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| Iraq |
| 5 U.S. soldiers, 4 Iraqis killed in attacks |
| 2004-01-24 |
| Quagmire, no. Another Chechnya, yes. Five U.S. soldiers and four Iraqi civilians were killed Saturday in three separate bomb attacks in Iraq’s so-called Sunni Triangle. Insurgents have been active all this week. In the Sunni Triangle, three attacks in a 24-hour period Wednesday and Thursday killed nine people, including two U.S. soldiers. The violence comes as U.S. officials announced the arrests in Iraq of two men linked to al Qaeda: Hasan Ghul, a senior operative with the terrorist network, and Husam al Yemeni, a top lieutenant to a man operating with Ansar al-Islam. In recent days, U.S. commanders in Iraq expressed fears of al Qaeda attempting to link up with the anti-U.S. insurgency. In Khaldiyah, a car bomb killed three Task Force All American soldiers and wounded six others. Several Iraqi civilians also were wounded in the attack. Two of the wounded soldiers were taken to a combat support hospital and four were being treated at a local military base. West of Fallujah, a roadside bomb exploded as a vehicle carrying two U.S. soldiers passed by Saturday. The soldiers were assigned to the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. The latest deaths bring the number of U.S. soldiers killed in the war to 511. Also Saturday, a bomb hidden along a road near a government building in the northern Iraqi city of Samarra exploded as a U.S. military convoy passed by. The blast killed at least four Iraqi civilians and seriously wounded another. Thirty-three civilians were treated for minor wounds at a local hospital. Three U.S. soldiers also were wounded. The bomb was probably detonated remotely and was hidden near a Toyota pickup truck parked near the building. |
| Posted by:Rafael |
| #4 Comparing this to Chechnya is being simple and stupid. Not really. The dynamics and tactics of the jihadis/insurgents/whatever in Iraq are the same as in Chechnya (or any other jihadi land for that matter). The only difference will be the end result (hopefully). BTW, I'm not advocating running away, far from it. My contention is that US soldiers are being killed needlessly because of this "hearts and minds" approach. Compare how many died in actual combat versus how many died while on patrol without having a chance to shoot back, not to mention those national guard helicopters. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2004-1-24 6:06:32 PM |
| #3 Oh no, the bad guys are fighting back. Run Away, Run Away. Weakness invites surrender. Grow up and understand history. People die in war. Just passing a law here will not make these guys stop trying to kill us. We have to go kill them first. And yes, in this game they do get a turn. Comparing this to Chechnya is being simple and stupid. The only comparison is that the average Soviet/Russian citizen after years of government control is about as motivated to fight as your average lefty striving for total government control is. |
| Posted by: Patrick 2004-1-24 5:12:59 PM |
| #2 No, just Saddamms hometown should be MOABed. It looks tp ,e tjat we caigjt Ghul and Yememi right after they gave the orders for these attacks. |
| Posted by: Charles 2004-1-24 5:07:16 PM |
| #1 I'll say it again, the "Sunni Triangle" has to be neutralized. Force evacuate the area, and then drop no less than 6 MOABs. Catch the rats as they run for cover. |
| Posted by: smn1957 2004-1-24 4:36:46 PM |