Not over, yet

Three things stand out amid the fog of war in Baghdad. US control over the international airfield, may be far more tenuous than what is believed. More than four days after the air field was supposed to have been brought under control, only one C-130 Hercules transport aircraft has landed there.

With such a large air field under US control, it would have been logical to bring in supplies and reinforcements by air to strengthen the units of the 3rd Infantry Division that have been on the move and fighting almost without a break for three weeks now.

There have been some reports that the Iraqi Republican Guard had counter-attacked on Monday and pushed the American forces to the outskirts of the air field. Another counter-attack, according to US media, had destroyed the tactical command centre of the 2nd Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division on the southern outskirts of Baghdad.

If true, these would indicate that there is still a lot of fighting left in the Iraqi army. Given the way they have opted to fight, they would not need a structured command and control.

US Marines, on the other hand, are reported to have captured the Rashid military airfield to the southeast of Baghdad. The second point is that there has been intense fighting between the armoured columns of the American forces moving into the centre of the city and the Iraqi fighters leading an American report to describe a battle as 8220;hell on earth.8221;

The predictable end result of a patently unequal firepower of M-1 Abrams tanks and Bradley armoured fighting vehicles, supported by massive air support on one side and Iraqi fighters armed with little more than AK-47 assault rifles, RPG Rocket Propelled Grenade launchers and some mortars on the other, was the death and defeat of the Iraqi troops. The US has been carrying out nearly 600-700 aircraft strike sorties per day for the past four days, mostly over Baghdad.

At some points, CNN reported that A-10 Thunderbolt strike aircraft of USAF, capable of carrying eight tons of weaponload, were dropping bombs every five-eight seconds. Iraqi fighters8217; mobility and method of attack against the M-1 tanks was the pick-up van which has become the trademark of their fighters.

The third flows from these two. In order to battle the murderous attacks launched from the pick-up vans, US forces seem to have resorted to shooting heavy weapons at any and every civilian vehicle on the road ahead, especially those suspected of heading towards their armoured forces.

US forces are no doubt concerned by the impact of casualties they have suffered through these tactics since the checkpost was hit in the early days of the war. But the brutalisation of the fighting as a consequence of this has had a tremendous impact on dramatically increasing civilian casualties in the battles in Baghdad. Some of the civil hospitals, already overflowing with wounded and dead with very little facilities available, were reportedly receiving as many as 100 hurt every hour.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said the hospitals have been overwhelmed with casualties and 8220;conditions are terrible8221;. No one knows the actual extent of civilian casualties at this stage. But it is inevitable that resentment against the United States, which claimed the role of liberators in launching the war, is likely to grow.

From that perspective, the US would no doubt win the war, but may run into serious difficulties in winning the peace.

Air Commodore retired Jasjit Singh, editorial consultant to The Indian Express, will analyse the war daily. Readers can send their queries to him at jasjitsinghexpressindia.com