Iraqis break through US roadblocks

news.com.au ^ | April 9, 2004 | Agence France-Presse

[Destro]

Iraqis break through US roadblocks

From correspondents in Baghdad

April 9, 2004

THOUSANDS of Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims forced their way through US military checkpoints today to ferry food and medical supplies to the besieged Sunni bastion of Fallujah where US Marines are trying to crush insurgents.

Troops in armoured vehicles tried to stop the convoy of cars and pedestrians from reaching the town, 50 km west of Baghdad.

But US forces were overwhelmed as residents of villages west of the capital came to the convoy's assistance, hurling insults and stones at the beleaguered troops.

A US patrol was attacked 20km west of Baghdad, just moments before the Iraqi marchers arrived. Armed insurgents could be seen dancing around two blazing military vehicles.

Two US Humvees tried to stop the marchers but were forced to drive off as residents joined the marchers, shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is great). US troops again blocked the highway further west, but were forced to let the Iraqis past as they came under a hail of stones.

Sitting on top of supply trucks, young men also hurled empty water bottles and waved their shoes in sign of disdain at the US troops.

The cross-community demonstration of support for Fallujah had been organised by Baghdad clerics both Sunni and Shi'ite amid reports that the death toll in the town had reached 105 since late on Tuesday.

The rare display of unity came after Shi'ite radicals launched an uprising in cities across central and southern Iraq, shattering a year of relative tolerance of the US-led occupation from the country's majority community.

In Baghdad, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, the US commander of coalition ground forces in Iraq, faced tough questioning about the mounting civilian casualties in Fallujah and allegations that US Marines were blocking delivery of humanitarian aid.

"We are not cutting off humanitarian aid to the people of Fallujah. We are working multiple initiatives (for aid delivery) that have to be coordinated with the commander of the ground," he said.

The marchers set off from the Um al-Qora mosque in west Baghdad where wellwishers donated food, drinks and medicine.

"No Sunnis, no Shi'ites, yes for Islamic unity," the marchers chanted. "We are Sunni and Shi'ite brothers and will never sell our country."

They carried portraits of Shi'ite radical leader Moqtada al-Sadr, and pictures of Sunni icon, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of the Palestinian Hamas group who was assassinated in an Israeli air raid last month.

"Our families in Fallujah, remember that our dead go to heaven and theirs to hell," read a banner held aloft by the crowd.

Mosque imam Sheikh Ahmad Abdel Ghafur al-Samarrai said the US-led coalition had given the Iraqi Red Crescent permission to organise a relief convoy but made no secret of his hostility to the US offensive in Fallujah.

"The Iraqi Red Crescent got permission from the coalition, following negotiations over one day and one night to bring these supplies into the city," Samarrai said.

"Baghdad residents decided to send initially 90 cars with food and medicines to Fallujah families. We want to express solidarity with our brothers who are being bombed by warplanes and tanks," he said.

"It is a form of Jihad (holy war) which can also come in the form of demonstrations, donations and fighting. The people who are occupied have the right to fight occupation, whatever the means they use."

The Sunni cleric called on US commanders to stop the bloody offensive they launched in Fallujah on Tuesday after four US civilian contractors were killed in the town and two of their bodies mutilated.

"This only brings hatred and enmity," Samarrai said of the US assault.

"They killed the elderly praying at the mosques, as well as women and children. This is indiscriminate killing."

The cleric said he opposed the way the bodies of the American contractors had been treated but insisted that what the US Marines were now doing in Fallujah was no better.

They "are doing the same by mutilating the residential neighbourhoods", he said.

Agence France-Presse

[Destro]

Iraqis aboard a truck loaded with medical and food supplies that was headed for Falluja celebrated Thursday while passing a burning American convoy that had been attacked earlier.

[Destro]

Sunnies and Shi'ites united? Gog and Magog stirs.

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[DoughtyOne]

This does not bode well.

[GeronL]

and pedestrians that can't be stopped with armored vehicles... and those poor victim Iraqi's all they have are curses and stones to fight with.

These French are getting on my nerves with their lies.

[holyscroller]

A truck loaded with food and medical supplies? It's so full of human waste, it doesn't look like there's room for a band-aid.

[tessalu]

Something should be done with the USA commanders and overseers, if they allow this to happen to our troops. I feel that this is really wrong. Our commanders are not standing by our soldiers. If we can not do better than this, we need to get out of Iraq, for we are just setting up more troops to be killed.

[TomasUSMC]

I wonder why all those young men are riding on top of the relief truck that is loaded with food and medicine. Don't they have people in Fallujah to unload the trucks?

This is becoming just like Nam. We are allowing civilians to break through and resupply Fallujah. If this is the way we are going to fight - then this is the way we will lose.

This is not a riot, or a crime spree. This is a war. Does anyone remember Somalia? I don't remember them allowing US to resupply our troops, do you all?

I won't support wasting the lives of our Marines and Soldiers like we did in Nam.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

This piece of PROPAGANDA was posted earlier today!

[MCFujiTanker]

What happened to that big ear splitting noisemaker dish the Marines brought with them. Turn that baby on the next time they get a bunch of civilians on the road.

If that was my roadblock I would have shot out the tires of the supply trucks. Let them try to carry the stuff to Fallujah. Semper Fidelis.

[Azzurri]

We are not killing enough people. Either we get serious about wiping out the problem or, you're right, we need to get the heck out. I thought we learned our lesson that we must use overwhelming force but it does not appear that we are following that path.

[texastoo]

This article is in contradiction to an earlier artlcle. The earlier article indicated that we let them through and most freepers were arguing for humanitarian aid. Now this article states that we tried to stop them therefore getting two vehicles burned.

It really sound like a mess. This kinda makes you wonder what the orders for the food and medicine convoy was.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

NOTICE::Mosque imam Sheikh Ahmad Abdel Ghafur al-Samarrai said the US-led coalition had given the Iraqi Red Crescent permission to organise a relief convoy but made no secret of his hostility to the US offensive in Fallujah.

It is a PROPAGANDA piece....

[oolatec]

How do we know food and medicine was in that truck? Looks like more terrorists and dead-enders being sent in to reinforce their buddies...

[atomic conspiracy]

This is identical to an earlier AFP report that is directly contradicted by an article in today's Washington Times. According to the latter, the convoy was permitted to go ahead after extensive negotiations. The WT report makes a great deal more sense, since there are any number of ways for troops to stop vehicles without using deadly force.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Get all the dead enders in one spot!

That is a smart thing to do!

[texastoo]

We don't know what was in those trucks as they probably did not stop for inspection. This is bad news for our troops.

[Destro]

This article is in contradiction to an earlier artlcle. The earlier article indicated that we let them through and most freepers were arguing for humanitarian aid. Now this article states that we tried to stop them therefore getting two vehicles burned.

Which is why I posted it, well aware of the earlier article's claims.

[Destro]

Which is why I posted the picture. Burning trucks do not indicate that they were let through but they busted through.

[Delta 21]

This is a very target rich environment.