European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 05, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a a a the stars and stripes tuesday february 5,1991war in the Gulf smartly on target scenes from an operational video of an Allied attack reveal an iraqi military site building top right. The entire facility erupts outward Bottom left before being exploding after being hit by a a a smart bomb. An Arrow top left Points to the High engulfed by a Cloud of smoke and debris. The scenes released sunday in Riyadh tech computerized weapon As it streaks toward the target hitting the roof of the saudia Arabia were taken from a sky to  guard continues to take heavy pounding Riyadh saudi Arabia a their paychecks Are fatter uniforms crisper and weapons the Best in the Arsenal a the Republican guard remains iraqis great Hope in the persian Gulf War . Military officers said monday. For More than a week the guard has been the major target of around the clock Allied air attacks by tactical warplanes As Well As Vietnam Era b-52 bombers. Thousands of tons of bombs have been dropped on guard positions in Northern Kuwait and on Supply lifelines linking its units with the iraqi heartland according to senior . Commanders. The reason for this massing of Allied Effort the officers say is the guards deserved reputation for being the elite of iraqi units. A they Are the Force we Are looking at to ensure that Iraq does no to have the punch to Hurt us a one of the officers said speaking on condition of and Hemity. A they Are the ones iraqi president Saddam Hussein considers to save the Battle or take the Battle to the enemy a . Military officials refuse to assess damage inflicted to Date on the 150,000-Strong guards. They say counting bodies or destroyed weaponry in shelters from the air is an imprecise and possibly misleading procedure. But the general Assumption is that the fierce pounding is taking a toll and that the fighting capability of the guard is Dugi e a certainly nothing has prepared them or any iraqi forces a Fok Yno getting now a the officer said. The bulk of the guard lat they Are units a played along the Northern kuwaiti b Jar Are Deb order with Iraq set behind two for am lines of defense to the South and the Frontier with saudi Arabia. As Allied commanders see it the guard will be used As a Mobile strategic Reserve if the ground War erupts ready to plug any rupture in the iraqi Forward defences and exploit any Allied weaknesses. But coming Forward out of their de lenses and into the open desert would also make them vulnerable to attack from the sky a Over which the .-led multinational Force now claims virtual supremacy. Athe . Officers say the guards eight division sized units Are equipped with iraqis Best artillery and Armor including the t-72 tank and the finest howitzers and multiple rocket launchers. Unlike the bulk of iraqis conscripted armed forces members of the guard Are volunteers Many of them High school and College graduates with a deeply rooted loyalty to their country. They enjoy extra pay and leave better training and an elite Aura. The names of their divisions have a heroic ring. One is a a Baghdad another a Medina a the holy islamic City in saudi Arabia and a third is named after the ancient babylonian King Hammurabi. Commanded by a Tough Veteran of the Iran Iraq War it. Gen. Al Rawi the unit has from its inception been regarded As Saddam a personal guard protecting both his regime and the country. The . Officers said a few brigades Are also currently stationed in Baghdad the capital. The guard was created in 1980 at the outset of the Iraq Iran War. It grew from two brigades totalling some 6,000 troops to seven brigades by 1987 and 27 to 28 brigades in 1988, the last year of the conflict. For much of the War it was used As a strategic floating Reserve prepared to counterattack in the event of an iranian Success on the Battlefield. But in 1988 it took to the offensive overwhelming the iranians in a series of major Battles Over a four month period. The Republican guard spearheaded the invasion of Kuwait last aug. 2, moving rapidly through kuwaiti defences to mass at the saudi arabian Border. The . Officers say the guard was not associated with the Many reported atrocities committed by the iraqis in Kuwait. These they say were perpetrated by regular army units that followed in their Wake