US pushes to take Iraq rebel city

[Darranar]

US and Iraqi forces say they are facing resistance as they try to wrest control of the city of Samarra from insurgents.

The US says rebels have tried to set up roadblocks, and that its soldiers have had to defuse a possible car bomb.

US forces have also carried out air strikes on the city of Falluja, where seven are reported dead and 13 wounded.
...
In Falluja, another rebel stronghold, the Americans report that they conducted a precision air strike on a hideout of followers of the Jordanian militant Abu Mussab Zarqawi.

They say there were no innocent civilians there at the time, but reports from the city say that at least two homes were destroyed, and that once again women and children were among the casualties.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3709188.stm

[Darranar]

1. US forces pound Samarra and Falluja

US and Iraqi forces have tightened their grip on the Iraqi cities of Samarra and Falluja, killing dozens of people including civilians.

A doctor at a hospital in Samarra, about 100km north of Baghdad on the banks of the Tigris, said on Saturday five more bodies had been brought in overnight. Twenty people were treated for wounds.

Dozens of bodies had been brought in on Friday.

Residents said US aircraft bombarded parts of the city, and tanks patrolled the streets 24 hours after the offensive was launched to retake the city. The town had been a virtual no-go zone for US troops for months.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/CDECB884-8265-4BD6-B4ED-09F4C3EF7262.htm

[acmavm]

2. The battles for Sadr City and Samarra are really amazing. No innocent

civilians killed and no American casualties. Now that's just friggin' amazing. Anyway, that's the 'official' version.

Those damn Iraqis in those cities must be lying again. Everyone knows our government wouldn't allow the murder of innocent women and children. Our bombs and bullets are equipped with some kind of top secret super sensitive radar-type sensors that only kills Zaqahiri supporters.

[Darranar]

3. And the Fallujah airstrikes seem to have the same quality...

They say there were no innocent civilians there at the time, but reports from the city say that at least two homes were destroyed, and that once again women and children were among the casualties. (from the BBC news article.)

The BBC is clearly misleading us. These women and children were unquestionably part of al-Zarqawi's secret plan to conquer the world and murder Iraqis. How dare those America-hating communists and terrorist-sympathizers deny this self-evident fact!

[Darranar]

4. Pentagon Iraq strategy 'failing'

What a surprise...

A key element of the current US strategy in Iraq, the training of Iraqi forces, is still proceeding too slowly, a new report by a US think-tank says.

Iraqis will not be able to take over the most demanding security roles until late 2005-06, the Center for Strategic and International Studies' report says.

The report was published by a respected military analyst, Anthony Cordesman.

Many experts have said that the Pentagon does not have an effective strategy to deal with the insurgency.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3702676.stm

[jmcgowanjm]

5. Now take a look at sept 2004 figures reported 2700 attacks

just on coalition troops directly some 90 a day.If 33% of
these attacks ie 1 in 3 is succesful in some way it
produces casualties.Now lets take it a little bit further if 50%
of this 33% figure cause 1 death and 1 wounded.20% cause
2 dead 2 wounded,another 20% cause 3 dead 3 wounded
and 10% 5 dead and 5 wounded.
looking at 33% of 90 attacks a day= 30 succesful attacks.per
day.
50% of 30 attack with 1 dead 1 wounded=15 dead and
15 wounded
20% of 30............... 2.........2............=12................12.............
20% 30...............3..........3............=18................18............
10%......30...............4..........4............=12................12............

Looking at 57 per day X 30 days in month= 1710
dead.

An enormous figure.Remember a convoy of 4 humvees that
is collectively attacked and destroyed is NOT counted as 4 attacks but counted as 1 attack.
The same if a base is hit with
20 mortars is classed as 1 attack.This shows the enormity
of
it.

Things will get worse from now on the reason is 3.5
million pilgrims went to Karbala for 2 day festival thursday
and friday if 1 person in a 1000 is helping the resistance
with ammunition,supplies,weapons,food,money and
manpower that equates to 3500 people that have
brought munnitions in.Which means the resistance will be
fully armed and equiped ie resupplied.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x876865