As the war with Iraq moves into its third week, Breakfast reported on the latest developments from the Gulf region. A US Black Hawk helicopter has been shot down near Karbala, with reports suggesting that seven crew members were killed. A FA-18 Hornet plane has been downed by a surface-to-air missile. American ground forces are believed to be within 20 miles of Baghdad. US Secretary of State, Colin Powell will meet Nato and EU foreign ministers in Brussels. Arabic television station Al Jazeera has been banned from working in Baghdad and its journalists asked to leave the country. British reporter Peter Grant was with British forces near Baghdad
He described how:
The advancing coalition forces had met resistance but had managed to take a bridge over the Euphrates river. The US forces were prepared to build a temporary bridge had it been destroyed by the Iraqis but the coalition forces were able to take the bridge intact and captured some Iraqi prisoners.
We also heard from the Labour Party chairman Dr John Reid
 "This regime is going to go" |
He said that: This week had seen a steady advance for the coalition forces, but there had also been a steady advance on the humanitarian and political front. There was some concern from the Iraqi people who had been abandoned by coalition forces after the 1991 Gulf war who were "left to face the music" Iraqi people would be given liberty and control over their destiny, and coalition forces are going to stay.
Also on the programme; BBC correspondent Rageh Omaar gave us the latest from the Iraqi capital Baghdad - his reports are monitored and his movements are restricted.
And Paul Adams reported from Central Command in Doha
Group Captain Al Lockwood who is the British forces spokesman gave us an update from Central Command in Doha
Thursday, 3 April, 2003, 05:14 GMT 06:14 UK
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