Blackout in Baghdad...

From CNN...

"Electrical power went out in large sections of Baghdad shortly before 9 p.m. (noon EST) after having remained on through nearly all of the two-week bombardment of the city. The blackout appears unrelated to the bombing. A series of explosions in the city followed the outage, a source in Baghdad told CNN's Nic Robertson"

Not sure why it's such a mystery.... In past wars, a bombed populace extinguishes lights to hamper enemy bombers. Sure, it doesn't do much now, but it doesn't help either... As for the explosions, the darkness may be to cover the Iraqis blowing up civilian targets, to then blame on US forces... Now the expulsion of the Al-Jazeera journalists starts to make sense, huh?

Good point Gazrok. It might be to attack American troops in the dark or for high ranking Iraqis flee the city. Soon Baghdad will be ours. We already got the Saddam Int. Airport. Just a matter of time.

Unfortunately, I think we'll see a lot of bloodshed, and innocents used as shields, once we have to actually secure the capital...

The fact that they have yet to use some of their planes and tanks yet also worries me a tad....as it could lead to a case where the Iraqis use them as a last ditch defense to deliver WOMD to our troops, their troops, and civilians alike...and though the troops are prepared for this...the civilians are not...

What gives the US the right to take over someone else city and country?

How would you like it if the Middle East was taking over New York and Los Angeles?

Personally I'd be ashamed to walk into my neighbours house and kick him out and make a claim over his house.

This is what you are basically doing.

Originally posted by zaxatron
What gives the US the right to take over someone else city and country?

zax, we have debated this topic into the ground leading up to and the beginning of the war. The US/UK are not there to take over the country and/or Baghdad, they are removing an evil regime that should have been removed over a decade ago. It is very unfortunate that Iraqi's, civilians in particular, have to die for this to happen but Saddam had more than enough time and chances to comply and there are no options left but to remove them by force.

Originally posted by zaxatron
What gives the US the right to take over someone else city and country?

How would you like it if the Middle East was taking over New York and Los Angeles?

Personally I'd be ashamed to walk into my neighbours house and kick him out and make a claim over his house.

This is what you are basically doing.

zax, zax ,zax, like PA said this has been debated before on the site. We are there in Iraq to liberate a country which has been ruled by an evil dictator for years. A madman who has allowed murder, rape, and other crimes. In my mind if you are anti-war you in a way are supporting terroism.

"Shortly before the airport assault, Iraqi authorities began turning off all the lights in Baghdad about 9 p.m. local time and closing all checkpoints in the city, a source in Baghdad told CNN.

It was the first time the city's electricity was cut off in the two-week-old bombardment of the city."

From CNN's website...

One of the reasons for this, may be that they didn't want others seeing recognizable lighted structures in the background of the news cameras, to give them plausible deniability that the Coalition is indeed at Saddam International Airport...

[Edited on 4-4-2003 by Gazrok]