The Hindu : Key battle on for Al-Hindiyah

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 02, 2003

International

International

Key battle on for Al-Hindiyah

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA April 1. The U.S. forces aiming to seal the western approaches to Baghdad are fighting a crucial battle with Iraqi forces at Al-Hindiyah, a town straddling the Euphrates river. Both sides are locked in battle over the control over a strategic bridge across the Euphrates. In case the U.S. forces manage to overrun the Iraqi defences in this area, they would be in a position to launch a bi-directional attack on Baghdad, which is only 90 km away.

The U.S. troops, by consolidating in Al-Hindiyah, could fancy their chances of challenging the Saddam international airport on the outskirts of Baghdad. Simultaneously, they could advance towards Fallujah, west of the Iraqi capital. In doing so, they could cut-off the express highway that links Baghdad to the Jordanian capital of Amman across a nearly 1000 km long western desert stretch. In other words, by gaining ground at Al-Hindiyah, the U.S. forces could begin laying the groundwork for a siege around Baghdad, starting from the city's western side.

The advance could also serve three other crucial objectives. The U.S. domination would mean that it would be in a position to drive a wedge between the mutually reinforcing troops of Iraq's Special Republican Guards' Hamourabi division and the Al Medina division. While the Hamourabi division has been deployed around Baghdad, the Al Medina division has been moved along the Euphrates in the direction of Karbala, less than 100 km away. Besides, by controlling Al-Hindiyah, the U.S. troops could switch their movements laterally to the other theatre of war around the Tigris river in the direction of Al Amarah.

Military analysts, however, point out that the U.S. plans could run into serious difficulties. First, the Iraqis could mount stiff resistance, which could stall the U.S. advance. Second, the Iraqis could exercise the option of pulling back their troops in order to consolidate the defences around Baghdad. In fact, there are some indications that the Iraqi military command might have redeployed their Adnan division from the north towards Tikrit, close to Baghdad.

The Nebunchandnezzer division may also now have been positioned around Fallujah. Third, Iraq could also stall the U.S. advance by breaching a part of the embankments along key section of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates and cause floods.

In other words, the Iraqi regime could use controlled releases of water, possibly along a dike near Hindiayah and another along the Tigris river north of Al Amarah, as a weapon of war. In advancing towards Baghdad, the U.S. forces have been issued instructions to respect and spare from attack the holy Islamic sites that they might have to cross, especially at Najaf and Karbala.

"We are very aware of reducing and avoiding damage to the religious and historical sites," a spokesperson of the U.S. Central Command, Vincent Brooks. said today at Doha. Indicating that the Kurdish militia will not be allowed to takeover the oil fields of Mosul and Kirkuk on their own, Gen. Brooks said that U.S. forces in northern Iraq would ensure that the Kurds were prevented from taking any `unilateral' action.

According to the U.S. official, coalition forces had arrested an Iraqi General during operations and had smashed a Fidayeen training center near Najaf.

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