Posted on 12/21/2004 5:31:14 AM PST by ChefKeith
Just mentioned on FNC:
Dining facility on U.S. Base in Iraq hit by rocket attack- 10 dead
Waiting for more info...
Is this true?
By Maher al-Thanoon
Tuesday, December 21, 2004; 9:10 AM
MOSUL, Iraq -- A blast caused many injuries at a U.S. military base in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Tuesday, the U.S. military said.
"At 12 p.m. today an explosion occurred at a U.S. military installation in Mosul causing multiple casualties," it said in a statement, giving no details. "The cause of the explosion is under investigation."
Lieutenant Colonel Paul Hastings, a spokesman for Task Force Olympia, the U.S. force responsible for Mosul and surrounding areas, said he would give no more details for the time being.
"Details are still coming in and at this time we don't have a final casualty count or confirmed cause of the explosion," Sergeant Joseph Sanchez said in a statement.
Witnesses heard two or three explosions and saw smoke rising from the biggest U.S. base in the region, around an airfield in the southwest of the city known as Camp Merez.
However, explosions are commonplace in the area and the blasts attracted no particular attention among local people.
People living close to a headquarters base in the north of the city, Camp Freedom, said they were aware of nothing unusual. The same was true of a small base in the city centre.
Mosul, Iraq's third largest city, has seen incessant violence for the past few weeks since Sunni Arab insurgents routed the U.S.-trained police force in November while many U.S. forces were concentrated on storming guerrilla bases in Falluja.
Ethnic tensions have also been inflamed in a city that is home to both Arabs and Kurds.
There has been speculation that Jordanian al Qaeda ally Abu Musab Zarqawi, once active around Falluja, west of Baghdad, had moved some of his operations to the Mosul area.
The city, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, was home to some loyalists of Saddam Hussein's old regime. Saddam's two elder sons were hiding there when they were surrounded and killed by U.S. troops in July last year.
Earlier on Tuesday, Hastings said Iraqi police had repelled a new attack by insurgents on a Mosul police station.
"An Iraqi police station came under attack by indirect and small arms fire during a coordinated effort by insurgent fighters to overrun the station in central Mosul," he said.
"The Iraqi police successfully repelled the attack denying insurgents access to the station. This is the sixth time since Nov. 10 where insurgents have tried but failed to overrun police stations."
Gunmen have roamed parts of Mosul with ease in recent weeks.
Last week, five Turkish security guards from Ankara's embassy in Baghdad and two of their Iraqi drivers were killed when a convoy was ambushed in the northern city. One of the men was decapitated in full view of onlookers on the street.
As part of the downsizing, we now use contractors rather than soldiers to perform many tasks, including mess hall work.
MPs used to guard the gates of our military bases, but increasingly, that's being done by contract security as well.
Very dangerous for our troops, IMO.
Fox...22 dead and 50 wounded...
FNC: 22 dead
Reporting at least 22 dead now.
Keep your head down MikeinIraq.
FNS just announced death toll at 22, mixture of US and Iraqi and contractors.
I do....
thankfully Haji cant aim worth a crap
Health , Welfare and morale check for Eagle Eye and Allegra.........worried about ya'll as usual. More when such events occur.
Prayers for all......
Well some Haji got lucky this a.m..
According to Fox the Pentagon is not saying how many US casualties.
And that can't be good...
Others have probably remarked on this as well, but this smells like some inside info and assistance to me.
Prairie
50+ just reported on FNC........
Hit post before I added, God rest these brave warriors and bring comfort to their families. God bless our troops.
count is up to 22 now, you have to know there will be many more
Allegra should be home or enroute. On the 16th of this month she posted that she was going to be leaving Iraq coming home.
yes....this sucks....
I have a friend who was stationed at a secret base in Pakistan back in the 60's.
Guess what they found in the dressing after 90% of the base came down with the squats?
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.