U.S. troops ambushed in central Iraq Associated Press KHALDIYAH, Iraq - U.S. troops were ambushed on the main road of this central Iraqi town today, coming under heavy gunfire that destroyed a truck. An Associated Press reporter who arrived on the scene saw four U.S. tanks surrounding the smoldering truck as helicopters hovered above. Taking fire from unknown positions, U.S forces were firing with no obvious targets, in an apparent effort to protect themselves until reinforcements arrived, a witness said. Al-Arabiya television reported eight Americans were killed and one wounded. There was no confirmation of any casualties, and initial casualty reports have proven incorrect in the past. The AP reporter was fired on by one of the tanks with three rounds from its 50-caliber machine gun. An AP photographer said his car was shot up by American fire, the windshield blown out and all the tires flattened. The photographer was not injured. Shortly afterward a huge explosion rocked the area, and there were unconfirmed reports from residents that U.S. Humvees had come under attack a few miles distant. Khaldiyah is a town in the so-called "Sunni Triangle" in central Iraq, the heartland of support for ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and the focus of an anti-American insurgency. Khaldiyah's police chief was killed in an ambush on Monday as he was returning to his home in Fallujah. The brazen shooting of Col. Khedeir Mekhalef Ali was the latest attack targeting Iraqis who work with coalition forces.
I thought I would hear more about this attack, but they really haven't reported on it too much. It sound like a fairly large scale attack with military coordination.
Geez, that's some scary stuff right there. But it's worth it because Iraqis were involved in the Sept. 11 attacks. Oh, wait. They're weren't. Well, at least we got to their weapons of mass destruction. But they didn't have them. Somebody tell me again: Why are Americans risking their lives in a country that doesn't want us there?
If it were possible to have a massive town hall meeting among Iraqi's (no Kurds)...how close would you say the vote would be to keep or expel the US/Brit coalition? IMO, it would be close but they'd vote us to get out.
Al-Arabiya television reported eight Americans were killed and one wounded. There was no confirmation of any casualties, and initial casualty reports have proven incorrect in the past This needs to be confirmed. Sad to say it I don't know who to believe Al-Arabiya or the Pentagon. They are both dubious sources IMHO.
U.S. Troops Ambushed in Central Iraq Town Thursday September 18, 2003 3:29 PM By TAREK AL-ISSAWI Associated Press Writer KHALDIYAH, Iraq (AP) - Guerrillas ambushed a U.S. military convoy Thursday, sparking a heavy gunbattle in which a truck was destroyed. In a nearby town, an American patrol opened fire on a wedding, killing a 14-year-old boy, after mistaking celebratory gunfire for an attack, witnesses said. Al-Arabiya television reported eight Americans were killed and one wounded in the ambush in Khaldiyah. There was no confirmation of any casualties, and initial casualty reports have proven incorrect in the past. North of Baghdad, fire raged at an oil pipeline following an explosion at the site, the U.S. military said, raising concerns that it was the latest in a series of sabotage attacks. The pipeline carries crude oil from fields near Kirkuk to Iraq's largest refinery at Beiji. The two shootings involving U.S. troops heightened tensions in the ``Sunni Triangle,'' a belt of central Iraq that has been the heart of support for Saddam Hussein loyalists against the American-led occupation. The ambush took place in Khaldiyah, where the police chief, Col. Khedeir Mekhalef Ali, was assassinated Monday in a brazen shooting - the latest attack on Iraqis working with coalition forces. There was no immediate word on casualties in Thursday's ambush. Al-Arabiya television reported eight Americans were killed and one wounded, but there was no confirmation. Initial casualty reports have proven incorrect in the past. Four U.S. tanks surrounded the smoldering transport truck as helicopters hovered above, an Associated Press reporter in Khaldiyah said. Taking fire from unknown positions, U.S forces were firing with no obvious targets, in an apparent effort to protect themselves until reinforcements arrived, a witness said. The AP reporter was fired on by one of the tanks with three rounds from its 50-caliber machine gun. An AP photographer said his car was shot up by American troops, the windshield blown out and all the tires flattened. The photographer was not injured. Shortly afterward, a huge explosion rocked the area, and there were unconfirmed reports from residents that U.S. Humvees had come under attack a few miles distant. Wednesday night's shooting at the wedding in Fallujah came after American soldiers mistakenly killed eight U.S.