US military vehicle explodes as convoy comes under fire in Iraq

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20031019/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_us_attack&cid=1514&ncid=1473

BAGHDAD (AFP) - A US vehicle exploded when assailants attacked a convoy apparently transporting weapons and ammunition in the flashpoint Iraqi city of Fallujah, witnesses said.

None of the occupants were seen emerging from the vehicle as it burst into flames, according to Ahmed Suheil, 40, and Juma Abbas, 35, who both said they witnessed the attack.

A US military spokesman said he had no immediate confirmation of the incident in the city 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Baghdad.

In the aftermath of the blast, AFP photographer Patrick Baz and a Reuters cameraman were detained by Iraqi police who said they were acting on orders from US military forces.

more

[teryang]

1. Evidence of bad events in Iraq not permitted

Censorship to protect a failed policy.

[saigon68]

2. DISGUSTING

THEY HAD NO INFORMATION.

IN A PIGS EYE

[NNN0LHI]

5. They must have missed the news at five

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/031019/481/lon80310191308

A vehicle believed to be a U.S. ammunition truck explodes, in this image made from television, after it was attacked in Fallujah, Iraq, Sunday morning Oct. 19, 2003, 35 miles (60 kms) west of Baghdad. There were no reports of casualties. (AP Photo/APTN)

[UpInArms]

9. awful photo -

looks like our soldiers were driving a ready-made suicide bomb :(

[NNN0LHI]

17. An even worse photo

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/031019/161/5m2ej.html&e=7&ncid=

A U.S. Army ammunition truck burns in the restive central Iraq town of Falluja Oct. 19, 2003. Witnesses said the vehicle had been hit with a rocket propelled grenade in an ambush. (Akram Saleh/Reuters)

[Rose Siding]

3. As long as I hear stories about detained media

I'll never fall for the propaganda.

[jmcgowanjm]

11. exactly-we don't know about this incident

but we know exactly where the Reporters are.

[jmcgowanjm]

12. Spanish call for charges over man's death/HotelTank FireIncident

http://www.news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1150502003

[Mari333]

4. this was an hour ago.....2 dead last night, how many more today

www.mfso.org
www.bringthemhomenow.com

[0007]

6. Is this the same incident report where 2 G.I.'s

were killed?

[NNN0LHI]

7. No. The 2 soldiers were killed in Kirkuk. This happened in Falluja

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L19660858.htm

Two more US troops die in relentless Iraq attacks

[flamingyouth]

8. It's impossible to keep the casualties straight

Absolutely sickening.

[alcuno]

30. This might help. Eventually, all those who die end up on this list.

http://www.pigstye.net/iraq/wd.php

[0007]

10. That what I thought

For some reason I took it to be the same. Maybe the way the article was written.

Thanks

[Media_Lies_Daily]

15. "They" don't WANT us to know the real number of casualties...read this....

MY NOTES: There is quite a bit of information in the following articles, starting with the 600 wounded and sick soldiers at Ft. Stweart. This is only ONE base where wounded and sick are being housed. How many OTHER bases are housing similar numbers, and how does that square with the list of "official" casualties? Additionally, there are two instances where the soldiers describe symptoms that are consistent with other articles written about the effects of the so-called "anthrax" shots. There also appears to be a difference in the way the soldiers are treated...active duty personnel appear to be getting proper treatment while National Guard personnel are put on hold. And finally, it is clear that there is either a shortage of medical personnel and/or there is a concerted effort to force military personnel to leave the service to find medical treatment elsewhere. The second article deals with the percentage of wounds that are brain injuries...there is an attempt to obscure that figure by discussing brain injuries in the general population, but the facts dealing with wounds suffered in Iraq still come through loud and clear.

-----------------------------------

Sick, wounded U.S. troops held in squalor
<http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20031017-024617-1418r>

"FORT STEWART, Ga., Oct. 17 (UPI) -- {b]Hundreds of sick and wounded U.S. soldiers including many who served in the Iraq war are languishing in hot cement barracks here while they wait -- sometimes for months -- to see doctors.

