- 2 days ago
Nga Lufta ne Kosove
bombardimet e NATO ne serbi
lajmet e Shteteve Perendimore
bombardimet e NATO ne serbi
lajmet e Shteteve Perendimore
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Short filmTranscript
00:00...on the ground to protect people.
00:03That is the only way it can be done.
00:05Bombing will not affect that.
00:08NATO insist the low-flying Apaches
00:10are simply a logical extension of the air operation,
00:13but that their greater precision and all-weather capability
00:16during the day or night
00:17will enable the Allies to do a more effective job
00:20of neutralising the Serbian forces on the ground.
00:23Alex Crawford, Sky News.
00:26In fact, they were in action yesterday as well in Iraq.
00:30So they've been, they're not the same aircraft,
00:32but they've been very successful in their operations.
00:35And I think that the reason that the Tornado
00:38is able to do more than the Harrier, of course,
00:40is it does carry more of a weapon load,
00:42and it does have...
00:43We're about to get them in service.
00:45This version, the D version.
00:46The big donut on top is a multi-metric radar.
00:50That's the older version,
00:51but it's still capable of firing a missile over 8km.
00:54There's the gun, 30mm gun,
00:56capable of 2.5km range, ripping open.
00:59Lightly armoured vehicles,
01:01like the sort that the Serb militia are using.
01:04It's very agile, low down,
01:05easy to get out of trouble,
01:08and it's armoured.
01:08Reportedly hitting petroleum production facilities,
01:12ammunition stores, and air defences.
01:14NATO says with the break in the weather,
01:16it's also ready to go after Serb forces in Kosovo.
01:20In Brussels Monday, NATO leaders are to meet
01:22to formally approve Washington's offer of added firepower,
01:25which includes 24 Apache gunships,
01:28but logistical complications may mean it will be days
01:31before the low-flying attack helicopters are actually dispatched.
01:36Meanwhile, nations are stepping up their efforts
01:38to feed and shelter the hunters.
01:41Another night of NATO airstrikes against Yugoslavia.
01:45Nish, one of the country's largest cities, under attack.
01:48According to official news agencies,
01:50an army command took a direct hit,
01:52but no casualties were reported,
01:54as most of NATO's likely targets
01:56are emptied of their personnel.
01:59A plan, sources say,
02:00to minimize casualties.
02:02The morning after,
02:03flames consumed the last floors of this building,
02:07caught in the crossfire,
02:08according to Serbian television,
02:10which reported a tobacco warehouse,
02:12the university, a kindergarten,
02:14and several other civilian buildings,
02:16including this store,
02:18were also damaged.
02:20Belgrade was targeted too.
02:22Serbian television says NATO striked
02:24at the command of the Yugoslav Air Defense Forces,
02:27burning the building to the ground.
02:28Here, too, authorities say
02:31the collateral damage was extensive
02:33to the water system,
02:34to a music school,
02:35and to the faculty of agriculture.
02:40They are hitting civilian targets
02:41because they want to scare the people.
02:43They do not understand
02:44that after every strike,
02:46our people become stronger
02:47and more resolute
02:48to defend our country.
02:50Across town,
02:51Serbian television reports
02:53more strikes,
02:54more fire,
02:54and more destruction
02:55too close to our hospital.
02:58We heard two strong explosions.
03:02I don't understand why,
03:03because there are no military targets
03:04around here.
03:06The patients are doing well,
03:07but they are shocked.
03:08In central Serbia, meanwhile,
03:11television reports
03:12three NATO missiles
03:13hit this bridge,
03:14leaving the town of Rasko
03:16with only one standing.
03:17and the people here in...
03:19...by 12 leading aid agencies,
03:21including the Red Cross,
03:23Oxfam,
03:23and Christian Aid.
03:25Once collected, though,
03:26there are still practical problems
03:27delivering relief
03:28to where it's most urgently needed.
03:30Road transport is slow.
03:32Helicopters are the quickest way
03:34over treacherous mountain terrain.
03:36We're providing water,
03:38food, shelter, housing.
03:39...finally getting through
03:40to this remote part of Albania.
03:43French helicopters
03:44have been bringing in food
03:45to the first major camp
03:46to be set up in the area.
