File: 082696_d50028_116.txt
Page: 116
Total Pages: 274

Thursday--- The numb-er of Allied sorties tops 1 ,:3()O in the first day and second night of Operatio~
Desert Storm. Pentagon officials are confident that major damage has been inflicted on the main targets
- Iraq's command and control facilities, missile sites, anti-aircraft batteries and the Iraqi Air Force.
(New York Times, January 18, p. Al.)

Lieutenant Commander Michael Speicher, a 33 year old P/A-IS pilot from the USS SARATOGA
is listed as the first combat casualty of Operation Desert Storm. (Washington Times, January 18, p. 4.)

A spate of anti-American protests including several firebombings are reported around the world, but
the State Department says there are no injuries, only irtinor damage and no specific and credible threats
of terroflsm. The most serious incident was a powerful bomb explosion in a busy New Delhi
marketplace just outside the offices of an American Airlines travel agency. English and German police
have arrested suspected Arab and Iraqi terrorists. (Washington Post, January 18, p. A30.)

Senate votes 98-0 to commend and support President Bush and U.S. troops in the Middle East.
(Washington Post, January 18, p. A29.) {.

Eight Iraqi Scud missiles, carrying conventional warheads, hit Haifa and Tel Aviv at about 7:30
P.M. EST. The missiles did very little damage and caused only slight injuries to seven people. (New
York Times, January 18, p. Al.)

January 18
-- Friday - Allies mount huge effort to locate and destroy Scud missiles and launchers, but apparentl~
fail to destroy all of them. Overall, more than 2,000 sorties have been flown by the allies since the war
began. General Schwarzkopf says allied planes have reached 80% of their targets. Eight allied planes
and eight Iraqi planes have been lost. (New York Tim~, January 19, p. Al.)

Secretary of Defense Cheney declares an airlift emergency and orders the Military Airlift Command
to implement the second phase of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAP) Program. Under this second
phase of the CRAP program, as many as 20 airlines may be ordered to provide as many as 181 aircraft
to help ferry U.S. war supplies and equipment to the Middle East. Domestic airlines, -which have hauled
65 percent of the troops and 22 percent of the cargo for the U.S. buildup in Saudi Arabia, say they will
be able to provide as many planes as necessary while keeping up a full domestic schedule. (Washington
Post, January 19, p. 19.)

A commercial satellite has pinpointed a site in northern Iraq which may be a uranium enrichment
facility. The site is guarded by elite troops and local Kurds have been removed from the area. (JaneLs
Defence Weekly, January 19, p. 70.)

Israeli officials warn that the Iraqi missile attack on two Israeli cities cannot stand without retaliation
The Bush administration warns that an Israeli attack could destroy the Gulf coalition. (New York ~imes~
January 19, p. Al.)

2-90

I ~ttl~;~~~ ~1~l1~