Posted on 03/23/2003 3:23:15 PM PST by kattracks
Several U.S. Troops Die in Iraqi Ambushes
By ELLEN KNICKMEYER .c The Associated Press
NASIRIYAH, Iraq (AP) - The fiercest fighting yet in the battle for Iraq flared Sunday near this city on the Euphrates River. By ambush and faked surrender, Iraqi forces killed, wounded and captured Americans - and some of them, alive and dead, were exhibited on Iraqi television.
The firefights at Nasiriyah drew some attention from the relentless advance of the U.S.-led forces, now less than 100 miles from Baghdad after four days of the ground war. Scores of American military personnel landed in Kurdish territory, as the move to open a northern front gathered strength.
``I think we're advancing more rapidly than anyone could have expected,'' said U.S. Maj Gen. Daniel P. Leaf, who coordinates the coalition's air campaign.
But at Nasiriyah - 233 miles southeast of Baghdad, near the ancient town of Ur, birthplace of the patriarch Abraham - the allied juggernaut sustained its worst casualties so far.
And in the face of that resistance, Marines officials said they expected to move around Nasiriyah rather than through it on their march to Baghdad.
American authorities detailed two bloody battles, both near Nasiriyah:
Marines encountered Iraqi troops who appeared to be surrendering. Instead, they attacked - the start of a ``very sharp engagement,'' said Lt. Col. John Abizaid, deputy commander of the Central Command.
These were, Abizaid said, a combination of regular and irregular forces - in fact, he said, it was one of the few times regular Iraqi soldiers have fought, instead of surrendering or deserting.
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.
A six-vehicle Army supply convoy apparently took a wrong turn, ventured into dangerous territory and was ambushed. The vehicles were destroyed, and a dozen soldiers were missing; it was believed that it was they who were shown on Iraqi TV, some of them dead in a morgue and the others interviewed.
Four others were wounded, and were evacuated later by Marines passing by.
The battles underscored the risks of the mission in Iraq, but U.S. military leaders insisted that they would not slow the drive to Baghdad.
Officials would not say when they expected to arrive at the capital city.
Long columns of Marines and their equipment advanced along the main road from Kuwaiti border to Nasiriyah, where units were crossing the Euphrates.
Part of the 3rd Infantry Division had reached the area of the Shiite holy city of Najaf - further ahead from Nasiriyah in the approach to Baghdad - after a 230-mile, 40-hour sprint through the desert, killing 100 machinegun-toting militiamen along the way.
When more than 30 Iraqi armored vehicles were spotted heading toward the 2nd Brigade's positions, air support was called in; A-10s and B-52s hammered the Iraqis, and the Army didn't have to fire a shot.
Allied aircraft had flown more than 6,000 sorties, softening resistance in advance of the ground war and focusing on Saddam Hussein's elite Republican Guard.
Pilots who hit Baghdad on Sunday said ground fire was lighter than expected.
``It was less than the first night,'' said Lt. j.g. Scott Worthington, 25, an F/A-18 Hornet pilot from Seattle, Wash., and assigned to Strike-Fighter Squadron 151. ``I'd say tonight was less intense. Not nearly as much.''
In the north, airstrikes were reported against strongholds of Ansar al-Islam, a militant Islamic group with alleged ties to al-Qaida and Baghdad. Bursts of anti-aircraft fire were heard from the direction of Mosul, and Iraqi television reported that Saddam's hometown, Tikrit, had been bombed several times.
Kurdish officials reported that scores of American military personnel had landed in the northern zone they control. Abizaid would only say forces were ``reinforcing our presence and targeting elements of regime support units in the Republican Guard.''
In western Iraq, he said, the forces went after Iraqi logistical targets, command and control facilities and commando units.
Authorities said the number of Iraqi prisoners in allied custody was about 2,000. About 200 were being held at the Tillil Air Base, a dilapidated complex near Nasiriyah that has been idle since 1991.
Sgt. 1st Class William Jordan of St. Mary's Court, Md., guarded three rectangular prisoner pens surrounded by concertina wire.
The prisoners sat impassively as identification tags were pinned on them. Most wore green Iraqi military uniforms, but some were also dressed in civilian clothing, including jogging suits and traditional Arab robes and headdress.
They were given MREs and water; ultimately, they were expected to be moved toward Kuwait for ``processing,'' interrogation by military intelligence officials.
The war continued to be a strange mix. There was tough resistance in some spots, but there was none at all in others.
As soldiers from the 101st Airborne division moved through the Iraqi desert, villagers lined up along the highway to greet the troops with two pressing questions: Are you friendly? And is food coming?
Through an interpreter, Col. Michael Linnington assured village leaders that U.S. forces were indeed friendly and that U.N. relief workers would bring food.
``We are here to help return the country to the way it used to be. we are here to help the Iraqi people. That's it. And to take out Saddam's government,'' Linnington said.
Villagers peered with curiosity at the soldiers - many waved and smiled. One young boy saluted to the troops; another said ``welcome'' in English. Their leaders nodded enthusiastically when they heard that food would arrive soon.
Exactly. It IS smart, if your real objective is to prevent surrenders by your own side.
Kill 'em all, then court martial me, is what I'd say, under these stupid rules.
That's probably the point.
For Your Information, Baghdad is being bombed right now. It started at 0302 Baghdad time.
Note how the article is carefully worded to make a victory look like a loss. Disgusting. I hate the media.
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.
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.
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.
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