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Title: Mcgowanjm Wire 2012
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Published: Feb 26, 2012
Author: Various
Post Date: 2012-02-26 09:15:13 by A K A Stone
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"Depending on who’s doing the counting, the ANA consists of 100,000 to 150,000 soldiers, but only 1 percent of their units can operate without direct NATO assistance, according to Army Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, an officer with the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), in a recent interview with Military.com. Scaparrotti appears to think it is somewhat redeeming that after $12 billion of U.S. investment in 2011 alone, 42 percent of the ANA units are capable of leading security operations “with advisers.” Thanks a lot — considering that after this week’s riots, NATO didn’t even deem its advisers safe enough to let them continue their work in the ministry buildings. ... As of this moment there is almost ZERO interaction between this MultiBillion Army and ISAF/NATO/USSA...;} Mullah Omar could give the order today and how many of that Army would fight under the White Taliban flag? After 11 years and this is our effort revealed? It's looking more and more like Saigon 1975. Mujahideen clash with invaders Qari Yousuf Ahmadi E-mail Print PDF Sunday, 09 Jamadil Awal 1433 Sunday, 01 April 2012 13:27 HELMAND, Apr. 01 – Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate clashed with cowardly US invaders earlier today in Nahr Siraj region’s Yakhchal area, causing the enemy heavy casualties and losses. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Monday that the deaths of coalition troops at the hand of Afghan soldiers had sapped spirits among its forces. "Although the incidents are small in number, we are aware of the gravity they have as an effect on morale," ISAF spokesman Brigadier General Carsten Jacobson said in Kabul. IMG[
And of course in Iraq on the 9th Anniversary of the Battle of Saddam Int'l. Everything's as bad as it has been. " It appears that the "experts" who assessed the implications of the statue coming down were all wrong. The U.S. military was not met with a flower-throwing public; almost 5,000 U.S. soldiers, 5,000 U.S. civilian "security" personnel; and hundreds of other foreign nationals have been killed since April 9, 2003. Hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers have been severely wounded since that date. There is no democracy in Iraq. There is no government in Iraq. There is no peace in Iraq. It looks like the experts were a little premature in their basking in glory. April 9 was supposed to be a national holiday in the "new" Iraq. On the first anniversary, Bush had planned to visit Baghdad and lead a huge parade in the area of Saddam’s statue. Something occurred along the way to make Bush change his plans: a fierce resistance. On April 9 this year, the square will look the same as it has every April 9 since the U.S. invasion. It will be cordoned off and no one will be allowed to enter. This is a long way from having millions of people flood the area." And I distinctly remember getting a flock of shite from across the spectrum on how the toppling of the Statue in Al Fir Square was the genuine rejoicing of the Iraq people......LMFAO....;}
March 29, 2003, 0924hrs MSK (GMT +4 DST), Moscow - During the past day the situation on the US-Iraqi front remained largely unchanged. The US is continuing reinforcing the attack group near Karabela for a thrust toward Baghdad. By the morning of March 29 up to 20,000 coalition troops were massed in the area of Karabela. This forces includes up to 200 tanks, 150 artillery systems and more than 250 helicopters. The order for the attack will be given by the coalition commander Gen. Tommy Franks, who, according to intercepted radio communications, will personally inspect the troops during the next several hours. Around 1900hrs yesterday an Apache attack helicopter crashed. Intercepted radio communications show that the helicopter was heavily damaged in a combat mission. The helicopter's pilot lost control during landing and the helicopter crashed, causing serious damage to another helicopter that landed earlier. The coalition troops have so far failed to take An-Nasiriya despite of the categorical orders from the command and more than 800 combat missions by the strike aircraft. All attempts to break through the Iraqi defense were met by Iraqi counterattacks. After 24 hours of fighting the coalition troops only managed to advance several hundred meters in two sectors near An-Nasiriya at the cost of 4 destroyed armored personnel carriers, no less that 3 Marines killed by sniper and mortar fire, 10 wounded and 2 missing in action. The exact Iraqi losses are being determined. The Americans have also failed to advance near An-Najaf. Every coalition attack was met by massive artillery barrages from the Iraqi side. Later during the day the Iraqis mounted a counterattack throwing the US forces back by 1.5-2 kilometers. No fewer than 10 Marines were killed or wounded. After exchanging fire for six hours both warring sides remained in the same positions. Iraqi losses in this area are estimated to be 20 killed and up to 40 wounded. Near Basra the British troops pushed the Iraqi defense lines on the Fao peninsula but were unable to capture the entire peninsula. The British advance was a maximum of 4 kilometers from the highway leading to Basra. Radio intercepts show that in this attack the Iraqis shot down a British helicopter. Additionally, two tanks and one APCs were destroyed by landmines. At least 2 [British] servicemen were killed, around 20 were wounded and 15 were captured by the Iraqis. Exchange of fire continued in the area of the Basra airport. The Iraqis destroyed one coalition APC wounding two coalition soldiers. The Iraqi losses are difficult to estimate, but available information suggests that up to 20 Iraqi soldiers and local militia members might have been killed in the air and artillery strikes. All attempts by the British troops to break through the Iraqi defenses from the south along the Al-Arab river have yielded not results. The British command reported that it is unable to storm Basra with the available forces and will require no less than two additional brigades and at least five additional artillery battalions. Thus, to avoid further casualties the British are adopting defensive tactics, while trying to maintain a tight blockade around Basra and trying to improve their positions with small localized attacks. The British are also maintaining pressure on the Iraqi positions on the Fao peninsula. The psychological levels among the city's residents, according to interviews, is far from critical. The Iraqi military made several public announcements to the residents offering them a chance to leave the city. However, most of the residents do not want to leave, fearing the faith of the Palestinian refugees, who, after losing their homes, gained pariah status in the Arab world. Basra's residents were extremely depressed by the video footage aired by the coalition command showing Iraqis on the occupied territories fighting for food and water being distributed by the coalition soldiers. The city's population views this as a sample of what awaits them if the Americans come... At the Al-Kuwait airport the unloading of the 4th Mechanized Infantry Division is continuing and is expected to be completed by the night of April 1. During a night flight one of the US military transport aircraft requested an emergency landing. What happened to the plane is still being determined. Currently the coalition command is deciding how better use the 4th Infantry Division. The complete deployment [of the division] and preparations for combat are expected to take at least 10 days. However, the combat units require immediate reinforcements and it is possible that the [4th Infantry} Division will be joining combat in stages, as the units become ready. This will mean a considerable reduction of the Division's combat effectiveness. A report was obtained, prepared by the Al-Kuwait-based [coalition] Psychological Operations Tactical Group for the [coalition] Special Ground Forces Command. The report analyzed the effectiveness of the information and propaganda war. According to the report, analysis of the television broadcasts, intercepted radio communications, interrogations of Iraqi POWs show that psychologically the Iraqis are now "more stable and confident" that they were during the last days before the war. This, according to the report, is due primarily to the coalition's numerous military failures. "...Following nervousness and depression [of the Iraqis] during the first days of the war we can now observe a burst of patriotic and nationalistic feelings. ...There has been a sharp increase in the number of Iraqi refugees, who left the country before the war, returning to Iraq. A "cult of war" against the US and the UK is now emerging among the Iraqis...", the report states. [Reverse translation from Russian] [Coalition] analysts believe that if this attitude of the Iraqis is not changed within the next 7 days, a "resistance ideology" may take over the Iraqi minds, making the final [coalition] victory even more difficult. In response to this report the US Army Psychological Operations command decided to combine all Iraqi POWs into large groups and to distribute the resulting video footage to the world media. A more active use of the Iraqi opposition was suggested for propaganda work in the occupied villages. The same opposition members will be used to create video footage of the "repented" Iraqi POWs and footage of the local [Iraqi] population "opposing Saddam." Radio communications intercepted during the last five days suggest that the coalition is using Israeli airfield for conducting night air strikes against Iraq. Combat aircraft are taking off regularly from the [Israeli] Hatzerim and the Navatim airbases do not return to the same bases but fly toward the border with Jordan while maintaining complete radio silence. Possibly these are just Israeli Air Force exercises, However, [Russian] radio intercept and radar units observe increased intensity of radio communications coming from the Jordanian air force and air defense communication centers during such overflights, as well as changes in the operating modes of the US Army "Patriot" tracking radars deployed in Jordan. This indicates the Israeli airbases as used as forward airfield or that some of the coalition air force units are based there. Normally the IAF F-15I fighter-bombers and A-4N strike aircraft operate from the Hatzerim airbase and the F-16 fighter-bombers operate from the Nevatim base. Experts believe that these airbases may be used by the F-117 stealth bombers "officially" based at the Al-Udaid airbase in Qatar. Using these two locations minimizes the risk to the F-117s by allowing them to fly along the left bank of the Euphrates (in the direction of Turkey) and to avoid the dangerous maneuvering over Iraq. The destruction of the telephone stations in Baghdad did nothing to disrupt the communications of the Iraqi army. The coalition command acknowledged this fact after analyzing the dense [Iraqi] radio traffic. Because of that the USAF was ordered to employ the most powerful available [conventional] munitions against predetermined strategic targets. This attacks will be carried out immediately before renewing ground advance. (source: iraqwar.ru, 03-29-03, translated by Venik)