03:49...of the NATO offensive,
03:50which struck at several military targets
03:51in Serbia and Kosovo.
03:55On the 13th day of its air campaign,
03:58and in better weather,
03:59NATO says it will now hit hard
04:01at the Serbian forces in Kosovo,
04:03which are causing so much suffering.
04:05We are now getting our tactics right,
04:09making sure that we've got
04:10all our forces in there.
04:12We have ramped up the number of sorties
04:14that we're doing,
04:15and we are prosecuting
04:16and taking the fight to them very hard.
04:19And I think that you will find
04:21very direct results coming very shortly.
04:24Two dozen Apache helicopters
04:27offered by the Americans
04:28will be a significant boost
04:30to NATO's firepower,
04:31but only from the air.
04:33There's no change yet
04:34to NATO's vowed policy
04:36to keep troops out
04:37until they can enter Kosovo in safety.
04:40But NATO's own maps admit
04:42that the only resistance
04:43to the Yugoslav forces
04:44is coming from the weakened guerrillas
04:46of the Kosovo Liberation Army,
04:48squeezed into a western corner of Kosovo.
04:52Where they're not out in the open,
04:54Yugoslav forces in Kosovo,
04:56such as these Third Army units,
04:58are well concealed
04:59and difficult targets to hit.
05:01NATO has shown its ability
05:03to destroy fixed military
05:04and strategic targets,
05:06as these pictures
05:07from Serbian television show.
05:09But that's quite a different matter
05:11from stopping the ethnic cleansing,
05:13something that NATO
05:14has not even come close to achieving.
05:17Continuing to pile on the pressure,
05:19RAF Tornadoes joined the Allied offensive
05:21last night for the first time.
05:22It was the 12th night
05:23of airstrikes against the Serbs.
05:25Targets hit,
05:26included Yugoslavia's
05:27Air Force headquarters,
05:28ammunition stores
05:29and oil refineries.
05:31Fives' Ben Ando
05:31has the details.
05:34You will see,
05:36towards the end of the clip,
05:37two bombs coming in
05:38from the right-hand side.
05:39This,
05:43the sanitised view
05:44from the cockpit,
05:46and this is what it looks like
05:47on the ground
05:47in the cold light of day.
05:49Another bridge destroyed,
05:51another Serb communication link severed.
05:54In Belgrade,
05:55the blitz goes on,
05:56NATO airstrikes
05:57producing scenes
05:58less like 1999
06:00and more like 1939.
06:03These shots
06:03show the devastation
06:05in a suburb
06:05of the Serb capital.
06:07Other overnight targets
06:08included the headquarters
06:09of the Yugoslav Air Force
06:10and a military barracks.
06:13After days of being plagued
06:14by rain,
06:15NATO says the good weather
06:16now means at last
06:17they're managing to strike hard
06:19against the Serbs.
06:20We will focus our attention
06:22on fielded forces
06:23in Kosovo.
06:26However,
06:27this is no easy task.
06:29Nonetheless,
06:30we are putting
06:30considerable efforts
06:32into this critical task
06:33and I expect
06:34that these attacks
06:35will soon severely disrupt
06:37Serbian military
06:38and special police operations
06:40on the ground.
06:42Those considerable efforts
06:44include mighty B-1 bombers
06:45returning to RAF Fairford
06:47in Gloucester
06:47after launching
06:48their cruise missiles
06:49and for the first time
06:51in this campaign
06:52RAF tornadoes
06:53from Germany.
06:55And more hardware
06:56is on the way.
06:57Another 13 stealth fighters
06:59have arrived
06:59and the Americans
07:00say they're also ready
07:01to send in
07:02Apache ground attack helicopters
07:04to hit tanks
07:05at low level.
07:07But it's not all going
07:08according to plan
07:08for the eight-day running.
07:10RAF Harriers
07:11arrived back at base
07:12without dropping
07:12a single bomb
07:13foiled once again
07:14by bad weather.
07:15Ben Ando, 5 News.
07:18With no end in sight
07:19to the NATO...
07:19Jordan has this exclusive report
07:22from Albania.
07:23They arrive over the border
07:26carrying little or nothing.
07:28There's only one
07:29unbearable burden,
07:30the horrors
07:31that force them here.
07:32Around the world
07:33we've watched in shock.
