Falluja Homes Wrecked in U.S. Assault

[Eye and Monkey]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L28609509.htm

28 Apr 2004 07:04:26 GMT
Reuters


FALLUJA, Iraq, April 28 (Reuters) - U.S. air strikes and shelling wrecked 10 homes in the besieged Iraqi town of Falluja overnight and damaged many more, witnesses said on Wednesday.

Ambulances made it into the northern Golan district at daybreak, but the casualty toll was still unclear after what residents called the worst battle since a truce two weeks ago.

As the bombardment shook the ground across the city of 300,000, the United Nations envoy for Iraq was warning of the dangers of continued fighting and urged a settlement in Falluja:

"Unless this standoff is brought to a resolution through peaceful means, there is great risk of a very bloody confrontation," Lakhdar Brahimi said at the United Nations.

MORE -

[VolcanoJen]

1. American Homes Wrecked in Bush Assault on Economy...

... Tune in at 11!!

It is not my intention to downplay the horrible events in Fallujah, Eye and Monkey. These days, I prefer hysterical humor to current events. :-(

[AZCat]

2. IMO, humor is a sane person's response to an insane world

The day I stop making cracks is the day they need to lock me up.

Even though - as you point out in your post - we run the risk of trivializing the trauma we inflict on these people, we ourselves must deal with the events. As long as you're not freeping out, it's okay in my book (i.e. no laughing over dead Iraqis allowed).

[Eye and Monkey]

3. there was an American home or two wrecked the latest assault on Fallujah

I'm sure there's an American family that lost a son, or a father.

That said, the toll that war takes on civilians - especially those in the operational zone - is always, always greater and more devastating.

And yeah, sometimes you just have to fall back on humor.

[oblivious]

4. I find some humour in this quote by Brahimi:

"there is great risk of a very bloody confrontation"

[izzie]

5. I do understand the wit after all it gets you through things.

It also shows feeling, this kill anything that you do not like is just beyond my way of thinking. I think our'rulers' are just plain mad. Did we not do this in Vietnam? Burn villages to save the people? It is like the man who beats his wife so she will love him.I guess we are going to give these people a Democracy if we have to knock every building down and kill off all their people. We will show them our form of govt is best.

[oblivious]

6. Then after all that, you read headlines like this:

Military Leaders Struggling to Regain Iraqis' Good Will

Duh!

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/25/international/middleeast/25MILI.html?ex=1084075456&ei=1&en=99085aeea50cdd00

[greatauntoftriplets]

7. Jeez, I can't imagine WHY that is happening!

So, do the people of Iraq feel they are better off now than they were one year ago?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

8. Of course they do...don't be silly! They're free of the tyranny of Saddam!

My "Major Sarcasm" button is stuck in the fully-depressed mode.

[MichaelUK]

9. And Blair has said:

"We want a democratic, peaceful solution to this. But we support the action."

Schmuck

[Just Me]

10. Neocon-style "liberation", "freedom" & "democracy".

This all started when a handful of Iraqis celebrated the deaths of four occupiers. I wonder how many innocent Iraqi women and children and elderly must die before the occupiers' thirst for revenge and control is quenched.

:cry:

I'm sorry, Fallujah. I'm sorry, Iraqis.

[leftchick]

11. Look at this reporter's car...

precision strikes my ass....



Sunday Times reporter Hala Jaber views her destroyed car in the besieged city of Falluja April 28, 2004. U.S. Marines launched a fresh assault on Falluja on Wednesday, sending in air strikes and tanks, residents said. Shelling and fierce exchanges of gunfire broke out in mid-afternoon in the northwestern district of Golan, already pounded overnight by a heavy airborne gunship. (Akram Saleh/Reuters)

[underpants]

12. Kimmitt said they were "precision" strikes from a C-130 gunship

On the Today Show this morning. I almost spit up my coffee. As we were told when I was in the Army (see below) C-130 gunships can put a round every three feet of a square kilometer. "Precision" my arse.


http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/outdoor/od11a.htm

SPECIFICATIONS
Span: 132 ft. 7 in.
Length: 96 ft. 10 in.
Weight: 124,200 lbs. max.
Armament: Two 7.62 miniguns plus two 20mm and two 40mm cannon
Engines: Four Allison T-56-A-9D turboprops of 3,750 equivalent shaft horsepower ea.
Serial number: 54-1630


I was a gunner on a Bradley with a 25MM gun and I can tell that even on the ground shooting at targets on the ground there is no precision-you fire the first round just to adjust off of it. I can't see the 20MM or 40MM cannons being very precise when you add in the fly aspect. Oh by the way I never missed a target so I do know I am talking about with regard to the 25MM.

[leftchick]

14. Krazy Killer Kimmitt is

a fucking LIAR!

[underpants]

15. It was just a "a sound and light show." ya know

http://www.wtvo.com/Global/story.asp?S=1821223

Baghdad, Iraq-AP -- Coalition troops have not begun an all-out offensive in Fallujah, Iraq. That's according to Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, who appeared this morning on N-B-C's "Today" show.

Kimmitt calls explosions in the city last night "a sound and light show." He tells "Today" there were many "secondary" blasts of weapons and ammunition in two trucks targeted by a U-S warplane. New explosions and gunfire were heard in the area today.

[leftchick]

16. KKK should tell that to her....

[underpants]

17. Well if you watched it on the TV....

it WAS just sound and light, please do not try to imagine the effects of what you are seeing.

[leftchick]

18. Life in Amerika today...

folks here watch the bombing like it is a fucking x box game and believe the shit spewed from the US military. The rest of the world watches and sees US war crimes being committed. Sad....

[Misunderestimator]

13. CNN right now: US Marines Battling Insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq

edited to add that Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt is explaining what's happening. Basically, sounds like war. Blaming insurgents for breaking the cease-fire. So they brought in the planes and did a mini shock and awe (that's paraphrasing of course). He's proud to say that he knows of no coalition casualties. No mention of how many civilians we just killed.