BAGHDAD, Jan. 10, 2008

Massive U.S. Airstrike Hits Baghdad

40,000 Pounds Of Bombs Dropped In Just 10 Minutes Targeting Al Qaeda Safehavens

  • Play CBS Video Video Operation Marne Thunderbolt

    "Operation Marne Thunderbolt" is the U.S. military's biggest air strike in more than a year, targeting Al-Qaeda south of Baghdad. Mark Strassmann reports from the frontline.

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    A U.S. army soldier from Ghostrider Company, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment runs through smoke generated by a grenade during Operation Phantom Phoenix in the village of Abu Musa on the northern outskirts of Muqdadiyah, in the volatile Diyala province, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008.  (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

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(CBS/AP)  U.S. warplanes unleashed one of the most intense airstrikes of the Iraq war Thursday, dropping 40,000 pounds of explosives in a thunderous 10-minute onslaught on suspected al Qaeda in Iraq safe havens in Sunni farmlands south of Baghdad.

CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann was on the frontlines with the U.S. troops.He watched in real time from a tactical operation center as the bombs fell in what's called "Operation Marne Thunderbolt."

It's the Third Infantry Division's assault against al Qaeda targets south of Baghdad, part of a nationwide U.S. offensive that began this week, Strassmann reports.

The mighty barrage - recalling the Pentagon's "shock and awe" raids during the 2003 invasion - appeared to mark a significant escalation in a countrywide offensive launched this week to try to cripple remaining insurgent strongholds.

But it also fits into the endgame strategy of last year's U.S. troop buildup, which seeks to regain control of Baghdad and surrounding areas as a buffer zone for the capital. U.S. commanders are now attempting to subdue the last insurgent footholds around Baghdad before the Pentagon faces a possible reduction in troop strength.

Hours after the massive bombs fell, U.S. soldiers set foot in tough terrain outside Baghdad, an area where they haven't gone in a year.

"The air strikes we saw today were about one kilometer from here," said Lt. Col. Mark Solomon.

Strassmann asked him: "From where we are, how much further until we get into dicey territory?"

"About 100 meters," Solomon said.

The area's now secured, but it's not safe. When you walk around, it's only in the Bradley tank tracks, or the humvee tire tracks, Strassmann reports. Anywhere else could be right on top of pressure-plate IEDs - a minefield left behind by insurgents.

Some of the additional 30,000 troops have been pulled out and the remainder are expected to depart by June, military officials have told The Associated Press. With insurgents still holding pockets south of the capital in the north - including areas around the key northern city of Mosul - the military apparently wants to take the remaining four months or so to use the expanded military muscle against al Qaeda.

After Thursday's fierce airstrikes, U.S. and Iraqi soldiers advanced through smoldering citrus groves into areas that were considered important al Qaeda enclaves around Arab Jabour, southeast of Baghdad. An Iraq officer said the soldiers discovered two houses used to torture kidnap victims and arrested at least 12 suspected insurgents.

Little initial resistance was reported. At least nine American soldiers were killed since the offensive began Tuesday - the deadliest days for American forces since last fall.

In the farming village of Zambaraniyah, on the outskirts of Arab Jabour about nine miles southeast of the capital, scenes of neglect and devastation were testimony to years of fighting between militants and U.S. and Iraqi troops. Most of the land is torched or left fallow along small roads that were once laced with booby traps and bombs. Fields are strewn with trash and the blackened hulks of cars. Many buildings are pockmarked by gunfire, and most homes are Maj. Alayne Conway, a spokeswoman for troops in central Iraq, said the amount of ordnance dropped in 10 minutes nearly exceeded what had been used in that region in any month since last June.

Conway said the air attack "was one of the largest airstrikes since the onset of the war" in March 2003.

A military statement said two B-1 bombers and four F-16 fighters hit 40 targets in Arab Jabour in 10 strikes. Al Qaeda fighters are believed to control Arab Jabour, a Sunni district lined with citrus groves.

"Thirty-eight bombs were dropped within the first 10 minutes, with a total tonnage of 40,000 pounds," the statement said.

The Iraqi army officer, whose unit is in the Arab Jabour area, said the airstrikes began at 8 a.m. and set several groves ablaze and destroyed two houses used by gunmen. He said soldiers confiscated documents and weapons including AK-47s.

The army officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. But Sheik Mahmoud Kamil Shebib, a local Sunni leader who has turned against al-Qaida in Iraq, independently gave a similar account.

Moahmoud Chiad, who lives on the edge of Arab Jabour, said he was surprised to see many U.S.-Iraqi checkpoints with Iraqi security forces. The Iraqis used loudspeakers to order residents to stay home.

"After this, we saw U.S. helicopters hovering over the area while the sounds of jet fighters were also heard," he said. "Minutes later, there was the sounds of big explosions. We saw fire and smoke coming out from some groves. Then, the gunfire crackled in the groves, but it ended by noon."