07:35Imagine then
07:36if this was your mother,
07:37your brother,
07:39and Kosovo
07:39was once your home.
07:42This boat that runs
07:43from Italy to Albania
07:45carries just such people.
07:47They have cried from afar
07:49and now return
07:50to fight for Kosovo.
07:53From around the world
07:55men are coming home
07:56to join the KLA,
07:58the Kosovan Liberation Army.
08:00NATO fights in the air.
08:01These recruits
08:02want to fight
08:03on the ground.
08:05Agam and Ned
08:05have left wives,
08:07children,
08:07and comfortable new lives
08:08in New York
08:09bringing with them
08:10the American slogan
08:11Live Free or Die.
08:14Are you ready to die?
08:15I am ready to die.
08:16Of course I am ready to die.
08:18We don't want anybody else
08:19to die for us.
08:21We are ready to die.
08:21But we need arms
08:23and support
08:24from other Western countries
08:26and I hope
08:28they'll do that.
08:29Have you used a gun before?
08:31Yes, I did.
08:33The men from far away
08:34who found all this
08:36too close to home
08:37will join the red berries
08:38of the KLA,
08:40already recruiting
08:40young and able refugees.
08:43They have a common cause.
08:44I think this is the last opportunity
08:46to save Kosovo
08:47from Serbs.
08:49Fighting
08:49is the only destination for us.
08:52If you don't fight now?
08:54If I don't fight
08:54and the rest of the Albanian people
08:57don't fight,
08:58I think Kosovo
08:59will be lost forever.
09:01While NATO ponders
09:02whether to arm the KLA,
09:05these men
09:06will not wait.
09:07You see all these people here
09:09that come in,
09:12you have 50%
09:13that are going straight
09:13to the fight.
09:14Where are you going
09:15to get the guns?
09:16We have some guns
09:18and we're going to have
09:18more guns.
09:20But I can...
09:20A dim view
09:21of the presence
09:22of Kosovo Albanians
09:23in their country
09:24and they're only allowing
09:25a slow trickle
09:26to cross the border.
09:28Many tents
09:29are almost habitable.
09:31They just need floors
09:32and beds.
09:33The German soldiers
09:35hope they can help
09:36during a difficult Easter.
09:39I hope it'll all be worth it.
09:41You've got to appreciate
09:42what these people
09:42are going through.
09:43Then you can forget
09:44your homesickness.
09:47It's not so great
09:48but I'm here
09:49and we have to help
09:50these people.
09:51It's what I signed up for
09:52and that's what I'll do.
09:55These people are exhausted,
09:57hungry and traumatized.
10:00They fought their way here
10:01through hillside mud
10:03and have been robbed
10:04of their dignity.
10:05At last now,
10:06they're standing
10:07on safe, dry land.
10:10But there are still
10:11bureaucratic procedures
10:12to go through.
10:15Macedonian soldiers
10:16take down details.
10:20The soldiers even run
10:22a security check
10:23on the meager possessions
10:24of the Kosovo Albanian refugees.
10:29It's too much for some
10:31and they collapse
10:32from sheer exhaustion.
10:34Most of the young
10:35German soldiers
10:36have never witnessed
10:37such suffering.
10:41It's enough to make you cry.
10:44It's sad to see
10:45this kind of thing.
10:46But at least
10:52the displaced people
10:53are made to feel welcome
10:54in the German camp,
10:55if not in Macedonia itself.
10:59Many are thirsty.
11:01Some are so tired
11:02they're even beyond thirst.
11:05Here at the German refugee camp,
11:07people receive affection
11:08and support
11:09for the first time
11:10since their exodus
11:11from Kosovo.
11:15For the Krasnicki family,
11:17the camp offers
11:18temporary respite
11:19from the horror
11:20of the past weeks.
11:22They don't know
11:23what the future will bring.
11:26After four days
11:27without food
11:28or drink
11:28in no man's land,
11:29at least they now
11:30have a roof over their heads.
11:32The soldiers too
11:33are feeling the pressure.
11:34This woman says
11:39she's grateful
11:40to the German troops
11:41and she's happy
11:42that her family
11:43can be here.
11:45One tent
11:46has room
11:46for 30 people.
11:48There are toilets
11:49and showers.
