Heavy Fighting in AR Ramadi Iraq~~~ Sadr's fighters have attacked US Forces.

Fox News

[BushMeister]

Yes, but I don't think Bush wants to activate entire division of NG troops, and send them to Iraq in an election year, especially after the DOD released a troop rotation plan that showed a drawdown in absolute numbers. It would clearly look as if Bush had misjudged the threat in Iraq. Sending additional troops would be OK in my eyes, if necessary (winning the War is paramount), but it would be awful politically.

If some unavoidable emergency arose, all bets would be off. I just don't see Bush pushing the envelope as far as new troop deployments or new battlefields in '04 if he can possibly help it.

[Getsmart64]

Dude...you need to write YOUR Democrat leadership and tell them to start supporting the war...instead of fighting it....

[BushMeister]

Washington Post chiming in with this:

Gen. John P. Abizaid, the senior commander in the Middle East, has asked for contingency plans for increasing the number of troops in Iraq. No decision has been made to supplement the 134,000 troops now there, and White House officials said it was unclear whether such a move would help the situation.

Wonder what his "contingencies" are? Maybe some of the troops already in Iraq that have been there less than 1 year will stay.

[Getsmart64]

"I don't know if it is official yet who exactly attacked the Marine compound.I thought it was Sadr's Shiite bunch,but since then,the reports aren't firm.I think some of these young men are nationalistic."

Reports from the american leadership in Ramaldi say the attackers were well trained and used trained tactics...I'm thinking these guys were part of the Republican Guard that ran away to fight another day.....

[txradioguy]

There are two ways to go at it if you ask me.

1. Tell the people honestly that no one, NO ONE can predict what's going to happen on a daily basis over there right now because of the prople trying to creat havoc as the turnover of authority draws nerar. Hence we are sending more troops to ensure the handover goes as smoothly as possible.

2. We take the 500 pound gorilla off the commanders backs over there and let them start speaking in a language that all Iraqi's understand. Having their skulls cracked for GP. Commanders are going to be less anxious to fire on hostiles knowing there is going to be a mandatory investigation by JAG to make sure it was a "righteous shoot" (justified act in cop speak). You get that preassure off the backs of the troops and let them do what they've trained to do all their lives and thigs will quiet down REAL fast.

[txradioguy]

Well unless you count the troops and units that are just arriving in country there are NO units who've been in Iraq less than 1 year as of this hour.

[Getsmart64]

" . . . . we haven't played cowboys and muslims, yet . . . . "


lol....well put....

[O Neill]

PS: God bless our brave armed forces and keep them safe as they destroy our enemies...

Amen! They need our support now more than at any time since the Iraq attack began, precisely because Blather, Brokenjaw, Squire Jennings, Teddy ('Water Rescue' expert) Kennedy, Howie Dean and now Johnny bin Kerry ('Throw medals as I say, not as I do') have stirred up a whole bunch of doubts & 2nd-guessing. I could FEEL the waffling at my workplace today. Courage has arrived, however, in the unexpected form of a high-school youngster from Orange, California, and her rapidly-catching-on website...

amillionthanks.org

I hope all will check it out and support the effort by dropping a card, letter or email to our troops, world-wide!

Good night...and may God bless our troops!! As all true Freepers know, freedom isn't free.

[BushMeister]

Dude...you need to write YOUR Democrat leadership and tell them to start supporting the war...instead of fighting it....

My Senators are Hillary and Schumer. I annoy them on issues every few weeks, but, really, what good does it do? Hillary's a Stalinist in a pink dress, and Chuckie is a Bolshevik.

But they're not MY democrat leaders. Not sure what you mean. BTW, aren't you the one who was threatening to kill converts to Islam the other day?

[MEG33]

It could be they took the opportunity while we were involved with Fallujah.It will be awhile before we know who,I suppose.I anxiously await tomorrows news and pray for our forces and their leaders.

[BushMeister]

Well unless you count the troops and units that are just arriving in country there are NO units who've been in Iraq less than 1 year as of this hour.

