American Soldier Makes Daring Escape (Iraqi Violence Flares After Daring Escape)

Fox News ^ | 5/2/04 | Unknown

[Blood of Tyrants]

BAGHDAD, Iraq — In a daring escape, American hostage Thomas Hamill pried open the doors of the house where he was being held late Sunday morning and ran a half-mile to a military convoy that was passing by, officials and his wife said.

Meanwhile, 11 soldiers were killed in separate attacks, the military said, raising the U.S. death toll to 151 since a wave of violence began April 1. At least 753 U.S. troops have died in Iraq since the war began in March 2003.

[snip]

Six U.S. service members were killed and another 30 were wounded in a mortar attack near the western city of Ramadi.

The city is about 60 miles west of Baghdad in Anbar province, which includes Fallujah. A military spokeswoman gave no further details and did not say whether the victims were Marines or Army soldiers, but most Americans stationed there are Marines.

Another U.S. soldier was killed and 10 were wounded in a bomb and small arms attack on a coalition base near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

Overnight, Shiite militiamen attacked a U.S. convoy with small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades near the southern city of Amarah, 180 miles south of Baghdad. Two soldiers were killed, the military said. Through the night and into Sunday morning, Iraqis set fire to the long line of abandoned vehicles, jumping on the hoods and beating them with sticks.

An attack in northwest Baghdad killed two other soldiers and wounded two Iraqi security officers and another American, the military said.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Bush's pullback from Fallujah has only emboldened the terrorists. It's April all over.

[Blood of Tyrants]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,118775,00.html

This is the headlind from Fox's home page. The article page has a screwy title.

[dr_who_2]

Duh! So did Spain's reaction to the train bombing, the truce with Sadr...

[petertare]

Recent developments have been very disturbing. Mortar attacks on installations, road bombs, and suicide bombs. Most of those type of attack methods could be reduced (except suicide ops) with helo CAP over critical points/installations. Regular patrols, supplemented with armor, should provided better force protection than what we are seeing.

This Fallujah bugout is plain frightening. I trust those in charge have a plan, but it sure looks and smells like this is the decline of the American presence in Iraq. Advancing in the opposite direction, I guess. Having an Air Force member as head of JCS while in the midst of a land war is not real comforting either.

Someone help me out on these unfolding events cause my screen is going fuzzy as to the future of this dustup.

[Rokke]

Morter attacks have been going on daily for months. Most fall on empty space. Every once in awhile they get lucky. Today was one of those days. Morter attacks are nearly impossible to stop. It's just too easy to stop, fire and go. But that is why most cause no damage. They have no time to aim. When you start seeing full frontal assaults by insurgants, you can claim they've been "emboldened". Of course, last time they did that they were slaughtered like sheep, so I have no doubt the Marines can't wait until they become "emboldened" again.

[Maine For Bush]

Yeah, my screen is pretty damn fuzzy too. This cannot continue. As of June 30th, I say we pack up and ship out. Let's let the Iraqi's sort it out. WTF?

[oceanview]

sure, let's allow a nuclear capable Iran to include Iraq in its portfolio. we'll have $5 a gallon gasoline, which will cripple our economy, and their ability to sponsor terrorism that will hit us within the US will be almost damn near infinite.

[blasater1960]

This political interference stuff is starting to yield results like another war I know of.

Stop the politics a let the Marines go on offense. If we are serious about this, some people need to be fired. I can't believe Bush is going for this crap. It makes me wonder if even HE has the stomach for it. Maybe he would be more inclide to do the right thing if he had supporty from both sides of the isle. Freakin' liberal dems...

[jhny7]

btt

[jhny7]

btt

[tonyinv]

From the sounds of things, these decisions are being made on the battlefield (Falluja).

I sure do hope its a "1 strike your out" kinda deal.

[TexKat]

Cleric's Mentor Backs Off U.S. Standoff

[Squantos]

Who was the soldier that escaped as the title suggests ? TH was a civy contractor wasn't he ??

Stay Safe !

[Redleg Duke]

The so-called "Bug-out" hasn't happened. If you read the damned posts, the Iraqi force is being placed in the least hostile area of Falluga. Now, guess who is in the most hostile of areas? I'll give you a hint, Bozo...U-F'ing S-F'ing Marines!

Now, call that a "bug-out", and I hope the USMC pays you a visit, that will result in you becoming face-to-face with your own colon!

[Blood of Tyrants]

Nom the soldier didn't escape. It was the truck driver who escaped. But on a better note, he led the US soldiers to where he had been held and they captured two of the kidnappers/murders.

[Blood of Tyrants]

What about the other 5?

[BluH2o]

Who was the soldier that escaped as the title suggests?

The American who escaped was a civilian truck driver working for a subsidiary of Haliburton. The title was wrong like so many of the media stories coming out of Iraq.

[Rokke]

IED's are nearly impossible to defeat. They're as deverse as the people who make them, and rarely have a recognizable pattern of employment. Short of transporting everything inside an M-1 tank, as long as there's an insurgancy, we're going to take losses. The attack by the Sadr militia is probably the easist to counter. It was probably a hit and run mass RPG attack. Unfortunately for the goons who try these, after they hit, they usually don't make it very far. We lost two. Chances are they lost many. There's no doubt things are tough. But there is no easy solution. If you've ever tried to pick up a blob of murcury from the floor, you can get a decent idea of what we face. If you stomp on it, it multiplies, but you can't ignore it either. You just have to handle it very carefully, and hope it stays in easier to manage, large pools.

[Rokke]

I just heard the 6 killed in the morter attack were Navy Seabee standing in a formation while being addressed by an Admiral. Sigh. You don't have to be very accurate to kill men standing in formation.