Awestruck

A SURPRISE ATTACK AIMED AT SADDAM, PLUS THE KICKOFF OF THE AIR AND GROUND ASSAULT, SHAKE THE IRAQI REGIME. INSIDE THE ALLIED PLAN TO FINISH IT OFF FOR GOOD.

The smoke rose above Baghdad in plumes of thick, black soot, carrying with it the ashes of a dying regime. The nights were full of fire and noise, as thousands of Tomahawk missiles and smart bombs crashed into their targets, sending up balloons of searing orange flame into the night sky. In the light of day, calm descended on the city's streets, and the silence was pierced only by the crackle of burning buildings and the wail of emergency sirens. Iraqi officials angrily prevented reporters from venturing near the scenes of destruction, but word spread quickly among the hardened citizens of...

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