European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 6, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Germany edition vol. 49, no. 324 wednesday March 6, 1991 b authorized unofficial publication for the armed forces 35c d 8693 a gis first May be one Day away Washington a the first Large contingent of . Troops will return from the persian Gulf War on thursday and As Many As 15,000 service Mem ers will be Back Home within a week. Pentagon sources said tuesday. President Bush planned to Greet them in a ceremony at in the .v.v.v.wv.v.v.v.v.v.v. .v.v.sv.wasv, see pages 2 through 5 a Convoy of marines Heads South of Kuwait City toward saudi Arabia on tuesday As . Troops begin withdrawing from Kuwait. Andrews fab mde a two military sources said. However a senior Pentagon official said the White House was still working out details of the welcoming and Bush a participation. The military sources speaking on condition of anonymity said 4,400 members of the army a xviii airborne corps including members of the. 82nd airborne div would be among the first group returning thursday. At the Whitehouse Deputy spokesman roman Popadiuk said he was not aware of plans for a presidential Welcome. _ _ _ a while the president has said he would like the troops to come Home As soon As possible to the Best of our knowledge there Are no such plans a Popadiuk said i. Within a week of t he i n i t a i re turn cer see gis on Page 10iraq releases last 35 pos to red Cross Manama Bahrain apr Iraq tuesday turned Over to the red Cross 35 More pos and said they were the last Allied prisoners of War held by Iraq. Rain and High winds delayed the release of the first iraqi prisoners. The first pow releases came monday when Iraq freed six americans three britons and an italian doctors who accompanied the americans on their journey to a Hospital ship in Bahrain said they were High spirited and healthy. Tuesday afternoon Baghdad radio announced Iraq had freed All remaining Allied pos. Peter Fluege a red Cross spokesman in Geneva confirmed the release and said those freed were 15 americans nine britons nine saudis one kuwaiti and one italian. Plans to Fly the Allied. Pos out of Iraq tuesday and to Fly 294 iraqis to Iraq were thwarted by Rainy weather in saudi Arabia and High winds in iraqis capital Baghdad. The flights were rescheduled for today the . Central come said. The iraqis a the first of some 60,000 captured iraqi soldiers a had been scheduled to be flow see pos on Page 10 Iii rest reportedly growing in Basra other iraqi areas from wire reports civil strife apparently intensified in Iraq on tuesday but . Officials said they did no to know if Saddam Hussein was in serious danger of being overthrown. Also tuesday iraqis ruling revolutionary command Council annulled the annexation of Kuwait the official iraqi news Agency said. The worst turmoil appeared to be entered in the Basra area in Southern Iraq where remnants of sad dams loyalist Republican guard and anti government troops faced off with tanks . Military officials said. Twenty eight journalists on their Way to Basra were reported missing. Eleven including three americans were last seen monday about 25 Miles South of Basra. The . Command said they were believed to be in a serious the others All French or British were last heard. See unrest on Page 10 silent Battlefield Speaks volumes about Gulf War by Vince Crawley Middle East Bureau. With the 2nd army Cav regt Southern Iraq is mostly quiet now the battlefields cluttered with the remains of War. Most of the ground is Flat desert pockmarked with crate like dugouts the iraqis used to hide their tanks. Some of the vehicles Are still on fire sending Black columns of smoke into the sky. Ammunition sometimes explodes inside the hulks bringing Back for a time the metallic noise of the 100-hour land Battle. The rest of the time the desert is silent except for the sound of the wind. Most of the dead have been taken away by the iraqis or by american units moving through. One officer said see silent on Page 10