The National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers' living conditions are so substandard, and the medical care so poor, that many of them believe the Army is trying push them out with reduced benefits for their ailments. One document shown to UPI states that no more doctor appointments are available from Oct. 14 through Nov. 11 -- Veterans Day."

...snip...

"One month after President Bush greeted soldiers at Fort Stewart -- home of the famed Third Infantry Division -- as heroes on their return from Iraq, approximately 600 sick or injured members of the Army Reserves and National Guard are warehoused in rows of spare, steamy and dark cement barracks in a sandy field, waiting for doctors to treat their wounds or illnesses."

...snip...

"Many soldiers in the hot barracks said regular Army soldiers get to see doctors, while National Guard and Army Reserve troops wait.

'The active duty guys that are coming in, they get treated first and they put us on hold,' said another soldier who returned from Iraq six weeks ago with a serious back injury. He has gotten to see a doctor only two times since he got back, he said."

...snip...

"In an Oct. 9 speech to National Guard and reserve troops in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Bush said the soldiers had become part of the backbone of the military.

'Citizen-soldiers are serving in every front on the war on terror,' Bush said. 'And you're making your state and your country proud.'"

Where is the Army senior command, and why are they allowing this to happen?? When I was an officer in the military, I was taught that no officer ate, slept, or drank water until his men did so FIRST. What the heck is going on?

-------------------------

And finally, here is the second article:

Brain injuries take toll on US soldiers
<http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2003/10/16/brain_injuries_take_toll_on_us_soldiers/>

"According to military officials, roughly 20 percent of the wounds suffered by the troops in Iraq have been severe brain injuries. And Major General Kevin C. Kiley, commanding general of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command, said that figure does not even take into account milder neural injuries. He estimated that as many as 70 percent of the wounds suffered by US forces in Iraq had the potential for resulting in brain injury."

---------------------------

And what of the casualties being suffered in Afghanistan? When was the last time any cumulative casualty data was reported from that country?

[jmcgowanjm]

13. Oh, & those Turkish troop reinforcements?

You can probably forget about 'em.

Turks want Mosul/Kirkuk
US wants to put them around Baghdad.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3204246.stm

[spooked]

14. Now the "assailants" know exactly how to take care of the rest

of the American Convoys!! This is SCARY!!
Can we get the hell out of there now?!

[catmandu57]

16. It's a long supply line

that comes up from the gulf. I've been wondering why the iraqis are not attacking the supply chain at every opportunity, maybe they are and we just are'nt hearing about it.

It seems to me that if you want to negatively affect the morale of an occupying army hitting their supply train over and over would go a long way to making them want to go home.

[Rex]

18. Filter...filter...FILTER!!!

Happy happy joy joy happy happy joy joy...

[Barrett808]

19. "There were no casualties"

Yeah. Right.

[UpInArms]

23. they are reporting "no casualties" on this incident

http://www.register-herald.com/articles/2003/10/19/ap/Headlines/d7u9b6lo0.txt

The U.S. command reported no American casualties in the Sunday morning attack against what appeared to be an ammunition truck and two other American vehicles in Fallujah, 35 miles west of Baghdad in the "Sunni Triangle."

Dozens of Iraqi youths cheered and danced in celebration as contents of the flaming vehicles continued to explode. The crowds scattered when two F-16 jets passed overhead.

[qanda]

25. Was it being driven by remote control?

How come no soldiers are around if they survived this incident? This is just terrible! How come our congresspeople are not asking for accountability?