"This is about as far as our offensive has come to at this point," U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mark Solomon told a small group of reporters on a six-hour tour.

In other developments:

  • A new study suggests 151,000 people have died of war-related violence in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion of that country. The study, which will be published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, is based on an extensive survey of Iraqi households. The work, a joint project of Iraq's Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization, is the latest attempt to try to quantify how many Iraqis have died because of war-related violence. An earlier study by researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health pegged the number of deaths at more than 600,000.

  • The United States announced on Thursday it has designated a Kurdish militant group as a terrorism threat to U.S. interests and blocked its assets. The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, believed to be linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK rebels, has claimed responsibility for a series of bombings in Istanbul. The group is also known as the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks, or TAK by its Kurdish acronym.

  • Two bombs exploded nearly simultaneously Wednesday morning near a military checkpoint in central Baghdad, killing two policemen and one soldier, police said. Eleven others were wounded in the attack, including four civilians.

    © MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
    Add a Comment See all 312 Comments
    by samsel3 January 13, 2008 8:50 AM EST
    Reuters UK December 30, 2007 Reports: "Bin Laden says U.S. seeks to exploit Iraqi Oil". OBL states: "America seeks, alongside it''s agents in the region, to create an allied government...that would accept in advance the presence of major U.S. bases in Iraq and give the Americans all they wish of Iraqi Oil".
    Reply to this comment
    by samsel3 January 13, 2008 8:49 AM EST
    On September 14,2002 Rep. James McDermott at a Capitol Hill Briefing said that politics and oil, not fear that Iraq will use WMD are driving factors behind the presidents call for regime change. McDermott said there was an organized effort to squelch such discussions. "The political operatives in the white house have been very careful to spin it away from oil. Anytime anybody sees a connection they spin it the other way".
    Reply to this comment
    by offtheback January 11, 2008 4:21 PM EST
    Posted by waqahi

    %u0641%u0627%u0642%u062F %u0627%u0644%u0634%u064A%u0621 %u0644%u0627 %u064A%u0639%u0637%u064A%u0647

    What the *** is this? Can you not work your keyboard?
    Reply to this comment
    by samsel3 January 11, 2008 11:25 AM EST
    The administration wants you to believe that they are bombing AlQuaeda but the truth is, they are bombing Sunnis, Shia and Kurds & anyone who will not go along with their permanent occupation and exploitation of Iraqi Oil.
    Reply to this comment
    by fitedafuture January 11, 2008 11:21 AM EST
    get ready for BUSHS GRAND D''ENOUEMENT!! this ones gonna be exciting folks,the clock is ticking..
    Reply to this comment
    by formrusmcsgt January 11, 2008 11:10 AM EST
    The Iraqi army officer, whose unit is in the Arab Jabour area, said the airstrikes began at 8 a.m. and set several groves ablaze and destroyed two houses used by gunmen.

    Twenty tons of bombs to destroy two houses?
    Reply to this comment
    by samsel3 January 11, 2008 11:05 AM EST
    Russia is the second largest supplier of oil on the planet, the Saudis are number one. After Saddam was removed they lost one of there sources and moved to Iran to fill the void. In exchange they also negotiated contracts to build multiple nuclear power plants in Iran. Russia is well aware of the Cheney plan for the Casapian Sea pipeline which will be cheaper to build if the US goes through Iran. Iran does not want to negotiate with the US on this pipeline. Cheney wants regime change, but Russia does not because it''s not in there economic interest. Thats the real deal !
    Russia reneged on contracts with BP oil UK for new Siberian wells and also renegotiated contracts for existing BP production wells in Russia for less money. BP was not happy and teamed up with US oil interests for the Caspian Pipeline deal now under construction.
    Reply to this comment
    by mcvet January 11, 2008 11:02 AM EST
    Hummm??? Bombing Iraq when the REAL enemy, the guy who attacked our country, is fat and happy in the hills of Pakistan, a nation that actually DOES have Nukes and DOES NOT have a Democratic form of Government! Makes perfect sense.... if you are a bootlicker! Sieg Heil Bush!!
    Reply to this comment
    by samsel3 January 11, 2008 11:01 AM EST
    Iraq''s oil infrastructure was rebuilt when Cheney controlled Haliburton. Halliburton/Iraq deal was done through the French because it was illegal for US companies to deal with Iraq, except for the oil for food program which US oil companies participated in. Saddam was charging US interests more for oil then other countries and cutting off supplies at times so they took him out.
    Reply to this comment
    by zootallures2 January 11, 2008 10:53 AM EST
    Clearing it out for a large European migration like when you took America from the Native born?
    Reply to this comment
    by samsel3 January 11, 2008 10:47 AM EST
    What the new tape does mention is the BIG OIL connection. Binny is telling his friends in Iraq not to help the Americans rebuild a US backed unity government. By doing so they would be turning their backs on Islam & "It is meant to give the Americans all they wish of Iraq''''s oil," Bin Laden said.
    Reuters UK December 30, 2007 Reports: "Bin Laden says U.S. seeks to exploit Iraqi Oil". OBL states: "America seeks, alongside it''''s agents in the region, to create an allied government...that would accept in advance the presence of major U.S. bases in Iraq and give the Americans all they wish of Iraqi Oil.
    Reply to this comment
    by samsel3 January 11, 2008 10:42 AM EST
    On September 14,2002 Rep. James McDermott at a Capitol Hill Briefing said that politics and oil, not fear that Iraq will use WMD are driving factors behind the presidents call for regime change. McDermott said there was an organized effort to squelch such discussions. "The political operatives in the white house have been very careful to spin it away from oil. Anytime anybody sees a connection they spin it the other way".
    Reply to this comment
    by samsel3 January 11, 2008 10:41 AM EST
    They are bombing Sunnis, Shia and Kurds & anyone who will not go along with their permanent occupation and exploitation of Iraqi Oil.
    Reply to this comment
    by ajaxtheleast January 11, 2008 10:27 AM EST
    Twenty minutes into the 7 oclock news and no
    mention or video of yesterday''s MASSIVE bombing.

