From owner-labor-l@YorkU.CA Fri Apr 4 14:00:08 2003
Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 12:29:52 -0500
Reply-To: grok <grok@SPRINT.CA>
Sender: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy <LABOR-L@YorkU.CA>
From: grok <grok@SPRINT.CA>
Subject: [Fwd: Basra: US,
British Bombing Leaves Iraq’s Second Largest City In Flames]
Comments: To: llo <llo@coollist.com>
To: LABOR-L@YorkU.CA
-----Forwarded Message-----
Subject: Basra: US, British Bombing Leaves Iraq’s Second Largest City In Flames
Date: 04 Apr 2003 07:06:30 -0800
http://www.irna.com/en/tnews/030404132738.etn04.shtml
Shalamcheh, Khuzestan Prov, April 3, IRNA—Thick columns of smoke were seen billowing from Basra and engulfing most of southern Iraq.
According to reports arriving from the border city of Shalamcheh on Thursday morning, nine oil wells in Basra have been set ablaze by heavy coalition bombardments of the city in the past few days.
The reports further said that the fires from the oil wells are being fanned by exploding bombs dropped by coalition warplanes.
Basra has been under siege by British ground forces for the past fortnight in a major push to occupy the city.
The city has been under continuing air raids, missile and artillery barrage attacks by US-led forces more than any other southern Iraqi urban area since the outbreak of the current war.
Black columns of smoke from the burning oil wells in the skies over Basra can also be seen in the skies of the Iranian cities bordering southern Iraq pushed by north-south winds.