Posted on 06/24/2004 4:29:59 AM PDT by Graybeard58
Insurgents launched coordinated attacks against police and government buildings across Sunni Muslim areas of Iraq Thursday, killing 66 Iraqis and three US soldiers less than a week before the handover of power.
The Iraqi Health Ministry said 268 people were wounded in the attack, but that tally did not include American injured.
The large number of attacks, mostly directed at Iraqi security services, was a clear sign of just how powerful the insurgency in Iraq remains - and could be the start of a new push to torpedo the June 30 transfer of sovereignty to an interim transitional government.
Some of the heaviest fighting was reported in Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, where two American soldiers were killed and seven wounded, the US 1st Infantry Division said. Attackers also targeted police stations in Ramadi, Mahaweel, and the northern city of Mosul, where car bombs rocked the Iraqi Police Academy, two police stations and the al-Jumhuri hospital.
Khalid Mohammed, an official at the hospital, said dozens of injured were brought there. At least 50 people died and 170 were wounded there, he said. A US soldier was also killed and three were wounded in Mosul.
In other attacks, four Iraqi soldiers were killed in an explosion near a checkpoint manned by Iraqi and American soldiers in the southern Baghdad district of Dora. Three US soldiers tended to what appeared to be a wounded American soldier on the road. The soldier's helmet lay nearby. Black smoke and flames shot up from a burning pickup truck.
I didn't think of that. Once the Iraqi government takes authority AND responsibility, they will not be hamstrung by the fear for collateral damage or by the tyranny of public opinion with it's gullible and counterproductive PC demands. Maybe they will make headway on the 'evil THEY know' and be more direct and effective in the effort that an occupier would be doing the same thing.
isn't it past time to let the Military do their job and get the politics out?
God Bless our Troops, keep them protected and safe..
You are right on that point. We are going to be under attack here and abroad whatever we do or don't do. War has been declared on the U.S. and our allies plain and simple. We have to root out and kill these evil people wherever in the world they are.
Yes, we are backing out, but we have to. If the Iraqis are going to have some kind of democracy, they have to be the one's to fight for it.
By the way, was listening to Imus this AM on the way to work. The usual gang was on doing the doom and gloom thing. David "I'm Too Sexy for This White House" Gregory was dooming and glooming. He actually came out and said something to the effect: "it is clear that Americans feel better about Iraq since the June 30th date is approaching, but they shouldn't, things really are bad!!"
Ok David, nevermind teh President predicted that attackes would intensify as June 30th approached. Nevermind that most of us understand what is going on over there. Of course the terrorists are going to try and stop the handover of power. Does the fact that they are fighting so hard against it signal that it is something they fear and thus worth fighting for. Nope David, we just dumb, you and your advanced highschool degree are clearly smarter. Hey, nice hair by the way.
The answer:
Time, geography, the small area of land, informants...
What the MSM don't realize to the fullest extent is the level of alternative news that is coming out of Iraq, and it shows in circulation numbers and TV ratings. (why else is FNC kicking everyone else's ***?)
We are destroying them in Iraq.
As much as I admire the Mossad, you have grossly over estimate their ability...
That is why I think you are going to see a bloodbath when June 30th rolls around. As restrained as the U.S. has been, I have feeling the interim Iraqi Gov. will be brutal. Not many are predicting this. Indeed, most think that they will be weak or pacifist. Not so, I think this is where the Shia population will start to get their revenge.
...not being dissuaded when the "wedding party" or "civilian casualties" line comes out (notice how the Islamokazi amen corner doesn't even trot those lines out much anymore against Israel)...
I picked up a tid bit here:
U.S.: 20 Killed at Iraq Militant Hideout ( Tuesday night precision strike - Fallujah )
. . . on quick read, there are some intriguing bits in this article. Note the exchange between Allawi and GWB. GWB calls Allawi. Allawi raises the matter of the assassination threat. Then this:
"McClellan did not provide Bush's response but said Allawi 'is determined to confront these terrorist threats.'"
There was another posting of the same AP report that attributed the sentiment to Bush instead of Allawi, but this report was datelined later and signed with a byline. In any event, I'm sure they knew this was coming, and this looks like a quick huddle to me.
For some folks, it's never too early.
A little hyperbolic, there, Veronica. Calm down. If what you were saying is true then they'd have stopped the PLO, Hamas etc 25 years ago....
Tell me where every cockroach and mouse is in your house RIGHT NOW and then I'll believe it's possible to know where every terrorist is in Iraq.
ping
The new government will not have the constraints we've labored under. My prediction: let the new authority clamp down, make a few examples of some of these miscreants, and things will quiet down.
Thanks to cnn, ted and john kerry, npr, the french, the congress hog-tying the military and demoralizing us, the terrorists have been able to openly denounce us and advocate murder. After the 30th, the first mouth that opens in defiance of the government will taste the butt of a rifle. They won't need many such demonstrations.
Now we are about to make another mistake--preventing the provisional government from taking harsh measures to protect its citizenry. By taking some areas, such as in the Sunni triangle, and submitting them to military law including summary executions in Arab countires has been the traditional way to settle lawlessness. Unless the new Iraqi government can protect its citiens not only against terrorism but also against theft, kidnapping and general intimidation nothing good can be expected of this new government.
IMHO starting off with a concerted effort to control the law breakers is a requirement for success. Go back 150 years to the American frontier and you will see harsh sentences and overwhelming force used to provide security for the law abiding. Human nature, at its fundemental basis, differs little. There are always fringe groups that seek power regardless of cost. Keeping them in check is one of the few, good reasons for government.
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.