Marines bomb Fallujah mosque

Herald Sun (AU) ^ | 07 Apr 04 | Staff

[veronica]

US marines pressing an offensive in this Iraqi town west of Baghdad bombed a mosque in the center of the town Wednesday and killed up to 40 insurgents inside, a marine officer said.

The attack came from a jet aircraft at a high angle to minimize the impact, the officer said.

"We wanted to kill the people inside," said Lieutenant Colonel Brennan Byrne.

[dennisw]

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Last Update: Wednesday, April 7, 2004. 11:23pm (AEST)

US forces dig in on the outskirts of Fallujah. (ABC)

40 dead as US bombs Fallujah mosque

US Marines pressing an offensive in Fallujah, west of Iraq capital Baghdad, have bombed a mosque in the centre of the town and killed up to 40 insurgents inside, a Marine officer said.

The attack came from a jet aircraft at a high angle to minimise the impact, the officer said.

"We wanted to kill the people inside," said Lieutenant Colonel Brennan Byrne.

The officer said a Cobra helicopter gunship fired a Hell Fire missile at the mosque and then an aircraft dropped a laser-guided precision bomb.

Fallujah residents confirmed that the Abdulaziz al-Samarai mosque was hit along with the building of the Islamic Scholars' Association.

The officer said the marines carried out the raid as precisely as they could because there are people living nearby.

US forces say the insurgents, who are fiercely opposed to the US-led occupation of Iraq, were using mosques to fire on marines and to hide weapons.

Earlier on Wednesday, all the city mosques called for a "jihad" (holy war) against occupation forces amid intense bombardments and aircraft overflights, an AFP correspondent said.

The insurgents claimed in a communique to have shot down three US helicopters, destroyed two jeeps and two armoured vehicles.

They also claimed they were still in control of the city and had put US forces to flight.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Byrne said the Marines advancing from the south reached the centre of Fallujah amid fierce fighting on the third day of "Operation Vigilant Resolve" to flush out insurgents who killed four American contractors here last week.

"The Marines are now at the centre of the city," he told AFP.

It was not immediately clear if Marines advancing from the north had also reached the centre of Fallujah.

Meanwhile, the US army says one of its helicopters has been hit by small arms fire north of Baghdad, but landed safely with no reports of casualties.

A US spokesman says the helicopter landed near Baquba, 65 kilometres north of Baghdad.

In the town of Balad, one US soldier was killed and one wounded during a skirmish with insurgents.

Iraqi police in the town of Kerbala say Polish troops have killed the head of militant Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's office in the city.

And near Kirkuk, eight Iraqis have been killed when clashes broke out between US troops and demonstrators voicing support for Sunni resistance to the US-led occupation.

-- AFP/Reuters

[hellinahandcart]

It was the Church of the Nativity.

[TomGuy]

Even under Saddam, these kinds of thugs and insurgents hid weaponry in hospitals, schools, mosques, etc. They should be considered legitimate targets if they are used for 'other than religious' purposes.

Of course, the outcry wailing will be loud, but we'll just hand the Dems and liberals a tissue.

[lepton]

We really need to quit honoring their mosques, this is a war!

That's not the reason we should quit honoring their mosques. The reason we shouldn't honor them is that they don't.

[MEG33]

Sadr isn't in Fallujah.He's in Najev..and says he's left the very important Shiites Mosque there.

I figure they don't want him holing up in one of their holiest Shrines.His spokesman says he is in his office in the alley next to the Mosque.Who knows where he is..?

[cajungirl]

I am having a terrible dilemma here,,who do I despise the most, the terrorists or the democrats? I just can't decide, it is so close.

[fatima]

Thanks for the ping.

[greenwolf]

US marines pressing an offensive in this Iraqi town west of Baghdad bombed a mosque...

That's a good start.

[OXENinFLA]

The officer said a Cobra helicopter gunship fired a Hell Fire missile at the mosque and then an aircraft dropped a laser-guided precision bomb.

Priceless.

[Gritty]

If the Islamics want us to avoid hitting their mosques, they should stop using them as safe havens. It should be up to them, not up to us.

By the way, I can't remember wails of protest when Allied bombers destroyed some of the most beautiful cathedrals in Europe during WWII. And, the Germans weren't even hiding troops and arms in them!

If we insist on fighting this War PC, we will lose. Period. The Islamics are banking on that being our reaction and are taking full advantage of it.

[dennisw]

"CNN now reporting that the Marines in Fallujah are stacking Iraqis up "like cordwood".
__________________

I want to see a high kill ratio. If an American soldier must die, hopefully 10 Islamikazis die too.

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

I was amazed last night watching the news from Philadelphia - they interviewed a couple of military people (I was expecting your average liberal off the street) - both men said they wished the good things being done in Iraq would make the news and both said we had to continue with what we started.

When asked about the problems there, one Soldier said that he felt the folks thought that instantly all would be wonderful with jobs and rebuilding - he said they were frustrated that there were still problems going on and were just blaming America for those problems.

Stunning to have such a great story coming out of Philly

[Valin]

"We wanted to kill the people inside,"

That's generally why you drop a bomb on someone.

[hellinahandcart]

The officer said a Cobra helicopter gunship fired a Hell Fire missile at the mosque and then an aircraft dropped a laser-guided precision bomb.

Period. Exclamation point.

[cajungirl]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but shouldn't the word be "firewood". Maybe they should say stacking them up like cords of firewood. Just a minor critique.

[Shryke]

The reason we shouldn't honor them is that they don't.

Completely agree. I cannot stress how happy I am that the US military hasn't over-restrained itself in this situation. New lesson for the terrorists:

If you want to destroy a building, any building, hide in it. Nowhere is safe.

[The Good Doctor]

This is the feel-good story of the day!

[txrangerette]

No. This is Fallujah. Sadr is in
the south - Najaf.

[cajungirl]

I know, I am unaccustomed to feeling so lightheated. It is a fine thing to get some revenge.

[boxerblues]

Fox news is reporting that the attack was accomplished with a rocket from a helicopter. Who is right?

Who cares how it was done. Let the rats know they have no place to hide anymore.