Spanish Troops Ambushed

[K8-EEE]

Wow what a difference in coverage, between the Spanish papers and ours.

The only Spaniard they quote in our press is Aznar, in reality the vast majority of Spanish people have been opposed to this from the very beginning. More opposition there, than in France. Aznar is not even going to try at re-election.

The pictures on the cover of El Mundo show an 8 or 9 year old boy kicking a dead Spanish officer. On CNN the same story just shows a close up of the outside of an ambulence...so generic! And what about all the youngsters shouting pro-Saddam slogans -- are they "remnants?"

This whole thing has played out exactly like the anti-war people said it would -- it's just made everything worse.

www.elmundo.es

[ozymandius]

1. Are these the soldiers bearing the cruciform on their sleeves?

If so, not surprising. They may regard the Spaniards as Christian crusaders of the King Richard idiom.

[ConcernedCanuk]

2. Rough translation from electronic translator

. . There are some obvious errors, I believe "laughed" = "lived" or "survived"

Translated by

"MADRID . - Seven Spanish agents of the National Center of Intelligence have died in an ambush to the south of Bagdad. A eighth that traveled with them has saved the life: Jose Manuel Sanchez Laughed . They returned to eat in the capital and they went to the south in two vehicles without no type of diplomatic or military identification. Four of the attacked ones were on the verge of returning to Spain . To 30 kilometers to the south of the capital, in zone controlled by the U.S.A. , they underwent an ambush with grenade launcher RPG . Some Iraqians stepped on corpses and made the sign of the victory, according to has been able to see themselves in television.

The minister of Defense, Fedrico Trillo, confirmed the information to 20,00, although he did not identify the mortal victims of the attack. Jose Manuel Sanchez Laughed was transferred to the base of Saint Michell, where he was put under observation.

It is intention of Defense to repatriate the mortal rest of the deceaseds the next Monday, in the same airplane of the Spanish Air Force in which tonight Federico travels I beat to Iraq, according to informed sources into Defense. Until then they are in tanatorio of the airport of Bagdad.

The relief

They were 15,45 of afternoon in Iraq (13,45 hour Spanish) when the attack against the Spanish convoy took place, formed by two civil vehicles, that although did not take any type of military or diplomatic identificativo, were of the type that usually takes the members of the Coalition. They returned to eat in Bagdad and the capital and the city of Spinning went to the south by the main highway between.

They were making "an area reconnaissance", since one was going away to produce a relief among them "after making the pertinent contact with the enemy", according to informed Federico I beat. Four of the agents were on the verge of leaving from Iraq to house and were going to be replaced by the other four.

/snip/

The scene

While the numbers were clarified, the television network Sky News offered the first and only images of the tragedy. They showed a Dantesque spectacle in which young Iraqians celebrated the deaths, stepped on corpses with the arms in stop and the sign of the victory in its hands .


Two corpses in the ground. (Sky News)

The reporter of Sky News, David Bowden, narrated the scene that recorded its companion and what the witnesses told him: "We lead from Hilla, right the south of Bagdad, and saw those men thrown dead in the ground to a side of the highway after the ambush".

"people said there to us that 30 minutes before a convoy had been attacked of three vehicles. They removed to people from the cars and they said us that, in fact, they had killed eight people and captured other two . I only saw with my own eyes four bodies died in the ground. We took images during a pair from minutes and we became the attention center. The multitude gave shouts in Sadam please and we disappeared quickly ", added the journalist.


First plane of a foot on one of corpses. (Sky News)

His companion, the camera Adam Murch, said that the multitude kicked the bodies .

In addition, the journalist explained that the highway in which the attack took place is very journeyed reason why the vehicles, both of white color, would have become a easy objective for the attackers.

/snip/