MSNBC confirming 3 US soldiers killed in Tikrit today and 2 wounded

[NNN0LHI]

[jenk]

1. is this a fresh attack? Does this mean we lost around 11 guys today?

.

[gp]

4. sounds like a new attack.

this one near tikrit.
3 soldiers killed by RPG-fire as they inspected an ammo dump...

awfull news

[smallprint]

2. the previous attack was in Khaldiyah

there must be two different attacks

[Emboldened Chimp]

3. Is this a separate incident from the 8 dead?

I'm confused today. Is it 3 dead, 8 dead and 2 wounded?

[jenk]

8. yes, we lost anywhere from 3-11 today, centcom not coming clean

.

[gp]

5. UPDATE - Reuters: Three U.S. Soldiers Killed in Iraq Ambush

TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi guerrillas killed three U.S. soldiers and wounded two others in an ambush near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit late on Thursday, a U.S. military spokesman said.

Lieutenant-Colonel William MacDonald said the three soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division were killed in small arms fire 5 miles south of Tikrit when they were inspecting a suspected weapons site.

[Evil_Dewers]

6. But...but...

Unka Dick told the Air Force yesterday that the attacks were winding down.

[MidwestTransplant]

18. There are fewer attacks

because that are far fewer patrols now than in the past.

[FlemingsGhost]

7. "Death by a thousand cuts."

Our fall will be epic...

[NNN0LHI]

9. Don't think other countries are not noticing America's weakness here...

...either. Because they are not. A lot of eyes are on this. This is a test case. They are seeing what works against our all powerful military and what does not. This is bad news for America. Really bad news. If they can just draw us in and work on us like the Iraqis are doing, anyone can. Don't need no jungles like in Vietnam. They just need to be ready to die for their cause if necessary. We are really fucked now.

Don

[FlemingsGhost]

10. Agreed. But, it's never too late to do the "right" thing.

In the end, it's our choice. It always has been...

[tinnypriv]

11. If 11 deaths became the regular rate - that'd be 50% of Vietnam's ratio

Oh dear.

Iraqi deaths must be in the thousands though.

[Barrett808]

12. Reuters link: Three American Soldiers Killed in Iraq Ambush

Looks like a separate attack.

TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi guerrillas killed three U.S. soldiers and wounded two others in an ambush near Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s hometown of Tikrit late on Thursday, a U.S. military spokesman said.

Lieutenant-Colonel William MacDonald said the three soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division were killed in small arms fire 5 miles south of Tikrit when they were inspecting a suspected weapons site.

"The soldiers were ambushed by small arms fire late Thursday night as they responded to a suspected RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) arms site," MacDonald said.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030918/wl_nm/iraq_ambush_dc_4

[smallprint]

13. NBC Nightly News reporting 3 dead in Tikrit, 2 dead in 2 separate ambushes

one of those 2 being Khaldiyah

[Cooley Hurd]

14. 5 killed today???

Jesus...:-(

[fizzana]

15. In a guerilla war

The guerillas win by not losing and the powers that be lose by not winning.

We're certainly not winning and the guerillas aren't losing. I guess we're fucked.

[Beetwasher]

16. A New Major Offensive By the Resistance Perhaps?

Just a horrible thought...

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. Not unlikely

I have been expecting a revolt to take form anywhere from September to November, and a repeat of the 1923 event, which by the way started
around September

[expatriot]

20. In Northern/Western Euro-American history the summer is the time...

of great civil unrest because of the hot weather, but if you think about it, in Iraq, who wants to be waging a guerrilla war in 120 degree heat, because when you are the guerrilla you have to be quicker and have more stamina than the occupying army. And even if you are a local, 120 degree heat is not ideal for heavy activity.

That's my "out of my ass" theory for the day. Sound good?

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. that is why the revolt

against the Britsh started in late September of 1923.

Now there are two things working here.

Iraqi foundation myth (we kicked the brits out, took a while
that is all)

The weather...

[Mackay]

24. Perhaps... but the Iraqis must study modern history too

I am expecting a Tet offensive type series of attacks in the coming months. As the various groups become interconnected and realize that to expel the 'great satan', they are going to have to work together, some more intelligent military organization is going to make them realize that if they want to get rid of the US... the policy of '1,000 cuts' is not going to work as well as Viet Nam's Tet offensive did. Apparently, Saddam studied Viet Nam closely... if he is not out of the picture, I think this scenario is extremely likely. It has been described as one of the greatest military offensives of the twentieth century... losing the battle but winning the war.

A tet offensive on the part of the Iraqi's would end this war in a few short months. Unfortunately at the expense of our soldiers.

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. You are not that off

When interviewed before the war started, by CBC
Tariq Azziz gave the game plan, fully. I am paraphrasing.

He said that this was going to be a second Vietnam for America.

Well when he was challenged since there are no jungles in Iraq,
he did mention that the jungles were concrete in nature.

Now when I listened to that interview from Peter Mansbridge, on
News Canada I just had mental images of precisely what is
happening right now.

Now I sent an email to my reps today, and in it I predicted to them
several things, here is that section (and this was before the attacks
this morming)

"Oh and here is my little prediction, whatever those boys wanted to achieve in Iraq, in the end it will not work that way. It took the Iraqis many years to get rid of the British Occupiers (the way they see it) the first time...they have time, and time is NOT on our side. When all is said and done, you can bet the Democrats will be blamed by the extreme right of loosing the war in Iraq and even starting it. File this away, and come back oh twenty years from now ... and will see just how accurate I am ... but I remember Vietnam, which was started by Ike, but oh boy the Democrats get all the blame by the Mellon Scaiffes and Ann Coulter's of the World."

