Baghdad Archbishop Says People Didn't Expect Market Bombing

Zenit News Agency ^ | Date: 2003-03-26 | N/A

[ArrogantBustard]

Baghdad Archbishop Says People Didn't Expect Market Bombing

BAGHDAD, Iraq, MARCH 26, 2003 (Zenit.org).- The missiles that hit a Baghdad market "caused widespread dismay among the population," says Latin-rite Archbishop Jean Benjamin Sleiman of Baghdad.

The archbishop told the Misna missionary agency today that "until this moment the people believed that the United States had a practically perfect technique."

Archbishop Sleiman said he was not personally on the scene of the bombing, which reportedly left at least 14 people dead.

"However, everyone is talking about it," he said. "The people were caught off guard and now are frustrated and discouraged. It may have been a mistake, but in any case it caused a tragedy."

Archbishop Sleiman added: "Also today numerous explosions were heard, though less frequent than yesterday, and a new alert siren went off around a half-hour ago. In the meantime the terrible sandstorm afflicting the nation for days continues. There is so much sand in the air that even the blasts are somewhat muffled."

[ArrogantBustard]

1) The Iraqi population isn't just mohammedans.

2) They don't get Fox News. We know that the market explosion was probably an Iraqi SAM. They don't and it would behoove us to get that information (and other facts of similar nature) to them. Taking saddam's TV off the air was a good first step; I hope that Commando Solo is broadcasting non-stop.

[ambrose]

Do you these yo yos get this worked up with Saddam goes on one of his periodic purges of dissidents? Thought not...

[Welsh Rabbit]

Interesting. I had no idea Iraq had an active Christian church. How old is the church? Is it Catholic or Orthodox?

[ArrogantBustard]

Here's your sign...

[First_Salute]

This is an anti-aircraft missile (surface or air launched) strike; the hole is very small, not even in the category of cruise missile warhead (live or dud) capability.

The near vertical nose down "result" in the earth, is not a flight termination profile for cruise missiles unless one fails an engine start from high altitude or runs out of fuel prior to target and was flying at high altitude, in either case, the firing system cannot function.

Besides which, the warhead of a cruise missile which is failing, would leave a much larger dent in the ground, not to mention that the engine, which consists of a number of titanium parts, would be laying about unless down in the hole. The wings would probably be laying around as well; etc.

The sheet metal casing of the Iraqi anti-aircraft missile is down in the hole. The diameter of the missle is about 10 - 12 inches.

The reason that the neighborhood took that hit so bad, is because a fuel tanker truck was nearby, and it did a slow-rate air-fuel explosion. That's why the neighbor hood looks whoomp'd but not dented severely.

[tinamina]

The Assyrian Christians, the only ones left in the world who spead Aramaic (the language Jesus spoke) are in Iraq. There are about 1.4 million of them, mostly in Baghdad and up North with the Kurds. No one is paying their needs any attention at all.

[snooker]

And maybe this tells us exactly why an Al Samoud -2 missle(or equivalent) was fired at the market. I think we all knew it was bound to happen.

Isn't it odd that no one dug up any US bomb fragments to display for the press.

snooker

[John Valentine]

We need a television channel up an operating in Baghdad ASAP.

We need to explain that a bomb or missile launched at 15:55 cannot possibly cause an explosion on the ground at 15:36!Similarly one dropped at 14:26 that is documented to have hit its intended target at 14:27, and caught on video doing so, cannot explode again 15 minutes later 15 kilometers away.

These are pretty straightforward points, but nobody seems to be making them in the media, and that is true in spades in the ARAB media. In fact, there seems to be a tiresome repetition of the description of this as caused by a coalition munition even in the face of its documented impossibility.

We could counter a lot of this crap if we would go on an information offensive in Iraq itself. The people of Baghdad cannot be expected to piece this together from the ether. We have to tell them.

Let's get this orgainzed, General Franks!

[Grand Old Partisan]

There have been Christians in Iraq since long before the Arabs conquered the place in the 7th century. Some do not even speak Arabic, but indigenous languages like Chaldean and Aramaic. The Christian population has dwindled from 15% to less than 5% over the past century. Some are Catholic, some are Orthodox, and a few are Protestant. It's the same situation in Iran and Syria.

BTW, Iraq's ruling Baath Party was founded by an Iraqi Christian -- a French-educated, Nazi-sympathizer.

[ArrogantBustard]

The Church in Iraq pre-dates islam; it was founded by the Apostles. There are currently Assyrian Rite and Latin Rite Catholics, and probably some Orthodox as well.

They're less badly treated by saddam than by our "friends" in Saudi Arabia, who have managed to virtually exterminate the Christian community there. That speaks evil of our Saudi "friends", rather than good of saddam. Like any other repressed population, they've learnt to survive by keeping a low profile.

[Grand Old Partisan]

Many of Saddam's bodyguards are/were Christians.

[Grand Old Partisan]

The Christian populace of Egypt (10% or so) is thriving, despite Moslem persecution. It is becoming more common that once outside the Middle East, Egyptian Moslems often become Christians.

[ArrogantBustard]

Isn't it odd that no one dug up any US bomb fragments to display for the press.

There was posted earlier today an article claiming that the powers-that-more-or-less-be over there very carefully sanitized the site. If it were US ordnance, they'd be parading fragments around. We need to get the truth to Abdul Sixpack over there, and convince him that we're serious this time.

[snooker]

>>> If it were US ordnance, they'd be parading fragments around.

So you think we would see the US bomb fragments and designation superimposed on the dead shown in a continuous loop on Al Jeezra? Nope, they wouldn't do that.

curious indeed.

snooker

[Ben Hecks]

I saw one video clip that showed someone holding an instrument that I took to be a radiation detection unit over the impact crater. I got the impression that they were attempting to get as much milage as possible out of the event.

[I still care]

That would be a good idea, but they do have voice of america too, don't they? That is established, getting the news out there should help.

[dmcg_98]

Oddly enough ... Tariq Aziz is a Roman Catholic.

[ArrogantBustard]

Oddly enough ... Tariq Aziz is a Roman Catholic.

In the same sense that ted kennedy is Catholic...

[Terridan]

Expect it!
(I know we aren't responsible for this occurance, but, think about it the next time we hear of combatants dressed as civilians)

[Terridan]

Good one!