US troops build wall of sand around Iraqi town

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=6372514&cKey=1136903732000

SINIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. soldiers fed up with almost daily bomb attacks on their patrols near Iraq's main oil refinery are taking drastic measures to fight their shadowy enemy -- they're walling in an entire town.

Army bulldozers have begun building giant sand embankments around Siniya, a town of 50,000 close to the northern oil refining city of Baiji. When finished it will be 10 km (6 miles) long and more than 2 metres (nearly 8 feet) high.

The U.S. army says it is to keep insurgents out and that it is being built with the agreement of local police, town council members and religious leaders, who complain that Siniya is being used as a safe haven by insurgents.

But some angry residents, including the head of the city council, complain it appears designed to keep residents in.

[Roland99]

1. Why not build a moat and stock with crocodiles?

And toss in some Jesusaurs for good measure.

[Hardrada]

5. LOL!

[Hardrada]

8. This is nothing else than a Grand Metaphor

for the edifice of the Bush Empire made of sand. It is built on sand and looked impressive to the gullible at a long distance but it will blow away with the winds and wash away with water and tears...and blood. And no one will miss it.

[Tempest]

2. Sounds just like the Polish ghettos Hitler walled in

To keep the Jews from leaving.

[wuushew]

3. That is why they invented mortars

good luck with that sand defense.

[malaise]

4. WTF is going on??

This is madness.

[leveymg]

6. Daddy!. That big wave just washed my fort away!

Castles in the sand

[4morewars]

7. Yeah, cuz arabs are afraid of sand.

I see the stupid mother fuckers are still running the army.

[LiberalEsto]

9. They'll huff and they'll puff

and they'll blow that sand down.

[MadHound]

10. Oh this is going to be reeeeaaaaal good

The next time a sandstorm comes along. Whose bright idea was this anyway?

[The_Casual_Observer]

11. More stupidity. How long before the "local council members"

are "insurgents". Apparently the US government is unaware of world history and where this whole thing is
inevitably headed. However, they think they know better, it will have to play itself out once again.

[leftofthedial]

12. Iraq--the first link in the Sand Curtain

to be built by the neostalinist bushgang

[Richard Steele]

13. 8 foot pile of sand- yeah, no one could possibly get over that, right?

SNIP:
But Rafid Abbas, 25, who drives a fuel truck,
said the barrier and checkpoints would strangle the town:
"The wall hinders vehicle movement greatly," he told Reuters.

His comments echoed those of residents in Samarra,
some of whom have complained that the berm around their city
has devastated business and driven out thousands of people.

One Siniya resident was pessimistic that the wall would
help flush out insurgents as the U.S. military hopes:
"I think the U.S forces will conduct a strike
after finding out that the wall is not useful," said Saleh Hussein, 44.
ENDSNIP

I think this is the real reason: economic devastation of the town,
increase the chaos, just more grease on the slope towards civil war.

I really believe that is the real goal in Iraq: to start WWIII.