The Day in the Gulf

IRAQ PROPOSES PULLOUT: Baghdad offered a strings-attached plan for withdrawing its troops from Kuwait. But President Bush dismissed it as a “cruel hoax” and exhorted the Iraqi military and people “to take matters into their own hands to force Saddam Hussein, the dictator, to step aside.”

ALLIES REACT: Washington’s Desert Storm allies echoed Bush’s demand that Iraq simply abide by U.N. resolutions and forget about imposing conditions. The Gulf Cooperation Council, which groups six Arab nations, announced its rejection of Iraq’s pullout proposal. In some parts of the Mideast, however, some saw Iraq’s announcement as a sign of weakness--and inevitable capitulation--by Iraq.

SCENE IN BAGHDAD: Air-raid sirens wailed and machine-gun fire filled the air throughout Iraq’s besieged capital city after Baghdad Radio broadcast Iraq’s pullout proposal. This time, they were the sounds of celebration, not war. But tears of joy turned quickly to tears of frustration after the allies rejected the proposal.

THE AIR WAR: Operation Desert Storm mounted more than 2,600 sorties against Iraqi targets, including 900 against dug-in Iraqi positions and other sites in Kuwait and southern Iraq. The air strikes hit bridges and airfields, among other targets.

NAVY LOSES PLANE: One U.S. plane was lost, a Navy A-6E Intruder that crashed on landing aboard the carrier America, newly arrived in the Persian Gulf. The two crew members suffered minor injuries.

CEASE-FIRE URGED: A group of black religious and civil rights activists urged President Bush to declare a cease-fire in the war. Leaders at an emergency summit on the war, meeting in New York, said U.S. military operations in the Persian Gulf pose a threat to domestic social programs.