Several U.S. Troops Die in Iraqi Ambushes

AP | 3/23/03 | ELLEN KNICKMEYER

[SauronOfMordor]

And lots of conscripts who genuinely want to surrender may be killed instead. Real smart.

Exactly. It IS smart, if your real objective is to prevent surrenders by your own side.

[gcraig]

No more prisoners. Kill them all.

[McGavin999]

It's just going to require a little more care when these people surrender. They should be made to stop a certain distance away, disrobe, and then come forward one at a time.

[gitmogrunt]

Each marine/soldier/airman is literally on his/her own, with the ground rules our leaders have set, when dealing with the "surrender" situation.

Kill 'em all, then court martial me, is what I'd say, under these stupid rules.

[Joy Angela]

***Today was PR Day***

Todays Iraqi attacks and FRAGGINGs
are TIMED Pr events to enhance the effect of Tonights
Oscar Anti-WAR "Duct Tape" aggression!!

The Oscars "Anti-War" Group
is "acting" as the Official Propandga Arm
of the IRAQI Army.

As if we didn't already know that.

Shame on these TRAITORS for encouraging
evil to befall our Soldiers!!

[lepton]

And lots of conscripts who genuinely want to surrender may be killed instead.

That's probably the point.

[panaxanax]

Right. We can kill them all now or face them later. We should have finished the job in '91.

Think about this...the poor children that we spared in '91 are now full grown Republican guards. Yep, spare no one and don't even take names.

LEVEL BAGHDAD TONIGHT!!!!

[panaxanax]

Does anybody else feel like we are walking into a trap?

[frnewsjunkie]

You got that right!

If these people don't want to be free... then leave our "card" as a souvenir (translated, bomb) and leave them to their own fate.

This is not a good day for our military. We have the power to wipe them out... and this piddling around isn't funny.

[demlosers]

LEVEL BAGHDAD TONIGHT!!!!

For Your Information, Baghdad is being bombed right now. It started at 0302 Baghdad time.

[cake_crumb]

I'm seeing different versions of the SAME STORY ALL DAY LONG. Getting on my nerves. The operation was a SUCCESS, and our troops were VICTORIOUS, with a kill ratio of about 50 to 1...maybe higher. Prayers for the families of our fallen heros...especially since it looks like this weekend's events are the only ones we're going to hear all week.

[cake_crumb]

"In the end, the Americans triumphed, knocking out eight tanks, some anti-aircraft batteries, some artillery and infantry, Abizaid said. But victory came at a cost: as many as nine dead, and an undisclosed number of wounded"

Note how the article is carefully worded to make a victory look like a loss. Disgusting. I hate the media.

[demlosers]

Yup
In truth, are KIAs are still very light as wars go. Your can count them on your fingers.

[neutrino]

Let's see now. We treat the Iraqis humanely, and they stab us in the back. Now what should we conclude? Hmm?

[af_vet_rr]

No more prisoners. Kill them all.

No, we don't need to stoop to their level (nor give them fodder when they claim we are the great satan), what we need to do is make sure our rear areas are actually clear. When our leadership says "such and such city is liberated/cleared/etc" and a couple of hours later somebody is reporting from that city right in the middle of a firefight, it's clear there is a problem. If the leadership keeps doing this, they create a false sense of security.

This "haul ass and bypass" doctrine isn't working and sounds a lot like what we did in Vietnam, where we'd go into an area, and then move on, allowing the enemy to sneak back in. Hell, the Iraqis are even dressing in civilian clothes. Granted most of our leadership entered the military after Vietnam, still there should be some institutional knowledge retained somewhere.

[F16Fighter]

Get rid of the 'embedded journalists,' then line the prisoners up.

[RightWhale]

It's an ancient tactic. Happens every war. The result, aside from a momentary tactical advantage is that in the future taking of prisoners becomes much more formal. No more sympathy. Come out, go stand over there, and wait until you are processed later when troops get around to it.

[stilts]

And lots of conscripts who genuinely want to surrender may be killed instead. That's probably the point.

I agree completely. If they use this tactic a few times and get us to change our tactics they might hope to influence other Iraqi soldiers that surrendering is just as risky as fighting.

I'm sure they will increase the caution they approach the surrendering Iraqis with but I would not classify the strategy as one of recklessly endangering our troops for the sake of being PC as others on this thread have indicated. By taking this extra risk we will greatly enhance how other surrendering Iraqis (the ones that aren't faking their surrender will be the ones that survive the war) and their families and civiians will view the US after the war. If we can get a strong alliance with Iraq that is broadly supported by the population our chances of turning other ME countries inceases.

It is important to frame this war in the broader picture of the worldwide war on terror. Shock and Awe is not just a great strategy in this war, but the show that they are putting on for the world with all the embedded media is giving all the rest of the countries on the short list a look at coming attractions. Hopefully this will save lives and combat down the road and will make a few of these countries rethink a few policies.

I see the policy of erring on the side of protecting cvilians and being open to surrender having wider ramifications as to how well we will create a new prescence for ourselves in the ME and how other countires citizens and leaders view the US.

[cake_crumb]

"Did anyone else juxtapose these two portions...?"

LOL...yes. Two different areas.

Actually, the article is a jumbled conglomeration of all the bad news and some of the good news from all over Iraq, regurgitated and thrown together in such a way as to apparently make the public think the allies are losing, and the only way they can stay alive is to bribe the natives with food.