Marine helicopter goes down; 16 die

[Evanauto]

The helicopter, assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, crashed at 7:37 p.m. ET in Kuwait, about 9 miles away from the border with Iraq. The cause of the crash is under investigation, the officials said, adding that hostile fire had not been reported in the area..

The Marines use the Sea Knight, a bus-like helicopter with two large rotors, to fly troops from ships at sea or base camps to forward positions.

The Navy and Marines grounded all 291 Sea Knight helicopters in August after an inspection of one helicopter in North Carolina found a crack in a rotor assembly. A Marine Corps CH-46 crashed in 2001, killing three Marines and injuring two.

Elsewhere, for the second time in 24 hours, U.S. forces launched precision strikes on Iraq's capital Thursday, sending its ministry of planning up in flames and no doubt leaving Saddam Hussein's loyalists wondering when a promised full-scale blitz would begin. At the same time, in southern Iraq, U.S. forces rained artillery rounds and rockets on Iraqi forces and crossed the border from Kuwait, signaling the start of ground war.

Iraqi resistance appeared moderate to light. U.S. intelligence officials told USA TODAY they saw signs that the country's top military leaders were in disarray or cut off from communication with their forces. Questions swirled over whether senior officials might have been killed or injured in the war's opening salvo on Baghdad.

Officials on Thursday night said they believe Saddam, possibly along with his sons, was present inside a compound in southern Baghdad when it was struck by the the initial barrage of U.S. bombs and cruise missiles, and that medical attention was summoned afterward.

But the officials said they were still uncertain whether Hussein himself or his sons were injured or killed in the attacks.

Absent — at least in the early stages of the war — was the devastating "shock and awe" air attack that was supposed to blast the Iraqis into submission. In its place was a plan that appeared carefully calibrated to minimize destruction and casualties, give Iraqi soldiers as long as possible to surrender, and either kill or overthrow the Iraqi dictatorship.

U.S. intelligence sources said some Iraqi military leaders — including senior members of the Republican Guard units that have been most loyal to Saddam — were negotiating with U.S. officials over a surrender that could involve ousting Saddam.

In Washington, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld confirmed that U.S. officials are communicating with Iraqis to surrender or attempt a coup that might topple Saddam Hussein's regime without a full-scale U.S. invasion.

Rumsfeld said communications included talks with Iraq's elite Republican Guard, and he was optimistic about the outcome.

"There are communications in every conceivable mode and method, public and private," Rumsfeld said Thursday night after meeting with lawmakers.

Senior military officials said the communications were two-way and through back channels. Rumsfeld said there was "broad and deep evidence that suggests that there are people going through that decision-making process throughout that country today."

In Baghdad, instead of a widespread bombardment reminiscent of the 1991 war under a different Bush administration, specific targets — the main presidential palace and the ministry building — were struck by the second wave of Tomahawk U.S. missiles. The two buildings were hit almost simultaneously in a day bookended by morning and evening attacks.

There was no immediate word of casualties in the second wave; however, the first attack killed one and injured 14, the International Red Cross reported.

"Bush, Bush, listen carefully," said Hamad Abdullah, one of six family members hospitalized with shrapnel wounds. "We all love Saddam Hussein."

The sentiments were distinctly different at Iraq's southern border where infantrymen, finally on the move after weeks of waiting, cheered as artillery shells screamed overhead.

Under the shelter of night, and with the support of heavy bombing, the 1st Marine Division entered Iraq at around 9 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET Thursday). Traveling north in their armored vehicles, the Marines encountered some resistance from "rear guard" units; they opened fire with machine guns on an Iraqi T-55 tank and destroyed it with a Javelin, which is a portable anti-tank missile.

By taking southern Iraq, the allies would command access to the Persian Gulf and set the stage for the first major conquest on the way to Baghdad — Basra, Iraq's second largest city, only 20 miles from the Kuwait border.

Iraq attempted to strike back at U.S. and British positions in Kuwait, launching at least five missiles only hours after the United States attacked targets in and around Baghdad.

No one was injured by the missiles, two of which were intercepted by U.S. Patriot missiles, according to Army officials.

Three distinct locations in the center of Baghdad were smoking after apparently being bombed.

Reports circulating Thursday night suggested that a 10-story office building damaged in the attack belonged to Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, a powerful figure in Saddam's regime and a stalwart of his ruling Baath party who often speaks for the Iraqi leader.

Other thunderous detonations resounded from the area of the airport before the all-clear siren sounded, leaving an eerie quiet cut only by the roar of generators.

On the diplomatic front, in Brussels, the European Union remained deeply divided by the war, with leaders squabbling over who was to blame for the bloc's biggest crisis in decades. France, Germany and Belgium, furious with the American and British decision to attack Iraq, strongly criticized the war. But Britain, which is fighting alongside the United States, was backed by five other EU nations in supporting the war.

In a televised address, British Prime Minister Tony Blair confirmed that he gave the order for British forces to join the U.S.-led war. He declared: "Tonight, British servicemen and women are engaged from air, land and sea. Their mission: to remove Saddam Hussein from power, and disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction," he said.

[Masculine]

yeah I saw that not too long ago and more stuff is happening. The crappy thing is this is all happening when people are sleeping

[mysecondstar]

4 US Marines, 12 UK commandos returning from Iraq on a chinook transport helicopter. it's a damn shame. and it was probably technical difficulties too.