Many US casualties in Nassiriya battle; Footage of POWs, including woman, shown on Iraqi TV

Al Bawaba ^ | 23-03-2003, 16:47

[Lessismore]

On Sunday afternoon, the Qatar-based television al Jazeera broadcast Iraqi TV, showing a videotape of at least 10 US POWs, including one female soldier, and a room with some 15 bodies of US troops. The live broadcast included also a footage of a battle field area in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya with additional corpses of US soldiers as well as struck military equipment.

The videotape has also shown how the Iraqis investigate the American POWs. The prisoners were questioned on air and gave their names, military identification numbers and home towns.

The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Air Force conceded that there were American soldiers missing, but said that there were fewer than 10 troops unaccounted for in southern Iraq.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld warned Sunday it was possible that Iraqi forces had taken U.S. prisoners, saying there were unaccounted soldiers and journalists in the combat zone.

He noted that under the Geneva Conventions governing prisoners of war, "It's illegal to do things to POWs that are humiliating to those prisoners."

Earlier, it was reported that U.S. Marines battled for control of Nassiriya, taking "significant" casualties in a fight to open a route north to Baghdad, military officials said.

Reuters quoted military officials as saying the Marine battalion spearheading the fight had suffered significant casualties in the battle.

A total of 11 U.S. soldiers were captured after taking a wrong turn, and 50 military personnel have been wounded in the massive firefight in Nassiriya, ABCNEWS reported Sunday.

According to the report, 11 soldiers, maintenance workers, had taken a wrong turn outside the city on a mission to carry out repair work. They were traveling in a column of vehicles that came under heavy fire, including from an Iraqi tank. The capture was observed by other forces nearby.

The firefight at Nassiriya blocked an advance by U.S. forces, who had earlier reported securing two key bridgeheads to enable them to cross the Euphrates and strike northwards toward the Iraqi capital.

Reuters said there was heavy U.S. helicopter traffic over the area, and that hundreds of U.S. military trucks and armored personnel carriers had stopped their advance.

Iraqi Information Minister Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf told a news conference in Baghdad that foreign invaders headed to Nassiriya had been "taught a lesson they will never forget." "We have placed them in a quagmire from which they can never emerge except dead," he said. (Albawaba.com)

[cyncooper]

I'm unaware of any evidence that hasn't been proven to be false connecting Iraq to 9/11.

Proven false? I don't think so.

You are under a false impression, I'm afraid.

[DocJ69]

My time was with men who was willing to die for you, as is my son who is serving for you as a Naval Officer now in the Gulf. Dissent is a freedom that fine men and women have died for and will die for.

[Catspaw]

Askel5 is gone? Tata, Askel5. She's much more comfy with her neo-Nazi buddies at LF.

Now shall we take bets on when she signs up again?

[Terriergal]

I fail to see why she was banned

She has been trolling for it for a long time along with her cohort labelldamesansmerci, blasting the US and sticking up for the abominable behavior of the French. Among other things. And whining any time questioned the Pope's statements on the war (to the point of getting one poster suspended for simply pointing out certain... inconsistencies in the Pope's stance), let's not forget.

[Terriergal]

catspaw did you read the posts on this thread that led to this occurrence? Absolutely flabbergasting that a person could be so insensitive.

[Catspaw]

Askel5 is a pig and will always be a pig.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[cyncooper]

but your intellect probably has a hard time grasping this

I observe you have an overweening sense of the capability of YOUR own intellect. You are not one who ought to be making pronouncements about others' "intellect".

LOL!

[cyncooper]

or are you just a another true believer marching in lockstep?

Here's a clue: Some people have earned trust and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that any intimations of a connection between Al Qaeda and Iraq will be fully demonstrated in time. You may doubt. No problem. But you state that it has been proven no connection and that is a lie.

I don't suffer from pacifism, just common sense.

And your sense isn't "common", obviously.

[Terriergal]

Taking a stand against the war should not be confused with "Saddam Coddling", but your intellect probably has a hard time grasping this.

It would be nice if you could explain the reason why taking a stand against a war in which we want to dispose of a regime that tortures people, innocent people included (not just enemy POW's) is not coddling said regime?

Instead of ad hominems, cuz, ya know, it's usually a better way to prove your point.

