Iraqi television said authorities would impose a travel ban out of Baghdad from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. beginning on Sunday night as U.S. forces closed in on the Iraqi capital. "It has been decided that there will be a ban on the movement of vehicles and people from and into the capital Baghdad between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. until further notice," an announcer said on state television.
Just before the announcement was made, Reuters correspondents in the center of Baghdad heard heavy artillery echoing from the western outskirts of the city.
Meanwhile, the U-S Central Command said two aircraft blasted the home of Saddam Hussein's cousin in Basra, Iraq. Considered a right-hand man of Saddam, Ali Hassan al-Majid was put in charge of defending southern Iraq ahead of the US-led war launched last month.
NBC News reported Saturday evening that the attack killed al-Majid. NBC said American commandos used lasers to guide precision weapons fired from F-16 jets for the attack. A British army source said the residence was targeted on information that Ali was present. "He was seen entering a building by a reliable source on the ground," he said. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
