Transcript for This day in history: March 19, 2003

Good evening everyone the United States had a busy day today attacking Iraq and the war hasn't formally begun but in the south and in the north and in the Western Desert. The US was bombing Iraqi assets the US command wants out of the way before the big push begins Sodom Hussein and his sons. Have apparently ignored the deadline which President Bush gave them. Throughout Iraq tonight most certainly in Baghdad the next phase for millions of people is going to be very violent. ABC's John McWethy is at the Pentagon has always and John the only guessing left at the moment seems to be H hour. Right Peter certainly the Iraqis know something is coming and certainly American troops know it is well. That leaves just two elements of surprise how the US will do it and win. US aircraft struck nine Iraqi targets all over the southern no fly zone today the busiest day in months still not war but that moment appears to be drawing closer. I make no mistake. When I'm president says your home. Yeah its handling. Part of that hammer them massive American and British ground force endured another day of wind and sand near the Iraqi border moving into position. The troops are renting. Glad to do it. Look they'll beat you never want to be it events way to rid of this exiting. For more than 140000. Combat troops the way into Iraq is up this road and across Kuwait's border. But sources tell ABC news thousands of other US troops are likely to parachute into Iraq. And what will be the largest such airborne operation in decades sources say their targets will be primarily air fields in northern and western Iraq. Some may secure crucial bridges are command centers there is no faster way to get large numbers of troops on the ground ready to fight. Well we hope through all of reduce the Iraqis worry about attack from every direction and that causes them to. Not only have to defend more places than they would like but to worry about there being cut off surrounding. Today there were still more reports of Iraqi troops signaling their desire not to fight seventeen Iraqi soldiers defected to Kuwait. Elsewhere military officials say there were email exchanges between American and Iraqi units facing each other across the border. The US air dropped nearly two million leaflets on Iraq today the largest drop so far showing Iraqi soldiers for the first time how to safely surrender.

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