-allied Iraqi police officers outside the town in a friendly fire incident. The military has apologized for the incident and opened an investigation. Witnesses said guests at the wedding shot guns into the air in celebrartion, and passing American troops in Humvees, believing they were under attack, opened fire, killing the teen and wounding six other people. Adel Hmood, a neighbor who said he saw the Americans open fire, told The Associated Press that the dead boy, Sufyan Daoud al-Kubaisi, was on his way to buy cigarettes when he was killed. Bullet holes in homes and buildings in the area, about two blocks off the main street in Fallujah, suggested heavy firing by the Americans. A policeman who spoke on condition of anonymity said he had heard identical reports. No U.S. forces could be seen in the city Thursday. Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said the military was investigating and could not confirm that a boy was killed. The military said the pipeline fire north of Baghdad was so fierce that investigators could not get close to determine its cause. Maj. Josslyn Aberle, spokeswoman for the 4th Infantry Division based in Tikrit, 120 miles north of Baghdad, said valves on the pipeline were being closed to shut off fuel to the fire. ``The fire won't affect oil production or the timetable for resuming exports,'' Aberle said. Another pipeline, to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, has been hit by a string of sabotage attacks. L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator of Iraq, said the line's closure was costing the country $7 million each day. The military says the line should resume operation in about a month. In Baghdad, police backed by U.S. soldiers and helicopters sealed a large part of the center of the city Thursday in a raid to capture car thieves. Two men were arrested at an auto repair shop on suspicion of having stolen a police vehicle. In an audiotape broadcast Wednesday by al-Arabiya, a speaker purporting to be Saddam urged Iraqis to escalate attacks on Americans and called on U.S.-led forces to leave the country ``as soon as possible and without any conditions.'' The speaker, who sounded like the ousted Iraqi leader, also urged Washington's international partners not to ``fall prey in the traps of American foreign policy'' and reject any plan for Iraq's future which legitimizes military occupation. News editor Aymen Gaballah said the 14-minute tape was obtained Wednesday after a caller to the station's Baghdad office told employees where to find it. Guardian
Didn't want to start a whole thread on this, but it seems like our troops are getting completely overworked and stressed beyond the max in Iraq. I'm sure we will be seeing more major attacks and friendly fire accidents in the coming months. We must get addtional UN troops in Iraq immediately no matter what embarrassment it causes the Bush Administration. U.S. Troops Fire at Italian Diplomat's Car in Iraq BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. troops opened fire on a car carrying an Italian diplomat who holds a senior position in Iraq (news - web sites)'s U.S.-led administration, killing his Iraqi interpreter, American military sources said Friday. Pietro Cordone, senior adviser on culture for the U.S.-led authority, was unhurt, Italian Foreign Ministry sources said. Cordone has been leading efforts to recover priceless antiquities looted from museums and archeological sites since the fall of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites). The U.S. military sources said Cordone's car was shot at after it repeatedly tried to overtake a U.S. convoy near Tikrit, Saddam's hometown. Soldiers repeatedly warned the car not to overtake, the sources said, and opened fire when they thought the vehicle was trying to ram them. Many Iraqis accuse U.S. troops of being too quick to open fire and failing to follow rules of engagement. Human rights groups say many innocent Iraqis have been killed. The United States says it keeps no figures on civilian casualties. Last week, the U.S. Army apologized after soldiers in the tense town of Falluja killed 10 Iraqi security guards and a Jordanian in a gun battle that was later described as an accident. Locals in Falluja say U.S. troops there also killed a teen-ager Wednesday night when they opened fire after hearing celebratory gunshots from a wedding, mistakenly believing they were under attack. Last month, a U.S. soldier shot dead award-winning Reuters cameraman Mazen Dana on the outskirts of Baghdad. The U.S. Army said the soldier mistook Dana's camera for a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
No, they don't want us there. They wanted us to get rid of Saddam. Mission accomplished. Now they want us to get out ASAP. No, they don't want us there.