[KriegerGeist]

"E-bomb time, No more free TV in Iraq. Fast runners or carrier pigeons are the only means of communication from now on. Enough is enough."

I heard the General (or perhaps Sec. Rumsfeld) asked why we did not take out Iraq TV and I thought his reply was that it was located in a civilian area. And then went on to seem to relay a message to civilians to get as far away from those places as possible.

I thought that I read here on FR that they had smart bombs that are precision guided, but contain no high explosives, so that it would be, in effect, like dropping a car on whatever it was they wanted to break...in this case the Iraq TV station and tower...without disturbing the neighbors...

I could be wrong...I often am.

[Terriergal]

Let me ask you this: IF SADDAM HAD BEEN PAYING $25,000 TO THE FAMILY OF EVERY PILOT IN 9/11, WOULD THAT CHANGE YOUR MIND?

I'm betting no.

[Terriergal]

I don't suffer from pacifism

If you're willing to negotiate with the devil (and apparently, you are, since you're arguing for him here...) then yes, you cannot be anything but a pacifist, or else completely ignorant of the facts. Either one will cause you suffering.

[Pining_4_TX]

Perhaps I'm getting a little too emotional about all of this- but we seem to be adopting a military policy of trying to minimise Iraqi troop/civilian deaths at the cost of putting our own troops at extra risk.

Exactly. All because Bush wants everyone to think he's a nice guy liberator. No wonder these people have no fear of us. They know we won't do what it takes to completely defeat them. We should have wiped out several of these countries immediately after 9/11. You notice there aren't any politicians' kids risking their necks over there.

[RaceBannon]

you're right, I sure missed that one!

[Theophilus]

Much like your father squandered...

Hey, don't make it personal.

Askel5 is part of the "vox populi vox dei crowd". Ever heard of the "tyranny of the majority", Ash? Morality is determined by God not by the manipulated malcontented masses of the enslaved world and the elitist demagogues that rule them. Let God be true though every man be a liar. God bless and keep our POW's and may he guide our hands and our steps against our enemies till we recover our own to safety and freedom.

[Neets]

Gast'd my flabbers when I saw it too T-gal...

[Mustang]

Askel5 "was" a women....what is "she" now?

Kidding aside...I thought "it" was Ash. Now you have me thinking. Who was that mental midget clintoon butt-boy (a DC or VA Lawyer) and FR disrupter in '97-'98. He was the dude at the MFJ trying to shout down our speakers. At one point he was standing behind me. I almost clocked him with my Glock.

Mustang sends.

[Pro-Bush]

Posted On Pravda:

http://english.pravda.ru/war/2003/03/23/44879.html

The soldier spoke in English and at one point said: "I'm sorry. I don't understand you", Associated Press reported.

"I come to shoot only if I am shot at," one prisoner said.

Asked why he was fighting Iraqis, he replied: "They don't bother me; I don't bother them."

Another prisoner, who said he was from Texas, said only: "I follow orders."

A voice off-camera asked how many officers were in his unit. "I don't know sir," the soldier replied.

The pictures were shown on Iraqi TV and were relayed by Al Jazeera satellite television network.

The Pentagon expressed outrage over the footage.

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfield said Iraq was in breach of the Geneva conventions governing the accepted rules of war by showing the film.

He admitted some US soldiers may have been captured.

A senior US military official said up to 10 American soldiers are unaccounted for.

General Richard Myers, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the video was propaganda which violated the Geneva Convention for the treatment of prisoners of war.

"This is one more crime by the Iraqi regime," he added.

The soldiers are believed to be the first coalition soldiers captured by Iraq.

Private Joseph Person (Texas) said that he came to Iraq by the US command order. He refused to give the name of his commander. Private Seana (last name unknown, Texas) said that she came from the 508th repair battalion. Private Persie Millock said that he never shot or killed anyone. As he said, he came to Iraq by his command order. Private Andrew (last name illegible) is wounded.

[GirlShortstop]

E-bomb time, No more free TV in Iraq. Fast runners or carrier pigeons are the only means of communication from now on. Enough is enough.

Anyone know what the e-bomb effects are on *our guys*, special ops, who are supposedly in Baghdad area?

[Codie]

I doubt she was responsible for getting any poster banned.However,since she can't defend herself,we will never know,will we?