US army suffers heavy casualties in Iraqi ambush (mortars; policemen dead)

[Barrett808]

KHALDIYAH, Iraq (AFP) - A US convoy took heavy casualties in an ambush, witnesses said, as Iraq erupted in a spate of anti-US attacks after the release of another purported message from Saddam Hussein.

...

But the Khaldiyah ambush was only one of a series of attacks on US forces Thursday.

Six mortar rounds were fired at Baghdad international airport at 3:00 pm (1100 GMT), said US army spokesman Sergeant Mark Ingham. He gave no further details.

A US army base in Samarra, 110 kilometres (65 miles) north of Baghdad, was also hit by mortar fire on Thursday, Ingham added. No one was wounded and no vehicles were damaged in that incident.

In the northern city of Mosul, US troops came under a series of grenade and rocket attacks that began shortly before midnight and targeted a position at the entrance to the city, a restaurant and a hotel.

The US military confirmed one incident, saying that five rockets hit the Civil Military Operations Center office in Mosul late Wednesday, damaging some vehicles and leaving two people slightly wounded.

Two Iraqi policemen were found dead, their throats slit, on the sidewalk in front of Mosul's US-supported television station around midnight, according to an employee of the station, Samir Abed Rabbo, 50.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1514&e=1&u=/afp/20030918/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_us_030918195553

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Ok boys and girls, here is how we spell the word

Quagmire, q-u-a-g-m-i-r-e.

The other spelling is Vietnam

V-i-e-t-n-a-m

I knew we all could spell that.

And yes this makes me SICK TO MY STOMACH

[expatriot]

2. the beginning of sustained resistance (vs. sporadic)

At a certain point, it goes from being sporadic guerrilla attacks to a certain constancy in the resistance, when US convoys have to speed through the guantlet and then they try to avoid areas, "pockets of resistance" start popping up on the map and then just like a piece of paper that you hold a match underneath, the darkened blotches of "pockets of resistance" burst into the flames of "enemy-controlled territory"

[Beetwasher]

3. The beginning of a major sustained guerrilla offensive

I think that's what's happening. It's escalating.

[dArKeR]

4. It must be a terrible feeling for our children. It seems this would change

their attitude; mortars. Because before they were threatened while on patrols and when they got back to base at least they could feel at some type of ease. But now for them to have the feeling that not even their 'home' is safe must be just a terrible feeling. In my opinion everything will degrade seriously from here. Soldiers not up to a 'good mental state' while on patrols to accomplish their daily missions and protect themselves in the process. Also being more nervous and killing innocent civilians.

Pat Robertson should be praying for God to:
1. Impeach Bush
2. Convict Bush for the Murder of 40,000 human beings
3. Bring our children home by Sunday, (Before Me The Press whore show airs.)
4. Replace all our troops with the GOP Party and their operatives in the Whore Media and the Bush twins and all GOP Party children ages 18 to 80.

(Since God didn't listen to his Hurricane prayer)

[VolcanoJen]

5. Dupe... locking

I realize there's been some confusion about the U.S. casualties suffered in Iraq today, but we really need to keep an eye out for duplicate threads.

It appears initially that there were two seperate attacks in which U.S. soldiers were killed; if we figure out that the stories below describe the same attack, we'll lock the latter thread. In the meantime, let's keep our LBN discussion consolidated into one of the below threads:

MSNBC confirming 3 US soldiers killed in Tikrit today and 2 wounded

At least 3 US soldiers killed in Iraq ambush - BBC news

Thanks for your understanding on this sad day indeed,
VolcanoJen
DU Moderator

[hang a left]

6. I am so so afraid for them, we really either

have to get them help, or get them out, like yesterday!!!!!!!!!