11:50A team of army medics
11:51checks people's blood pressure
11:53and helps those
11:54who are tired.
11:55And then there's
11:55a hot meal,
11:56something the refugees
11:57have been looking forward to
11:59for days,
12:00even weeks.
12:02The soldiers
12:03worked
12:04through the night
12:04to set up
12:05this field kitchen.
12:10What the Macedonian authorities
12:12are not able
12:13to organize,
12:14the German soldiers
12:15have done.
12:16They established
12:17a refugee camp
12:18where the refugees
12:19from Kosovo
12:20regain at least
12:21a little dignity.
12:22The international help
12:24in Macedonia
12:24is on its way
12:26but reaches only
12:27a few people
12:28who need it.
12:29But tens of thousands
12:30of refugees
12:31from Kosovo
12:31still await
12:32an uncertain
12:33and fate
12:34in the no-man's land
12:35and meanwhile
12:36they are starving.
12:39Preparations
12:39for another
12:40bombing mission
12:40out of Britain
12:41designed to bring
12:42an end to what's
12:43happening on the ground
12:44in Kosovo.
12:45But part of an air campaign
12:46which it's now admitted
12:47has in the short term
12:48at least
12:49made the refugees
12:50problems worse.
12:52What has happened?
12:53Cruise missile
12:54attacks on Yugoslavia.
12:56The pictures
12:56were taken
12:56from the USS Nicholson
12:58in the Adriatic.
12:59Sky's David Crabtree
13:00at Gioia de Calais
13:01has been looking
13:02at them.
13:09Each day
13:10more warships
13:11arrive in the Adriatic
13:12with their electronic
13:13missile systems
13:14locked on
13:15to targets
13:16deep in Serb territory.
13:17The vast American
13:24Sixth Fleet
13:24dominates
13:25the show
13:26of naval strength.
13:28One of America's
13:29biggest aircraft carriers
13:30the Theodore Roosevelt
13:31is due to join them
13:33bringing the number
13:34of US ships
13:35here
13:35to 24.
13:37On standby
13:38are 90 aircraft
13:40and almost
13:4115,000 sailors
13:42and marines.
13:44There's a helicopter
13:45carrying vessel
13:46with 2,200
13:47combat ready marines.
13:50The crew
13:50is very sensitive
13:51to the situation
13:52in Kosovo
13:53and that we
13:53maintain
13:54situational awareness
13:56for them
13:57on what's going on
13:57with refugees
13:58and homes being
13:59burned etc.
14:00So they're very
14:01focused on
14:03doing something
14:04to help stop that.
14:06Britain has sent
14:07two frigates
14:07the Iron Duke
14:08and the Somerset
14:09as well as
14:10HMS Splendid
14:12the cruise missile
14:13carrying submarine.
14:15The build up
14:15of naval power
14:16in the Adriatic
14:17is continuing
14:18at an urgent pace.
14:20NATO wants to ensure
14:21that there's
14:22a relentless bombardment
14:23to completely destroy
14:25the Serb military
14:26infrastructure.
14:28There are also
14:29Italian, German,
14:30Belgian
14:31and French ships
14:32in the NATO fleet
14:33as they continue
14:34to turn up the pressure
14:36on President Milosevic.
14:38David Crabtree
14:39Sky News
14:40in southern Italy.
14:42As the authorities
14:43increase their guard
14:44on the tens of thousands
14:45of refugees
14:46who've crossed
14:47from Kosovo
14:47the country says
14:49it can take no more.
14:51In this sprawling camp
14:53of more than
14:5365,000 people
14:55there is a growing
14:56sense of panic
14:57and chaos
14:57not least among
14:59the Macedonian
14:59security forces
15:00imposing order
15:02at times
15:02with a stern hand.
15:09There's also
15:09mounting concern
15:10and desperation
15:11as the cold
15:12and wet conditions
15:13here begin
15:14to take their toll
15:15on a population
15:16with little food.
15:17We interrupt
15:20that report
15:21to bring you
15:21pictures
15:22from Serbian
15:23television.
15:24These are pictures
15:25of damage
15:26explosions
15:28occurring
15:29we presume
15:30at this moment
15:31or very recently
15:32in the
15:34Novi Sad area
15:36of Yugoslavia.
