Pilots pound Republican Guard positions
US warplanes launching from the Gulf are pounding Republican Guard positions south of Baghdad to soften up the defensive line around the Iraqi capital in preparation for a US-led assault by ground troops, senior Navy officers said.
Navy strike planes launched from the USS Kitty Hawk today on the latest bombing missions in support of Army and Marine forces that are consolidating positions south of Baghdad. The two other US carriers in the Gulf, the USS Constellation and the USS Abraham Lincoln, are conducting similar operations. Scores more flights were scheduled for Saturday and into Sunday morning.
