US launches Fallujah air strikes

[everythingsxen]

*SNIP*
In two air raids carried out just after midnight, US aircraft bombed rebel positions in the north-east and south-east of the town, 50km west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, a military statement said.

"US Air Force aircraft... struck a pre-planned target with precision weapons, striking known anti-Iraqi barricaded fighting positions" in both the north-east and south-east, the military said.

The raids were carried out by planes backing the 1st Marine Expeditionary Corps, which also destroyed several rebel fighting positions during the past 12 hours, the statement said.

*SNIP*

more..

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11285706%255E1702,00.html

[Syrinx]

1. expect the casualty rate to surge even further now the election is done nt

[everythingsxen]

3. Absolutely

This is just a warmup for the full ground assault.

The number of US troops KIA will double within a few months thanks to these lunatics.

What scares me though is the thought that * is nuts enough, that if we go in and get our asses handed to us, he will nuke Fallujah.

I know that is highly unlikely. However, now that he doesn't need to worry about re-election....

[The_Casual_Observer]

7. plutonuim grade premium is a hard sell

otherwise they would be loading up the B-52 right now.

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. "which also destroyed several rebel fighting positions"

Blow some more smoke up my ass. Bomb away big boy. You are obviously killing a bunch of unwitting Iraqis, who gives a shit what you do?

This all seems so ludicrous now, why don't they just drop the serious pretense that they attempt to affect and simply say, "we gonna kick some a-rab ass now and we gonna dig it!"

[MRDU]

4. Yea, right!

We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.

http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2003/t03302003_t0330sdabcsteph.html

[everythingsxen]

5. I hate this newspeak crap

Anyone else remember when people in an invaded country who carried out attacks against the invader were called "partisans" or "guerrillas"?

Now they are "terrorists".

I am sorry you boys in the DOD don't like it, but that's how you win a guerrilla war.

[MRDU]

6. US Air Force aircraft... struck

US Air Force aircraft... struck
US Air Force aircraft... struck
US Air Force aircraft... struck
US Air Force aircraft... struck
US Air Force aircraft... struck

[maddezmom]

8. reuters link: U.S. Bombardment Kills Five in Iraq's Falluja

FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. artillery shelled Falluja on Thursday after overnight air and tank attacks killed five people in Iraq (news - web sites)'s most rebellious city, braced for an all-out offensive now the U.S. presidential election is over.


The U.S. military said two air raids after midnight destroyed "fighting barricades" prepared by insurgents in the northeast and southeast of the Sunni Muslim city.


The strikes followed what witnesses called an intense half- hour bombardment of eastern and northwestern areas by AC-130 planes and tanks that shook the city late on Wednesday night.


They said the attacks were the heaviest for several weeks. Hospital doctor Ahmed Mohammed said five people had been killed, including a woman and a child. All had been in a car hit in an air raid while trying to escape the violence.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=3&u=/nm/20041104/ts_nm/iraq_dc

[flygal]

9. and so it begins....

I hate my country.

[Ladybast]

10. Al Jazeera link

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C9D3FECA-ED12-45B5-9D35-96EFF79B9BC6.htm

US forces bombard Falluja
Thursday 04 November 2004, 16:23 Makka Time, 13:23 GMT


The US offensive is killing residents and destroying houses {caption of photo)


US forces have stepped up pressure on Iraqi fighters in Falluja, using AC-130 aircraft and tanks to pound eastern and northwestern areas of the town.Witnesses said AC-130s - cargo aircraft equipped with cannon and machine guns - were in action for at least half an hour late on Wednesday while tanks shelled the town on the ground.

The bombardment was said to be the heaviest on the town for several weeks.The US military is poised for an offensive on Falluja, some 50km west of Baghdad, to flush out armed men resisting its forces.

(snip)


A woman was seriously wounded and a teenage girl lost her right leg in the strikes, hospital official Isam Muhammad said.

(snip)

Residents of the city say the daily bombardments cause heavy civilian casualties and increase resentment against the United States.

[yorkiemommie1]

11. all primed and ready to go

Just waiting for a word from their leader. As half the country was voting against this war, he had his armies poised, waiting for the downbeat. What a repulsive image in my mind.

[wicket]

12. Here we go....

[one_true_leroy]

13. now that voting's outta the way...

we can resume our bombings.:eyes:

nice to see the admin settling back into the business of killing lotsa people.

[Barrett808]

14. How many "precision" strikes does it take to flatten a city? n/t