15:40This is the city
15:42in which NATO
15:43strikes have hit
15:45several times
15:47a bridge
15:48in fact
15:48two bridges
15:49in that area.
15:53Again those
15:54people there
15:54really to help
15:56with a peacekeeping
15:56force.
15:57These are British
15:57soldiers
15:57these are Italian
15:58soldiers
15:59and these vehicles
16:00that the Italians
16:00have got here
16:01are great for
16:01peacekeeping operations
16:02not going to be
16:04that good for war
16:05and even the tanks
16:06here like the Challenger
16:07this is with
16:08King's Royal Hussars
16:10quite frankly
16:11that's very good
16:12for peacekeeping
16:13as well
16:13but there's only
16:14one really good road
16:16in from Macedonia
16:16I can't see them
16:17doing that.
16:18The American
16:19cavalry scouts
16:19here in their
16:20Humvee vehicles
16:21again peacekeeping
16:22they've had to do
16:23a lot of building
16:23up of forces
16:24before they put
16:25that in.
16:25I don't think
16:26that the American
16:27public in particular
16:28are going to want
16:30to see ground troops
16:31being put in.
16:32Now just to go back
16:32to the multi-launch
16:33rocket.
16:35Heading for Kosovo
16:36are formidable
16:37weapons of course
16:38two battalions
16:39of Apaches
16:40deployed as a
16:41task force
16:42called HAWK
16:42will try to stop
16:43Serbian troops
16:44in their tracks
16:45and end the
16:46ethnic cleansing
16:47of Kosovo.
16:48What makes the Apache
16:49the weapon of choice
16:50for this dangerous
16:51mission?
16:52We continue tonight's
16:53in-depth reporting
16:53with NBC's
16:54Roger O'Neill.
16:57It's a $14 million
16:58flying arsenal
16:59of tank-killing
17:00hellfire missiles
17:01rockets
17:02even a cannon.
17:04Three
17:05two
17:06one
17:07fire.
17:09NATO hopes
17:10the Apache
17:10gives allied forces
17:11a new big advantage
17:13on the Kosovo battlefield.
17:15Lieutenant Colonel
17:15Shannon Davis
17:16commands the 4th
17:17Aviation Squadron
17:18of 16 Apaches.
17:20These are very lethal
17:21systems.
17:23They can be used
17:23in a wide variety
17:25of targets.
17:26Just about any type
17:27of armor out there
17:28now we can defeat
17:29with a hellfire missile.
17:30Over the mountains
17:31of Colorado today
17:32five Apaches
17:33from the 3rd Armored
17:34Cavalry Regiment
17:35fly a simulated
17:36hasty attack.
17:38In real combat
17:39one Apache
17:39looks down
17:40on the battlefield.
17:41Pinpoint radar
17:42plots enemy positions
17:43and distances.
17:44Then, almost like
17:45a game of hide-and-seek
17:46relays information
17:47to other helicopters
17:49that fire missiles
17:50without the enemy
17:51ever knowing
17:51where the attack
17:52comes from.
17:53The Apache
17:54can attack
17:54even when the weather
17:55is bad.
17:56It flies low
17:57treetop height.
17:58But the trade-off
17:59a slow attack speed
18:00often only 60 miles
18:01an hour
18:02making it vulnerable
18:03to even rifle fire
18:04on the ground.
18:06The helicopter
18:06flew its first
18:07combat missions
18:08in Panama
18:08but fired its first
18:10shots against
18:10an enemy in Iraq.
18:12Chief Warrant Officer
18:13Bruce Carson
18:14flew 12
18:14hair-raising missions
18:15in Operation Desert Storm.
18:18The prospects
18:18of what may be there
18:19and what may not be there
18:20gives you the adrenaline rush
18:22and that goes all the way
18:23through until you land.
18:24There's a barrage
18:25of information
18:26pilots have to decipher
18:27when they're flying
18:28the Apache.
18:29All of it contained
18:30in this helmet
18:30display unit.
18:31all of his flight
18:32information
18:33all of his weapons data.
18:3420 to 25 pieces
18:36of information
18:36in a 1 inch
18:37by 1 inch square
18:38right in front
18:39of his right eye.
18:40In addition to that
18:41there's a camera
18:42in the front
18:43of the aircraft
18:43controlled by the helmet
18:45so when he turns left
18:46the camera turns left.
