What the papers say

What the papers say

Journalist Mike Philpott takes a look at what is making the headlines in Thursday's morning newspapers.

Many of Thursday's news pages make for uncomfortable reading.

They show horrific scenes in a Baghdad market and describe how the deaths of two British soldiers were filmed by Iraqi forces and broadcast on television.

The Irish Independent shows the bloodstained body of a man being carried away from the scene of what correspondents say was a US missile attack on a residential area.

The Irish Times has a front-page picture of the scorched remains of another victim lying in the street. In the background, a bewildered child looks on.

Robert Fisk in the Independent writes a graphic account of what happened.

The psychological effect could be the opposite of what was intended

The Times

He encountered one man who simply repeated two words - roar and flash.

"He said them over and over again and his eyes were closed so tightly that the muscles rippled in his face," writes Fisk.

The showing of two dead British soldiers on Arabic television is roundly condemned everywhere.

The Sun claims the soldiers were "executed in cold blood" so that the whole terrible event could be broadcast.

The Express describes the pictures as "gruesome".

There are also many stories about other British dead.

The Sun has a heart-rending tribute to John Cecil - who died in a helicopter crash - from his daughter Paige.

It says simply: "I wish you were here - I don't want to go back to school."

According to the Times, British sources are admitting that the "shock and awe" bombing tactics haven't worked.

'Bloody campaign'

"In fact, the psychological effect could be the opposite of what was intended," says the paper.

It says the Pentagon also badly underestimated the resistance that soldiers would encounter in Iraq - hence the decision to call up another 30,000 troops.

The Irish News comments that "the early optimism has evaporated, and there is now concern that the battle for Baghdad will result in a protracted and bloody campaign."

It also expresses concerns about the humanitarian impact, especially in Basra, where people are facing all kinds of shortages.

Unionists will still feel that they have lost something, when in fact republicans will have accepted Northern Ireland's existence as part of the UK

News Letter

The paper reports under its main headline that the British and Irish Governments will publish a new Hillsborough declaration within the next fortnight - and shortly afterwards the IRA will make a dramatic move.

The paper anticipates what it calls "a significant move forward in the peace process".

The News Letter comments that IRA disbandment is the only logical step if Sinn Fein wants to be involved in policing.

But it says that, if that happens, "Unionists will still feel that they have lost something, when in fact republicans will have accepted Northern Ireland's existence as part of the UK."

Finally, back in Iraq, several papers carry pictures of someone the Daily Star describes as the luckiest man alive.

Eric Walderman is a British Marine who came under fire as he and his colleagues seized the port of Uum Qasr.

He is pictured wearing his army helmet, which has four holes made by the bullets of an Iraqi sniper.

But they didn't pierce the inner shell.

He tells the paper that he will not be taking it off for the rest of the war.