What about 1st Armored? Not sure when they got there. I think you're right about 4th ID (they were in theatre well before the invasion, weren't they?) and the ACRs. The 173rd landed in the north of Iraq during the war, I think.

[DoughtyOne]

I think we agree it was barbaric and definately shades of Mogadishu to be sure. I must say I am concerned with reports that we only have 1000 or so troops on scene where that took place. A show of force with ten times that many would please me just fine.

[DoughtyOne]

In my opinion every one of those guys with the green scarves you take out, you save about 1,000 lives. Pardon me if green isn't the new red (as in bullseye) this season.

[txradioguy]

There were two battalions of the 3rd Bde. 1st Armored Div. (1/41 Infantry and 2/70th Armor) that fought the ground war as heavy battalions for the 101st and 82nd Airborne, provided rolling escort for the 5th Corps head shed as it moved up from Iraq and even assisted (2-70th Armor) in providing cover for the SF operators who rescued Jessica Lynch. The rest of 3rd Bde. 1st AD arrived in late March through mid-April with the rest of the division following on in late April from Germany.

Those us in 3rd Brigade 1st AD will finish returning to Ft. Riley this month. The rest of 1AD will be back in Germany by the first part of May.

The 2nd and 3rd ACR were there for the ground war as was the 173rd out of Italy. Infact the 173rd earned their gold combat jump star's (mustard stains) when they jumped into the north and then linked up with the Kurds to start the northern offensive and rout the al-Qaeda cell out from north of Mosul.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Kennedy, a Senator used the word, Quagmire, and thus officially opened up its usage again.

So where are the Republican Senators who should tell this fat disgusting bag of offal to sit down and shut up?

[txradioguy]

Green makes just as good a target as red. It all looks the same through the sights of my M-16.

[TexKat]

South Koreans Held for a Day by Shiites

By SANG-HUN CHOE, Associated Press Writer

SEOUL, South Korea - Two South Korean aid workers were set free Tuesday, a day after being detained by a Shiite group in southern Iraq, a South Korean Foreign Ministry official said.

The two men were doing relief work in the southern city of Nasiriyah on Monday when shooting erupted between Italian forces and Shiite militiamen, said the official.

"During this gunfight, the Shiite men held the South Koreans because they were foreigners," the official said on condition of anonymity. "But after finding that they were South Koreans, the Shiite men released them the following day."

The two were in Baghdad following their release, the official said. Seoul has received no report of injuries of the men.

Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said Friday that the incident will not affect Seoul's decision to send 3,600 troops to Iraq.

South Korea will send a site survey team to the Kurdish region of northern Iraq on Friday to choose between Sulaimaniyah and Irbil as the site for its troops dispatch, Ban said.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency and Japan's Kyodo news agency had cited French radio reports as saying the two men were kidnapped in southern Iraq by a Shiite militia group called the al-Mahdi Army.

Kyodo said they were taken while the militia battled Italian troops near Nasiriyah.

The al-Mahdi Army demanded the pullout of Italian forces in exchange for their release, French radio reported, according to Kyodo.

The al-Mahdi Army is a private militia loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The militiamen have battled troops from the U.S.-led coalition for three days.

South Korea has been on guard against possible attacks and reprisals for its contributions to the U.S.-led alliance. Seoul plans to send 3,600 troops to Iraq, making it the biggest coalition partner after the United States and Britain.

[LdSentinal]

Instead of the Tet Offensive, they should call this uprising the "Ted Offensive."

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Kennedy, a Senator used the word, Quagmire, and thus officially opened up its usage again.

Kennedy probably thinks it would be no different that when he pulled out of his Buick at Chappaquidic. Just like Clinton did later. Grope, prematurely you-know-what, crash, and run. The proven Democrat formula for success.

[tbird1]

Sen. McConnel called Kennedys speech "incendiary" on the floor of the Senate this morning. (but he didn't even stomp his foot)
tbird1