"Yeeee.....Haw!!!"
/jasper
Posted on 01/03/2006 10:19:50 AM PST by SmithL
BEIJI -- U.S. aircraft bombed a building where suspected insurgents were hiding, killing seven people, Iraqi police said Tuesday.
The U.S. military, which did not comment on the deaths, said an unmanned aircraft spotted three people planting a roadside bomb Monday night near Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad, and that Navy F-14s were called in. The three left the road site and were traced to a nearby building.
"The individuals were assessed as posing a threat to Iraqi civilians and coalition forces," the military said in a statement. It said the aircraft strafed the target and dropped a precision-guided bomb.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
These unmanned aircraft stop many attempts at planting roadside bombs. My brother designed the aircraft's guidance system, and he mentioned to me lately that the aircraft stops approximately 75% of attempted plantings.
Anytime, Baby!
Nope, the infamous "wedding reception" no longer gets headlines from the MSM. The insurgents are switching to "baby shower" claims in the future.
/jasper
outstanding news.
Clearly a baby shower. /sarcasm
Tell your brother, "Thanks!" ;^)
I will. He's often wondered why this never gets any publicity, even in conservative media, since the info's unclassified. I told him he should be telling Rush himself.
Tomcat ping...
Sorta. The Washington ComPost has already posted an article, with no author byline other than "A Washington Post Special Correspondent", which means an Iraqi stringer. The article is headlined "U.S. Air Strike Kills Iraqi Family of 12" (directly contradicting the police who say 7 were killed).
The article is full of "eyewitness" descriptions of dead women and children ("in nightclothes with their heads uncovered for sleep...bodies of three boys on their thin mattresses..."). Buried deep in the article is the admission that "the area is one where insurgents are present and stage frequent attacks."
Gee, this "Washington Post Special Correspondent" wouldn't be, perchance, a resident of this area "where insurgents are present and stage frequent attacks", would he? And this unnamed Iraqi "Special Correspondent" wouldn't be exaggerating at the behest of the insurgents who run his town, would he? He wouldn't even be one of those insurgents, perhaps?
Well, you know what they say: "Lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas."
In this case: "Lie down with terrorists, blow-up like sleaze."
A precision weapon launch profile would also make it impossible for the Tomcat to be set up to strafe the target. My guess, is just AP trying to put negative spin on the report.
Having just spent a year in Bayji, and knowing exactly where this took place, strafing the target would not have happened. If the TF Commander got release to use a PGM on that target, I assure you there was positive confirmation the bad guys were inside.
The folks in Bayji are used to seeing rotary wing A/C overhead everyday, but usually only see fast movers when we decided to "wake em up" by asking the drivers (usually F15E or F16) to make low passes with the burners on...the rest of the time, the fixed wing guys were high due to the low level Helo and UAV traffic. Any bomb drop would have been done from a higher level.
TF Commanders NEVER take the decision to drop bombs lightly, and there are measures in place to ensure it is done with precision and minimal collateral damage...that is how the US Army does business.
All that said, Bayji is a cesspool that has needed cleaning for two years. It is a fascinating microcosm of everthing that could possibly happen in Iraq.
Regards,
www.cnn.com now reporting that we hit the wrong house. 6 civilians killed.
I hope they're wrong.
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.