Posted on 05/13/2007 5:18:54 AM PDT by jern
Edited on 05/13/2007 9:40:51 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Thousands of U.S. soldiers searched Sunday for three Americans who were missing after their patrol came under attack in an explosion that killed four of their comrades and an Iraqi army translator. Two bombings — one in northern Iraq and another at a market in Baghdad — killed at least 67 Iraqis.
The Islamic State in Iraq, an al-Qaida front group, said it had captured several soldiers in the attack, but offered no proof to back up its claim, posted on an Islamic Web site.
The search for the missing Americans began after insurgents attacked a patrol of seven U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter before dawn Saturday near Mahmoudiya.
The U.S. military said Saturday that five people were dead and three were missing.
On Sunday, U.S. spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell confirmed that the Iraqi interpreter was among the dead — and that all the missing were Americans. He said about 4,000 U.S. troops were involved in the search.
Caldwell said the bodies of the three slain soldiers and the Iraqi interpreter had been identified, but the military was still working to identify the fifth.
"Everybody is fully engaged, the commanders are intimately focused on this, every asset we have from national assets to tactical assets ... are being used ... to locate these three missing soldiers," Caldwell said.
Mahmoudiya is about 20 miles south of Baghdad in an al-Qaida-dominated area known as the "triangle of death." Two U.S. soldiers were massacred there last year after they disappeared at a checkpoint.
President Bush has been getting regular updates on the missing soldiers, Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, said in Washington.
Meanwhile, a suicide truck bomber crashed into the offices of a Kurdish political party, killing at least 50 people, including the police chief, and wounding scores, officials said. It was the second suicide attack in Kurdish areas of the north in four days.
The suicide truck bombing in Makhmur, 30 miles south of Irbil, badly damaged the office of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Massoud Barzani, leader of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Makhmur is just south of the autonomous Kurdish-controlled areas, but it has a substantial Kurdish population.
The blast also killed the police chief and damaged the mayor's office, officials said.
Ziryan Othman, the health minister of the Kurdish regional government, said at least 50 people were killed and 115 were wounded, including the city's mayor.
Cars were charred and crushed by the blast, with some flipped over. The tires of one appeared to have been incinerated. Most of the small KDP building appeared to have been destroyed, reduced to a pile of bricks. Other buildings had walls blown out.
A group of people hurriedly pulled a body from a demolished car.
Outside the hospital in Irbil, security guards closed the hospital to visitors and read a list containing the names of the wounded who had been admitted.
Hearing the names of his son and daughter, Qassim Amin, 61, a Kurd, thanked God that they had not been killed. Both are employees at the KDP party office, he said.
"Makhmur is an open, peaceful area, and al-Qaida is trying to destabilize it by causing fighting between Arabs and Kurds," Amin said.
In Baghdad, a parked car exploded near the popular Sadriyah market, killing at least 17 people and wounding 46, police said. The area has been hit by several blasts usually blamed on suspected Sunni insurgents, including a car bombing on April 18 that killed 127 people.
AP Television News footage showed a crater in the ground filled with debris, splintered wood, metal and a tire. A white truck appeared to be crumpled by the blast.
With violence on the rise, Caldwell also announced that an additional 3,000 forces have been sent to Diyala province, scene of heavy fighting.
Last week, the top U.S. commander in the north, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, said the U.S. didn't have enough troops to restore order in Diyala but more had been promised.
"There is a recognition clearly that up in Diyala there has been an uptick in the violence," Caldwell said at a news conference in Baghdad.
On Sunday, Iraqi gunmen drove into the Diyala capital of Baqouba, pulled two handcuffed men out of the trunk and shot them to death — one in view of a bustling market and the other near a movie theater, police and witnesses said.
"This is the destiny of traitors," the gunmen yelled as they shot their victims.
Three other civilians also were killed execution-style in a market in the city center, police said.
And so was MacArthur.... and Schwartzkopf
And there are a couple other generals whose names I can’t remember who were fired for voicing their belief in WINNING rather than all this political pussy-footing.
I am tired of it too... Arrest Pelousy or deny her entry back into the USA... the same for the others...
We need to expose the leakers and lock them up too...
TANKS for the link,,,”12 miles west” means the ambush was east of Yusufyia,,,that nails where...
Names will come out last. Probably in 3-4 days after all the families are notified. When announced, the names will appear here:
http://www.defenselink.mil/Releases/
Very little info coming out right now
Troops surrounded the town of Youssifiyah and told residents over loudspeakers to stay inside, residents said. They then methodically searched the houses, focusing on possible secret chambers under the floors where the soldiers might be hidden, residents said. The soldiers marked each searched house with a white piece of cloth.