[Barrett808]

20. More happy photos

An Iraqi from the restive town of Falluja celebrates as a U.S. Army ammunition truck burns Oct. 19, 2003. Witnesses said the vehicle had been hit with a rocket-propelled grenade in an ambush, and there was no information on casualties. Two U.S. soldiers were killed in another attack late Saturday near the town of Kirkuk. (Akram Saleh/Reuters) (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/031019/161/5m452.html)




Iraqis from the restive town of Falluja celebrate as a U.S. Army ammunition truck blazes October 19, 2003. Witnesses said the vehicle had been hit with a rocket propelled grenade in an ambush, and there was no information on casualties. REUTERS/Akram Saleh




Iraqis celebrate with a burned out rocket while cheering and dancing atop a burned out U.S. Army military ammunition truck after it was attacked in Fallujah, Iraq (news - web sites), Sunday, Oct. 19, 2003, 35 miles (60 kms) west of Baghdad. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/031019/481/bag10510191455)




Iraqi youths hold their rifles as they celebrate in Falluja, northwest of Baghdad, after a U.S. Army ammunition truck was destroyed, October 19, 2003. Gunmen fired on the military convoy, setting a truck carrying ammunition ablaze and sparking a series of explosions. (Ceerwan Aziz/Reuters) (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/031019/161/5m456.html)


Yup, everything's just peachy keen -- Republicans say so!

[bluestateguy]

24. Photos like these will turn white conservatives into gun grabbers

Get their guns! Take away their guns! Disarm the people! Quick! Only white men should have guns!

[goforit]

29. Let those turkeys take the front lines NOW!!!!!......Go GOP!!!!

Yippy yi yay!!!!

TOM DELAY.....You go first!!!!

[dArKeR]

33. TGM confirmation pic and story - Two more U.S. soldiers killed

"Shells were flying everywhere, like fireworks," shopkeeper Khalil al-Qubaisi, 45, said of the exploding ammunition truck. Dozens of Iraqi youths danced and cheered as the vehicles went up in flames.

Witnesses said U.S. troops trying to approach the site pulled back after coming under grenade attack, and opened fire around themselves as they left.

"I was fixing my car on the other side of the street, and Americans fired in a circular motion as they tried to leave," said Thaer Ibrahim, 30, who was wounded in the shoulder by the American fire. Four other civilians were hit, and one later died, said Dr. Rafae al-Issawi, director of Fallujah General Hospital. In Baghdad, the U.S. command said there were no American casualties.

http://theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031019.wiraq1019/BNStory/International/

[ewagner]

35. Well, Dubya wanted happy stories....

those Iraqis look pretty happy to me.......


sheeeesh!

So much for winning the hearts and minds.........

[bluedog]

21. check this out

To keep with with things in Iraq I go here:

http://dailywarnews.blogspot.com/

[Barrett808]

22. CNN coverage -- unbelievable!

2 U.S. soldiers killed in ambush

... six paragraphs down...

In a separate incident, U.S. forces in Fallujah -- west of the Iraqi capital -- came under attack Sunday, after their ammunition truck had mechanical trouble and caught fire, coalition officials told CNN.

The soldiers got out of the truck and came under small arms fire, the officials said. No casualties were reported.

Video showed a cloud of smoke before several loud explosions sent sparks flying, apparently the result of ammunition inside the military vehicle catching fire.

A crowd of bystanders looked on, some of them cheering "Allahu Akhbar," or "God is great."

(more)

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/10/19/sprj.irq.main/index.html

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

26. This is starting to remind me of a sick version of Monty Python's

Pet Shoppe skit.

Mr. Praline: 'Ello, I wish to register a complaint. (The owner does not respond.)

Mr. Praline: 'Ello, Miss?

Owner: What do you mean "miss"?

Mr. Praline: I'm sorry, I have a cold. I wish to make a complaint! Owner: We're closin' for lunch.

Mr. Praline: Never mind that, my lad. I wish to complain about this parrot what I purchased not half an hour ago from this very boutique.

Owner: Oh yes, the, uh, the Norwegian Blue...What's,uh...What's wrong with it?

Mr. Praline: I'll tell you what's wrong with it, my lad. 'E's dead, that's what's wrong with it!

Owner: No, no, 'e's uh,...he's resting.

Mr. Praline: Look, matey, I know a dead parrot when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.

Owner: No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue, idn'it, ay? Beautiful plumage!

Mr. Praline: The plumage don't enter into it. It's stone dead.

