* A coalition headed by the United States launched Tomahawk cruise missiles and dropped bombs from stealth aircraft near Baghdad in a preliminary salvo that a U.S. government source said was aimed at "senior elements of the Iraqi leadership." There was no comment on whether the targets included Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who was not injured. Shortly afterward, President Bush told the nation that the war had begun.
* At the border with Kuwait, 17 Iraqi soldiers surrendered before the fighting began.
* Under strong U.S. pressure, the Turkish government asked its parliament to open Turkey's airspace to American missiles and warplanes, but it added a request to send two brigades of Turkish troops into Iraq's Kurdish-controlled region. U.S. hopes to deploy ground troops bound for Iraq and use Turkish bases for bombing raids were dashed.
