Sparrowhawk
03-29-03, 10:15 PM
http://static.sky.com/images/pictures/1135126.jpg
New intelligence suggests a series of Iraqi missiles have mis-fired and hit residential areas of Baghdad, Downing Street says.
The Prime Minister's spokesman said information had been received which indicated Iraq's air defence commander has been sacked due to the poor performance of missile systems in Baghdad.
He said: "A large number of surface-to-air missiles have been malfunctioning and many have failed to hit their targets and have fallen back onto Baghdad before exploding.
"Civil defence workers have been instructed to remove Iraqi missile fragments which fell on residential areas before journalists arrive on the scene."
The spokesman stopped short of saying Iraq was responsible for the explosions that killed around 65 civilians in two Baghdad markets this week
But he said the intelligence gave fresh reason for "scepticism" over Saddam's claims that the Coalition was to blame for the blasts.
"There is still no evidence that Coalition missiles were responsible for what happened on Wednesday (the first marketplace bombing) and we're still investigating what happened last night (the second marketplace bombing)," the spokesman said.
He added that the utmost care was taken by Coalition forces to target only military installations and Saddam's command and control facilities, in order to keep civilian casualties to a minimum. There was no question of either market being a target, he said.
Earlier this week senior US commander Brigadier General Vince Brooks said he was "certain" that missiles fired from American warplanes at the time of the first market blast had hit their intended targets.
Tony Blair was given an intelligence briefing on Saturday morning on the sacking of Saddam's cousin Musahim Saab al-Tikriti as commander of Iraq's air defence force.
He was replaced by General Shahin Yasin Muhammad al-Tikriti, said Mr Blair's spokesman, who refused to divulge how the information had emerged.
<hr>
Second Market Blast
'50 DEAD IN MARKET BLAST'
More than 50 Iraqi civilians are reported to have been killed in an explosion in Baghdad.
It is not clear what caused the blast - Iraq blamed a Coalition missile but Britain and the US have not commented.
The Iraqi Information Ministry said 58 people had been killed and around 50 wounded and the death toll was likely to rise.
Sky's David Chater, who visited the hospital where the dead and injured where being treated, described horrific scenes.
'Terrible scenes'
"There are terrible scenes in there. I've never seen so many injured people in one place," he said.
"There are a lot of relatives screaming, a lot of children, a huge variety of people.
"There was one boy having his wounds tended and he had already had his arm amputated, but he gave me a 'Victory' sign.
"Outside struck me very strongly. There were people sobbing and holding on to each other."
Footage of dead children and coffins being rushed into the hospital with hundreds of people outside were broadcast by the Arabic satellite TV station Al-Jazeera.
A large crater and damaged cars could be seen outside the hospital.
Chater said it was impossible to say whether the blast was caused by a stray cruise missile or bomb.
<b>Cause unknown</b>
Dr Osama Sakhari, speaking at Baghdad's Al Noor Hospital, said he had counted 55 people killed and more than 47 wounded from the market in the city's Shula neighbourhood.
Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf said: "The number of the casualties... is 58 martyrs and I believe there will be more and the number of people injured is very big," he said.
But there had been a significant reduction in the amount of fire aimed at incoming warplanes in recent days he said.
"I've not seen any anti-aircraft missiles going up in recent days," Chater said.
"Most of the things I've seen are coming from coalition strike jets.
If it was, it would be the biggest incident of "collateral damage" - the inadvertent killing of civilians - in the war so far.
Fifteen Iraqis were killed in a similar market place blast this week. That blast was also blamed on American cruise missiles.
But the US later suggested the cause was a stray Iraqi missile. Baghdad is tonight enduring one of the heaviest bombardments of the campaign.
Last Updated: 00:01 UK, Sunday March 30, 2003
New intelligence suggests a series of Iraqi missiles have mis-fired and hit residential areas of Baghdad, Downing Street says.
The Prime Minister's spokesman said information had been received which indicated Iraq's air defence commander has been sacked due to the poor performance of missile systems in Baghdad.
He said: "A large number of surface-to-air missiles have been malfunctioning and many have failed to hit their targets and have fallen back onto Baghdad before exploding.
"Civil defence workers have been instructed to remove Iraqi missile fragments which fell on residential areas before journalists arrive on the scene."
The spokesman stopped short of saying Iraq was responsible for the explosions that killed around 65 civilians in two Baghdad markets this week
But he said the intelligence gave fresh reason for "scepticism" over Saddam's claims that the Coalition was to blame for the blasts.
"There is still no evidence that Coalition missiles were responsible for what happened on Wednesday (the first marketplace bombing) and we're still investigating what happened last night (the second marketplace bombing)," the spokesman said.
He added that the utmost care was taken by Coalition forces to target only military installations and Saddam's command and control facilities, in order to keep civilian casualties to a minimum. There was no question of either market being a target, he said.
Earlier this week senior US commander Brigadier General Vince Brooks said he was "certain" that missiles fired from American warplanes at the time of the first market blast had hit their intended targets.
Tony Blair was given an intelligence briefing on Saturday morning on the sacking of Saddam's cousin Musahim Saab al-Tikriti as commander of Iraq's air defence force.
He was replaced by General Shahin Yasin Muhammad al-Tikriti, said Mr Blair's spokesman, who refused to divulge how the information had emerged.
<hr>
Second Market Blast
'50 DEAD IN MARKET BLAST'
More than 50 Iraqi civilians are reported to have been killed in an explosion in Baghdad.
It is not clear what caused the blast - Iraq blamed a Coalition missile but Britain and the US have not commented.
The Iraqi Information Ministry said 58 people had been killed and around 50 wounded and the death toll was likely to rise.
Sky's David Chater, who visited the hospital where the dead and injured where being treated, described horrific scenes.
'Terrible scenes'
"There are terrible scenes in there. I've never seen so many injured people in one place," he said.
"There are a lot of relatives screaming, a lot of children, a huge variety of people.
"There was one boy having his wounds tended and he had already had his arm amputated, but he gave me a 'Victory' sign.
"Outside struck me very strongly. There were people sobbing and holding on to each other."
Footage of dead children and coffins being rushed into the hospital with hundreds of people outside were broadcast by the Arabic satellite TV station Al-Jazeera.
A large crater and damaged cars could be seen outside the hospital.
Chater said it was impossible to say whether the blast was caused by a stray cruise missile or bomb.
<b>Cause unknown</b>
Dr Osama Sakhari, speaking at Baghdad's Al Noor Hospital, said he had counted 55 people killed and more than 47 wounded from the market in the city's Shula neighbourhood.
Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf said: "The number of the casualties... is 58 martyrs and I believe there will be more and the number of people injured is very big," he said.
But there had been a significant reduction in the amount of fire aimed at incoming warplanes in recent days he said.
"I've not seen any anti-aircraft missiles going up in recent days," Chater said.
"Most of the things I've seen are coming from coalition strike jets.
If it was, it would be the biggest incident of "collateral damage" - the inadvertent killing of civilians - in the war so far.
Fifteen Iraqis were killed in a similar market place blast this week. That blast was also blamed on American cruise missiles.
But the US later suggested the cause was a stray Iraqi missile. Baghdad is tonight enduring one of the heaviest bombardments of the campaign.
Last Updated: 00:01 UK, Sunday March 30, 2003