U.S. Forces Say 43 Guerrillas Killed Near Najaf

Reuters ^ | Apr 27, 2004 02:24 AM ET | Staff

[Anti-Bubba182]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Forty-three guerrillas were killed near the Iraqi Shi'ite holy city of Najaf, a U.S. military spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

"Forty-three anti-coalition forces were killed near Najaf and an anti-coalition anti-aircraft system was destroyed by an AC-130 gunship," the spokeswoman said. The incident occurred on Monday evening.

She declined to give any more details about the incident near Najaf, where a wanted anti-U.S. Shi'ite cleric is holed up with his militia.

[Anti-Bubba182]

Not looking good for Al Sadr's boys.

[dagnabbit]

""Forty-three anti-coalition forces were killed near Najaf and an anti-coalition anti-aircraft system was destroyed by an AC-130 gunship,"

Works for me.

[hoosiermama]

Here's one for you!

[Southack]

"Forty-three anti-coalition forces were killed near Najaf and an anti-coalition anti-aircraft system was destroyed by an AC-130 gunship," the spokeswoman said."

Don't shoot at Spectre. Don't shoot at Spooky. You'll only make them mad and tell them where to find kill you.

[Anti-Bubba182]

AC-130s killem fast don't they.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I feel better now.

A couple of weeks of that might slow that militia down.

[Travis McGee]

"Okay, next AAA crew up!"

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

Ground Zero

[Anti-Bubba182]

I heard elsewhere that some of the Sadr militia are discarding their distinctive black garb for less conspicuious wear. They
are getting nervous.

[Ichneumon]

Gotta love the AC-130 gunship and its weaponry:

GAU-12/U 25mm gatling cannon (1800 rounds/minute -- 30 rounds/second) with the Western Design 25mm Ammunition Storage and Handling System (ASHS):

(That gets my vote for "military hardware that most looks like something from The Terminator's robotic death machines").

.

The M102 105mm Cannon (derived from the Army field artillery M1A1 howitzer):

.

The 40mm Bofors Light Anti-Aircraft Gun:

.

Exterior view of all three weapons systems. From front to back, 25mm, 40mm, 105mm:

.

Cone of fire made by tracers in the gatling gun ammo as the gunship circles a target:

.

And all that firepower is aimed using a very sophisticated computer-controlled targeting system, which places every round right where it's wanted with amazing accuracy.

"They circle the target. They make a fierce noise. And they just obliterate everything," -- retired Army Gen. Wesley K. Clark

The AC-130 is an effective choice "when you've got to blow up only the enemy's side of the street" -- John Pike, defense analyst at GlobalSecurity.org

[TexasGreg]

Eventually they're going to run out of terrorists ... or the Muslim paradise is going to run out of Virgins. I wonder which will come first?

[bluefish]

This thread is making me feel all warm and fuzzy!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The video of the plane in action in Afghanistan was quite incredible.

[dagnabbit]

Now if we could just have a film of an AC130 hosing down a pack of these cockroaches who think it's fun to hop around a burning Humvee.

[Tunehead54]

Bookmark bump! ;-)

[MplsSteve]

That's good to hear.

Allow me to para-phrase something from "Monopoly"...

Go straight to Hell...Do not collect your 72 virgins!

[Mo1]

WOW!! ... Nice light show from the 2nd to last picture

[CyberAnt]

I also saw a story over on Druge that we shot off one of the minerets (I think it's one of those towers in the picture). It's about darn time .. they keep using the mosques to shoot at us.

[agincourt1415]

Yeah, I think the Sunni's in Falluja, have better military training, the Shiites fire their AK's at a 45 degree angle to the ground (fire over the target), and they don't understand the concept of nightvision.

AC-130s own the night.

[Lancey Howard]

Cool.
Stack the bodies up like cordwood.