18:48If he turns right
18:49the camera turns right
18:50so that the pilot
18:50always sees the battlefield
18:52in front of him.
18:53The Army says
18:54despite its vulnerability
18:55the Apache brings
18:56close-in precise firepower
18:58and close-up
18:59eyes on the battlefield
19:00intelligence
19:01where so far
19:02the enemy
19:02has held the advantage.
19:04Roger O'Neill
19:05NBC News
19:06Fort Carson, Colorado.
19:09...sortering Albania
19:10its fighting ability
19:12rapidly evaporating.
19:13They don't really have
19:15the armaments
19:15they need
19:16to deal with
19:17a sustained armor attack
19:19and that's what
19:19they're getting right now.
19:20Pentagon sources
19:21say what's left
19:22of the rebel forces
19:23appears to be fleeing
19:24to Albania
19:25to try to regroup.
19:26All this
19:27while the Pentagon
19:27says logistical problems
19:29such as limited
19:30runway capacity
19:31at the Tirana
19:32Albania airport
19:33may prevent
19:34the deployment
19:35of troop
19:35and tank-killing
19:36Apache attack helicopters
19:37for a week or so.
19:39Too late
19:40to slow the evictions
19:41or save the last
19:42of the Albanian rebels.
19:44I don't think
19:44we've ever considered
19:45it as a race
19:46against time
19:46and as I've tried
19:47to outline to you
19:49as the days
19:50have gone on
19:51that we've had
19:52no timeline
19:52to follow.
19:54Serb cities on fire
19:55but NATO airstrikes
19:57still have not
19:58disabled Serb forces
19:59on the front lines
20:00who are now
20:01in the mopping up
20:02phase of their offensive.
20:04Bad weather
20:05which on one recent night
20:06limited NATO
20:07to hitting just five targets
20:08is starting to clear
20:10and satellites can see
20:11what's happening
20:12on the ground
20:13in Kosovo.
20:14The images are ominous.
20:16Armored personnel carriers
20:17and tanks
20:18surrounding
20:19or appearing
20:20to herd
20:21groups of people
20:22into a smaller area.
20:24With 12 more
20:25stealth fighters
20:26operating out of a base
20:27in Germany
20:27and the carrier
20:28Roosevelt now on station
20:29clear skies
20:30will allow NATO
20:31to step up the bombing.
20:33But the pilots
20:34flying the missions
20:34know the end
20:35is not in sight.
20:36I continue to tell
20:37my folks
20:38that this is a
20:3826 mile race
20:39this is not
20:40a 100 yard dash.
20:42At best
20:42air power
20:43can only stop
20:43the final stages
20:44of ethnic cleansing.
20:46It's our intention
20:47to stop it
20:48before the last
20:49Kosovar Albanian
20:51has been forced
20:52to leave
20:52and to turn off
20:54the lights.
20:55The decision
20:55to send Apache
20:56tank killing helicopters
20:57will not stop
20:58the ethnic cleansing
20:59in time.
21:00It could take weeks
21:01before they're ready
21:01to begin operations.
21:03Even so
21:04the president
21:04made it clear
21:05they may yet be needed.
21:06We are prepared
21:07to sustain this effort
21:08for the long haul.
21:10Our plan is to persist
21:12until we prevail.
21:14Officials say
21:15airstrikes will continue
21:16not just until
21:17Sir President Milosevic
21:18calls off the offensive
21:19but until his forces
21:21are out of Kosovo.
21:23Milosevic means...
21:23...camera eye view
21:25of a smart bomb
21:26or cockpit camera.
21:27Tonight you can see
21:28and feel it
21:29just as the pilots
21:30who fly those missions do.
21:32Come aboard
21:32the mighty
21:33eight-engined
21:34B-52 bomber
21:35and meet the crew.
21:36CBS's Cheryl Ackerson
21:38takes you along
21:38on a dangerous
21:39combat mission
21:40from takeoff
21:41to touchdown
21:41from a B-52 base
21:43in England.
21:45Who's on exit today?
21:46The men of the
21:4720th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron
21:49are anxious
21:49to get in the air.
21:51Questions?
21:52Let's do it.
