Baghdad International Airport rocketed

[sabra]

Source: Voice of Iraq

Baghdad, Feb 20, (VOI) - Five Katyusha rockets on Wednesday afternoon fell onto Baghdad International Airport west of the Iraqi capital, an Interior Ministry source said.

"Five Katyusha rockets fell onto Baghdad International Airport, this afternoon, with no reports of casualties," the source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq- Voices of Iraq- (VOI).

The source added that the U.S. forces sealed off all the routes leading to the airport which also used by the U.S. troops as a base.

Read more: http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=70323&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

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This is three days in a row, of these kinds of attacks. Is this al-Sadr showing he is still a factor?

[Barrett808]

1. k & r

[bluesmail]

2. k & r

[MadMaddie]

3. Yea apparantly the surge success can be a direct result

of al-Sadr cease fire. IF al-Sadr calls of the cease fire then all hell is going to break lose.

I think it's some of Al Sadr lackies getting ancy and are ready to fight. He may be losing control of them.

[gateley]

4. I love the term "fell into". Like they were just moseying along and oops! nt

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

5. K & R.

:kick:

[happyslug]

6. Was it one launcher or multiple launchers?

Katyusha was the name of the WWII Russian Rocket launcher. Thee were fired from the back of the Truck, one rocket fired after another (This was one for if you fired ALL the rockers at once, the truck the launcher was on would be tipped over AS the rockets were launched).

The question is was this launched from a traditional launch vehicles (i.e. a truck) and launched all at once (i.e. pulled up, Cover over the Rockets lifted and the rockets fired at the target, possible but highly unlikely). OR did the insurgents do what the Viet Cong did in Vietnam. Take these rockets, and fired them one at a time after carrying them to various launching sites in smaller vehicles or by foot? This sounds more likely, but that means the insurgents could coordinate FIVE groups to all fired about the same time. Either way it is NOT a goof sign for the American War Effort.

These are all standard size army trucks i.e. 2 1/2 or 5 ton jobs, nothing custom built, through the trucks had the Rockets launcher permanently attached to their cargo beds.

The BM-21 has 40 tubes of 122mm Rockets, launch one after another
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/bm-21.htm


The larger BM-24 has 12 tubes with 240mm Rockets:
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/bm-24.htm

The BM-25 has six 250 mm Rockets:
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/bm-25.htm