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Significant republican guard Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030403/ap_wo_en_po/na_gen_iraq_republican_guard_1http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030403/ap_wo_en_po/na_gen_iraq_republican_guard_1
Yahoo! News Sat, Apr 05, 2003
Politics - AP Features
U.S. troops, near Baghdad, still face significant Republican Guard numbers
Thu Apr 3, 2:51 AM ET
By JOHN J. LUMPKIN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Some of Iraq (news - web sites)'s best conventional fighting forces have been routed by allied bombing and ground fighting, but more lie between American troops and Baghdad, U.S. military officials say.
U.S. forces fought to within sight of the Baghdad skyline 32 kilometers (20 miles) away Wednesday, thrusting north from the southwest and the southeast and seizing key bridges. Some of the veteran Iraqi Republican Guard units were moving out of the capital toward the approaching Americans, Pentagon (news - web sites) officials said.
All six Republican Guard divisions have been bombed, some as they moved to Baghdad from northern Iraq to reinforce the capital city's defenses.
Two of the divisions no longer exist as cohesive fighting forces, according to Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, deputy director of operations at U.S. Central Command's wartime headquarters in Qatar.
Of the four other divisions, two are significantly damaged and two more were thought to have around 70 percent of their original strength, a U.S. defense official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
The lack of a northern front — owing to Turkey's refusal to allow U.S. troops to pass through — has allowed the Iraqis to shift many of their forces to south of Baghdad, officials said.
Many of the surviving divisions — which started the war with between 10,000 and 12,000 troops each — have positioned themselves between Baghdad and the two-pronged American advance.
Beyond those, Iraqi light infantry and paramilitary forces await in the capital city.
Routed during recent fighting were the Medina Armored Division, Iraq's best, and the Baghdad Infantry Division, officials said.
The Medina Division arrayed near Karbala, almost due south of Baghdad, was bombed heavily before the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division finished it off early Wednesday.
The Baghdad Division, guarding a second approach to the capital in the city of Kut to the southeast, was considered wiped out early Wednesday following airstrikes and assaults led by U.S. Marines.
To the north is the Nebuchadnezzar Infantry Division, which began the war in northern Iraq but was rushed south in recent days. It was bombed but remains at 70 percent fighting effectiveness. Some elements of the Nebuchadnezzar division are fighting American troops north of Karbala.
Beyond is the Hammurabi Armored Division, which has moved from northwest of Baghdad to just south of the city. It has been bombed heavily and lost a considerable amount of its fighting capability.
The Marines now face the Al Nida Armored Division, arrayed southeast of Baghdad. It is believed to be at 70 percent fighting strength after allied bombing.
The sixth division, the Adnan Mechanized Division, now guards Baghdad's northern and western approaches. Before the war, the unit moved from far northern Iraq to Saddam's hometown of Tikrit. It has suffered considerable losses from bombing, a defense official said.
Other Iraqi fighting forces include:
_The Special Republican Guard: This unit, separate from the Republican Guard, is an elite light infantry force based deep inside Baghdad. It had between 10,000 and 15,000 troops when the war began. It also has a presence in Tikrit.
_The Special Security Organization: The Iraqi regime's chief internal security agency, the SSO can muster between 6,000 and 8,000 paramilitary fighters, most of them based in Baghdad.
_Saddam's Fedayeen: Paramilitaries capable of guerilla-style fighting, Fedayeen irregulars are operating around southern Iraq in small groups, carrying out attacks on U.S. forces and pushing other Iraqi units to fight. They number around 25,000 fighters. The Pentagon says these troops are using human shields and committing other war crimes.
_Iraq's regular army and air force: U.S. troops have bypassed most of the regular Iraqi army forces, although a few units in southern Iraq have put up a fight. The air force has thus far sat out the war.
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