Operation Iraqi Freedom - April 5, 2003, Day Seventeen

[David]

Members of the 3rd Infantry Division began moving through downtown Baghdad on April 5, taking no casualties. The column of about 30 tanks and armored vehicles swept into central Baghdad from the south.

Overnight, Coalition aircraft struck the residence of Ali Hassan al-Majid, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein?s cousin. Notorious for ordering Iraqi forces to use chemical weapons on Kurds in northern Iraq, he is infamously known as ?Chemical Ali.?

Two Coalition aircraft using laser-guided munitions struck the home at approximately 9:30 p.m. EST Friday. The structure is located in Al Basrah, approximately 250 miles southeast of Baghdad.

The strike was part of an ongoing effort to end Saddam Hussein?s regime. Ali is a member of the Iraqi president?s inner circle and holds the military title, ?southern commander of forces.?