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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You're confused. It's Da Joooos who hide behind rocks & trees. Don't you read your Q'ran?
Moslems hide in ambulances, hospitals, and mosques; or behind women, and children.
I just hope the military doesn't have to buy hunting licenses...with special tags for Al Qaeda, Sunni Terrorists, Shi'ite Terrorists...
"Do you want an Upland Gamebird tag with your license?"
Hi kiddo....good to see you here on Sunday.
You guys having any of this cold weather??
So, is this a Sunni or a Shia movement, or some kind of weird mixture? The various reports seem almost to be referring to two separate forces: A Shiite splinter militia led by this Sadr rival in Najaf and a force of Sunni insurgents plotting to attack pilgrims and/or clerics in Karbala and/or Najaf.
You do recall that he fought it tooth and nail and demonized those who supported it, right? And only signed it when it was clear that it had enough support to over-ride his veto, and even then begrudgingly. When it was shown to clearly work, he then claimed credit for it.
Its cold enough!
Just lurkin' anc channel surfing looking for war coverage.
I could be searching for a while.....
The democrats are doing their best to stop us from having victory. Pulling out all the stops to trip our military and its commander in chief from bringing this all to a successful end.
Whatever they are, they are Islamo-facists bad guys and need to be killed in vast numbers. We are doing this right now and that's good.
That being said, we need to take on the Mahdi Army, too.
I am doing the same thing...
Usually Fox has LIVE news all day on Sunday..but they are re-showing the special about Hezbollah in America, which is good...but I have seen it.
I want LIVE news..this is a HUGH story, IMO.
Stay safe and GOOD HUNTING
May be just one force planning not to attack pilgrams in general, but aiming to assasinate Sistani and other high level clerics and put their leader in charge.
As I have commented before, I hope the virgins turn out to be this very harvest of terrorists.
It seems to be over though. We are getting the post event news reports.
OK, perhaps, but is it a Sunni force or a Shiite force? That is the key question.
Coming soon to a seeBS newscast: EEEEEEVVVVVEEEL Americans commit GENOCIDE outside Najef while American casualties mount in THIS INCREASINGLY UNPOPULAR WAR"
No, never any mention of Iraqi troops, since according to the mass media they do not exist.
Still praying for our side.
I believe the perps were Sunnis.
Good job boys.
Incoming, alot of 72 virgins!!!!!!!
Just a wedding party.
CNN is very upset about this.
Depends on how much they're willing to pay us
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