U.S. Military Says Iraqi City Retaken

Yahoo News ^ | 4/09/04 | AP

[kattracks]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S.-led coalition forces have retaken control of the southern Iraqi city of Kut, a military spokeswoman said Friday. The spokeswoman had no other information about how troops regained control of the city, which had been overrun by a militia led by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

On Thursday, Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top U.S. general in Iraq (news - web sites), vowed that coalition forces would move "imminently" to break al-Sadr's hold over Kut, 95 miles southeast of Baghdad, and destroy his al-Mahdi Army militia across the country in a new operation dubbed "Resolute Sword."

Ukrainian troops in Kut abandoned their base Wednesday in the face of mortar fire and gunbattles, allowing al-Mahdi Army fighters to sweep in, seizing weapons stores and planting their flag.

The militia also has full control over the southern cities of Kufa and the central part of Najaf. Police in the cities have abandoned their stations or stood aside as the gunmen roam the streets.

[Just mythoughts]

JFKerry and the lying crooked liberals will be in mourning today, "BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S.-led coalition forces have retaken control of the southern Iraqi city of Kut"........

[kattracks]

U.S. forces retake Shi'ite town in Iraq

---

(Adds Sadr's office destroyed)

KUT, Iraq, April 9 (Reuters) - U.S.-led troops retook control of the eastern Iraqi town of Kut on Friday, witnesses said, two days after Ukrainian forces withdrew from the city centre after clashes with Shi'ite militiamen.

Residents said American soldiers were in control of the centre of the town, 170 km (105 miles) southeast of Baghdad, and convoys of U.S. armoured vehicles were seen on roads to the area.

Reuters television pictures showed the Kut office of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in ruins after coming under attack.

Sadr's followers launched an uprising this week, battling U.S.-led forces in Shi'ite areas across Iraq. One Ukrainian soldier was killed earlier in the week in the fighting in Kut.

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[SkyPilot]

U.S.-led troops retook control of the eastern Iraqi town of Kut on Friday, witnesses said, two days after Ukrainian forces withdrew from the city centre after clashes with Shi'ite militiamen.

The Marines will put this one in their history books as another brave and wonderful stand. Too bad the Ukranians lost the city. The Poles did one helluva jobs earlier in the week though.

[Bogey78O]

'The spokeswoman had no other information about how troops regained control of the city'

Hopefully it involved killing everyone carrying an AK-47 and running around shouting Allahu Akbar.

[M Kehoe]

I hope the Marines, or the 1st Div. killed enough of Sadr's followers so there won't be problems again.

Now Sadr needs to be captured or killed. I err on the side of killed, to give them another martyr, and draw down the number of virgins...or Virginians, or raisins, whatever.

5.56mm

[XHogPilot]

the CPA should gather all the prominent tribal leaders of Fallujah, Ramadi, Khaldiyah (since those towns are largely tribal ones) and give them two options; either to hand out all weaponry and ammunitions, plus any insurgents and foreign terrorists they have amongst them, or to face the consequences which could be pulling out of the area completely, halting all reconstruction and humanitarian efforts, and leaving it behind the rest of Iraq, if that's what they want.

http://healingiraq.blogspot.com zeyad: 4/5/2004

I've always found Doctor Zeyad to be thought provoking. Again he did not fail.