Prayers to the families of the two soliders and to all our troops!
Posted on 06/20/2006 6:26:39 AM PDT by areafiftyone
BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Iraqi military official said Tuesday that the bodies of two missing U.S. soldiers showed signs of torture, and that men appeared to have been killed "in a barbaric way." Also, the umbrella group for Iraqi insurgents claimed responsibility for the soldiers' deaths.
"We give the good news ... to the Islamic nation that we have carried God's verdict by slaughtering the two captured crusaders," said a statement in the name of the Mujahedeen Shura Council, which groups five insurgent organizations including al-Qaida in Iraq.
At a news briefing, U.S. Maj. Gen. William Caldwell declined to identify the two men until their families could be notified.
Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore., disappeared after an insurgent attack Friday at a checkpoint by a Euphrates River canal south of Baghdad. Spc. David J. Babineau, 25, of Springfield, Mass., was killed.
The checkpoint was in the Sunni Arab region known as the "Triangle of Death" because of frequent ambushes there of U.S. soldiers and Iraqi troops.
The three men were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
"The news is going to be heartbreaking for my family," Menchaca's uncle, Ken MacKenzie, told NBC's "Today" show.
He said the United States should have paid a ransom for the two soldiers from money seized from Saddam Hussein.
"I think the U.S. was too slow to react to this," MacKenzie said. "Because the U.S. did not have a plan in place, my nephew has paid with his life."
The director of the Iraqi defense military's operation room, Maj. Gen. Abdul-Aziz Mohammed, said the two bodies were found on a street near the town Youssifiyah, close to the scene of the attack. The U.S. military could not confirm that account.
Caldwell, the chief U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said details of what happened to the two missing soldiers and about the bodies found would be released later Tuesday after the families of the soldiers were informed.
"Until we know the families have been both briefed and have been fully informed ... it would be inappropriate," he said.
A search involving more than 8,000 Iraqi and American troops turned up nothing over the weekend, but troops searching for the soldiers killed three suspected insurgents and detained 34 in fighting that also left seven U.S. servicemen wounded, Caldwell said.
A farmer claiming to have witnessed the attack told The Associated Press on Sunday that insurgents swarmed the checkpoint, killing the driver of a Humvee before taking two of his comrades captive.
Ahmed Khalaf Falah said three Humvees were manning a checkpoint when they came under fire from many directions. Two Humvees went after the assailants but the third was ambushed before it could move.
He said seven masked gunmen, one carrying a heavy machine gun, killed the driver of the third vehicle and took the two other U.S. soldiers captive. His account could not be verified independently.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari also said the soldiers appeared to have been taken prisoner by insurgents.
The military said Saturday that soldiers at a nearby checkpoint heard small-arms fire and explosions during the attack at 7:15 p.m. Friday, and a quick-reaction force reached the scene within 15 minutes. The force found one soldier dead but no signs of the other two.
Prayers to the families of the two soliders and to all our troops!
It won't bring those two brave young boys back, but I sure hope we find and kill their torturers... excuse me, "insurgents".
KABC radio is reporting that the bodies were badly abused. Watch the driveby media shut this up.
Ransom would not have saved these men. The jihadist are hell bent on barbarism, particularly to our men and women in uniform. Indeed prayers for the families of these fallen and all our troops. We are dealing with rabid dogs, beyond human compassion.
Where is Murtha speaking out on this.
"And Shepherds we shall be.
For thee my Lord, for thee.
Power hath descended forth
from Thy hand, that our feet
may swiftly carry out Thy
command. So we shall flow a
river forth to Thee and teeming
with souls shall it ever be.
In Nomine Patris, et Filii,
et Spiritus Sancti."
Vengeance should be quick. True and just. These animals have no reasoning. No mercy. Whether we like it or not, this is a holy war that they have forced upon us.
The terrorists did themselves a great misservice. Our guys will never surrender now that they know what these animals do to prisoners. I also expect a decline in captured terrorists (a good thing).
Oh you know Murtha, the DUmmies and the leftists will use this as an excuse to scream about bringing our troops home.
While still trumpeting that Gitmo should close.
I prefer the Russian method, first their familes, then them WITH extreme prejudice.
Yes, yes I know...that is not our troops way.
Then we have those here in the states worried that the prisoners in Gitmo and oher places are being mistreated.
Michael Berg "wanna be" warning. MacKenzie looking for his 15 minutes.
Murtha?...
No, he wants to be sure to have all the facts before passing judgement.
To do otherwise would be wrong.
I'm sure Murtha thinks they deserved it.
Ms. Irey should call for his response on this. So quick to judge ours but what about this Murtha? Let's hear from you on this.
"I think the U.S. was too slow to react to this," MacKenzie said. "Because the U.S. did not have a plan in place, my nephew has paid with his life."
Old stream media loves this statement but I'll bet a lot was being done behind the scenes.
Prayers to these mens families.. and no mercy to their murderers.....
IT is time we start gutting these pigs like the animals they are.
My hatred for these bastards is beyond words.
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