    Was it hype to shove the nine killed into the
    background? Did they bomb empty lots?

    Was it a real bombing and they didn''t want to
    show evidence of dead citizens?

    A MASSIVE BOMBING one day, highlighting our
    weather news the very next day.
    I say they bombed empty lots.
    Reply to this comment
    by searingtruth January 11, 2008 9:18 AM EST
    "Has anyone considered that massive bombing could be used to produce good effects? ..."
    juwboy


    Indeed they have.

    Tyrants and fascists throughout history have always believed that the indiscriminate destruction of civilian populations was good.

    Adolph Hitler was an especially fervent fan of it.

    While our founding fathers, and Americans, have always felt it was evil.

    I guess you just have to pick your side.
    ST


    "The depth of human compassion may be measured by how often they forgive their gods."
    SearingTruth

    A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
    Reply to this comment
    by juwboy January 11, 2008 9:05 AM EST
    Has anyone considered that massive bombing could be used to produce good effects?

    During WWII, under the leadership of Arthur "Bomber" Harries, numerous German cities were carpet-bombed by the USAF and RAF and essentially razed out of existence by the firestorms that followed. Square-headed Nazis were sucked down into the melted tar of road surfaces and found dead in a congealed pool of their own melted bodyfat -- just what they deserved -- burnt in their own personal ovens.

    Seriously, during the "World at War" series, Albert Speer, Hitler''s head of armaments production said that if the carpet-bombing had taken place in about half-a-dozen more German cities, the war would have been over because Germany wouldn''t have been able to continue supplying its troops.

    However, Harries''s airplanes were diverted to the preparations for D-Day.

    Just think about it!

    If Bomber Harries could have continued what he was doing, we wouldn''t have needed to mount an invasion of Europe (we could have just walked in). Thousands of lives would have been saved and the Soviet advance might have halted about 1000 miles east of its eventual final position, leaving Eastern European countries free instead of falling under Communist domination.
    Reply to this comment
    by searingtruth January 11, 2008 8:12 AM EST
    "Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
    Carl Sagan - Pale Blue Dot"


    A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
    Reply to this comment
    by searingtruth January 11, 2008 7:23 AM EST
    "How much longer til we pull out of Iraq? 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? How much money have spent on the war in Iraq? Do most Americans even pay attention to what we''re doing in Iraq anymore? I think they''re just numb to it all now. Of course Presidential race is getting a lot of attention."
    Keithle1


    Numbness cannot erase the smell of burning flesh, but unfortunately none of the Candidates running for "President" have any intention of restoring our Constitution, the rule of law, or ending the war.

    Even Obama is just one giant fluffy pillow, devoid of all substance.
    ST


    "The wishes of a wagging tongue cannot protect the innocent, or call upon the legitimacy of law."
    SearingTruth

    A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
    Reply to this comment
    by keithle1 January 11, 2008 7:11 AM EST
    How much longer til we pull out of Iraq? 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? How much money have spent on the war in Iraq? Do most Americans even pay attention to what we''re doing in Iraq anymore? I think they''re just numb to it all now. Of course Presidential race is getting a lot of attention.
    Reply to this comment
    by searingtruth January 11, 2008 7:07 AM EST
    "Cruelty and brutality are evidence of evil, not strength."
    SearingTruth


    A Future of the Brave - www.searingtruth.com
    Reply to this comment
    See all 312 Comments
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