Soldiers also searched cars entering and leaving the town, writing “searched” on the side of each vehicle they had inspected. Several people were arrested, witnesses said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070514/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq;_ylt=Aia3ohT2gOzslChkEuSg4O2s0NUE
“Stop being politicaly correct and say we will start leveling 1 town in 12 hours. No return? Town 2 and town 3, etc. This is 1 of the reasons I NO longer give to the RNC. They don’t realize we are at war with a religion, not a country.”
Al qaeda doesn’t care how many Iraqi villages we might level since they are mainly non-Iraqi mercenaries. The more Iraqi civilians we kill, the better the recruiting from all over the Muslim world is for the terrorists.
You cannot win an insurgency without winning the hearts and minds of the civilian population and you can’t win over the civilian population by killing them.
But if you get 'em by the short and curlies, their hearts and minds will follow.
Kill the insurgents, especially the foreign ones or those supported directly by foreign powers (Al Qaeda and al Sadar's militia in the second). The average Iraqi doesn't like them anyway. They might be afraid to cross them, but they don't like them.
And that is pretty much what we are doing, but with too few troops and not enough force along the borders away from the population centers.
Ships and Submarines
Deployable Battle Force Ships: 275
Ships Underway (away from homeport): 130 ships (43% of total)
On deployment: 110 ships (40% of total)
Attack submarines underway (away from homeport): 23 submarines (42%)
On deployment: 14 submarines (25%)
Ships Underway
Carriers:
USS Enterprise (CVN 65) - Atlantic Ocean
USS Nimitz (CVN 68) - Pacific Ocean
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) - Persian Gulf
USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) - North Arabian Sea
Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG):
USS Boxer (LHD 4) - Indian Ocean
USS Bohomme Richard (LHD 6) - South China Sea
USS Dubuque (LPD 8) - Indian Ocean
USS Denver (LPD 9) - South China Sea
USS Comstock (LSD 45) - Indian Ocean
USS Rushmore (LSD 47) - South China Sea
Bataan Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG):
USS Bataan (LHD 5) - Persian Gulf
USS Shreveport (LPD 12) - Persian Gulf
USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) - Persian Gulf
Amphibious Warfare Ships:
USS Tarawa (LHA 1) - Atlantic Ocean
USS Nassau (LHA 4) - Atlantic Ocean
USS Kearsage (LHD 3) - Atlantic Ocean
USS Ponce (LPD 15) - Atlantic Ocean
USS New Orleans (LPD 18) - Atlantic Ocean
USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) - Atlantic Ocean
USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) - Mediterranean Sea
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~NAVY.mil~~
CVN 68 should be there by now as well as part of
Boxer ESG...they’ll update Monday,,,maybe...
The May 11 listing:
Deployable Battle Force Ships: 276
Ships Underway (away from homeport): 136 ships (49% of total)
On deployment: 114 ships (41% of total)
Attack submarines underway (away from homeport): 21 submarines (38%)
On deployment: 15 submarines (27%)
Ships Underway
Carriers:
USS Nimitz (CVN 68) - North Arabian Sea
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) - Mediterranean Sea
USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) - Arabian Gulf
Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG):
USS Boxer (LHD 4) - Pacific Ocean
USS Bohomme Richard (LHD 6) - South China Sea
USS Dubuque (LPD 8) - Pacific Ocean
USS Comstock (LSD 45) - Pacific Ocean
Bataan Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG):
USS Bataan (LHD 5) - North Arabian Sea
Amphibious Warfare Ships:
USS Wasp (LHD 1) - Atlantic Ocean
USS Denver (LPD 9) - South China Sea
USS Ponce (LPD 15) - Atlantic Ocean
USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) - Atlantic Ocean
USS Rushmore (LSD 47) - South China Sea
Has anyone seen or heard anything on what unit was involved in this ambush?
My son's platoon was involved in that incident, and another in which two terrorists were KIA and three arrested (with one of those seriously wounded). I have not heard from my son since before this latest ambush by these terrorists. Updates when information comes in.
When we know, then you will know. We’ve received no word from Robert since before this latest terrorist act. I ask that all pray for the men and women of the 10th Mountain Division and all of our other troops who are presently searching for these missing soldiers. And please pray for the families of those slain and missing.
SD
They are all in our prayers.
people are VERY busy over there right now.
Remember: no news is good news.....