21:53B-52s have been
21:54flying missions
21:55from here
21:56at Fairford Royal Air Force Base
21:57in England
21:58for nearly two weeks
21:59but an equal number
22:00of sorties
22:01have been cancelled
22:02at the last second
22:03without explanation
22:04and the airmen
22:05are frustrated.
22:06Now after a final check
22:08of the powerful
22:09cruise missiles
22:09they'll finally
22:11put their training
22:12to the test.
22:13Good to go.
22:14These missions
22:14to Yugoslavia
22:15mark the first time
22:16that journalists
22:17have been officially
22:18allowed to ride along
22:19on a B-52 combat sortie.
22:22The flight itself
22:22is an endurance test
22:24lasting up to 16 hours.
22:26No room to stand.
22:27No bathroom conveniences.
22:29We're in a group
22:30of three bombers
22:31heading towards Serbia.
22:34You been on a
22:34combat flight before?
22:36No, this is my first one.
22:38In fact,
22:39this is the first time
22:40in combat
22:40for the entire crew.
22:42I'm the actual one
22:43that launches the missiles
22:44with the weapon
22:45control panel here.
22:46Two hours into the mission
22:48the airmen get word
22:49that NATO has cancelled
22:50half their targets
22:51and the lead plane
22:53is instructed
22:53to return to base.
22:55They've been directed
22:55to RTB.
22:57Both remaining planes
22:58continue onto
22:59the launch site.
23:02A jury rig music system
23:04helps ease the tension.
23:05Not exactly a buzz
23:07stereo system
23:08but the best we've got
23:09for an almost 40-year-old aircraft.
23:12Now over the Mediterranean
23:13it's time to do the job.
23:16A yellow light blinks
23:17and the B-52
23:18shutters and rocks
23:19as the missiles drop
23:20to their targets below.
23:22Five, four, three, two, one.
23:26Missile away.
23:28It takes only minutes
23:29to launch three missiles
23:30then the long ride home.
23:33The crew won't know
23:34for another day
23:35whether they hit
23:36their targets.
23:36Everything went smooth.
23:40Everything went as planned.
23:42Hours later
23:43even as the badge
23:44of new combat
23:45is applied to the planes
23:46the airmen believe
23:47they'll see many more missions
23:49before this war is ended.
23:51Cheryl Atkinson
23:52CBS News
23:53at Fairford Royal Air Force Base.
23:56A number has attacked
23:57targets in or near
23:58at least five cities
23:59in Serbia
24:00and that at least
24:01ten people were injured
24:02in one city.
24:03Serb television
24:04showed these pictures
24:05from the town of Novi Sad.
24:07The city lies
24:07about 80 kilometers
24:09north of Belgrade.
24:10During the day
24:11NATO said
24:12that clearing weather
24:13enabled it to hit
24:14what it called
24:14a comprehensive number
24:16of targets
24:16on the previous night.
24:18CNN's Brant Sadler
24:19reports from Belgrade.
24:23As refugees
24:23empty out of Kosovo
24:25ethnic Albanian leader
24:26Ibrahim Rugeva
24:27was shown
24:28on Serbian television
24:29appearing tired
24:30talking with
24:31as Russia's ambassador
24:32to Yugoslavia.
24:34His future
24:34and that of his people
24:35hangs in the balance.
24:37It looks likely
24:38to depend on how long
24:39and how far
24:40NATO will go
24:41in the assault
24:42on Yugoslavia.
24:44NATO's evolving air raids
24:45are striking far and wide
24:47now focusing on attempts
24:49to cut supply lines.
24:51Serbian television
24:52shows damage
24:52to a growing list
24:53of transport routes
24:55and communications
24:55including roads,
24:57key bridges
24:58over the river Danube,
24:59airports in Belgrade
25:01and Pristina
25:01as well as fuel depots
25:03making it more difficult
25:05believes NATO
25:05for Yugoslav forces
25:07to operate.
25:08NATO's strategy
25:09may also be aimed
25:10at deterring
25:11a military move
25:12against Montenegro's
25:13pro-Western leader
25:14who could be vulnerable
25:15during an escalating
25:17conflict with the West.
25:18A conflict
25:19which is inflicting
25:19undeniable damage
25:21to more and more areas
25:22of civilian life.
25:24oni nama
25:25gristek
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