U.S. helicopters, tanks hit Iraq city of Baiji

[maddezmom]

BAIJI, Iraq, Nov 14 (Reuters) - U.S. helicopters on Sunday fired missiles at suspected insurgents in the northern Iraqi city of Baiji, the site of Iraq's biggest oil refinery.

U.S. forces backed by tanks moved into the centre of the Sunni city after clashing with rebels, witnesses said.

"The helicopters hit several houses but the Americans have blocked the roads and ambulances cannot reach them," said Ahmad Mar-Hassan, an emergency doctor at Baiji's hospital.

He said seven people were injured in the fighting.

~snip~

Baiji is about 200 km (125 miles) north of the capital. The region is a key route for gasoline and kerosene fuel tankers from Turkey, which have been attacked repeatedly by insurgents. There are also storage facilities in the area.

more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/OWE446255.htm

[mike_c]

1. denying medical care to injured civilians is a war crime...

...under the Geneva Conventions.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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

[ScrewyRabbit]

5. "He said seven people were injured in the fighting."

?

[HelenBedd]

6. WeShallWinMore

troll alert?

[Judi Lynn]

10. They're always about, poking into everything!

You never really know when to expect them.

[VegasWolf]

12. Great picture JudiLyn! n/t

[Judi Lynn]

14. Thanks,VegasWolf.Pleased to find it on a troll safari in google! n/t

[mike_c]

7. they fired missiles into "houses...."

It's clear from reports emerging from Fallujah that U.S. forces are indiscriminately bombarding civilian neighborhoods, with a very high civilian toll resulting.

The main issue here is deliberately blocking access of ambulances trying to care for the wounded. Prohibiting medical care for the wounded is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions, whether the wounded are civilians or not. U.S. practices in Iraq give good reason to suspect that at least some of the injured are innocent civilians, if not all of them.

[WeShallWinMore]

13. I thought we were discussing BAIJI, Iraq

The reports I've heard from Fallujah (Iraq news sources) are say there have been very few if any civilian toll. I would suspect that the insurgents would prefer the news to say there are many civilian tolls and other atrocities to help break the will of those trying to bring democracy to Iraq. The insurgents seem to want Islamic rule in Iraq and their women to be submissive, ignorant, uneducated and covered from head to toe in black cloth.

[maddezmom]

15. could you post a link to your source of no civilian casualities??

[maddezmom]

19. ......

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=980965

[ninkasi]

22. Good suggestion, Maddezmom

All of the reports I've seen indicate large numbers of civilian casualties. In addition, I've seen the pictures of injured children, and unless somebody is suggesting that these babies are insurgents, there are large numbers of innocent Iraqis being maimed and killed. This whole insane war is illegal and immoral.

[ScrewyRabbit]

16. How do you know what the insurgents want?

They might just want the army that's occupying their country out.

[lynx rufus]

18. I heard that theory on Fox news

It is absurd, mean-spirited right wing propaganda.
Why would you repeat it here?

[wabeewoman]

21. Curious as to how you know what the insurents want....

If another country invaded and occupied my country, I'd want them out. Or shall we just kill all their women and children so they won't be subjected to extremist religion??

[RyomaSakamoto]

27. we are committing war crimes by seizing their hospitals and blocking aid

to civilians, not to mention RAPE, TORTURE, MURDER, KIDNAPPING, etc AND iraq was the only SECULAR muslim nation in the region with a very highly educated population with women occupying many leadership positions in the country.

now, there aren't any reporters in the city to report the numbers of dead today so where do you get your information we can only wonder, fox?

also remember we killed 10's of thousands since us foreigners invaded their country.

as the un has said, this war is ILLEGAL, and we are responsible for our illegal actions.

peace

[aneerkoinos]

28. Iraq news sources?

Naturally you are aware that there is marshal law in Iraq and no freedom of press?

US deliberatly targeted the rag tag hospitals inside Fallujah, killing medical personal and destroying supplies, vehicles etc., and occupied the main hospital, because of information warfare purposes. Last time US efforts were hurt by hospitals telling media about hundreds of civilian casualties, this time they made sure that would not happen and destroyed all medical facilities.

This is just one of US warcrimes. See: http://www.empirenotes.org/

[maddezmom]

30. probably not aware of anything

cept what he's spoon fed on Faux.

[Darranar]

29. Goodbye! n/t

[Darranar]

8. "insurgents".... yeah, sure...

These were civilian houses, even if they may have been occupied by some resistors. There were almost certainly civilian casualties.

[maddezmom]

9. it's now in bold type...can you see it now??

:eyes:

[mcg]

26. "suspected insurgents" and anyone near them are "insurgents"?

So you think that anyone who opposes bush's illegitimate regime is an "insurgent" and should be killed, and he and his gang have the right to kill anyone who is even near anyone who they think might oppose bush?

[marylanddem]

2. This is insane

This is totally insane.

[StClone]

3. A regular "Traveling Carnage"

So what was the reason we invaded Iraq? Somebody please inform me complete with analysis and supporting facts.

If The United States of Canada invaded the terrorist rogue national of Jesusland on the Montana border and the Montanans would fight back would they be "terrorist insurgents" ?

[CHICKEN CAPITOL USA]

11. Rebels?---no, actually should be called the"resistance" to occupation

Rebels imply that there was a secure governing system in place.
"Rebels" is as incorrect a term as "insurgents".
Resisting the military occupation of their country(remember it's their country)
is understandable.
The * admin can't believe they won't bow down to our "awsome" superiority.
They never will back down

it's called "RESISTANCE"
--
the word "quagmire" sound familiar ?

[Judi Lynn]

17. This article introduces a city most of us have never heard of, no doubt.

Isn't it interesting that war brings us awareness of countries we have only ignored previously? Great way to get a new geographic perspective? Probably not.

It's astounding how little is ever discussed about other places in our own media until we go there to blow them up. We've been somewhat self-centered, it would seem.

Americans are often surprised when they learn people in other countries often know quite a bit about the larger world outside their own immediate interests.

[bemildred]

20. "War is God's way of teaching Americans geography." -- HL Mencken

[Judi Lynn]

23. I've never seen his quote before. Interesting, although sad, isn't it? nt

[bemildred]

24. I stole it from some other fellow here.

Credit where credit is due.

It's very sad. How many Americans would know anything about SE Asia
except for the VietNam war?

[0007]

25. ...and where did Iraqis get the name of Baiji for a city in Iraq?

I find that extremely interesting. As Baiji is a name of a certain species of dolphins.

The number of Baiji dolphins fell drastically from 6,000 in the 1950s to 400 in 1984. Now only an estimated 5 animals remain. The world's most endangered cetacean.

http://www.cetacea.org/baiji.htm