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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Interesting conflict - between news reports of Fallujah Action |
| 2004-06-10 |
| First up we have this story from Xinhanet: URL: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-06/10/content_1518239.htm Filed: 2004-06-10 10:19:51 Attack on Iraqi troops kills 12 BEIJING, June 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Rebels have killed twelve members of the Iraqi security forces in an attack in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, CRIENGLISH.com reported Thursday. It is believed to be the first time the troops of General Mohammed Latif have come under fire since taking over from the US military. The mortar attack was aimed at a camp housing General Latif’s troops. The general, who was once expelled from the armed forces by Saddam Hussein, had earlier said that Fallujah would be a quiet city if the US kept a low profile. US troops did not take action after Wednesday’s attack although they are operating in the area around the city. On Tuesday, 11 Iraqis were killed in confrontations between insurgents and US troops. Then we have this hit piece from Al Guardian: URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1235157,00.html Filed: Thursday June 10, 2004 (no time given) 12 killed in attack on Iraqi security force Twelve members of a special security force, made up of anti-American resistance fighters and former members of Saddam Hussein’s army, were killed yesterday in Falluja when mortars struck their camp. The attack put a question mark on efforts to calm the city by allowing a local Iraqi unit, the so-called Falluja Brigade, to take charge of security there. The brigade was set up last month in a deal which led the US to call off its failed attempt to storm the city and secure the surrender of the people who had killed four US security guards. At the cost of about 600 Iraqi lives and 40 US marines, the US withdrew to the outskirts of the largely Sunni city without achieving its goal. General Mohammed Latif, an officer from the former Iraqi army, was authorised to create a new unit of 2,000 local men, including scores of fighters who had been battling the Americans for more than a month. The deal was reached under pressure from Iraqi politicians and raised eyebrows as a major American concession. But its model has been followed in two Shia cities, Najaf and Karbala, where US forces have also pulled back. Gen Latif was not in the camp at the time of yesterday’s mortar attack. A joint US tank patrol had been due to pass through the town yesterday alongside the brigade for the first time for a month, in an apparent demonstration that US forces could still penetrate the town. Late on Tuesday, clashes between insurgents and US forces at Karma, a few miles west of Falluja, left 11 Iraqis dead, including women and children. One theory was that the mortar attack was in revenge for these deaths. But it seems more likely the attack was prompted by splits between Islamist resistance fighters and the former Ba’athists. Signs of disagreement have appeared in Falluja in recent days, most noticeably through leaflets on the walls of mosques denouncing the Falluja Brigade as collaborators. And lastly, from Rooters we have this: URL: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5390618 Filed: Thu Jun 10, 2004 04:33 AM ET Mortar Attack on Iraqi Force Wounded 12 BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A mortar attack on Wednesday on members of an Iraqi force entrusted with pacifying the rebellious town of Falluja wounded 12 of them, a senior coalition military official said on Thursday. A colonel in the force headed by General Mohammed Latif had said on Wednesday the mortar attack killed 12 members of the Falluja Brigade and wounded 10. A medical official, Ali Jaber, had said six of the dead were brought to his hospital. The coalition official said it was not clear who fired the mortars at a camp of the Falluja Brigade. He said it was too early to tell whether the attack was an isolated event or a sign of a new guerrilla campaign. It was the first attack on the force since it was charged by the U.S. military in May with imposing security in Falluja, a restive town on the front line of efforts to stabilize Iraq before an interim Iraqi government takes over on June 30. Latif and other generals who served in the Iraqi army under toppled president Saddam Hussein offered to try and keep the peace in Falluja after weeks of fierce fighting between guerrillas and U.S. occupation troops. Falluja, 32 miles west of Baghdad, has been relatively quiet since then. See anything different? Lol! |
| Posted by:.com |
| #11 Light touchpaper and retire to safe distance. We may have played this right. Says something about the UK press regarding The Guardian article. |
| Posted by: Howard UK 2004-06-10 3:05:38 PM |
| #10 To Howard: Cool! |
| Posted by: Evert V. in NL 2004-06-10 2:14:10 PM |
| #9 Yup, can't see the Ba'athists being told to pour the single malt down the sink by a load of foreigners going down too well. |
| Posted by: Howard UK 2004-06-10 2:05:25 PM |
| #8 But it seems more likely the attack was prompted by splits between Islamist resistance fighters and the former Ba’athists Not to rely on Al-Guardian, but this strikes me as plausible. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-06-10 11:05:03 AM |
| #7 Sorry - the reports are chronological - top to bottom. There is no reference to timezone on the Xinhuanet story (it was filed first) or it would've been clearer. The Rooters story is factually the most accurate (and, reasonably, the last filed) - and it makes a lame attempt to relate the earlier mis-reporting of dead were actually wounded - which made the claim of 6 bodies rather dubious, lol! One thing is crystal clear, though, you guys are dead right about the Xinhuanet story being far cleaner, to the point, with no apparent spin. The Al Guardian story, filed second, on the farthest possible other hand, even gets it factually wrong in the first sentence in their wild-eyed spinning - the Fallujah Brigade is not an anti-American unit - we formed it with Latif, trained them, armed them and patrol with them. Prolly feed them and pay them, too. The AlG morons just get so sloppy in their rush to paint it black thay can't even keep the sides straight! Lol! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-06-10 8:58:07 AM |
| #6 great comments. |
| Posted by: B 2004-06-10 8:50:30 AM |
| #5 That's because the people at Xinhua.net know the true value of un-biased coverage. |
| Posted by: Charles 2004-06-10 8:48:07 AM |
| #4 Sad that the Chinese report is the most accurate of the three. And completely void of opinion. Imagine that, our Free Press can't simply report the news, yet Xinhua Net can. Sad. |
| Posted by: AllahHateMe 2004-06-10 8:35:04 AM |
| #3 I'm heartened by the fact that this wasn't automatically blamed on you Americans as everything else seemingly is. Judging by the sources you'd think that they'd drag some blind Mullah out of his pit to rant King Lear-style against the Yankee Imperialists. |
| Posted by: Howard UK 2004-06-10 8:00:18 AM |
| #2 Actually, I thought the last story had a particularly noticable problem.. A "medical official" (WTF? works in the cafeteria or what?) says he had 6 dead bodies on Wednesday when they're reporting 12 DEAD and then on Thursday the story is clarified and corrected to say there are 12 WOUNDED, not DEAD - so, uh, about those 6 dead bodies Mr Medical Official Ali Lyinsackofjiveassshit Jaber (jabber, how apropos)... did you strangle some of the WOUNDED? There's a lot more, but that made my day! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-06-10 7:48:38 AM |
| #1 Question is what are they going to do about it? |
| Posted by: Raptor 2004-06-10 7:39:56 AM |