Is there currently a bloodbath in Samarra? Russian news says so...

[kokomo]

The news from Samarra from this Russian website sounds like things are not going so good with the big American offensive that began Thursday.

"The resistance also managed to destroy 4 Abram tanks, 7 Hummer's, two transports and kill over 82 Iraqi occupation soldiers and 65 US soldiers."

http://iraqwar.mirror-world.ru/tiki-read_article.php?articleId=25148

If this happening to our soldiers, why aren't we hearing about it here on the homefront???

[DRoseDARs]

1. Naturally, the US claims otherwise. Which is truer? We'll see...

Pay special attention to the very last quote in this article sample...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041003/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq&cid=540&ncid=716

U.S. Commander Claims Success in Samarra

2 hours, 9 minutes ago Middle East - AP

By ZIDAN KHALAF, Associated Press Writer

SAMARRA, Iraq - Afraid to stray from home, residents buried the dead in their gardens Saturday as U.S. and Iraqi forces battled pockets of resistance in this former insurgent stronghold, where the American military said 125 rebels were killed and 88 captured in two days of fierce fighting. The American commander declared the operation a successful first step in a major push to wrest key areas from insurgent control before January elections.

Elsewhere the rebels struck back, wounding at least five U.S. forces in three separate bomb attacks. In the latest in a string of kidnappings, militants claimed to have abducted and beheaded an Iraqi construction contractor working on a U.S. base.

U.S. and Iraqi commanders said they controlled 70 percent of Samarra after some 5,000 troops — including 2,000 Iraqis and 3,000 Americans — swept into the city early Friday. Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan claimed success, telling the Arab television station Al-Arabiya: "It is over in Samarra."

<snip>

[greatauntoftriplets]

2. It's a damn sad turn of events.....

...when we have to learn the truth from Russian newspapers.

We won't read it here. Samarra will be a glorious victory.

[Doosh]

3. they're pretty accurate

though I doubt the kill rate is as high as 65, back when the war was really raging they'd report 25 killed, but the final reports from centcom would be 7 killed 18 injured. Basically whenever they intercept radio reports of soldiers being taken off the battleground, they record it as a "kill"

[tjdee]

4. HELLO, things in Iraq are going WELL.

Haven't you been listening to our fearless leader at all?
This violence in Samarra merely UNDERLINES how well we're doing, because those insurgents wouldn't be fighting NEARLY so hard if they were winning.
:crazy:

[Craig Roberts]

5. I don't find any reason to give that report credence

Does it say anywhere who the source is? It looks like an internet alias is used at the top.

If 65 US soldiers were killed in this operation, and all those vehicles destroyed, it would be the bloodiest battle since the initial push, maybe even of the entire war, and a disaster for the Bush Administration.

I seriously doubt it is true.

[JoFerret]

6. The key word there is IF

....if it IS happening then eventually the story will emerge.

In any event - it seems clear from LATimes and other sources that the bloodbath there has overwhelmed emergency resources. Awful. Awful.

[BeHereNow]

7. I heard Robert Fisk the other day

talking about what an absolute disaster the whole
situation is, and although he is usually rather calm and
collected, I must say that during the report I heard most
recently from him, he sounded rather upset and frustrated about the fact
that the people in this country were being so misled about
what the reality was over there.
If you want to listen to the interview, it should be
in the archives for last week at the Democracy Now web site.
God bless Amy Goodman.
http://www.democracynow.org

[leftchick]

9. Thank you for the link BHN....

I will listen in the morning. I can't take any US terrorism news anymore today.

[Disturbed]

8. If a soldier ..

is taken off the battlefield sent to Germany and dies there it is not counted as a US/Iraq war death?

[Wilber_Stool]

11. I believe that's what they did

in Viet Nam. Get them to Japan as soon as possible.

[sleipnir]

10. IMO, this is more Russian disinformation.

The history of the the run-up to the conflict, Russia had the most to lose from a war in Iraq. They have lost all of the oil contacts they had before and tons of foreign investments in the country. We've seen this sort of disinformation from the Russians before, tons of "unknown" sources launching ludicrous accusations and inflating US casualty numbers beyond what would be considered plausible. Almost all the Russian info has later turned out to be false.

The flip side of the US war is this. If the US is forced to pull out of Iraq suddenly due to a shift in domestic public opinion, guess who's going to get a fresh crack at re-establishing their oil contracts.

I strongly believe there is a government directive from Putin to sabotage the US war (if Bush Co wasn't doing their own fantastic bungling job) through public opinion.

Russia lost potential billions in investments and they got shut of all the reconstruction contracts. If the US leaves, Russia will get it all back.

It's all about money and oil, no matter how you spin it.

[jimshoes]

12. A new article from the Independent in the UK

a sobering report...

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=568358

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Moderator]

14. This is not a news source

This does not appear to be a real news outlet but some sort of blog or forum.