Street fighting worsens in Baghdad

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=102367&Sn=WORL&IssueID=27307

BAGHDAD: Vicious urban fighting continues in the Haifa Street area of Baghdad, with teams of US special forces struggling to crush resistance ahead of this national elections.

Insurgents regularly clash with American paratroops and Navy SEAL units in the zone - a notorious rebel stronghold.

The area, which lies within the Karama district of Northern Baghdad, earned a fearsome reputation when three election workers were executed in broad daylight there last month. snip

"If you ask me, will Iraq be free from this 10 years from now, I'd have to say I don't know. A lot of Iraqis round here seem thankful for what we're doing but let's face it, there's not a lot of love for us here," said Sgt Mitchell.

more

[shoelace414]

1. how long until we flatten it like Falugia

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. This is W's idea

of bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq. Now he wants to do this to the rest of the world. Great.

[Paleocon]

4. So much freedom! They are so lucky!

I'll bet the rest of the world can't wait to get all that freedom!

[Dhalgren]

3. What is up with this continual cross logic?

This is the third or fourth soldier I have seen quoted, saying something like this, '"A lot of Iraqis round here seem thankful for what we're doing but let's face it, there's not a lot of love for us here,' said Sgt Mitchell." Are these guys under orders to say nice things and so when they want to tell the truth they have to first say the opposite? This is nuts!

[NNN0LHI]

7. "Are these guys under orders to say nice things...?" Yes

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1166112&mesg_id=1166112

[Dhalgren]

9. Jesus! I guess that answers my question. Thanks.

If I was on the ground over there, I think (besides being completely freaked) I would not do interviews. It is simply too much to ask these bombed-out guys to keep the lies straight. This is so sick on so many levels. When will it start to dawn on enough people that we have already lost this "war" - now it is just seeing how many we can kill before we leave...

[Beetwasher]

12. Oops! Actually

nevermind...

[TomClash]

5. But the Constituion Ball was so much fun!

eom

[Massachusetts]

Iraq Tet + Civil War = FUBAR

I feel like I'm living the movie "Cube".

[Massachusetts]

6. Iraq Tet + Civil War = FUBAR

[DemoTex]

8. Hue 1968.

Standby for a massacre. It is coming.

[Dhalgren]

10. I'm afraid you are right.

It's in the wind. Pressure building, bodies piling up; this thing is going to blow wide open - worse than anyone can imagine. The question is: what will Caligula do? How vicious will he get and how far will the American soldier take this thing? It doesn't look good - from any direction...

[SodoffBush]

13. Hasn't the American soldier already gone the full monty?

The US soldier already shoots to kill anything that moves. The US solcier torchers, beats, rapes, drops bombs on civilians, shoots women and children under order, leveled entire cities...

What else is there?

[David__77]

16. It could get A LOT worse.

Things are bad, no doubt, but the potential for a far worse situation is great. I mean the dissolution of Iraq into complete, total war consuming all corners of the country. Neighbors could be involved. If the fascists win their effort to force Bush to invade Iran, look for a whole new dynamic.

[Dhalgren]

17. Think Dresden x 50, or 100.

I agree that the US occupation forces have been brutal with the Iraqi people. But it can get much, much worse and probably will. Something must be done to stop this - the question is, "what".

[jmcgowanjm]

15. Water has been cut off in Resistance held Baghdad

IRR Thursday, 20 January 2005. Eid al-Adha

Baghdad, the capital of Harun ar-Rashid, was worse off
than other parts of the country, as the water supply was still
cut off and people suffered from thirst as well as the usual
lack of electric power. What should have been a peaceful
holiday was disturbed by the roar of US tanks in the streets
and the whine of American aircraft overhead. The
Resistance responded by firing Strela rockets and
bringing down two US Apache helicopters that were
hovering over the mosques in the village of
Muhammad as-Sukran east of Baghdad. Both craft were
struck directly in the air burst into flame, killing all
aboard.

Unless US forces are prepared to use
WMD in Baghdad-where unlike FallujahII
and the Battle of the Airport-
the entire world will see it,
the US must withdraw immediately or
be destroyed.

[TahitiNut]

14. Absolutely. All we've seen so far is the rumblings of Mt. St. Helens.

The warnings are clear - there will be massive retaliations for this invasion, carnage, and oppression.

[leftchick]

19. aboslutely! and it won't be reported in the US

for a very long time. :(

[jmcgowanjm]

11. Eid Mubarak! "We are not occupiers!" Stop shooting at us!

"We are not occupiers. We have come under a legal term
having to do with occupation under international law, but
we came as liberators. We have experience
being liberators. Our history over the last 50, 60 years is
quite clear.

Spoken by the last "moderate" of the bush43
cabinet. He's no longer in the Bush43 cabinet.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iraq/2003/09/iraq-030915-rferl-073333.htm

New News!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President DickCheney said
on Thursday that Iran was at the top of the administration's list
of world trouble spots and expressed concern that Israel
"might well decide toact first" to eliminate any nuclear threat
from Tehran.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml%3Bjsessionid%3DUTOAX0OL1UJOUCRBAEOCFEY?type=topNews&storyID=7385562

The day israel attacks iran is the day
israel will need to attack everyone
else. Cheney the real maestro has to know this,
Is everybody ready? The World has drawn a redline around
Iran.

[Dhalgren]

18. The only hope is

that there are enough Republicans in the Senate to join with the Democrats to stop it. A slim, damn hope...