Posted on 08/06/2004 7:13:13 AM PDT by Dog
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. marines have killed an estimated 300 fighters loyal to a firebrand Iraqi Shi'ite cleric in fierce clashes around the holy city of Najaf in the past two days, a senior U.S. officer said on Friday.
"The number of enemy casualties is 300 KIA (killed in action)," Lieutenant Colonel Gary Johnston, operations officer for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, said at a military base near the city.
There was no immediate independent confirmation on Friday of the toll.
U.S. officials said there were indications foreign fighters had joined the Mehdi militia of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Najaf. Criminal gangs were also involved, they said.
Asked about U.S. casualties, Johnston said there were two dead and 12 wounded from the two days of fighting, which has destroyed a two-month ceasefire between U.S. forces and the Mehdi militia.
Did they blow up real good?
Good thing we haven't killed or captured Sadr, as that would have offended the locals.
And Kerry says he's going to fight in a more "sensitive" manner...
Fatboy makes his [ill-advised] move.
No wonder Sadr wants to return to the ceasefire.
F'n reuters scares me again with their headline...
I thought this was the good guys at first.
Not surprising. They are untrained street hoodlums whose main claim to power is that they were able to bully around unarmed womena nd children. When they face our surperbly disciplined, equipped, and trained young men, they crumble and die.
Sadr, "I'm losing, truce on."
Sadr, "We've regrouped, truce off."
OOH RAH!!!
Maybe he is planning on "understaning them" until they just give up.
Great news! - 300 KIA - We need Zarqawi - For a number of reasons (one shallow reason but would be very helpful would be to get the bad jobs report off the news for the weekend).
Iraqi militia denies U.S. killed 300 fighters
BAGHDAD, Aug 6 (Reuters) - A spokesman for a radical Shi'ite group on Friday denied U.S. marines had killed an estimated 300 fighters in two days of battles in the southern city of Najaf.
Sheik Raed al-Qathimi told Reuters 36 fighters loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had died in fighting across Iraq since Thursday.
WOW!
They just have an unlimited supply of dumb meatheads to feed into the US Marine/Army meat grinder, I guess...
They blow'd up REAL good
I'm waiting for Kerry to run around like a dead chicken screaming, "Oh no, back to my original plan, we need more troops, more troops, the pain, the pain, arrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."
300 bad boys at a crack! I'll go that. No wonder Sadr was opting for the ceasefire. He got the word. He'll be looking for a bus pretty soon. Hope he picks the right one. :-)
You know what is pathetic? When the news reports it they say for example 25 Iraqis killed 18 of which were insurgents. I think it is disgraceful to put these sub humans in the same group as civilians. Thats the media!
*whistle*
Can you say "major engagement"? Someone just trucked a family-sized box of raisins from Allah.
"U.S. officials said there were indications foreign fighters had joined the Mehdi militia of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Najaf. Criminal gangs were also involved, they said."
Good! Bring 'em all in one place... makes it easier.
Sadr: "Game off"
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