Yoa are right....My original question was sarcastically framed.
I have no illusions that our State dept has the willingness or the means to do anything right or meaningful.
Great to see that update,,,TANKS...
A name
On Sunday, the Islamic State of Iraq claimed that it had captured U.S soldiers in the deadly attack in the Sunni area, which is known as the “triangle of death” and is an Al Qaeda stronghold.
If the claim proves true, it would mark one of the most brazen attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq, a coalition of eight insurgent groups, including Al Qaeda in Iraq.
About 4,000 U.S. troops backed by aircraft, intelligence units and Iraqi forces have been scouring the farming area around Mahmoudiya and the nearby town of Youssifiyah for three days, as the military promised to make every effort available to find the missing soldiers.
On Monday, U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, IV said: “At this time, we believe they (the three soldiers) were abducted by terrorists belonging to al Qaida or an affiliated group, and this assessment is based on highly credible intelligence information.”
Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, another U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, pointed out earlier Monday that the terror network also had claimed responsibility for killing two U.S. soldiers whose mutilated bodies were found in the same area last year.
Late last month, the group named a 10-member “Cabinet” complete with a “war minister,” an apparent attempt to present the Sunni coalition as an alternative to the U.S.-backed Shiite-led administration of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
The family of Army Sgt. 1st Class James David Connell Jr., 40, of Lake City, Tenn., said he was among one of the four soldiers killed in the attack near Mahmoudiya.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,272060,00.html
Her DIL heard from him a week or so ago,,,They got another
extension,,,won’t be home till the middle of November,,,
that will be 19 months total time in Iraq,,,
Prayers Up...
GOD Bless The Troops...
URL: http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_5535577,00.html
Lake City soldier killed in attack
Family says sergeant first class one of five who died in ambush on patrol
By DARREN DUNLAP, dunlapd@knews.com
May 14, 2007
Every Sunday, the Connell family in Lake City gathers for dinner.
This past Sunday, they gathered to mourn the passing of Sgt. 1st Class James David Connell Jr., 40, a platoon sergeant in the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division who was killed Saturday during his second tour in Iraq.
Family members said he was one of five killed when his patrol came under attack near Mahmudiyah, Iraq. Connell’s family learned of his death Saturday afternoon.
The Pentagon has not confirmed the identities of the four U.S. soldiers and one Iraqi interpreter who were killed during the attack. It happened at 4:44 a.m. Saturday, according to the American Forces Press Service.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said three other soldiers in the patrol were missing. An al-Qaida front group claims to have taken the soldiers, according to The Associated Press. Mahmudiyah is about 20 miles south of Baghdad in an al-Qaida-dominated area known as the “triangle of death.”
When Connell was in East Tennessee on leave earlier this month, he visited Lake City Middle School and talked about the work and the military lifestyle, his children said Sunday.
He spoke to his 12-year-old son Bryan’s class and 14-year-old daughter Courtney’s class.
Family members said Connell had just recovered from a shrapnel wound to his one of his legs when he came home for two weeks of leave.
“He’s a hero,” Courtney said.
She said that during her father’s leave, he took each of his three children out of school for one day to spend the day with them. He took his oldest son, 16-year-old Nick, horseback riding in the Smokies. He took Bryan to Knoxville Center and to a movie.
Courtney wanted to go to West Town Mall. She wanted to get a pedicure and so did her father. They got them together, she said, her face brightening at the memory.
Nick said his father lived in a village in Iraq two weeks at a time and patrolled two weeks at a time. He couldn’t talk about where he was exactly, said Nick.
“He said it was hard,” said Courtney.
In the back bedroom of the Connell home, Connell’s father, James Sr., looked at pictures from his son’s most recent military leave on a flat-screen monitor.
The pictures appeared one at a time, an electronic slide show from just one week ago when the family had celebrated Bryan’s birthday.
In one picture, he stands on a trampoline with the younger children of the family. In another, he sits in uniform on the couch with his two sons.
Connell has three brothers and one sister, all present Sunday. He played little league in Lake City and graduated from Anderson County High School in 1984. He grew up in the house where the family was gathered Sunday.
“He’s just a real good son,” said James Connell Sr. “Everybody loved him.”
The family plans a memorial service in Lake City at Hatmaker Funeral Home. No time or date has been set.
Jeff Connell said his brother would be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.
Sgt. 1st Class Connell is the 29th member of the military with East Tennessee ties to die in Iraq.
Prayers up for Lt. Col Mourchauser’s task force and your house-mate’s son.
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