Ruminatrix
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Tuesday, Mar 25, 2003
Day Six: Coalition forces halted south of Baghdad are bombarding the Republican Guard division dug in in front of them. Apache helicopters took a lot of ground fire when they were used yesterday and one was downed. Others have observed a dearth of reporting from the field since then and a sandstorm has severly limited US air activity in any case. Speculation continues as to how long the lull will last, but B-52s will surely be used in large numbers before any ground attack.
Unlike the desert of Kuwait and SW Iraq, the Mesopotamian plain (scroll down for map), between the Tigris and Euphrates, is muddy (spring flood season March-May) and riddled with canals and irrigation ditches. These limit maneuverability, especially for vehicles. Dams can be breached and fields flooded; and there's not much cover.
This is the place where irrigation was invented circa 3000BC. But water has been used as a weapon many times before: this partial chronology of water conflicts and warfare begins with Leonardo's drawings (still at the Met until the end of this week) for a Florentine plan in 1503 to reroute the Arno River for military purposes, thus sabotaging their Pisan rivals.
Lack of clean water is a problem in the south of Iraq. Water and electricity have been out in Basra and Umm Qasr since the 20th, and civilians are likely facing a public health crisis. All while fighting continues in Basra. So who will police and garrison rear areas: National Guard units? U.N. troops? Who will administer the de-Ba'athification of Iraqi civilians?