weeks of fighting, U.S. forces advancing towards Baghdad are beginning tactical moves that could result in the siege of the Iraqi capital.

The U.S. troops have reportedly taken control of two key towns — An Numaniyah and Az Zubaydiyah — on the banks of the Tigris. By taking hold of these towns, the invading forces have achieved two key objectives. First, they are beginning to secure the eastern gates of Baghdad. By controlling the bridges across the river and these two locations, the U.S. can now push in more forces and sharpen its attack on Baghdad.

Two columns of U.S. troops have been advancing from Kuwait along the eastern and the western banks of the Tigris since the war began.

At a press briefing this afternoon, the spokesperson of the U.S. Central Command at Doha, Vincent Brookes, said the U.S. forces had already crossed the Tigris. Besides, by holding An Numaniyah and Az Zubaydiyah, the forces can cutoff highway number 10 that connects Baghdad to south-eastern Iraq. U.S. troops in the last 24 hours have also taken control of Al Iskandariyah, which is northwest of Az Zubaydiyah. In doing so, the forces are now in a position to shut out Baghdad from the southern road that heads towards Karbala and Najaf. Meanwhile, the U.S. 101st Airborne Division is trying to block Baghdad's access to the west by applying pressure on highway number one, which connect the Iraqi capital to Amman, nearly 1000 km. away.

Military analysts, however, point out that the U.S. forces in their latest advance might have encountered lighter resistance on account of Iraq's deliberate decision, taken a few days ago, to pull back forces on the outskirts and position them in Baghdad. According to Iraqi calculations, a tactical retreat of its forces might be necessary to strengthen the city's defence and for waging street battles inside Baghdad that might lie ahead.

Iraq has said that it has so far committed only one-third of its forces to combat the Anglo-American invasion. Gen. Brookes said that there was increasing evidence to show that the Iraqis were using hospital basements as military command posts and schools as storehouses for weapons. The Iraqis, he said, were also taking provocative steps, such as firing at the U.S. troops from religious sites, such as Imam Ali's mosque in Najaf.

Unlike Baghdad and its surroundings, very little fighting was reported from northern Iraq. Analysts point out that this lull in combat in the north might have been in deference to the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, to Turkey. Turkey has opposed the advance of the U.S. backed Kurdish fighters towards the northern Iraqi oil cities of Mosul and Kirkuk.

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