Reviewing ground operations [in Iraq] analysts conclude that the desert terrain and the resulting inability of the Iraqis to fight outside of towns and villages provide the coalition with its main strategic advantage. Complete air dominance allows [the coalition troops] locating and engaging Iraqi positions and armor at maximum distance using precision-guided munitions not available to the Iraqis, while remaining outside of the range of the Iraqi weapons. Considering the course of this war and the tactics used by the coalition, [Russian military] analysts find this tactics to be far removed from the realities of modern warfare and designed exclusively against a technologically much weaker opponent. Such tactics is unimaginable on the European theater of combat with its woodlands and cross-country terrain. Foreseeing the possibility of a future military standoff between the US and North Korea the analysts are certain that the US cannot hope for a military victory on the Korean Peninsula without the use of nuclear weapons. (source: iraqwar.ru, 04-03-03, translated by Venik)
The beginning of the Battle of Saddam Int'l: April 4, 2003, 1507hrs MSK (GMT +4 DST), Moscow - By the morning of April 4 the situation on the US-Iraqi front showed a tendency toward stabilization. As the forward coalition units reach Baghdad they fulfill their primary orders outlined by the coalition command. During the four days of the advance elements of the US 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division have bypassed from the east the Iraqi defenses at Karabela and, without encountering any resistance, advanced around 140 kilometers along the Karabela-Baghdad highway and reached the Iraqi capital. However, the goals of this attack will be fully achieved only when the US Marine brigades, now advancing along the left bank of the Tigris, reach the southeastern outskirts of Baghdad. All indications are that the breakthrough by the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division toward the Baghdad international airport, although a significant thrust forward, did not come as a surprise to the Iraqi command. The US units occupying the airport area did not encounter here any significant resistance (the airport was guarded by no more than 2-3 Iraqi companies without any heavy weapons) nor did they see any indication that the Iraqis were even planning on defending the airport. Except for the line of trenches along the airport's perimeter the US troops found no other defensive structures. The airport was clear from all aircraft with the exception of a few old fuselages and a passenger plane (possible belonging to a Jordanian airline company), which did not have time to leave the airport before the flight restrictions were announced by the coalition with the beginning of the war. Currently the coalition group of forces in the airport area number up to 4,000 troops, up to 80 tanks and about 50 artillery systems. It should be expected that several helicopter squadrons from the 101st Airborne Division will be deployed here in the next several hours. According to electronic surveillance the coalition command in Qatar order the attacking US forces to halt on at least three occasions. The command ordered additional reconnaissance to be done in the airport area fearing there may carefully concealed Iraqi units and extensive defenses. The coalition command issued the final order to capture the airport only until the coalition reconnaissance units contacted the command headquarters directly from the airport terminal. The Iraqi forces protecting the airport offered little resistance and after a few exchanges of fire withdrew toward the city. Communication was lost with one of the coalition units protecting the flanks of the advancing column. It is still being determined whether this unit got lost or if it encountered an ambush. Around 0800hrs the US positions [in the airport area] were attacked by the militia forces probably from among the local population. The militia was dispersed by tank and APC fire. The 2nd brigade of the [3rd Mechanized Infantry] Division reached the southern outskirts of Baghdad and is currently located near the intersection of the Baghdad-Amman and Baghdad-Karabela highways. The coalition claims of "completely destroying" the "Media" ("Al Madina al Munavvara") and the "Hammurali" Republican Guard divisions of the 2nd Republican Guard Corps received no confirmation. No more than 80 destroyed Iraqi armored vehicles were found along the coalition's route of advance, which corresponds to about 20% of a single standard Iraqi Republican Guard division. It has been determined that only a few forward elements of the "Hammurali" Division participated in combat while the entire division withdrew toward Baghdad. A single brigade of the "Medina" division was involved in combat. The brigade was split in two groups during fighting and withdrew toward Baghdad and toward Karabela to join the main forces of the ["Medina"] division. Equally unimpressive are the numbers of the Iraqis captured by the coalition. In four days of advance the US troops captured just over 1,000 people only half of whom, according to the reports by the US field commander, can be considered regular troops of the Iraqi army. There are virtually no abandoned or captured Iraqi combat vehicles. All of this indicates that so far there has been no breakthrough for the coalition; Iraqi troops are not demoralized and the Iraqi command is still in control of its forces. No significant changes occurred at other Iraqi resistance areas.
April 5: Resistance at the Airport mis read by American Commanders: April 5, 2003, 1357hrs MSK (GMT +4 DST), Moscow - The situation on the US-Iraqi front is characterized by gradual reduction of American offensive activity. After the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division tank forces had marched towards Baghdad and its vanguards reached the city from south and south-west, engineering fortification of their positions began, which indicates the end of the current stage of the campaign as well as the loss of offensive potential of American forces and necessity to rest and regroup. It is supposed that during the next two days the American command will attempt local strikes in order to improve and extend their positions on the south and, especially, south-west approaches to Baghdad (crossing the Baghdad –Samarra roadway) and begin bringing fresh forces from Kuwait. As we supposed, during the last night Americans were moving 101st Airborne Division troops to help the 1st Mechanized Division that captured the airport of Baghdad yesterday morning. About 80 strike and transport helicopters and 500 marines were deployed there. But all the efforts to reinforce the brigade with heavy armor failed as Iraqi started powerful artillery strikes at the transport routes and organized mobile firing groups on the roads. After reports about losing 3 tanks and 5 APCs on the route the American command had to pause the movement of the reinforcements by land. Yesterday’s estimates of the forces concentrated here were overstated. After analysis of intercepted radio communications and reports of American commanders it was specified that at the airport there were only parts of the 1st brigade troops, up to 2 enforced battalions with the help of a self-propelled artillery division 3 thousand soldiers and officers strong, 60 tanks and about 20 guns. Another battalion enforced with artillery crossed the Baghdad-Amman roadway and came into position at the crossroads to the south of the airport, near Abu-Harraib. Soldiers of the 1st Mechanized Brigade spent almost all the last night in chemical protection suits, waiting for Iraqi to use their “untraditional weapons”. Apart from that, their positions were constantly shot with artillery and machine gun fire. The brigade commanders report that the soldiers are ultimately dead-beat, and are constantly requesting reinforcements. About 10 armored units including 4 tanks were lost in this area yesterday. Up to 9 men were killed, about 20 wounded, at least 25 reported missing. Moreover, the status of a patrol group that didn’t arrive at the airport remains unclear. It is supposed that it either moved away towards Khan-Azad and took defense there or got under an ambush and was eliminated. It is now being searched for. The losses of Iraqi were up to 40 men killed, about 200 captured (including the airport technical personnel), 4 guns and 3 tanks. Currently American reconnaissance squadrons are trying to dissect the suburban defenses with local sallies. At the same time, marine troops are approaching the south-east borders of Baghdad. Their vanguard units reached the outskirts of Al-Jessir and immediately tried to capture the bridge over a feeder of the Tigris, the Divala river, but were met with fire and stopped. Commander of the 1st Expeditionary Marine Squadron colonel Joe Dowdy was deposed yesterday morning. As was revealed, the colonel was deposed “…for utmost hesitation and loss of the initiative during the storm of An-Nasiriya…”. This way the coalition command in Qatar found an excuse for their military faults by that town. The “guilt”of the colonel was in his refusing to enter the town for almost 3 days and trying to suppress Iraqi resistance with artillery and aviation, trying to avoid losses. As a result, the command additionally had to move the 15th squadron of colonel Tomas Worldhouser there, who had to storm the ferriages for almost 6 days, with about 20 of his soldiers killed, 130 wounded and 4 missing. The 1st Expeditionary Squadron lost no men at An-Nasiriya, but 3 marines died, as were reported, “by inadvertency”and about 20 soldiers got wounded. Despite the fact that marines were able to capture one of the bridges at the south outskirt of An-Nasiriya, the ferriage across the Euphrates is still risky. Fights in the city are going on.
