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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Rebels cheer as Allied fuel convoy burns |
| 2004-04-11 |
| IRAQI gunmen danced over the bodies of their victims near Baghdad yesterday in a gruesome celebration after an attack on a fuel convoy. As the vehicles burned, one rebel battered a corpse with a tyre jack while another stole a dead man’s boots and held them up in triumph. They had attacked the US fuel convoy with rocket-propelled grenades and guns in a strike that left up to nine men dead and a pall of black smoke hanging in the sky. One US soldier was reported killed. Witnesses saw bodies burning inside the vehicles, which included military machines and tankers. The attack took place near the suburb of Abu Ghraib, a Sunni stronghold that has become the base for a series of guerilla raids on Westerners and their vehicles. After the strike, the gunman celebrated their success with relish. One man was pictured beating a body, while another danced before the cameras waving a boot in each hand. The boots were stolen from the dead driver of a destroyed fuel tanker. The roads near Abu Ghraib are now fraught with the danger of ambush. Reports yesterday said gangs of armed youths were roaming the district, many carrying rocket propelled grenades and guns. A second US soldier was killed in an attack using bombs and small arms at Camp Cook, a US base in northern Baghdad, the military said. In Fallujah, seat of the latest eruption in fighting, US marines waited outside the narrow streets of the centre ready to begin a street-by-street assault to retake it. US forces called a 90-minute truce yesterday to allow the dead to be buried in the al-Somoud football stadium and for residents, excepting men of military age, to leave. For hours later, as the marines dug in around Fallujah, there was sporadic shooting in the city that for some Iraqis has become a symbol of defiance. One marine, Major Larry Kaifesh, said: "It is hard to differentiate between people who are insurgents or civilians. It is hard to get an honest picture. You just have to go with your gut feeling." In the southern city of Kut, US troops claimed to have regained control from followers of the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Ukrainian troops had abandoned the city earlier in the week. A US helicopter struck al-Sadr’s main office in Kut, killing two inside, witnesses said. There were other clashes at Baquba, north of Baghdad, where Sunni and Shia Muslims from the mixed-population town joined in attacks on US forces. In Basra, where British forces faced no serious violent attacks, Sunni and Shia Muslims prayed together in a display of unity. Some 15 Iraqis were thought to have been killed in the Shia shrine town of Kerbala. They were shot in clashes with Polish and Bulgarian troops as thousands of pilgrims celebrated a religious festival. In Japan, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi refused to withdraw the country’s troops from Iraq despite death threats against three civilians held hostage by rebels. The families of the three have begged Tokyo to give in to the kidnappers and pull its soldiers out. But Mr Koizumi refused to bow to what he called "the despicable threat of terrorists". Earlier, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw conceded that the British and Americans were facing a full-scale armed insurgency in Iraq. Mr Straw broke a lengthy official silence to admit the situation was far worse than he had expected and that the "vast majority" of Iraqis were opposed to the allied occupation. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #5 And the Sun is not the worst of the lot - but lax or intended, uncorrected instances such as this seem to become habit in some quarters. Were it not for the Blogs... sigh. ;^) I would've stayed on-topic, had there been only one. These conglomerations put me off. The Ukranians bailing and running, for wherever reason, when fired upon, for example, strikes me as a bona-fide story in its own right. Where's the interview with the Uke Commander and the Polish Commander he reports to - then the real story from the private who was manning the gate when the Wadhi Wrmy came to call? Sigh. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-04-11 5:00:34 PM |
| #4 Thanks - I'm not shy. Just apathetic sometimes ... I've just banged off an email to the Herald Sun though, complaining about this distortion. Media bias and misrepresentation is getting to me. |
| Posted by: Alastair Sherringham 2004-04-11 4:51:34 PM |
| #3 Alastair - And the Iraqi bloggers, as well. As should the US policy-makers. Here's to the small hope that they do, at least some of the time. There is a middle-of-stream wisdom that weaves through these many on-line discussions - worthy of official notice and consideration. Wretchard and den Beste are amazing to me for their never-fail calm - so apparent in their posts - and the clear-eyed analysis rooted in fact and relevant context. Thx for your BBC catch - and for joining the fray! Please don't be shy! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-04-11 4:43:10 PM |
| #2 Regarding the Straw quote. I heard him speak on the radio yesterday, and this "quote" is from that. However, it's quite common that the media "massage" a quote, and this is an example ... The BBC site has what he said (it was on BBC radio) ; http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3614159.stm Quote ; "We need to be aware that the vast majority of Iraqis, whilst they do not like the occupation, they like the fact that Saddam has gone." This might be a fair assessment. Zeyad mentions his thoughts on this in his current post at Healing Iraq. BTW - I agree that Straw would do well to read the Belmont Club - and many other blogs (including this one). |
| Posted by: Alastair Sherringham 2004-04-11 4:26:40 PM |
| #1 I think Mr. Straw doesn't know what he's talking about; if the vast majority were opposed, we wouldn't be able to conduct combat operations in a city the size of Fallujah with three battalions. Compare and contrast the situation with Grozny, for example (as was pointed out by Belmont Club today). (For that matter, I think it would be good if Mr. Straw started reading Belmont Club regularly). (Or at least stopped watching Al Jazeera). Ugh. |
| Posted by: Phil Fraering 2004-04-11 12:22:34 PM |