Owner: Nononono, no, no! 'E's resting!

Mr. Praline: All right then, if he's restin', I'll wake him up! (shouting at the cage) 'Ello, Mister Polly Parrot! I've got a lovely fresh cuttle fish for you if you show... (owner hits the cage)

Owner: There, he moved!

Mr. Praline: No, he didn't, that was you hitting the cage!

Owner: I never!!

Mr. Praline: Yes, you did!

Owner: I never, never did anything...

Mr. Praline: (yelling and hitting the cage repeatedly) 'ELLO POLLY!!!!! Testing! Testing! Testing! Testing! This is your nine o'clock alarm call! (Takes parrot out of the cage and thumps its head on the counter. Throws it up in the air and watches it plummet to the floor.)

Mr. Praline: Now that's what I call a dead parrot. Owner: No, no.....No, 'e's stunned!

Mr. Praline: STUNNED?!?

Owner: Yeah! You stunned him, just as he was wakin' up! Norwegian Blues stun easily, major.

Mr. Praline: Um...now look...now look, mate, I've definitely 'ad enough of this. That parrot is definitely deceased, and when I purchased it not 'alf an hour ago, you assured me that its total lack of movement was due to it bein' tired and shagged out following a prolonged squawk.

Owner: Well, he's...he's, ah...probably pining for the fjords.

Mr. Praline: PININ' for the FJORDS?!?!?!? What kind of talk is that?, look, why did he fall flat on his back the moment I got 'im home?

Owner: The Norwegian Blue prefers keepin' on it's back! Remarkable bird, id'nit, squire? Lovely plumage!

Mr. Praline: Look, I took the liberty of examining that parrot when I got it home, and I discovered the only reason that it had been sitting on its perch in the first place was that it had been NAILED there. (pause)

Owner: Well, o'course it was nailed there! If I hadn't nailed that bird down, it would have nuzzled up to those bars, bent 'em apart with its beak, and VOOM! Feeweeweewee!

Mr. Praline: "VOOM"?!? Mate, this bird wouldn't "voom" if you put four million volts through it! 'E's bleedin' demised!

Owner: No no! 'E's pining!

Mr. Praline: 'E's not pinin'! 'E's passed on! This parrot is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E's a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed 'im to the perch 'e'd be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E's off the twig! 'E's kicked the bucket, 'e's shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!! <snip>

This isn't a funny situation, but the lies and obvious quelling of information have surpassed the realms of reality.

[Karenina]

32. Perfect.

.

[Beetwasher]

27. Holy Shit! Did Anyone See THIS from the Yahoo Story!! WTF?!?

--snip--

"AFP photographer Patrick Baz and a Reuters cameraman, who covered the aftermath of the blast, were detained by Iraqi police who said they were acting on orders from US military forces.

Krivo confirmed the two journalists had been detained, adding the incident was under investigation.

--snip--

Sometimes little things like this really put things in perspective. The U.S. we once knew is truly gone...

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

31. There have been other stories on the detention...

As far as I know, they are still being detained.

They are beginning to get serious on spin control over there. There have been many mainstream pieces that I have read in the past couple of days in which secrecy and spin control are discussed.

Methinks that serious press agencies are beginning to get tired of the Bush Junta's efforts to control the news by maligning those who don't play ball.

[The_Casual_Observer]

37. Just detained?

Don't they usually just turn the guns on them and murder them?
Perhaps they are trying to ration the bullets.

[goforit]

28. OUCH.............Who's running the show????

Did Rummy vacate and leave it up to Condi???

[Cronus Protagonist]

36. No, George is in charge! (pic)

[dArKeR]

34. Iraqi guerrillas now average 22 attacks daily - CBS

CBS NEWS VIDEO - iVideo - Guerrillas Hit Troops, Again
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/home/main100.shtml



Iraqi guerrillas now average 22 attacks on coalition forces daily. Soldiers stay alert but could use the help of the disbanded Iraqi army, CBS News' Kimberly Dozier reports.