Fallujah parallels in Ramadi

[oblivious]

What a hopeless situation. They've given up on the city and are focusing on just keeping a stretch of road safe, but even that seems impossible.

Some snips (sentences, not paragraphs):

July 23, 2004

...The Marine battalion here has suffered more than 30 deaths and 180 wounded since arriving in March.

...the Marines have focused their effort on securing a key stretch of highway running through central Ramadi between three US camps

..."We cannot guarantee that section of road," says provincial police chief Maj. Gen. Jaddan Mohamed Al Doulaymi, a 35-year veteran of the Iraqi police. "We will give orders, but maybe the police and soldiers will not obey them," he says.

..."They are very good at running and hiding," says Staff Sgt. Joseph Rappazzo, of Boston. Other Marines say they have been shot at by men wearing Iraqi police uniforms.

... "If they want to keep fighting, we'll keep killing them," says Weiler, who like many Marines here sees no end to the conflict. His company of 154 people has suffered three killed and 54 wounded - a 35-percent casualty rate.

http://csmonitor.com/2004/0723/p06s01-woiq.html

[LynnTheDem]

1. Gee, 35%...what's the casualty rate

for the people who were attacked & invaded?

[oblivious]

2. And it seems that's just since March. What if they stay a whole year?

[LynnTheDem]

3. You talking about the people of Iraq, or the uniformed foreign fighters?

I'm talking casualty rates of the people who were invaded.

[oblivious]

4. Yes, I realise that. I was focusing on the first part of your comment.

25 'insurgents' killed on Wednesday alone compared to 30 marine deaths since March. We get no news of civilian casualties.

So, what, maybe 100 times more Iraqis killed than marines?

[LynnTheDem]

6. At leat, yeah. Iraqis, innocent people who hadn't done a thing to deserve

being attacked & invaded. They fight back, and they're labelled "terrorists".

The usual ploy from rogue states that go around attacking & invading sovereign nations that hadn't been doing anything to anyone.

[oblivious]

8. Here's a Guardian news service report. Gruesome.

Gunmen take over Ramadi in Iraq

June 17 (Guardian News Service):Insurgentshave taken over much of the Iraqi city of Ramadi and used it to launch attacks against US forces while terrorising the population with public beheadings.

A huge bomb killed five American marines yesterday and showered body parts onto rooftops, fuelling suspicion that new armour-piercing technology was being developed and tested in Ramadi.

...A man described as an Egyptian spy was beheaded and his body dumped on a busy shopping street. Warned by the killers to leave it for five days, shoppers pretended not to notice the figure in the brown robe, its head resting on its back.

Four days ago two suspected Shia militiamen were beheaded in the marketplace in full view of traders, said a senior police officer who asked not to be identified. Two boys played football with one of the heads, he added.

...Residents said that in reprisal for their losses US troops fired grenades at a minibus as it crossed the bridge at 6am yesterday.

Eight girls and women died and a Jordanian man was injured, said hospital staff. It was not possibly to verify the account.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200506171110.htm
edit: subject line

[bemildred]

5. Lessee: 35/4 * 12 == 105%. Ooooops, can't go over 100% can we.

The irony here is stunning:

If they want to keep fighting, we'll keep killing them"

[Karenina]

7. American foreign policy

in a nutshell.

[dbt]

9. Paging Charlie Foxtrot. Mr. Charlie Foxtrot, please pick up

the white courtesy phone. You have an important message.

:freak:

[ConcernedCanuk]

10. Sad, Sad country the United States has become - from the beacon of freedom

.
.
.

to being the main scourge on the planet, both environmentally and humanitarian wise - The world would be much better off if the USA just ceased to exist in my opinion.

A rather rash thing to say I know, 'specially since some of my friends are American, but as a Country - specifically it's foreign affairs policy farce -

The World would breathe a sigh of relief if the USA just sank into the San Andreas fault - by - bye - no more bombs and bullets in other people's continents and countries - let them sort out their own problems - -

Canada has only one real enemy - unfortunately it sits on our southern border - that energy sucking warmongering nation that travels the globe to protect their wants and needs - and by golly - we got tons of oil, electricity and water up here, so I suspect we are penciled in that axus of evul thing somewhere - -

I hope to live long enough to see the USA submitted to conditions similar to Japan and Germany after the Second World War - it's their turn after all, no? :shrug:

Yup - past time for the latter part of "The Rise and the Fall of . . "

USA no longa nomba whan - ya think?

(sigh)

[Moderator]

11. This article is almost a year old

[oblivious]

12. Gosh, sorry. I hit it on a google search and didn't check the date.