U.S. Marines leave trail of death on road north

Reuters | 3/26/03 | Sean Maguire

[kattracks]

U.S. Marines leave trail of death on road north

By Sean Maguire

NORTH OF NASSIRIYA, Iraq, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Marines pushing north towards Baghdad left a trail of death on Wednesday as they fought off sporadic Iraqi attacks along the way.

This correspondent saw about two dozen corpses among wrecked vehicles littering the road north of Shatra, including a bus with its back end blown off and bodies hanging out of the back.

Iraqi small-arms fire had erupted earlier in the town of Shatra, 40 km (25 miles) north of Nassiriya, where the Marines had fought their way across the Euphrates river on Tuesday.

U.S. artillery fired back, allowing the Marines to get through Shatra after a two-hour delay.

A small armoured reconnaissance unit went ahead of the main convoy, clearing the road and setting up "security corridors" in each of several small mudbrick towns along the road.

The main convoy of several hundred military vehicles forged cautiously on, passing stark evidence of the firepower used by the advance unit to quell any Iraqi resistance.

A corpse sprawled by two charred trucks. Further down the dusty two-lane highway lay a burned-out car and a minivan with its windows shot out. Two handcuffed Iraqis appeared.

Near a wrecked bus were several corpses and scattered body parts on the road. A truck was still burning. To the right, a small fuel tanker truck was ablaze.

Two men knelt by the road with their hands in the air, watching the convoy head north through scrubby countryside dotted with palm trees, passing more destroyed vehicles.

Another bus, which appeared to have been heading northwards in the same direction as the Marine convoy, had bodies protruding from what was left of its shattered rear.

Marine officers had said they were ready for more resistance along Highway 7 leading to Kut, some 150 km (95 miles) southeast of Baghdad, especially from militia units like the Saddam Fedayeen, who had held the Marines up for two days in Nassiriya.

They said they were using armour and tanks to protect the convoy, balancing the need to guard themselves against Fedayeen ambushes and the need to protect innocent civilians.

The Marine commander has told his men to fire only if fired on, and then only if they had "clear eye contact" with a target.

U.S. military officers have been warned that thousands of Fedayeen might be heading south from Kut down Highway 7. They were also expecting to meet regular Iraqi troops on the road.

03/26/03 07:19 ET

[ArGee]

U.S. Marines leave trail of death on road north

Sounds like the Marines are doing their job.

With all due respect (any?) for the departed, you don't call the Marines unless you want people dead. They don't negotiate, they don't compromise, and they don't fail. In the words of Rush Limbaugh, they kill people and break things, often at great risk to life and limb.

Thank you, Marines.

Shalom.

[wku man]

An old high school buddy of mine is part of that Marine drive through Iraq. Knowing his temper, I'm sure he's responsible for a few of those corpses. We're proud of ya, Mikey.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[CholeraJoe]

I can see the headline on al Jazeera:

U.S. Forces Targeting School Buses

[Robert Drobot]

It's articles like this that are the stuff of enemy sympathizer Peter Jennings, as well as the anti-capatalist Democrat Party, and the anti-America Gorbachev Foundation.

[Alkhin]

The reporter is doing his utmost best to turn our soldiers into the babykillers they want to hate so badly. Whose idea was it to 'embed' these pukes? Why are they allowed to do this?

[RightWingMama]

Definition of War - to kill people and break things!
Some of these idiot reporters have not figured that out yet.

[ez]

Two dozen corpses qualifies as a "trail of death"? C'mon...

I was actually hoping for a little wider trail.

[JusPasenThru]

Gosh! You mean somebody might get hurt?

[hobbes1]

Well, I certainly hope, Late at night, around the campfire, the CO's (Who would be the only ones OLD enough to have heard the stories from men that had been there.....) Are telling these boys stories about Chesty Puller and the Chosin Resevoir, or The WWII Pacific Island Hopping Campaign....

They Might also consider dropping some of these Historical leaflets on the RG, so they know what is coming.

I see a Pale Horse headed for Baghdad....

[oyez]

Thats right, ripple the sh t out 'em. War is Hell. Its even worse if you are loosing. Patton was right all the way.

[CholeraJoe]

I see several Pale Horses Headed for Baghdad.

[Afronaut]

"U.S. Marines leave trail of death on road north"

Invading U.S. Marine Killers leave trail of death on road north.

[sinclair]

When you combine the words “compassion” and “war” you get “DEFEATED”.

[hardhead]

'Kill 'em all, let God sort them out'.

[hobbes1]

heh heh......This war need a slogan.....Like "Quit now, and go Home Alive"

[CholeraJoe]

Or "If you run, you'll only die tired."

[TADSLOS]

U.S. Marines pushing north towards Baghdad left a trail of death

That's what Marines do. Good work, USMC! Semper Fi!

[CholeraJoe]

I forgot one. The 1st UK Armoured.

[hobbes1]

I like that better!

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

When dealing with militant? Islam, for every one killed, three more are ready to take the dead's place. Big problem we have.

You are correct ...... we better use bigger ordnance.