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DAY FIVE: Stalemate: British Troops Forced to 
Retreat: Basra Without Water, 
Electricity
Unusual Iraqi Resistance Without Air Cover
[The following is a summary of the way the war 
seemed to be going on Day 5.  
It is based on 
U.S., 
British, Iraqi and overseas 
reports. We are open to 
correction. -Ed]
1. Umm Qasr is still in Iraqi hands. 
[CNN 
March 
24, 11 pm, EST, March 25 in 
Iraq]. The saga of the defense of Umm Qasr is 
becoming part of Islamic lore.
2. Saddam is almost definitely alive. His latest 
speech referred to the 
defense of Umm Qasr.
3. Heavy Fighting continued at Nasiriyah. The 
Iraqis are holding the U.S. 
forces there.
4. An American tank column has bypassed Iraqi 
defenses and has approached 
Kerbala, only 50 miles from Baghdad.
5. The air assault on Iraqi positions continued 
along with still lingering 
U.S. hopes that the Iraqis would surrender.
6. British troops RETREATED from Basra after 
running into heavy Iraqi 
resistance.
7. Water and electricity to Basra have been cut 
off by the siege and the city 
could soon face a serious situation.
8. POWs have become a serious issue in the U.S. 
after Iraq showed two more 
Americans (pilots) captured by the Iraqis. The 
two airmen were from an Apache 
helicopter downed by an Iraqi farmer named Ali 
Ubaydi with a Kalashnikov 
rifle.
9. Syria 
is threatening to go to the world court 
as it sees the U.S. attack 
on a civilian bus carrying Syrians out of Iraq as 
a war crime. [Five Syrian 
laborers were killed and 10 injured in the attack 
by a U.S. jet fighter.]
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2003-03-27 Thu 10:36ct