Basra `Anti Hussein` Uprising

On the seventh day of war in Iraq (local time), U.S. and British coalition forces prepared for a large scale battle in positions 70km south of Baghdad, the capital city of Iraq, and meanwhile commenced with a `supply line` reinforcement operation to push Iraqi troops towards the north of Iraq to major strategic cities around the Euphrates a river between Baghdad and the north of Basra.

As fierce sandstorms caused inevitable changes in the U.S. strategy, it will take considerably more time to seize Baghdad and rid Iraq of Saddam Hussein.

“Coalition forces will fight resisting Iraqi troops in and around Iraq`s southern cities before commencing the Baghdad assault,” reported the New York Times quoting U.S. military officials.

The New York Times also predicted the attack on Baghdad would be further delayed as “a new approach is necessary to protect the long supply lines upon which the U.S. military relies on to support the advance of the Army and Marines on Baghdad.”

U.S. Elements of the 7th Cavalry Regiment have the most fierce battle so far since the start of the war around the Euphrates river, east of An Najaf and killed 150 to 300 Iraqi soldiers on Wednesday, reported BBC and CNN.

In the southern city of Basra, British forces attempted to enter the city on Wednesday attacking Iraqi troops firing mortars on Basra citizens who seemed to be Shiite Muslims rebelling against them.

Coalition bombers took out buildings housing Iraq`s national television and Iraq`s Ministry of Information early Wednesday. The buildings had been instruments of psychological warfare for the Iraqi regime resulting in broadcasting to be temporarily discontinued, U.S. soldiers and CNN reported.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Tony Blair who will have an emergency summit talk at the Camp David mountaintop retreat on Wednesday (U.S. Eastern standard time) would suggest ways of governing Iraq led by U.N. after winning the war, the Financial Times reported.

On its seventh day since the beginning of the war, estimated casualties are at least 20 for the U.S. and 17 for Britain, and over 500 casualties for Iraqi troops.

Rae-Jeong Park ecopark@donga.com