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File: DOC_81_CENTCOM_NEW_BRIEF_006.txt
Page: 006
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6

Marine Division continues to be in a position where it blocks any egress out of the
city of ~uwait,  so no one can leave. To date, bee have de~tr0yed over 2~ -- destroyed
or rendered inoperable.   ~ don't like to say destroyed because that gives YOU visions
of absolutely killing everyone1  and that's not what we're doing.  But we have
rendered coinpietely ineffective over 29 Iraqi divisions.  The gates are closed
There is no way out of here, there is no way out of here, and the enemy is fighting
US in this location right here.

     We continue, of course, high level air power.   The air has done a terrific ~ob
from start to finish in suppor~ing the ground forces, and we also have had great
support from the ~avy -- both in the form of naval gunfire and in support of carrier
air.

That's the situation at the present time-

(Chart)

      ~eace iB not without a cost.   These have been the U.S. casualties to date. As
you can see, these were the casualties we had in the air war; then of course, we had
the terrible ~~fortune of the SCUD attack the other night which,  again, because the
weapon ~alfunctioned1 it caused death, unfortunately, rather than in a proper
function.   Then, of course, these are the casualties in the ground war1 the total
being as sho~n here.

(Chart)

      I would ~ust like to comment briefly about that casualty chart.    The loss o~
one h~~n life is intolerable to any of us who are in the military.     ~ut I would tell
you that casualties of that order of magnitude considering the 3ob that's been done
and the nwn~er of forces that were involved is almost r~raculou~, as far as the iig~t
n'ir~e.r of casualties.   It will never be miraculous to the families of thoso people1
but it is miraculous

       This is what's happened to date with the Iraqis. They started out with over
4,000 tanks.   As of to date, we have over 3,000 confirmed destroyed -- and I do ~an
destroyed or captured.   As a matter of fact, that number is low because you can add
~O0 to that as a result of the battle that's going on right now with the Republican
~uard.   So that n~~r is very, very high, and we've altnost completely destroyed the
offensive dapability of the Iraqi forces in the Kuwaiti theater of operations.  The
armored vehicle count is also very very high, and of course, you can see we're doing
great damage to the artillery.   The battle is still going on, and I suspect that
these numbers will utount rather considerably.

(Chart)

      I wish I could give you a better number on this, to be very honest with you
This is just a wil~ guess.   It's an estimate that was sent to us by the field today
at noon time, but the prisoners out there are so heavy and so extensive, and
obviously,  we're not in the business of going around and countin~ noses at this ti~e
to determine precisely what the exact number is.  But we're very very confident that
we have well over 50,000 prisoners of ~ar at this time, and that nurber is mounting
~~ a c~ntinuing basis

      I would retdnd you that the war is continuing to go on.  Even as we speak right
now there is fighting going on out there.  Even a3 we speak ri9ht now there are


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