Iraq claims battle successes

BAGHDAD, Iraq: Strong explosions shook the Iraqi capital after sunset Saturday, the latest in the daily dose of aerial bombardment by US-led forces. The Iraqi regime asserted battle successes and maintained Saddam Hussein and his sons had "the aggression" in hand.

Thunderous blasts struck Baghdad throughout Saturday, sending towering columns of smoke into the air. Warplanes could be heard overhead for a second straight day, but the targets were unclear. Iraqi state television late Saturday reported that US and Iraqi forces were fighting near the Muslim Shiite holy city of Najaf, 95 miles south of Baghdad. A senior member of Saddam's ruling Baath party, Nayef Shedakh, was killed during the fighting, state TV said. Residents of Baghdad enjoyed something of a respite Saturday night from the bombing of the two previous nights. Some street vendors could be seen in parts of the city as late as 11 p.m. In an effort to show that Saddam's regime was still firmly in control, Iraqi state television showed what it said was footage of Saddam chairing meetings Saturday with senior government ministers and with his son Qusai.

The report said the meetings dealt with "the aggression." The report said Saddam and the others reviewed the situation in Umm Qasr, al-Rumeila, al-Faw and Nasiriyah — places where US-led coalition troops have battled Iraqi troops. "They expressed their satisfaction with the heroic stance of the armed forces," the TV report said. The Iraqi military spokesman appeared on TV to read a communique on the day's fighting. He maintained Iraqi air defenses shot down 21 cruise missiles on Saturday. The communique said Saddam's Fedayeen, a militia led by Saddam's son Odai, carried out several combat missions, destroying one tank and injuring several coalition troops.

The TV report did not mention two days of fierce bombardments on Baghdad that destroyed presidential palaces, government offices and military headquarters. Early Sunday a rear base camp of the 101st Airborne Division was attacked early with a grenade and small arms fire, and a US military spokesman said 10 soldiers had been wounded. The source of the attack was not immediately clear. The incident occurred at Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait near the Iraqi border. At Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar, forward headquarters of the US Central Command, a spokesman, Lt. Comdr. Charles Owens, confirmed the attack and said 10 soldiers had been wounded. He said the injured were rushed to a field hospital but had no word on their condition.