May I disagree, and make a small correction to your plan?
THIS is how our Military can be "careful"...careful to exterminate ALL the Islamazi vermin that infest the region!
Posted on 04/07/2004 7:34:53 AM PDT by dennisw
Its about time we take them out and send the message that they can't hide from us any longer.
Just fix my first cup of coffee, I'm here and ready.
No surprise there -- we've been capturing Syrians (and other furners) from the start. These particular captures need to be trumpeted loudly to the Iraqis, who apparently greatly dislike the foreign salamikazes. If we do it right, the whole uprising can be painted as the work of "foreign influences."
By BASSEM MROUE and ABDUL-QADER SAADI, Associated Press Writers
FALLUJAH, Iraq - U.S. Marines in a fierce battle for this Sunni Muslim stronghold fired rockets that destroyed part of a wall surrounding a mosque compound filled with worshippers Wednesday, and witnesses said as many as 40 people were killed. Shiite-inspired violence spread to key cities in Iraq.
The fighting in Fallujah and neighboring Ramadi, where commanders confirmed 12 Marines were killed late Tuesday, was part of an intensified uprising involving both Sunni and Shiites that now stretched from Kirkuk in the north to the far south. It was the heaviest fighting since Baghdad fell a year ago this week.
An Associated Press reporter in Fallujah saw cars ferrying the dead and wounded from the Abdul-Aziz al-Samarrai mosque. Witnesses said a helicopter fired three missiles into the compound, destroying part of a wall surrounding the mosque but not damaging the main building.
The strike came as worshippers had gathered for afternoon prayers, witnesses said. Temporary hospitals were set up in private homes to treat the wounded and prepare the dead for burial.
Until the mosque attack, reports had at least 30 Americans and more than 150 Iraqis dead in fighting for the Sunni Triangle cities of Ramadi and Fallujah since Sunday.
American soldiers clashed with militiamen of fiery anti-U.S. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose forces have been responsible for much of the violence other than in Ramadi and Fallujah. A U.S. helicopter was forced down after being hit by small arms fire in Baqouba, 30 miles north of Baghdad. There were no casualties.
Scores of Iraqis also have been wounded, as mosques called for a holy war against Americans and women carried guns in the streets of Fallujah.
U.S. Marines have vowed to pacify the violent towns of Ramadi and Fallujah that had been a center of the guerrilla insurgency seeking to oust the U.S.-led occupation force. The 12 Marines were killed Tuesday in Ramadi, where Maj. Gen. James Mattis, 1st Marine Division commander, said his forces still were fighting insurgents that included Syrian mercenaries along a one-mile front.
Sixteen children and eight women were reported killed when warplanes struck four houses late Tuesday, said Hatem Samir, a Fallujah Hospital official.
A U.S. OH-58 Kiowa helicopter was hit by small arms fire and forced down in Baqouba, 30 miles north of Baghdad, the military said, as American soldiers fought militiamen of fiery anti-U.S. Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose forces have been responsible for much of the violence other than in Ramadi and Fallujah.
Ukrainian-led forces and al-Sadr's al-Mahdi Army clashed in the city of Kut, southeast of Baghdad, overnight, and at least 12 Iraqis were reported killed and 20 wounded, hospital officials said. Witnesses reported the gunmen killed a British civilian working for a foreign security company.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said its troops were forced to evacuate Kut early Wednesday after al-Sadr forces hit the position with mortar fire during the night.
"There were no Ukrainian casualties, but several dozen militants were killed," said Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Andriy Lysenko.
In a significant expansion of the fighting, Iraqis protesting in solidarity with Fallujah residents clashed with U.S. troops in the northern town of Hawijah, near Kirkuk. Eight Iraqis were killed, and 10 Iraqis and four Americans were wounded, police said.
In Baghdad, a top American general said the United States would press the offensive.
"The coalition and Iraqi security forces will continue deliberate, precise and powerful offensive operations to destroy the al-Mahdi Army throughout Iraq," Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the U.S. military's deputy head of operations, told reporters in Baghdad.
He called for the surrender of al-Sadr, who is named in an arrest warrant for involvement in the murder of a rival Shiite cleric almost a year ago. "If he wants to calm the situation ... he can turn himself in to a local Iraqi police station and he can face justice," Kimmitt said.
