Word: combatting
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...following a course that cannot be foreseen hour to hour and leading to consequences that neither side ever intended. Battle scenarios are crisp and clear-cut; actual battles are anything but, and invariably bring surprises. No matter that the war starts on live television. Or that the deadline for combat is set six weeks in advance and is publicized more intensively than any other in history. Or that the attack proceeds in precisely the fashion that had all but officially been proclaimed in advance, with massive air attacks. The unexpected still occurs...
After just three days of combat, the American public had experienced the emotional "ups and downs" that President Bush was quick to warn about. The public mood swung from elation over the overwhelming success of the opening air and missile assault to anxiety after Thursday night's Iraqi missile attack on Israel. It was just beginning to oscillate back toward relief that the Jewish state did not immediately retaliate when a second missile attack hit Saturday morning...
...Hussein genuinely believed the U.S. was bluffing. Another is that the Iraqi leader had little idea of the speed, stealth and power of a modern aerial and missile attack. Said a Bush adviser: "We weren't entirely sure how well some of this high-tech stuff would work in combat, so it's no wonder that Saddam might be surprised." Or perhaps Iraq simply lacked the technical ability to fend off such an offensive...
...truck launchers, three with missiles inside. One other Scud missile had been launched earlier against Saudi Arabia, but was blown up in midair by a Patriot antimissile missile. That was another technological triumph, the first known time that an attack missile had been destroyed by a defensive missile in combat...
...commanders said that because of his [the enemy's] cowardice and fear of combat with the land forces, the enemy tried to avoid establishing any serious contact... and preoccupied itself, for the benefit of public opinion, with bombing from high altitudes," the news agency said...