April 6: Battle of Saddam Int'l shocks US. "April 6, 2003, 2000hrs MSK (GMT +4 DST), Moscow - By the morning of April 6th an uncertain and quickly changing situation has developed. Coalition divisions are continuing to advance toward the city outskirts. The 22nd and 15th expeditionary marine squadrons are trying to break into the region of military airport “Rashid”from south-east. Iraqis are holding the line along the Diyala river and currently the marines cannot capture beach-heads on the right bank. A hard situation has formed near the international airport. The day before yesterday the Iraqi minister of propaganda claimed that the coalition forces in this region would have been eliminated by this morning, and the Iraqi command ordered to storm the airport. At 10am it was attacked by 3 Republican Guards battalions enforced with militia troops. Americans requested artillery and aviation support. The battle lasted for almost 6 hours. After several unsuccessful attacks Iraqis managed to drive Americans back from the second runway to the airport building. Currently the coalition forces control the building itself and the new runway bordering to it. During the day the foes had to increase their strengths and deploy reinforcements. By the evening up to 2 regular Iraqi brigades and 2 thousand militiamen were fighting for the airport. Americans had to use all available forces of the 3rd Mechanized Division and 101st Airborne Division to repulse the attacks. Only assault aircraft and battle helicopters made more than 300 operation flights to this region. During the fight Iraqis lost up to 20 tanks, 10 APC, about 200 men killed and up to 300 wounded. The American losses were up to 30 men killed, about 50 wounded, at least 4 tanks, 4 APC and 1 helicopter. But it is impossible to obtain the exact data yet. By this hour there have been more than 20 flights for evacuation of killed and wounded coalition soldiers and the command have requested ambulance aviation again. The combat was so intense that commander of the 3rd Mechanized Division general-major Bufford Blunt had to issue an order to organize a false strike. Around 8am from Khan-Azad road junction an attack was organized in order to demonstrate tank vanguards of a large subdivision advancing toward Al-Daura from south. The group was able to reach the outskirts of the town near the Avajridge village. After entering the village the group was met by Republican Guards. In direct combat the group lost 2 tanks, 3 APC, 3 men killed, up to 10 wounded and, after two hours of fighting, withdrew to the main forces. Iraqis lost 4 tanks, 2 APC and up to 30 men killed. By the evening the foes reduced their activity and were regrouping during the last night. Americans are rapidly fortifying their defense positions and deploying reinforcements to the airport region, increasing their forces at Khan-Azad and Abu-Harraib. Iraqis are moving anti-armor divisions closer to the city outskirts. Despite the exchange of strikes there are no reasons to expect any serious attempts to capture the city in the nearest future. By numerical strength the coalition troops that have reached the city borders do not meet even the minimal requirements for storming and heavy urban fights. Coalition forces by Baghdad number up to 18-20 thousand men and can be enforced with no more than 3-5 thousand men while the minimal force necessary to capture a city like Baghdad equals from 80 to 100 thousand soldiers. According to weather forecasts, in the coming day the weather may abruptly change to the worse. The wind is expected to intensify, visibility may reduce to 200-300 m. All the claims made by aviation commander of the coalition, general Michael Mosley, about “…Iraqi army, as an organized structure consisting of large units, exists no longer…”are contrary to fact and, according to analytics, are probably connected with severe pressure put on the military command by American financial groups that desperately needed good news from the US-Iraqi front by the end of the financial week. In fact, the Republican Guards defending Baghdad have not lost even 5% of their numerical strength and military equipment. Most of those losses were due to bombardments and not land combats. The total losses of Iraqi army since the beginning of the war have not exceeded 5-8% of their defensive potential. This means the main battles are still to be seen. The situation in other sectors of the US-Iraqi front will be summarized closer to this evening. (source: iraqwar.ru, 04-06-03, translated by Necroman)
Russia evacs Embassy. US readies Nuclear. "April 6, 2003, 2000hrs MSK (GMT +4 DST), Moscow - Around Baghdad skirmishes between coalition forces and Iraqi divisions are going on. As we said before, during the next two days the coalition troops will extend the zone of blockade to the west and north-west using local strikes. Currently a part of the 1st brigade of the 3rd Mechanized Division is outflanking the city from Abu-Harraib, trying to reach the south outskirts and seize a strategic bridge across the Tigris at the north of the Tunis area (Salakh-Khasan). Fire has not stopped near the Airport, both sides are using artillery. According to the most recent data the rush of the coalition forces toward to the southern borders of Baghdad, though expected by the Iraqi command, was tactically surprise. Hidden in the interiors of the city, parts of the Iraqi army were unable to leave their covered positions, advance and face the enemy. There arouse confusion that led to disorganization of the Iraqi squadrons that engaged their rivals “on the move”, without proper reconnaissance and concentration of forces. According to specified information in different conflicts and during the assault of the airport up to 400 Iraqi soldiers were killed, 25 tanks and 12 guns were lost. But the coalition command also faced serious problems. Powerful Iraqi attacks aimed at the airport immobilized most of the force breaking towards Baghdad and it turned out necessary to bring reinforcements from other sectors of the front in order to succeed. In particular, up to 2 battalions of the 101st Airborne Division located by An-Nasiriya and An-Najaf and at least 1 battalion of the 82nd Division were moved there. Americans tolls at the south and south-east of Baghdad for the last 24 hours amount to: up to 30 men killed and at least 80 wounded, 15 soldiers are known to be missing. The Americans lost at least 8 tanks and 5 APC. Marine squadrons are still incapable of breaking down defenses by the Diyala river. Currently the vanguards are trying to outflank the city from east and seize the bridge in the New Baghdad region. There are not enough coalition forces to block such a city, and the troops blocking An-Nasiriya, An-Najaf, Al-Kut and Al-Diwaniya were given categorical orders to break down the Iraqi resistance in the next 3 days, take control of those areas and advance toward Baghdad to join the blockade. To organize offensive against Karbala the blocking troops were enforced with one expeditionary marine squadron, and another storm started this morning. There is no information about casualties from this region yet. Analogous tasks were set before the British command at the south of Iraq near Basra. For the past 2 days the British have tried to overcome Iraqi defenses from An-Zubair and the Manavi regions 3 times, but they still cannot break down the resistance. This morning an armored column was able to come up to a strategic cross-road near Akhavat-Rezan, but got under heavy fire and had to retreat. Yesterday and during this morning the British lost at least 3 armored units, 2 men killed and 6 wounded. The coalition command and the foreign policy departments of Russia and USA are now making every effort to close all the information related to the Russian embassy getting fired near Baghdad. Sources claim that the embassy ceased its activities in many respects because of the danger of an air strike on the embassy. The American command was utterly irritated by the presence of the Russian embassy in Baghdad and believed that some technical intelligence equipment was deployed there that provided the Iraqis with information. Moreover, some officers in the coalition HQ in Qatar openly claimed that it was on the territory of the Russian embassy that the “jammers”hampering the high-precision weapons around Baghdad were operated. Yesterday morning the Secretary of State Colin Powell demanded of immediate evacuation of the embassy from the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov. Yesterday evening the Russian minister informed the Americans that on the 6th of April the embassy column would be leaving Baghdad heading for the Syrian border. This gave rise to dissatisfaction among the State Department officials who suggested that the column should move to Jordan. The coalition special operations HQ were sure that the embassy column would contain secret devices taken from military equipment captured by Iraqis. In this connection one cannot shut out the possibility of “revenge”from the coalition command. Moreover, experts claim that the purpose of this armed assault could be to damage a few cars where the Russians would have to leave some of the salvage. This is also indicated by the fact that neither the ambassador himself nor journalists in the column were among the injured. In this case we can expect that this action was committed by coalition special forces and the column was shot using Russian-made weapons to conceal the origin of the attackers to blame the Iraqis afterwards. According to the most recent data the column got ambushed almost 30 km to the west from the city on the territory occupied by the coalition, but moving fast it escaped from fire and made a few more kilometers where it was blocked by military jeeps. On attempting to establish contact with their crews it received fire again, then the jeeps vanished. Today at 5pm a phone conversation between president of Russia Vladimir Putin and president of the USA George W. Bush took place. Before this conversation, his assistant for National Security Affairs Condoleezza Rice, who came into Moscow today, had consulted Bush. At this time Rice is meeting Igor Ivanov, the head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The details of this meeting are unknown so far, but we can suppose that very soon some “unknown squadrons”will be made responsible for the incident and the situation will be dampened to the maximum.