Despite the call, there was no sign al-Sadr's forces had eased their attacks:
_ Shooting was heard as his militiamen took the streets of Baqouba and blasted the governor's office with rocket-propelled grenades.
_ Militiamen battled Spanish soldiers in Najaf, south of Baghdad. An Iraqi taxi driver was killed in the crossfire, a hospital official said.
_ Clashes erupted overnight in Baghdad's Sadr City, killing four Iraqis and wounding seven others, doctors said.
_ Militiamen traded fire with Polish troops in Karbala overnight, killing two Iranian tourists, witnesses said. An aide to al-Sadr, Muntadhir al-Mussawi, also was killed, the cleric's office said.
_ Gunmen attacked a police car Tuesday night in Youssifiya, south of Baghdad, killing two policemen.
Al-Sadr had urged Iraqis to rise up against the U.S. occupation and vowed to die rather than be captured. "America has shown its evil intentions, and the proud Iraqi people cannot accept it," he said in a statement. "They must defend their rights by any means they see fit."
The fighting began at the start of the week when they surrounded Fallujah, promising to capture or kill those responsible for the brutal slayings and mutilations of four American civilian whose bodies were hung from a Euphrates River bridge last week.
On Tuesday, however, insurgents opened a new front with a bloody attack on Marines in the nearby town of Ramadi.
Gunmen hiding in Ramadi's main cemetery opened fire on U.S. patrols, sparking a gunbattle in alleys near the governor's palace, witnesses said, adding that at least two Iraqis were killed.
Signs were emerging of growing sympathy between Sunni Muslim insurgents and al-Sadr's Shiite movement. In mainly Sunni Ramadi, portraits of al-Sadr were posted on government buildings, schools and mosques, along with graffiti praising him for his "heroic deeds" and "valiant uprising against the occupier."
Iraq's Shiite majority has largely avoided anti-U.S. violence, shunning al-Sadr's virulent anti-U.S. rhetoric as well as the insurgency led by Sunnis in central Iraq. U.S. officials have expressed concern that al-Sadr could start cooperating with the Sunni guerrillas.
With fighting intensifying ahead of the June 30 handover of power to an Iraqi government, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld said American commanders in Iraq would get additional troops if needed. None has asked so far, he said.
"They will decide what they need, and they will get what they need," Rumsfeld said.
U.S. authorities launched their offensive against al-Sadr and his militia after a series of weekend uprisings in Baghdad and cities and towns to the south that took a heavy toll in both American and Iraqi lives.
The fight against al-Sadr, who has drawn backing from young and impoverished Shiites with rousing sermons, sent his black-garbed militiamen against coalition troops Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
With confirmation of the 12 dead Marines, the American death toll since the war was at least 626.
So, who you gonna call? The cops? Just try and stop us yourselves...
Next we'll be seeing Baghdad Bob reporting from center city once again....
No, what I find interesting from this article (the way its written) is that it sounds as though commanders on the scene gave the orders to strike the mosque. So, it sounds like the chain of command (top local brass, theater brass, then up to Secretary Rumsfeld and ultimately the president) have either given the okay to hit a mosque if necessary, or have not officially ruled it out. Compared to Genghis Khan our gloves are on; but compared to what the U.S. normally does, the gloves are off. There are some Shiites that really didn't see this one coming!
If we wanted to, we could use extensive air bombing (not with smart bombs, but with unguided ones) and artillery 'fire for effect'.
Why? Although it sounds tempting from the comfort of our Freepstations here in the good ol' U.S. of A., what purpose would killing innocent bystanders and destroying even more of the town serve? Not a good move on our part, especially for the troops there that have to deal with it. Despite the propaganda of al-Qaeda, ABC, the BBC, and other Saddam loyalists, the U.S. is seen as a careful giant; Iraqis know how little collateral damage we've caused so far, compared to what we could have done. The destruction of one mosque won't linger as long as the leveling of a town or city. Freegards!
The names alone stand as a testament to the honesty and objectivity of these reporters.
U.S. Marines in a fierce battle for this Sunni Muslim stronghold fired rockets that destroyed part of a wall surrounding a mosque compound filled with worshippers
This is a common among religious believers. How many times have we heard our neighbors say, "Hey, Marge. There's a fierce battle down to the church! What say we hustle on down there to worship?"
May I disagree, and make a small correction to your plan?
THIS is how our Military can be "careful"...careful to exterminate ALL the Islamazi vermin that infest the region!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.