khaosworks | Shock and awe. Rhymes with fuck the war, wehey!

Iraq reels under air assault
United States and British forces have pounded Baghdad with hundreds of bombs and missiles in a major escalation of the war.

On Saturday, new raids targeted buildings on the outskirts of the city and anti-aircraft fire lit up the sky.

Earlier, huge explosions rocked the heart of the Iraqi capital, as the US unleashed what it calls its "shock and awe" strategy.

In southern Iraq, an entire division of the Iraqi army surrendered to coalition forces, Pentagon officials said.

Iraq's 51st Infantry Division surrendered to US marines who were advancing toward Basra, Iraq's second largest city.

Officials in Washington said it was a sign that the Iraqi regime was crumbling.

Meanwhile, in the north Turkish troops were reported to have crossed into Iraq - despite Washington's disapproval of such a move.

It came soon after Turkey agreed to open its airspace to US warplanes.

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the scale of the assault on Baghdad was intended to show the Iraqis that Saddam Hussein was finished.

"The [Iraqi] regime is starting to lose control of their country," he said.

A US commander said 320 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired in the assault.

Someone tell me what levelling one of the oldest cities in the world, packed with civilians, is supposed to accomplish when you supposedly have smart weapons so accurate you can specify which window to fly them through? Someone tell me how this isn't targeting the civilians the White House promised they weren't targeting? Someone tell me how many are dying in these strikes?

Now excuse me while I quietly get sick.