Al-Jazeera's Basra hotel bombed

The UK Guardian ^ | 04-02-03 | Jason Deans

[AmericanInTokyo]

Not to second guess here in an armchair sense (I'm guilty like others!), but I believe the initial strategy was to keep Iraqi TV/Radio up and running as we wanted to hijack it and use it as an infrastructure mechanism in place to broadcast our psy ops, and it also provided good BDA value. That has not happened. Instead it (along with al Jazeera) has been allowed to constantly broadcast images of Saddam urging loyalty, and aired the Shiite and Sunni top clerics in Iraq telling people if they do not support Jihad, they will go to hell. That is part of the reason we are having resistence. Only now, in the last week, are we committed to really bombing the crap out of Iraq TV. al Jazeera left unharmed, but I assume errant bombs will be lost and find their way by mistake to some al Jazeera ground satellite equipment, etc. We do have TV/Radio broadcasting capabilities into Iraq which we are doing as well. Basra TV should be ours shortly, so that is a start. We may have to destroy their infrastructure, then put a TV system in the field ourselves and broadcast the truth.

[L_Von_Mises]

No casualties were reported in the incident, but al-Jazeera said it would be writing to the Pentagon again to provide full details of the location of all its journalists and bureaux in Iraq.

I guess next time we will have a better fix on their location - LOL

[ffusco]

The incorrect assumption will be made here by our media is that this was another example of the problems for the U.S. and their missile guidance system technology.

Translation: Plausable Deniability

[101viking]

"Instead it (along with al Jazeera) has been allowed to constantly broadcast images of Saddam urging loyalty, and aired the Shiite and Sunni top clerics in Iraq telling people if they do not support Jihad, they will go to hell. That is part of the reason we are having resistence."

Or, they were allowed to broadcast the propaganda to encourage anyone with a desire to fight, to come out and pick one. Clever way to get the enemy to flush themselves out. Anyone who is backwards enough to be duped into fighting a "holy war" for a repressive dictator is likely to be trouble after the war as well. Better to flush them out and bag them now, saving our boys and girls the future headache.

[cookcounty]

If Al-Jazeera is upstairs, it's time for a surprise BASEMENT INSPECTION.