Posted on 12/01/2005 6:42:07 PM PST by FairOpinion
MASKED gunmen belonging to al-Qaeda in Iraq took control of the centre of the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi yesterday, in a brazen show of force after mounting a fierce rocket and mortar attack on a US military base and local government buildings.
Residents described several hundred heavily armed men pouring onto the streets in the early morning, setting up roadblocks across the city’s main arteries and patrolling streets where American patrols usually travel.
Leaflets were distributed to houses and posted on walls announcing the identity of the city’s sudden occupiers, saying that it had been taken over by al-Qaeda in Iraq, the group led by Abu Musab al Zarqawi.
“Its followers will burn the Americans and will drive them back to their homes by force. Iraq will be a graveyard for the Americans and its allies,” one of the leaflets read.
The assault appeared timed to coincide with a meeting between US military officials and Sunni tribal leaders in a provincial governor’s building in the city, as part of an outreach programme to Sunnis in the run-up to elections in two weeks.
It also began just hours after President Bush detailed his new Iraq strategy, telling Americans that their troops would soon be able to start withdrawing from Iraq as local troops there were gradually taking control on their own.
He added that he would settle for nothing less than “complete victory”.
The early-morning assault began with a rocket attack on the fortified US base and the governor’s building where the meeting was to take place.
Residents said that within minutes hundreds of gunmen ran into the city’s streets, firing machineguns as frightened residents ran for cover.
“They’ve taken control of all the main streets and other sections of Ramadi,” a Reuters correspondent reported. “I’ve seen about 400 armed men.”
US military officials played down the attack, calling it little more than a propaganda exercise lasting only a few hours.
“At 9.30am an RPG was fired at a joint US-Iraqi observation post which resulted in no damage or casualties,” Captain Jeffrey Pool, a US marines spokesman, said. “As of 2pm there were no signs of any significant insurgent activity anywhere in the city.”
However, at 4pm a doctor at the city’s central hospital told The Times by telephone from Ramadi that masked militants were still controlling surrounding streets and that staff and patients remained trapped. “We can still hear heavy machinegun fire going on,” he said. “Nobody dares go out. Some of our staff tried to get out to go to their private clinics but they only got a couple of streets away before they turned back. The streets were full of Mujahidin and it was very tense.”
By nightfall, however, many rebels appeared to have dispersed.
Ramadi, the capital of restive Anbar province, has long been a focal point of militant activity, especially by the more extremist groups that include foreign fighters.
After US forces overran Fallujah in a massive offensive last November, many insurgents apparently fled west to Ramadi, only 40 miles away.
A smaller operation was launched to purge Ramadi of its militants, but it has remained a hotbed of insurgent activity despite patrols by US and Iraqi forces.
An insurgent told The Times that more than 200 of their fighters had moved into the area earlier this week.
Congressman Billybob
Fire Mission!
Isn't this the event that US command said never occured...and that it was a staged photo-op for the terrorists?
Lol...probably the same bunch who tried to pass GI Joe off as a US hostage.
Wonder if Al Qaeda paid any of the photographers?
Oh, is that what you call it... so when you can't hurt your enemy, you stage a show of strength... yea, that'l work, LOL!
First the US military said that this was staged.
Second the video had shown no more than twenty terrorists parading in a corner of a city street.
Third Ramadi is a city over 300,000 people spread into a large area of land, it is physically impossible for 400 terrorists control ALL the streets of the city. They can barely control 10% of a city of such size.
Fourth how did the Reuters reporter knew that? Did he personally go into every street of such a large city and proved that the terrorists have controlled it? The LIES of the liberal media are stunning beyond belief.
Shades of Custer's Last Stand.
I guess I really missed the rest of the story.
But it tells you something, that now, when I did a search on "Iraq" at Google news, this story came up with about 700 related ones:
Insurgents Attack US Bases in Iraq
ABC News - 11 hours ago
Iraqi patrol with US Marines in Saadah, Iraq, eight miles from Syria, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2005. Amid growing pressure to bring US ...
Rebels launch assault in western Iraq city Reuters.uk
WRAPUP 1-Rebels launch brief assault in western Iraq city Reuters AlertNet
Insurgents Attack US Bases in Iraq ABC News
Guardian Unlimited - ABC News - all 546 related »
Spotlighting News US downplays attack on Iraq base
Japan Today, Japan - 4 hours ago
... base in the restive western city of Ramadi on Thursday, hours after US President George W Bush outlined his strategy for winning the war in Iraq but refused to ...
Insurgents attack US troops in Iraq Xinhua
IRAQ: MILITANTS TAKE CONTROL OF RAMADI AKI
Iraq, Ramadi Attacked By Al-Zarqawi's Gunmen Spotlighting News
Times Online - Science Daily (press release) - all 188 related »
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=iraq&btnG=Search+News
Uhhhh....Not Exactly true, AL-Qaeda.
All, and I do mean ALL, of Our Fallen Warriors are flown back to US soil for internment within their hometown of arlington Cemetary.
P.S., Get Lost quick...Cause the U.S. & Iraqi Army/Police are gonna decimate ya this time!
No you are behind the curve. The terriorist have figured out the battle is in the US media. Why should they get themselves shot up by US forces when they can just present a photo op.
The terriorist have just taken the battle to the next logical step. No sense having real battles and getting killed when all that matters for winning is photo ops in the MSM.
Every story run on this is a monument to reporters and editors who DID NOT CHECK to see whether any fighting took place in the day before the terrorists put out this story. NO ONE checked.
John / Billybob
Well hopefully the bunch will soon be a bunch of charred cinders after a 84L (2000lbs. laser guided bomb) drops on their goon heads. That should put a nice hole in the ground as a reminder for those snakes that continue to sneak around in Ar Ramadi acting like they are in control of things.
To many in the press are incompetent and/or negligent.
The graveyard of the Americans? Hmmmm....it seems i've heard that before.....oh yes! It was in Falluja!
I've seen some graveyards there. There were no US soldiers in them.
You're too kind.
While that is no doubt true, it has little to do with this story.
This story, as phony as it is, fits the template of the media agenda.The truth is a casualty, if the lie hurts the American image.
NO need for AQ to spend any of that hard earned Italian journalist/communist ransom money.
AP and the other members of the ENEMEDIA will pick up the whole tab!
ABC CBS NBC CNN its all the SAME, Propaganda.
Might as well call them all AmeriJazerra.
Show them how much Gravitas Hugh Bris has. Vote with your remote! Shut down the Alphabet channels.
He's Got A Plan
Zippo Hero
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