Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani – March 22, 2003

On the third day of the invasion of Iraq by the United States and the United Kingdom—whom they themselves refer to as a “coalition,” which is an inaccurate term—it has become clearer that their path is difficult and costly. Reports state that 40 American soldiers have been captured and an American aircraft has been shot down, and Britain has admitted that two of its military helicopters collided in the Persian Gulf and both were downed, with all personnel killed.

Yesterday they claimed to have taken Faw and Umm Qasr, but today it has become clear that Iraqi forces are resisting inside these two cities, and the troops who had approached the city of Nasiriyah were confronted by Iraqi forces and stopped, and the objective of capturing the Nasiriyah military base has not been achieved.

Iraq announced that it has captured 40 American soldiers, which—if true—would be a major problem for the United States. It has also been announced that four American soldiers have been killed and their wounded are numerous. Five tanks and five troop transport trucks have been destroyed. The attackers have also become nervous and are committing brutal acts; including firing a missile at the city of Khanaqin, killing 100 people, and launching about 60 missiles into northeastern Halabja, killing more than 50 people. Kirkuk and Mosul have also been heavily bombed, which has caused anger among the Kurds. In addition, due to the suspension of “oil-for-food” aid, Kurds are facing many problems, and it appears that the main route for aid to them is through Iran.

It was announced that Basra has been heavily bombed and more than 50 people have been killed. Last night, 300 missiles struck Baghdad, and Iraq says many of them were detonated in the air, and the low number of casualties—four people—suggests they did not hit sensitive targets. Journalists are angry about censorship by the Americans, and many of them have left Qatar, which is the official U.S. media center. Journalists have begun entering Iraq through Iran. Iranian journalists inside Iraq and Kuwait are sending useful reports. Although Iran has prepared refugee camps in the north, west, and south, no refugees have arrived yet, but they are gathering behind the borders and inside Iraq.

Mass protests against the United States and the United Kingdom are taking place across the world, and people are determined to continue them. There is significant anger and violence in the protests, and many people are injured or arrested. In the United States itself, more than two thousand people have been arrested in two days. In Yemen, four people have been killed, and in Bahrain, a massive explosion occurred near the U.S. embassy. Many U.S. diplomatic missions in other countries have been shut down. In Afghanistan, a large military attack was carried out today on four U.S. military bases, and Hamid Karzai, head of the interim government of Afghanistan, canceled his planned trip to Pakistan.

The weakness of the invading forces, especially in Faw and Umm Qasr, has been highlighted. Umm Qasr is near the Kuwaiti border, and American forces could have entered it directly without distance constraints, yet they failed to take control of it. Faw is the weakest populated area in Iraq in terms of defensive capabilities and vulnerability from the sea. Our reporter, who is currently in Faw, says Iraqi forces remained inside the city buildings. As soon as the invading forces entered the city, they were attacked and forced to flee. Yesterday, the same reporter, reporting from Arvandkenar’s coast, said the attackers had stabilized their position in Faw.