April 7, 2003, 1914hrs MSK (GMT +4 DST), Moscow - The situation on the US-Iraqi front during the morning-night on April 7th was characterized by extreme fierceness of combat. During the night-morning the coalition units continued to encircle the city from west and east. The 2nd brigade of the 3rd Mechanized Division, as was revealed before, after a five-hour march reached the northern approaches of Baghdad and occupied the region bordering to the strategic bridge Salah-Khasan, but was unable to seize the bridge itself because of a heavy missile and artillery barrage. Up to 10 men were killed, at least 20 wounded. In the morning the brigade lost its communication center destroyed by a tactical Iraqi missile. April 7, 2003, 2400hrs MSK (GMT +4 DST), Moscow (UPDATE) - By this evening the situation on the US-Iraqi front in the environs of Baghdad has become less tense. All the American units have returned to their initial positions corresponding to the morning of April 7th. Currently artillery and aviation occasionally open fire at the city. The details of today’s raid of the 1st tank brigade of the 3rd Mechanized Division column to the central district of Baghdad are now available. Radio surveillance data allow us to contend that it was a joint action of the American Special Forces and the army command. By 3pm the remains of the commando assault groups forced their way to the American positions and at 15:30 their common withdrawal began. At 5pm the American troops left the city. The exact casualties of the American Special Forces remain unclear. According to communications between American commanders the status of least 15 men is unknown. Whether they are dead, captured or hiding in the city is still obscure. It was reported that the commandos captured a high officer but during the rush he was killed and left in the city. The American command criticized the raid. General Tommy Franks who came to the airport region called the level of the casualties during this local operation “unacceptable” and the results “paltry”. Yet it was noted that the Iraqi command reacted on bringing the forces into Baghdad “with an inexplicable delay” and the actions of the counter-attacking Iraqi units “uncoordinated”. American commanders believe that it happened due to “severe malfunction of the whole communication and control system”. It is still unclear what damaged Iraqi communications. According to some data most of the high command left the city after it had been blocked and moved to a reserve command center located in the northern regions of Iraq while the local command remaining in the city has not taken control over the situation yet. Some officers in the coalition HQ presume that if this is the case then even storming Baghdad will not finish this war and a “campaign to the north”, where quite an effective and large group of Iraqi troops remains, might be necessary.
April 8 According to reports by American commanders the resistance of the Iraqis does not make an impression of them acting under a united organized command and looks more like operations of autonomous groups. Moreover, the Americans note very limited use of Iraqi tanks and artillery. There are almost no serious artificial obstacles and strong points prepared for a long defense. This does not give grounds to consider Baghdad prepared for a long siege. And, under such level of resistance the battles for Baghdad may end in 5-7 days. But in spite of certain success, the US forces are still unable to break the Iraqi opposition. Even units fortified at the outskirts are being attacked and are constantly receiving fire. It is still unknown where the top political and military Iraqi leaders are. Out of the high-ranked officials only the Minister of Information Mohammad Saed Sahaf is certainly present in the city. According to arriving information, at about 11am an American helicopter was shot down over the southern suburb of Baghdad. The US command has confirmed their loss of a heavy attack plane A-10 at Baghdad. This morning in Basra marine units began to “clean up” the old city blocks where remains of the Iraqi garrison held the line yesterday. Currently, according to the first reports, the advancing marines do not face any resistance and there is a high probability of the Iraqis having abandoned their positions and left the city or mixed with Basra citizens when darkness fell.
April 8 Ramzaj's last report: "April 8, 2003, 1846hrs MSK (GMT +4 DST), Moscow - Events of the last 2 days have made further work of Ramzaj group in its current format impossible. With the embassy personnel and journalists having left Iraq and most of Iraqi information services evacuated from Baghdad, analysis of the situation in Baghdad and Iraq as a whole becomes ineffective. The quickly changing course of street fights leaves any informational updates far behind. Direct TV broadcasts are far more evident than any analytics. At the same time, we do not have the right to reveal classified, “top secret” information. Apart from that, our actions meet increasing opposition from the official quarts and in fact are turning into confrontation the outcome of which is not difficult to forecast. Therefore we have to discontinue our work and thank everybody for taking part in the project. In conclusion we would like to say: All the “updates” came out from a compact group formed a few years ago in the framework of a special service. The group used to work for the government for a long time but all its members have left the service and now act as an independent analytical group that has kept some capabilities. This gives an answer to the most common question – about the sources of our information. We participated in the ongoing events on a “non-profit” basis and had no object other than to stand the US-British informational blockade of the war in Iraq.
All the information the Russian side has about the fire opened at the Russian embassy column indicate that shooting at the diplomats and journalists was not an accidental event but rather a planned action of frightening and retribution. This version is also supposed by several today’s attempts of Americans to stop the column on its route and carefully examine the diplomats’ cars and accompanied baggage. The Russian Foreign Ministry and the high-ranking officials keep silent. On the meeting of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin and the National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice they agreed “to forget about this regrettable indicent” and “prevent any impact on the Russian-American partnership”… (source: iraqwar.ru, 04-07-03, translated by Necroman) right in here, the night of April 7 Morning April 8, Baghdad loses electricity. The Electrical Grid is never the same again....;} http://www.jimpivonka.com/newsmpt/news094.htm Al Jazeera: Tareq was killed in Baghdad. Eight years ... Dima Tahboub: Tareq was killed on April 8, 2003, nine years next April. His death ... A most beloved husband, father and son had been lost for good. www.aljazeera.com/indepth.../2011121085517490112.html BAGHDAD Share this on: Facebook Twitter Digg delicious reddit MySpace StumbleUpon LinkedIn April 17, 2003 Power returned to the Iraqi capital on Thursday, if only for short periods of time and in scattered areas, a senior U.S. military official told CNN. "Over the last four to five days we've been meeting with the top electrical engineers of Baghdad and the surrounding area to try to get the electrical grid back up," Marine Maj. Don Broton told CNN.
