U.S. says more than 150 killed in Iraq raid

[merwin]

U.S. says more than 150 killed in Iraq raid

Tal Afar, Iraq — Fighting eased Sunday, the second day of a U.S. and Iraqi sweep through the militant stronghold of Tal Afar near the Syrian border.

Insurgents melted into the countryside, many escaping through a tunnel network dug under an ancient northern city. Iraqi and U.S. military officials vowed to expand the offensive.
...
About 5,000 Iraqi soldiers, backed by a 3,500-strong American armored force, reported 156 insurgents killed and 246 captured. The force discovered a big bomb factory, 18 weapons caches and the tunnel network in the ancient Sarai neighborhood of Tal Afar, 100 kilometres east of the Syrian border.

"The terrorists had seen it coming tunnel complexes to be used as escape routes," Major-General Rick Lynch said in Baghdad.

Iraqi Defence Minister Sadoun al-Dulaimi said the Tal Afar sweep was carried out at the request of city residents and would be a model for his forces as they attacked other insurgent-held cities in quick succession.
...

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So we learn at least 4 things from this article:
1) Everyone in that city was an insurgent
2) The city had a 'big bomb factory', that we somehow missed with our massive amount of technology and surveillance
3) The terrorists saw the troops coming and quickly dug tunnel complexes to be used as escape routes
4) The citizens of that town (mysteriously none of which died in the firefight) ASKED the American troops to come in.

I call bullshit on every single one of those.

[lebkuchen]

1. Before you know it, American will have killed off every Iraqi man and boy

to save them.

[earthside]

4. Yes ! Kill!

The face of America in Iraq ... and what Bush means to the rest of the world:

Kill!
Death!
Kill!

What has happened to my country?

[FloridaPat]

2. So there are terrorists and insurgents? Considering the gov't lied about

everything going on in NO last week, I doubt if they are telling the truth this week - especially with no press around to show what is really going on.

[Chicago Democrat]

3. At least 130 are women and children?

the rest old folks

[MasonJar]

5. Bush must be ecstatic; he loves to kill people.

[daleo]

6. Bush kills foreigners on the same day he mourns U.S. deaths

Then he wonders why the world doesn't support the U.S. anymore.

[ElectroPrincess]

7. Only at the cost of "how many" civilian deaths (collateral damage)?

Yes, shades of the so called "Vietnam Conflict" - We must burn down the village in order to save it.

Newsflash: That's no way to win the hearts and minds of the indigenous people.

Are these Neo-Cons STUPID, INSANE, EVIL and/or CRUEL?

Yikes! I fear the answer is "all of the above"? :cry:

[DPHIL]

8. IRAQ RAID

Who are they kidding most if not all of the insurgents got out before the troops came in. i bet most of the 150 don't have anything to do with the insurgents.