Iraqi authorities: 250 extremists killed
AP Photo: Iraqi soldiers take up positions at Zarqa, 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Najaf,...
Posted on 01/28/2007 11:06:07 AM PST by cgk
Edited on 01/28/2007 11:44:41 AM PST by Sidebar Moderator. [history]
| U.S., Iraqi forces kill 250 militants in Najaf Sun Jan 28, 2007 2:16 PM ET
NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. and Iraqi forces killed 250 gunmen in a fierce battle involving U.S. tanks and helicopters on the outskirts of the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf on Sunday, a senior Iraqi police officer said. The day-long battle was continuing after nightfall, Colonel Ali Nomas told Reuters, as tens of thousands of pilgrims converged on the nearby city of Kerbala for the climax of the Ashura commemorations. A U.S. helicopter was shot down in the fighting, Iraq security sources said. The U.S. military declined comment. A Reuters reporter saw a helicopter come down trailing smoke. Shi'ite political sources said the gunmen appeared to be both Sunni Arabs and Shi'ites loyal to a cleric called Ahmed Hassani. In Baghdad, 13 people were killed in bombings in mainly Shi'ite areas, police said. Twin car bombs targeting ethnic Kurds killed 16 people as night fell in the northern oil city of Kirkuk, whose population is a volatile mix of Kurds, Turkmen and Sunni and Shi'ite Arabs. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims have converged on Iraq's other main Shi'ite holy city, Kerbala, for Ashura, marking the 7th century Battle of Kerbala, which helped consolidate the schism between Shi'ite and Sunni Islam. It ends on Monday. It is the first time the 10-day annual ritual has been held since violence erupted last February between Iraq's majority Shi'ites and once-dominant minority Sunnis. Tens of thousands have since been killed in tit-for-tat killings. The governor of Najaf province said Iraqi troops fought a day-long battle with up to 200 Sunni gunmen, including foreign fighters, holed up in orchards on the northern outskirts of the city, seat of Iraq's most powerful Shi'ite clerics. Governor Asaad Abu Gilel told Reuters the authorities had uncovered a plot to kill some of the clerics on Monday, to coincide with the climax of Ashura. "There is a conspiracy to kill the clergy on the 10th day of Muharram," Najaf governor Abu Gilel said, referring to the day of the Muslim calendar on Monday. A Reuters reporter about 1.5 km (1 mile) from the fighting said he heard intense gunfire and saw U.S. helicopters rocket groves sheltering militants. He saw smoke trailing from one helicopter before it came down in the midst of the fighting. He was unable to see what had happened to the helicopter, but officers in Iraq's 8th Army Division and policemen said it had crashed and that the two crew members were dead. The U.S. military said it did not comment on operations still taking place. (Additional reporting by Aseel Kami, Sherko Raouf in Sulaimaniya) |
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Najaf
Iraqi authorities: 250 extremists killed
AP Photo: Iraqi soldiers take up positions at Zarqa, 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Najaf,...
Ansar al Sunna Claims Downing of Blackwater Helicopter
Jawa Report, TX - Jan 23, 2007
The Army of Ansar al Sunna, a Salafist terror organization in Iraq with ties to al Qaeda, has claimed the downing of a Blackhawk helicopter over Iraq. ...
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/186221.php
It's Shia. They are cleaning out the Mahdi Army in Southern Iraq. The Iranian's stooges are getting waxed.
I think the answer to that is, "Yes."
Just think of it in terms of the left and abortion.
Fornicate/abort/fornicate/abort/fornicate/abort
the only variation I can see with Muslims is
kill/holiday/kill/holiday/kill/holiday/holiday/kill/holiday/kill
And vice versa... a lot of them are running away into Iran as well.
Man, that would be a wake up call. After the UN/El Baradei business and their claim (then denial), of 3000 centifuges (it's on video, btw). We will go to the UN for no reason, then proceed to unleash on them. Those carriers aren't there for window dressing, the Aegis aren't either.
NOW, we're FINALLY doing what we should have been doing a couple of years ago! Prayers go out for the safety of our troops!!
Who slipped at AP? They're not supposed to show Iraqis fighting! s/
The past 3 years?
We've be fighting al-Qaeda and Sunnis insurgents in the North.
We've been training 350,000 Iraqi Security forces, now with many new Sunni recruits.
It's show time now against the Shia Militias. And we've got the power of the Iraqi Security forces backed by a constitutionally enpowered Iraqi government to help clean up its own fat-boy mess.
That's been the plan all along.
You think you know better than the generals.
You're "absurd".
Did the website state how many of their guys got waxed and are headed for 72 Helen Thomases?
They were doing it, not reported.
See post 146 and 143 for reference to a Sudanese captured.
Good to see the Iraqi Security forces taking out their own trash.
Surely they will have a picture of the helicopter at some point though!
That is interesting.
We havent had a headline grabbing, we are serious about this war action in 3 years. This has allowed the left and the media to rightly cry that we are mired down, with no plan for victory. You telling me that it was our plan to have our troops act as crossing guards this whole time only to get the go signal today?
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