First Confirmation from NPR that Electrical/Phone Grid Down April 7, 2003 www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1223721 And never the same again. "Iraq was going to change all that. In one place on Earth, the theory would finally be put into practice in its most perfect and uncompromised form. A country of 25 million would not be rebuilt as it was before the war; it would be erased, disappeared. In its place would spring forth a gleaming showroom for laissez-faire economics, a utopia such as the world had never seen. Every policy that liberates multinational corporations to pursue their quest for profit would be put into place: a shrunken state, a flexible workforce, open borders, minimal taxes, no tariffs, no ownership restrictions. The people of Iraq would, of course, have to endure some short-term pain: assets, previously owned by the state, would have to be given up to create new opportunities for growth and investment. Jobs would have to be lost and, as foreign products flooded across the border, local businesses and family farms would, unfortunately, be unable to compete. But to the authors of this plan, these would be small prices to pay for the economic boom that would surely explode once the proper conditions were in place, a boom so powerful the country would practically rebuild itself.....;}"
They're throwing rose petals at our feet.
Obama's watch stopped on 24 May 2008, but he's been too busy smoking crack to notice.
And since April 7 and the Battle of Baghdad Airport, Baghdad's Electrical Grid has never been the same. Now what could cause that?
April 3 2003 : "The BBC's Andrew Gilligan in Baghdad, whose activities and reports are monitored by Iraqi authorities, has visited the airport and says there is no sign of increased military activity or any US forces. "
US Myers raises possibility of isolating Baghdad By Sean Loughlin and Jamie McIntyre CNN Washington Bureau | April 4, 2003 Pentagon officials raised the possibility Thursday that coalition forces might try to isolate Baghdad and render the regime of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein "irrelevant," avoiding urban warfare within the city to topple the government. Asked at a Pentagon briefing whether coalition forces were gearing up for an urban conflict within Baghdad, Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, suggested that might not be the case. "The tactical situation could be very different from what we suppose," Myers said.
Few in Baghdad believe these recurrent fires were provoked by the "remnants of Saddam's regime" - as goes the official Washington line. They don't know for sure for whom the arsonists are working. But they are asking themselves three questions. Who profits from the destruction of the whole infrastructure of the Iraqi state? Who profits from the destruction of Iraq's invaluable cultural wealth? And why are Americans soldiers just blank-stared, gum-chewing spectators of all this pyromania? (©2003 Asia Times Online Co,
``What you have is the making of a humanitarian catastrophe,'' said Sid Balman, spokesman for InterAction, an umbrella group of 165 relief organisations. Baghdad went dark on Thursday for the first time since the war began on March 20, just as spearhead troops of America's 3rd Infantry Division closed in on the international airport on the capital's south-western outskirts. U.S. officials denied targeting the electric grid. ``We didn't do it. It's as simple as that,''' said Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, chief spokesman for the U.S. Central Command in Qatar.
This is bullshite: "I would love to give them a hug," said Richard Korn, whose only child, Captain Edward J. Korn, died April 3, 2003, in a burst of friendly fire. "I think they need it. "Captain Korn, a member of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Stewart, Ga., was killed as his unit and others were attacking Iraqi positions on a two-lane road about 15 miles southeast of Baghdad. The convoy of American tanks and armored vehicles was stopped on the road when they spotted an Iraqi tank, a Russian-made T-72. They fired and the enemy tank exploded. As the vehicle burned, Korn and a sergeant apparently dismounted and walked to the tree line near the tank, searching for Iraqi positions, Major Kent Rideout, the senior officer on the scene, told the Los Angeles Times. At some point, Korn spotted a second tank and sent the sergeant back for an antitank rocket before going on alone. Korn was wearing a brown T-shirt, a flak vest that was left open and no helmet, according to Rideout, who was scanning the tree line for more Iraqi positions. "Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw behind the tank what looked to be an old campfire," Rideout told The Times. "I could see tea or coffee steaming, sleeping bags, chickens. It had all the hallmarks of a place where people were living. I put 2 and 2 together that this was a place a tank crew was living. "All of a sudden, we saw movement. Someone dropped down, like he was going to fire, and then stood up and got behind another T-72." Rideout's driver also indicated he saw an enemy. He leveled his M-16 and the major ordered him to fire. "He fired one shot," Rideout recalled. "I'll never get over it. It was 200 to 250 yards away. He dropped him. I slapped him [the driver] on the head and said, 'That's the greatest shot I've ever seen.' " The shot had hit Korn, a Desert Storm veteran and Bronze Star recipient who had left Fort Knox, Kentucky, to volunteer for war duty in March. A Bradley fighting vehicle from Korn's unit also opened fire on the second Iraqi tank, some of its 25-millimeter rounds striking the fallen soldier. "This was the worst day of my Army career," Rideout said. "No doubt, the worst day. I get to go home with that. I get to live with that for the rest of my life."
Why is it bullshite?
And someone else thinks the above is bull shite as well: "Korn's father, Richard Korn, said his son was killed when somebody on a Bradley infantry fighting vehicle opened fire on the tank, thinking Korn was an Iraqi soldier. The Army did not return phone calls about Korn. A press release said only that the incident was under investigation. Korn blamed the incident on a lack of communication and said he felt sorry for the soldier who shot his son."
www.hindu.com/thehindu/20.../.../2003040405860100.htm Apr 4, 2003 – BAGHDAD April 3. The Iraqi capital plunged into darkness tonight as loud explosions rocked the city and tracer rounds raced through the sky near the airport.
