Fighting Continues in Nasiriya, Nicknamed 'Ambush Alley'

nytimes.com ^ | March 24, 2003 | MICHAEL WILSON

[EaglesUpForever]

but they want to fight. Now it's just smash mouth football

I hope he's telling the truth. I could care less if 1 million Iraqi civilians die. It would be 100% Saddam's fault, as they (in keeping with the main Islamic "religious" precept of "civilians are disposable on both sides") have chosen to use the Iraqi people as human shields.

[cincinnati65]

For all up on the industrial complex (such as it is) in this town, and beyond the civillians involved, is there any reason that this shouldn't be a greasy spot in the road at this point?

[Blood of Tyrants]

Exactly as we suspected, Saddam is using women and children as shields.

[taxcontrol]

Now it's just smash mouth football

---

Well said. Now is the time of the grunt. Planes may rule the skys, tanks and artillery the country side, but now is the time for feet on the ground. Now it gets ugly.

[Destro]

I guess because you can't carpet bomb people you are liberating.

[Right Brother]

Saddam is using women and children as shields.

So my question is this:

At what point do we determine that American losses or potential losses are at a level that warrants an abandonment of 'humane' warfare?

[CrimeOf73]

Agreed. I am far more concerned about US Marines staying alive.

[faithincowboys]

we should use our effing capabilities, did we spend all that money on bombs and aircraft not to use it? let's hit the MFs!! I'd rather save John and Bill than Muhammad and Khalid anyday of the week. let's get it together!!!

[anymouse]

ping

[Blood of Tyrants]

IMO, it will be a case by case basis. If the troops are using women and children as shield and shooting from behind them, we have no choice.

[onedoug]

We can fight and win guerilla wars.

[FBD]

WINNING BIG!

[UncleSamUSA]

Godspeed to our Brave Marines.

And unpleasant as it sounds, I hope their attitude toward the "martyrs" of Saddam who are intentionally using civilians as human shields and are posing as civilians before ambushing our toops is: "Take no prisoners".

[kesg]

"If he puts his combat forces near hospitals, schools, or anything else that uses that area to direct fire, we will engage the enemy wherever he is shooting at us. The enemy commander is responsible for any collateral damage caused by putting enemy forces near a protected site."

Exactly. If only our politicians had the courage to say the same thing.

[XJarhead]

I could care less if 1 million Iraqi civilians die.

Well, I could. We didn't go there to kill a million civilians. I trust the commanders on the ground to adjust the rules of engagement as necessary to handle a fluid situation. Civilian deaths are something we should try to avoid where possible. That doesn't mean we avoid them at all costs.

[Little Bill]

Street fighting sucks, as any marine who was at Hue can tell you, had a couple of cousins there, nasty work.

[EaglesUpForever]

I don't mean we should just bomb them indiscriminately, I mean that as long as the Iraqi military hides behind civilians, as seems to be their devout policy (the only thing that islam seems devout about is murdering civilians), we should be prepared for that scale of tragedy. It is Saddam's fault, and the fault of his enablers.

[boris]

"'There are no cluster munitions at all. We are not supposed to be firing cluster munitions into the city,' he said."

So let me get this straight. The commanders--situated comfortably back in Washington--are denying our soldiers the tools they need to win?...What does this remind me of?...Does the name Vietnam sound familiar?--when LBJ decided the list of targets and non-targets according to some inner voice?

Bring out the cluster munitions, the bouncing betties, the suck-you-lungs-out thingies.

--Boris