5th Marines enter Baghdad suburbs (More on liberation of imprisoned Iraqi children)

United Press International ^ | April 8, 2003 | Richard Tomkins

[HAL9000]

WITH THE FIFTH MARINES, Iraq, April 8 (UPI) -- U.S. Marines rolled into northeastern suburbs of Baghdad Tuesday where thousands of cheering Iraqis yelled, "America, America, America," and "Bush, Bush, Bush."

The Marines, led by Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, entered the area after fording a tributary of the Tigris River.

Iraqis held up children, waved white flags and showed no hostile intent. The sincerity of their emotions was unquestionable.

The crescendo of welcome increased as an Iraqi woman led the Marines to a children's prison where than more than 160 youngsters were freed.

"It was really something, the children just streamed out of the gates and their parents just started to embrace us," said Lt. Col. Fred Padilla, commander of the 1st Battalion.

Further into the suburb, at a large Baath Party headquarters, the Marines had to push people back who wanted to welcome them. The crowd had been busy looting the headquarters of everything that wasn't nailed down.

At a nearby agricultural research factory and facility, scenes of people tearing away things was repeated. Again, there were cheers for the Marines.

"I feel really good today," said 1st Sgt. Bill Leuthe of Bravo Company. "I think we all do."

The suburb is definitely a poor section of the city with open sewers and garbage strewn everywhere.

Later a patrol of Marines went deeper into the suburb without incident. More such patrols were planned.

There was an incident that marred the entrance. At a village on the approach to the suburb, a man in civilian clothes jumped a wall and a ran toward the lead vehicle, nicknamed the "Pork Chop Express." Three Marines in another vehicle gunned him down when he put a rocket-propelled grenade launcher to his shoulder, preparing to fire.

The arrival in the suburb culminates a long journey for the 1st Battalion from the Kuwaiti border that began March 20 and further tightens the noose around Saddam Hussein and his Baath Party lieutenants.

Copyright © 2001-2003 United Press International

[EllaMinnow]

Thanks. I love these stories of the liberation.

But I am more appalled than ever by the deliberate blind eye of the UN and the Clinton administration.

[MattinNJ]

its important for us to all remember the ones that tried to keep saddam in power..UN, france, germany, russia and the democRATS...never forget!

That bears repeating.

[ibtheman]

Same brother, I served in the Corp. 83-87 1st. Batt.3rd marines. What I really like in this article, is 3 against 1. And here is my question, how many bullets were put into the rag head's body? Answer= nine rounds I bet, selector lever set to three round burdt! Ohrah! Reach out and touch someone!

[Dog]

I sure will cyn..

I'm stunned that they had toddlers in prison and lord knows what evil they did to them....this one really bothers me.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

The horrors are just starting to be revealed to the world!

OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST

[cyncooper]

this one really bothers me.

I know just what you mean.

Thanks for sending out the word.

[TheDon]

It's too bad that we, as a world community, only help people out like this when it coincides with our national interests. Though we have our own, very good, reasons for overthrowing Saddam and his regime, we will perhaps be better remembered for freeing the Iraqis from that regime.

[Carry_Okie]

Though we have our own, very good, reasons for overthrowing Saddam and his regime, we will perhaps be better remembered for freeing the Iraqis from that regime.

Perhaps not for long. The ease with which we did this will probably induce some pretty unrealistic expectations. Consider the French, and we saved their bacon twice.

[jtill]

Thanks for the ping. What a despicable hunk of inhumanity SH was (and I use the past tense because I'm actually praying that they got him last night).

[not-an-ostrich]

The soldiers are responsible for their freedom by their presence and laying their lives on the line, but didn't physically open the gates. We'll be lucky to here anymore than these few articles about the incident.

[kitkat]

***It's simply a result of the plan (and certainly not by design) that the Army went into the wealthy, high class, high profile area of West Baghdad and the Marines ended up going into the poverty-stricken Shiite s***hole East side of Baghdad.***

Thank you, John, for this further explanation of your earlier comment.

[houstonian]

...where thousands of cheering Iraqis yelled, "America, America, America," and "Bush, Bush, Bush."

Once more, for effect.

[tillacum]

And UNECEF had the audacity to report TO THE WORLD that about 400,000 children in iraq in danger of malnutrition?? Did they not know of the children's prisons in iraq? This is part of the UN? But then we've seen and heard of all the good works the un has done in Kosovo, Rowanda, Ethopia and all the at risk nations of the world. kofi annan had the temerity to have a behind the door meeting with his security council yesterday? Was this meeting set up to help the Iraq citizens or was it a meeting set up to hold their jobs?

As for Scott Ritter.......what a bum!!

[js1138]

And UNECEF had the audacity to report TO THE WORLD that about 400,000 children in iraq in danger of malnutrition??

3.5 million Africans murdered in the genocidal wars going on there, and not so much as a peep from the UN. It's true that you can't solve every problem in the world, but you can at least admit they exist.

[kellynla]

Ritter is history. I wish everyone would forget, ignore and not even post anything he says. Another jerk I'd like to meet in an elevator. The UN has lost what little credibility it ever had. They are only good for passing out food and water. Let's just pray that these next few weeks we don't lose too many troops in Iraq. Urban warfare can be very dangerous.