8. Sgt. 1st Class Wilbert Davis, Alaska, age 40, died April 3, 2003. Davis was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 9. Staff Sergeant George E. Buggs, S.C., age 31, died March 23, 2003, Headquarters and Headquarters Co., 3rd Forward Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division. 10. Private First Class Wilfred D. Bellard, La., age 20, died April 4, 2003, Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 11. Specialist Daniel F. Cunningham, Jr., Maine, age 33, died April 4, 2003, Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 12. Private 2 Devon D. Jones, Calif., age 19, died April 4, 2003, Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 13. Captain Tristan N. Aitken, Capt. Tristan N. Aitken, Pa.,age 31, died April 4, 2003, HHB, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 14. Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, Fla., age 33, died April 4, 2003, Bravo Co. 11th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division. 15. Staff Sergeant Stevon A. Booker, Pa., age 34, died April 5, 2003, Alpha Co, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 16. Private First Class Gregory P. Huxley, Jr., N.Y., age 19, died April 6, 2003, Bravo Co., 317th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division. 17. Staff Sergeant Lincoln D. Hollinsaid, Ill., age 27, died April 7, 2003, Bravo Co., 11th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division. 18. 1st Lieutenant Jeffrey J. Kaylor, Va., age 24, died April 7, 2003, Charlie Battery, lst Battalion, 39th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 19. Private First Class Anthony S. Miller, Texas, age 19, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. 20. Specialist George A. Mitchell, Jr., Md., age 35, died April 7, 2003, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. 21. Sergeant Henry L. Brown, Miss., age 22, died April 8, 2003, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 22. Sgt. 1st Class John W. Marshall, Calif., age 50, died April 8, 2003, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 23. Private First Class Jason M. Meyer, Mich., age 23, died April 8, 2003, Company B, 11th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division. 24. Staff Sergeant Robert A. Stever, Ore., age 36, died April 8, 2003, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 25. Private First Class Marlin T. Rockhold, Ohio, age 23, died May 8, 2003, Bravo Co., 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 26. Sergeant Michael T. Crockett, Ga., age 27, of Soperton, Ga., died July 14 2003, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 27. Specialist Joel L. Bertoldie, Mo., age 20, died July 18, 2003, Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 28. Staff Sergeant Nathaniel Hart, Jr., Ga., age 29, died July 28, 2003, 416th Transportation Company, 260th Quartermaster Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division. 29. Private First Class Charles M. Sims, Fla., age 18, died Oct. 3, 2003, 549th Military Police, Co., 3rd Military Police Battalion, (attached to 1st AD for OIF1) 30. Captain James F. Adamouski, Va., age 29, died April 2, 2003, Bravo Co, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 31. Specialist Matthew G. Boule, Mass., age 22, died April 2, 2003, Bravo Co, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 32. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Eric A. Halvorsen, Vt., age 40, died April 2, 2003, Bravo Co, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 33. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Scott Jamar, Texas, age 32, died April 2, 2003, Bravo Co, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 34. Sergeant Michael F. Pedersen, Mich., age 26, died April 2, 2003, Bravo Co, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 35. Chief Warrant Officer 3 Eric A. Smith, Calif., age 41, died April 2, 2003, Bravo Co, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 36. Captain Edward J. Korn, Ga., age 31, died April 2003, 64th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 37. Specialist Ryan G. Carlock, Ill., age 25, died Sept. 9, 2003, 416th Transportation Co., 24th Corps Support Group, 3rd Infantry Division. 38. Private 2 Kelley S. Prewitt, Ala., age 24, died April 6, 2003, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 39. Staff Sergeant Terry W. Hemingway, N.J., age 39, died April 10, 2003, C Company, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning. 40. 1st Sergeant Joe J. Garza, Texas, age 43, died April 28, 2003, Headquarters Co. 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning. 41. Specialist Donald S. Oaks, Jr., died April 2003, Delta Co., 1st Battalion, 39th Field Artillery, 3rd Infantry Division. 42. Sergeant Todd J. Robbins, Mich., age 33, died April 2003, Charlie Battery, 13th Field Artillery (from Fort Sill, Okla., attached to 3rd Inf. Div.) 43. Sgt. 1st Class Randall S. Rehn, Colo., age 36, died April 2003, Charlie Battery, 13th Field Artillery (from Fort Sill, Okla., attached to 3rd Inf. Div.) Artillery fire could be heard near the Saddam International Airport, 16 km southwest of downtown Baghdad. Tracer rounds raced through the sky and shells exploded in the air. A Reuters reporter said dozens of Iraqis, including civilians and soldiers, were killed in the village of Furat near the airport today evening in what witnesses said was a U.S. rocket strike. He said more than 120 people were wounded in the attack on the village, which lies between the airport and the Iraqi capital. Iraqi officials put the toll at 83. In Baghdad, the explosions persisted for nearly 15 minutes before the power went off at about 8 p.m. — the first widespread electrical failure in the capital since the U.S.-led bombardment began two weeks ago. The entire city appeared without power. The reason for the loss of power was not immediately clear.
David Bloom. Embedded with the 3rd Infantry Division. Died April 5 2003....;} "* With newspapers, magazines and articles printed from the Internet sprawled across his tray table and bed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center yesterday, the 23-year-old Northeast Baltimore native pointed to a picture of an unnamed soldier on a stretcher in a recent issue of Newsweek. That's him. And there's the April 6 Atlanta Journal-Constitution, with a front-page column by reporter Ron Martz under the headline, "I owe these heroes my life." That's Schafer, too. Schafer, part of the 3rd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart in Georgia, was headed to attack Baghdad International Airport on the morning of April 5 when the tank in front of his was hit and couldn't be saved. Making way for the displaced soldiers, he moved over to the personnel carrier where the Atlanta reporter was riding. Schafer's orders en route: "Nothing is friendly out here. We were firing at anything that moved." Shots came flying. His buddy, Christopher Shipley, was hit, Schafer thinks in the head. Then he was hit as well - how many times, the doctors don't even know. "I just know that my arm is broke, and I got holes in my back," Schafer said. Shipley survived, meeting up with Schafer at a hospital in Rota, Spain."
Remembering David Bloom - CNN.com - Transcripts transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0304/06/rs.00.htmlCached Apr 6, 2003 – He was embedded with the Army's 3rd Infantry Division and died in a ... now is CNN's Walter Rodgers, with the 7th Cavalry, south of Baghdad. " KURTZ: And finally, Walt Rodgers, is it any more difficult for you in terms of the operational security now that you're not just rolling through the desert but on the outskirts of Baghdad, in terms of what you feel that you can report and not report? We all saw the sort of embarrassing episode involving Geraldo Rivera, who was asked to leave Iraq for reporting sensitive information about troop locations. Are you censoring yourself even more than usual now? RODGERS: Not at all. And let me comment on the rules. As in every avenue of life, the rules, the laws are made to protect us. The Pentagon set out the rules. Those rules protect us. You obey the rules, you enjoy the protection of the rules and the protection of the law. You disregard the rules, it's like somebody going down the highway at 120 miles an hour. Law is there, rules are there to protect everyone. They have worked well when they're obeyed -- Howard. KURTZ: Walt Rodgers, outskirts of Baghdad, thanks very much. I want to read a statement I was just handed by CNN -- excuse me, from President Bush, through CNN. The president mourns the loss of David Bloom and extends his sympathies to the Bloom family, just as he continues to mourn the loss -- excuse me -- of all military and others who have lost their lives in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Mark Thompson, you're down at the Pentagon every day for "TIME" magazine. These embedded correspondents, the reports are coming in often hours, sometimes even days before the Pentagon itself is able to confirm this information. Is there starting to be resentment among Rumsfeld and company about the embedded experiment? MARK THOMPSON, "TIME" MAGAZINE: I think what's interesting about it, Howie, is that the Pentagon in some way likes getting it early. When I've been out with troops, with the press, with the DOD media pool, we report back to the military. They're eager for our reports, because it's a check on what they're being told in their own chain of command.
CNN Walter Rogers April 3 2003: "We have seen quite a few dead Iraqi soldiers by the road [Thursday]. What we noticed was all of the dead Iraqi soldiers had gas masks. They are moving in anything but what you would call an organized formation. The Iraqis we see are generally driving pickup trucks, or they are riding about in old Soviet Union vintage armored vehicles, which are no match for the armor-piercing shells that the tanks are firing. This armored column has been under almost constant fire. When we first crossed the Euphrates River, it was pretty barren in terms of not much of a civilian population. As we pushed closer to Baghdad, we began to see that the Iraqi population was indeed welcoming the U.S. Army convoy and welcoming them northward." LMFAO The welcome of almost constant fire...;}
Friday, April 4, 2003 Posted: 1:49 AM EST (0649 GMT) The bombing began about 2 a.m. Friday [5 p.m. Thursday EST]. One explosion was so powerful that it lit up the blacked-out capital, and a fire engulfed a structure. • Myers: U.S. forces did not knock out power to large areas of Baghdad late Thursday. My Edit: Yes, Myers, you did. (CNN) -- With U.S. boots on the ground at Saddam International Airport, sustained explosions rocked Baghdad on Friday morning, illuminating the darkened capital where the electric power is off and the power of the regime might be fading. The bombardments came in waves, sometimes with explosions rocking the capital one after another for minutes on end. The bombing began about 2 a.m. Friday [5 p.m. Thursday EST]. One explosion was so powerful that it lit up the blacked-out capital, and a fire engulfed a structure. Three hours later, the city shook from more multiple explosions, and antiaircraft fire shot into the sky. American armored divisions launched the assault on the airport, 12 miles from the center of the Iraqi capital, as U.S.-led coalition troops advanced on the city. The battle for the airport continued after dawn.