I also predict cost in the trillions in current dollars and oh about fifteen thousand KIA... and I hate to make those predictions and I may be even low, since we cannot, unfortuntely just pull out. How we pull out (the devil is in the details) will influence just how much egg we get on our faces (and terror attacs)

[Mackay]

27. It sucks to be right...

The strange thing is all of us who were telling the apologists on the board that we could never win this thing... never wanted to have to be proven right.

Good email by the way!

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. Thanks

And this is the first time that I remember that the
peace Movement, (which has yet no clue why they were
right) have been so correct.

Problem is, and this is my impression purely... neither the
apologists or the peacenicks truly understand the complexities
of the situation. (Yes talking ANSWER here)

But they were right.. I just wish they knew why.

[saigon68]

31. Beirut II will happen soon.

then you will hear the pig in the white house squeal.

[Barrett808]

19. Yes, see this latest post

Several mortar attacks today, two Iraqi policemen found dead with their throats slit...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=121845

[expatriot]

21. IF 11 KIA is confirmed, will this be our bloodiest day since Nassirija?

Okay I spelled that wrong, I knew how to spell it last spring but have since forgot.
<p>
But seriously, I think the highest KIA days even when we were storming Baghdad were 10. Yeah, I think we had about 3 10 KIA days the first week of April when we were securing Baghdad area.

11 KIA maybe the bloodiest since March 24th.

[Cocoa]

26. by far the worst day

before this, the only incident that comes close would be a number of British troops that got killed in Basra, I think that was something like six dead.

[LeighAnn]

28. This is the "Six Dead in 24 Hours" or whatever from the other day

Remember, there was a CNN transcript to that effect but we never heard any more about it? My guess is they were saving it for a day when there was something big going on (Hurricane Isabel) so that it would not be front page news.

:^(

[expatriot]

22. Even if only 3 KIA, that takes us to 300 KIA total. n/t

[Barrett808]

38. Okay, that thread got locked -- here's the link

KHALDIYAH, Iraq (AFP) - A US convoy took heavy casualties in an ambush, witnesses said, as Iraq erupted in a spate of anti-US attacks after the release of another purported message from Saddam Hussein.

...

But the Khaldiyah ambush was only one of a series of attacks on US forces Thursday.

Six mortar rounds were fired at Baghdad international airport at 3:00 pm (1100 GMT), said US army spokesman Sergeant Mark Ingham. He gave no further details.

A US army base in Samarra, 110 kilometres (65 miles) north of Baghdad, was also hit by mortar fire on Thursday, Ingham added. No one was wounded and no vehicles were damaged in that incident.

In the northern city of Mosul, US troops came under a series of grenade and rocket attacks that began shortly before midnight and targeted a position at the entrance to the city, a restaurant and a hotel.

The US military confirmed one incident, saying that five rockets hit the Civil Military Operations Center office in Mosul late Wednesday, damaging some vehicles and leaving two people slightly wounded.

Two Iraqi policemen were found dead, their throats slit, on the sidewalk in front of Mosul's US-supported television station around midnight, according to an employee of the station, Samir Abed Rabbo, 50.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1514&e=1&u=/afp/20030918/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_us_030918195553

[DemoTex]

30. BBC reported the 3 KIA earlier today. DOD denied it all day.

Those lucky fucking liars. Who else would get a fucking hurricane to divert attention? Is Rove God?

[Hotdiggitydog]

32. They do this on purpose...

Because by tomorrow, it will be "old news".

I totaly understand them not wanting to list the number of killed until after the battle. And, of course they can't release names until the next of kin are notified. But damn, when reporters who are no longer embedded with the military can file an accurate report, the friggin military ought to be able to do the same.

[DemoTex]

34. Welcome to DU Hotdiggitydog.

I see from your profile that you are from the land of sugar sand and gin-clear waters. I was just down at Grayton Beach last month. Are you a surfer?

[Hotdiggitydog]

36. Not a surfer...

But a scuba diver and swimmer. There is a swim at the beach on Saturday morning to benefit a local swim team - I plan to do the 2.4 mile option.

Grayton is a really, really cool place. Sometimes the girlfriend and I take our mountain bikes and ride along hwy 30-A which goes near Grayton Beach.

[DemoTex]

39. Grayton Beach

My mother and her eight sisters celebrated the end of WWII at Grayton. They danced at the old general store, which is now - of course - the Red Bar. I remember Grayton from a first visit in the '50s. My brother now owns a house there. He has the beach house, I have the mountain house. Perfectly circular!

[Skittles]

40. NINE GIRLS!

How many boys were there? I wish I had a sister - I've got five brothers!

[saigon68]

35. Its IRAQ-NAM and it is a monster needing to be fed

Blood, lives, futures, reputations, egos and $$$.


It will be with us for a long time, and it is only getting started.

[DemoTex]

37. Right-on Saigon 68!

And don't let another swinging dick post on DU about how Iraq is not Vietnam. A FUCKED-UP WAR IS A FUCKED-UP WAR. Iraq, like the 'Nam, is a fucked-up war. Period.

[VolcanoJen]

33. Message from the Moderator

I realize there's been some confusion about the U.S. casualties suffered in Iraq today, but we really need to keep an eye out for duplicate threads.

It appears initially that there were two seperate attacks in which U.S. soldiers were killed; if we figure out that the stories below describe the same attack, we'll lock the latter thread. In the meantime, let's keep our LBN discussion consolidated into one of the below threads:

This is the thread we're currently in:
MSNBC confirming 3 US soldiers killed in Tikrit today and 2 wounded

Here's the earlier thread:
At least 3 US soldiers killed in Iraq ambush - BBC news

Thanks for your understanding on this sad day indeed,
VolcanoJen
DU Moderator