U.S. doubles air attacks in Iraq

[babylonsister]

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/23347

U.S. doubles air attacks in Iraq
Submitted by davidswanson on Wed, 2007-06-06 04:47. Media

By CHARLES J. HANLEY, AP

BAGHDAD - Four years into the war that opened with "shock and awe," U.S. warplanes have again stepped up attacks in Iraq, dropping bombs at more than twice the rate of a year ago.

The airpower escalation parallels a nearly four-month-old security crackdown that is bringing 30,000 additional U.S. troops into Baghdad and its surroundings — an urban campaign aimed at restoring order to an area riven with sectarian violence.

It also reflects increased availability of planes from U.S. aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf. And it appears to be accompanied by a rise in Iraqi civilian casualties.

In the first 4 1/2 months of 2007, American aircraft dropped 237 bombs and missiles in support of ground forces in Iraq, already surpassing the 229 expended in all of 2006, according to U.S. Air Force figures obtained by The Associated Press.

"Air operations over Iraq have ratcheted up significantly, in the number of sorties, the number of hours (in the air)," said Col. Joe Guastella, Air Force operations chief for the region. "It has a lot to do with increased pressure on the enemy by MNC-I" — the Multinational Corps-Iraq — "combined with more carriers."

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[malaise]

1. Genocide for oil

These war criminals belong in the Hague.

[bdamomma]

5. killing innocent people, we have so much blood on our hands.

:cry: killing our soldiers and civilians for lies.

[izzie]

2. Guess the Navy and Air Force are not getting in enough time.

One wonders why these people do not like us. Heck we have only been bombing them since 1990. The Red Sea had Am. ships on it and were sending planes and rockets over to Iraq then, as my husband was in Arba and Jetta and they could hear them. In fact it was hard to fly out of these cities as there was so much air power from Navy and Air Force from Saudi at that time. Makes it almost of life time of Am. bombs for these Iraq people I would say. Hard to understand why they do not love us.

[On the Road]

3. What the Hell are They Targeting? Civilian Neighborhoods?

[babylonsister]

4. They would 'only' be collateral damage, donchaknow. It's all them

terraists hiding among the population...:(

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. Isn't bombing people considered "terrorism".

"Because I do it with one small ship, I am called a terrorist. You do it with a whole fleet and are called an emperor."

- A pirate, from St. Augustine's "City of God"