We found out that the Baathists profited from setting their own infrastructure on fire. We also found out that the Iraqi citizens believed they had a right to loot given the Baathists kept all the wealth. So they stormed every government facility. Weeks after the looting I saw plumbing "supplies" on sale on the street markets which were ripped out of Saddams' palaces and government buildings. We also saw kids selling Iraqi Army uniforms and equipment. As you went further south in Shia land the same items were being sold. If someone bought the gear and looted supplies in Iraqi dinar, you received change in Iranian currency. There was a lot going on before we even got there. I too received Iranian currency when I bought sodas and pita bread for the men on a long convoy in Southern Iraq. The kid (a good capitalist) tried to sell me his donkey. I had no use for a donkey but did not want to insult the kid, so told him I really needed a camel. Showing the true business nature of the Arab, he told me to come back in two hours and he would sell me three camels:) I slapped him on the shoulder and told him (he spoke good English) I would think about it. This was all before the insurgency (April to early June 2003). At that point the Iraqis were happy Saddam and the Baathists were out of power and expected us to have them hold elections immediately. Well leave it to the State Dept and politicians to screw that one up. There was a brief (2 month) period of opportunity we squandered. We should have loaded our equipment up and departed Iraq by the end of June at the latest. Now addressing your post. No we did not burn and loot Iraq. We did have some bad actors and bad leaders who went after war "booty" like the looters, and most of them were punished. The ones who did not get caught red handed were caught by US Navy customs inspectors when the unit rotated out of Iraq to Kuwait. So American Soldiers did not torch Iraq. Sitting around with blank stares...yep that was a problem and here is the reason why: Now that the book "Cobra II" has been published many know that the timeline to secure Iraq was to be in the August 2003 timeframe. Since the regime fell 4 months earlier than expected, the Troops operating in Baghdad were under the war time rules of engagement (ROE). The ROE and Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) is clear you do not shoot unarmed civilians. When confronted with looters our Soldiers tried to stop them, but the Iraqis knew we would not shoot because of the ROE and LOAC. The LOAC does give provisions for an occupying force to stop looting with deadly force but that edict usually comes from a provisional government. When the provisional government adjusted the ROE there was a two week period where information was distributed via handbills, radio, TV and SAT TV (we may think the Iraqis were poor, but the majority of people there had SAT dishes). Once the word got out we would use deadly force, the looting stopped. However, the damage was already done. Looking back at this, I think the looting by Iraqi citizens could not be stopped. Even if our military leaders had "authority" to use deadly force on looters, I think they and our political leaders would not have enforced it. What is worse to see on CNN, Iraqis looting their own infrastructure or US Soldiers and Marines cutting down some poor Shia dude from Sadr City stealing leather chairs from the Dept of Agriculture? Yeah it was war and war is hell.
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise. Jeremiah 17:14
My Edit: Yes, Myers, you did. How do you know? Do you think the bombing knocked out the power? Here is an interesting tidbit. Saddam used to order black outs in Baghdad when there was unrest, protests etc. Not my words, but Saddam admitted this. He also admitted that he was more worried about a coup to overthrow him when the conflict started. So Saddam could have done it, he did it in the past. There is another theory that CIA operatives working with resistance figthers did this. Possible, but we found out from the book "Cobra II" that Saddam was on to the CIA operatives and he knew the military and political officials working with them. If the US hit the power grid, then ask yourself "for what purpose." It was clear in OPLAN Cobra II (as indicated in the book) that the US wanted to avoid infrastructure damage given the coalition wanted a functioning Iraqi economy after regime change.
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise. Jeremiah 17:14
``What you have is the making of a humanitarian catastrophe,'' said Sid Balman, spokesman for InterAction, an umbrella group of 165 relief organisations. Baghdad went dark on Thursday for the first time since the war began on March 20, just as spearhead troops of America's 3rd Infantry Division closed in on the international airport on the capital's south-western outskirts. U.S. officials denied targeting the electric grid. ``We didn't do it. It's as simple as that,''' said Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, chief spokesman for the U.S. Central Command in Qatar.
Asked if he believed the price increases were a result of the halt in the oil imports from Iran, Tunc stated “what is its benefit? Why the measure has been taken? The energy minister should give a satisfying response to the nation. If they (the price hikes) are a result of this halt in imports from Iran, why did Turkey joined the move? What will be the benefit for Turkey? Because, as you know, relations between countries are based on national interests and reciprocity.” “We used to talk of zero problem with neighbors, but we have ended up in having problems with all of them. Why we came to this point? None of us know. We don’t know what would be the results. We, as the BBP and the Turkish nation, want to know about this,” he concluded." See what happens when you side with Israel?
struggles amid continued weaknesses in Europe and the broader economic downturn. Except for Israel: Israel plans sovereign wealth fund - FT.com - Financial Times www.ft.com › WorldCached Feb 19, 2012 – Israel has revealed plans to set up a new sovereign wealth fund, which will be ... weather the global financial crisis better than most other western economies. ... The broad financial goals of the fund, however, will be set by a ... Israel-Concluding Statement of the 2012 Article IV Consultation ... www.imf.org/external/np/ms/2012/021312.htmCached You +1'd this publicly. Undo Feb 13, 2012 – Israel's economy remains strong. Output fell for only two quarters during the "Great Recession", then ... The shekel is now broadly consistent with fundamentals and international reserves are appropriate by most measures. 2. How is this possible from a desert state with no water and no energy. That exports nothing but citrus and children.
David Bloom/NBC with the 3/7 Cavalry 3rd Infantry Division. Dies April 6, 2003 somewhere near the Baghdad Airport. Specialist Donald S. Oaks, Jr., died April (?) 2003, Delta Co., 1st Battalion, 39th Field Artillery, 3rd Infantry Division.
Battle of Baghdad Airport April 3-8 2003 "You might now remember that on the night before the Battle of Baghdad began Saddam had promised us an attack… Well, he kept his promise. Friday night at 8:30 p.m. (Central), I was watching CNN showing the predawn of Saturday 5:30 morning half-way around the world in Baghdad… All at once the skyline of the besieged city erupted with the flash and report of sustained explosions. The CNN people (Aaron Brown and Fredricka Whitfield) reacted with surprise, saying that U.S. public affairs hadn’t alerted them that there would be a major fire mission tonight. I immediately became anxious, knowing it exceedingly unlikely that public affairs hadn’t contacted affected media about a major fire mission in a choreographed war. “It probably wasn’t us doing the firing,” I thought.
" In the next few minutes CNN’s reporter Walter Rodgers, embedded with the 3/7 Cavalry, attempted to make a report from the Baghdad Airport. Rodgers’ voice was indistinguishable because of the extreme background noise of artillery impacting around him, automatic small arms fire striking his vehicle and the shouts of the soldiers inside. It was the fog of war, no doubt about it. Aaron Brown offered no explanation of the noise, merely stiffly saying that the network was having technical difficulties. Thankfully, Walter Rodgers’ luck held. A half hour later Fredericka and Aaron were off the clock and Larry King Live carried an interview between Rodgers and Lt. Col. Terry Ferrell – the commander of the very 3/7 Cavalry under fire at the airport. I had never seen the unit commander in two weeks of the TV war, so his sudden appearance was just more sad corroboration of my theory that we were getting the worst of it in the early Battle of Baghdad. Lt. Col. Ferrell bravely tried to keep a straight face as he told Rodgers that all was well at the airport, but ended up in tears; Rodgers was too choked up to pick up the conversation. The put-up interview was yet more tragic corroboration of my sad analysis, and I began to cry along with Lieut. Col. Ferrell and Rodgers, for the boys of the 3/7 Cavalry, remembering that I had once been a young cavalryman, too.
