WAR A DONE DEAL ? The Russians flee Iraq en masse today. The Day of Reckoning approaches:
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Hundreds of Russians left Baghdad on Thursday in anticipation of war, even as Iraq destroyed six more Al Samoud 2 missiles in an effort to prevent one.
Three charter flights to Moscow were posted on the board at Saddam International Airport, and hundreds of Russians milled about the waiting room, witnesses said. Journalists were told not to go to the airport.
An official at the Russian Embassy who wouldn't give his name said "as many as 600" Russian citizens were leaving on two charter flights Thursday. He hung up when pressed for details.
Russia's Foreign Ministry in Moscow has said the Emergency Situations Ministry would fly Russian workers and their families out of Iraq by Sunday, according to the Interfax news agency. It said the Russian Embassy will continue to operate.
Hundreds of Russians and Ukrainians have already returned home from Iraq over the past few weeks.