Every minute that the Jessica Lynch story was being aired... Media duly continued to broadcast Jessica for two days, then bombings meant to get Saddam for a third; they broadcast everything but the Battle of Baghdad. On Wednesday, April 9, public affairs contrived a pulling down of Saddam Hussein’s statue and word generally spread that the battle (never shown before and never acknowledged as begun) was over. Frustrated by the failure of the American media to cover the much-awaited battle, millions of Americans turned to the English-version Al-Jazeera online for their news — and it promptly crashed (probably interrupted on White House orders). The public had (and continues to have) no idea that the Iraqis did make their promised counterattack on April 5, at the Baghdad Airport and later across Baghdad, inflicting hundreds of casualties while fighting a rearguard action as they dispersed into the underground. On the basis of twenty years of military service, I infer that the Battle of Baghdad is what was raging every minute the media was airing or printing distraction.
Most all of these soldiers were killed at the Battle of Baghdad Airport: "Advertisement WASHINGTON, April 5 (UPI) -- The Pentagon announced early Saturday that eight of the soldiers whose bodies were found during the April 1 rescue of Jessica Lynch were traveling with her in the convoy ambushed March 23 in southern Iraq. A ninth body was identified as a soldier from the Third Forward Support Group of the Third Infantry Division, but his name has not been released yet. The eight soldiers who had been listed as missing were consequently listed as killed in action. Seven were from the 507th Maintenance Company, Ft. Bliss Texas. The Pentagon announced two Marine helicopter pilots were killed in a crash in central Iraq Saturday. The crash was not a result of hostile fire. Their AH-1W "Super Cobra" attack helicopter went down at approximately 12:19 am Saturday a.m. Their families have not yet been notified of the deaths. The latest announcements brought the total killed either by hostile fire or accidents to 75, eight of whom were not yet identified early Saturday, a Pentagon spokesman told United Press International. The eight names switched from missing to dead are Sgt. George E. Buggs, 31, of Barnwell, S.C.; Master Sgt. Robert J. Dowdy, 38, of Cleveland, Ohio; Pvt. Ruben Estrella-Soto, 18, of El Paso, Texas; Spc. James M. Kiehl, 22, of Comfort, Texas; Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, 35, of Amarillo, Texas; Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa, 23, Tuba City, Ariz.; Pvt. Brandon U. Sloan, 19, of Cleveland, Ohio; Sgt. Donald R. Walters, 33, of Kansas City, Mo.; Buggs was with the 3rd Division Support Battalion, Fort Stewart, Ga. and the rest were with the 507th Maintenance Company, Fort Bliss, Texas. Earlier Friday evening the Pentagon announced the deaths of three more soldiers based at Fort Benning, Ga., who died as a result of severe injuries Thursday, bringing the total number of U.S. deaths in or around Iraq to 60. They were that of Staff Sgt. Nino D. Livaudais, 23, assigned to 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga. He was from Utah. Also identified were Spc. Ryan P. Long, 21, who was assigned to A Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga. and Capt. Russell B. Rippetoe, 27, assigned to A Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga. He was from Colorado. Still earlier Friday, the Pentagon announced that four Army soldiers and two Marines had brought the total number of deaths associated with the war in Iraq to 57. Spc. Donald S. Oaks Jr., 20, was killed in action in Iraq on April 3. He was assigned to C Battery, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery Regiment (Multiple Launch Rocket System), Fort Sill, Okla. Oaks was from Erie, Pa. Sgt. 1st Class Randall S. Rehn, 36, was killed in action April 3. He was assigned to C Battery, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery Regiment (Multiple Launch Rocket System), Fort Sill, Okla. Rehn was from Longmont, Colo Read more: www.upi.com/Business_News...1049570687/#ixzz1r5cNe6Ck
Paul William Roberts is a Canadian Reporter. He was in Baghdad during the invasion. While there, he heard reports that something major was happening at the airport. He repeatedly tried to gain access but was turned away at every junction. Eventually, he gained access to the extremities of the complex and noticed that the vegetation was turned to 'tar'. Trees had warped/fell into pools of black tar. Also, Roberts noticed bodies wearing Iraqi camo, one example being a pair of legs, with the upper torso melted into a pool of black tar. Roberts is now blind. His doctors cite uranium damage to the eye. But its what Roberts discovered afterwards via his middle-eastern contacts that reveals more. Roberts states the following, by the way,all of this is from his book 'A War Against Truth' (2004); The Americans were taken by surprise and withdrew when they encountered the SRG forces at the airport. Instead of engaging them in battle, U.S. troops went searching for other entrances and exits to the underground complex. One was found at Saddams opulent suite at the airport, another at the official palace. There were others. When these entrance-exit points had been sealed, and U.S. Commanders were certain of the exact locations of the Special Republican Guardsmen, the Americans detonated some kind of hi-tech bomb -- there were rumours that it was a neutron bomb, but this seems outrageous even by their standards -- in the airports underground complex, in the Southern palace, killing everyone in it and in the northern palace. Estimates are in the forty thousand range. With the SRG defeated the war was essenitally over. So long as there is no talk of what actually happened in Baghdad that weekend in April(3-8, 2003;), there is no freedom of the American press. The fix is in, my friend, and America’s in a fix.
You TEPCO stock moguls won't be able to cover up the ongoing Fuki meltdown, with the 'ol Jessica story much longer. Japan eases limits in nuke no-go zone for 1st time.... www.tokyotimes.co.jp/2012...-no-go-zone-for-1st-time/ The town office had moved to another part of Fukushima prefecture but moved into a part of Kawauchi just outside the evacuation zone earlier this month to help smooth the process of residents’ returning. While the reclassification means about 16,000 people can return home fairly soon, it’s not clear how many will. Most are waiting until the area is further decontaminated and infrastructure restored, and local officials have said towns may lose unity due to the three-way divisions. Under the revised evacuation plans, areas with annual exposure levels estimated at 20 millisieverts or below are deemed safe for people to visit and prepare for their permanent return, while being encouraged to make further decontamination efforts. Limited access is allowed for residents in areas with higher contamination — up to 50 millisieverts of estimated annual exposure. Places with annual exposure estimates exceeding that will remain off-limits. Despite the government declaration that Fukushima Dai-ichi is stable, the plant is largely running on makeshift equipment and remains vulnerable. Officials have said that it would take up to 40 years to fully decommission the highly contaminated plant that has three reactors with melted cores. Decontamination efforts also are uncertain. Experts have said there is no established method, and more highly contaminated areas are difficult to clean up. Environment Minister Goshi Hosono, also the nuclear crisis management minister, said Friday that containing radiation release and keeping the plant stability is crucial to the return of affected residents.
Obama's watch stopped on 24 May 2008, but he's been too busy smoking crack to notice.
First: That's bull shit. ' The only thing the USSA 'saved' was the Oil Ministry. Everything else was burned to the ground. Second: "How do you know? Do you think the bombing knocked out the power? " Yes....;} April 3 at night, there was a light that lit up the sky. Followed immediately by a boom that shook the Downtown Baghdad buildings. The grid went down simultaneously and never came back. April 7 at night. An even bigger explosion. ON APRIL 5, 2003, unit founder Captain Eric May detected major glitches in the media pictures coming back from Baghdad, which US forces had just reached. The reporters had gone from hopeful April 4 announcements that the siege of Baghdad had begun, to worried April 5 announcements that there was a fierce fight at Baghdad Airport — then suddenly and without explanation away from the developing battle to the "human interest" story that Private Jessica Lynch had been saved from Iraqi captors.
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the top electrical engineers of Baghdad and the surrounding area to try to get the electrical grid back up,"
"We (government) need to do a lot less, a lot sooner" ~Ron Paul
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Who profits from the destruction of the whole infrastructure of the Iraqi state? Who profits from the destruction of Iraq's invaluable cultural wealth?
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• Myers: U.S. forces did not knock out power to large areas of Baghdad late Thursday.
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the Jessica Lynch story
"We (government) need to do a lot less, a lot sooner" ~Ron Paul
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If the US hit the power grid, then ask yourself "for what purpose." It was clear in OPLAN Cobra II (as indicated in the book) that the US wanted to avoid infrastructure damage given the coalition wanted a functioning Iraqi economy after regime change.
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