Car Bomb Attack West of Baghdad, Some U.S. Casualties (12/11/03)

[UpInArms]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=3977925

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded outside an American army base west of Baghdad on Thursday, causing some U.S. casualties and killing three Iraqis believed to be in the vehicle, the U.S. Army said.

A spokeswoman said the attack occurred at a base of the 82nd Airborne Division near the flashpoint town of Ramadi.

"A car bomb exploded at approximately 1.30 p.m. The 82nd Airborne did sustain casualties," she said, adding their condition was unclear.

"It's believed that three Iraqis who were in the vehicle were killed in the explosion." Officials earlier said it might have been a suicide attack.

...more...

[Military Brat]

1. Such an encouraging sign ... we must be winning this war.

The * cartel must be doing cartwheels at our progress.

/sarcasm

[Blue_Tires]

2. and the beat goes on...

I'm running out of things to say...I mean, how do you tell parents/loved ones that the soldier in their family died for absolutely nothing?

Vague mission objective, you can't tell who is or isn't an enemy, an no one wanted us there in the first place...The army and spies we wer fighting a few short months ago we're now trying to give jobs and hope they'll just forgive and forget?? From the beginning, nothing about the invasion has made sense, and every single time, the military powers have done the exact opposite of what could've been done to win iraqis to our side...it just makes me sick

[Dhalgren]

3. I've felt sick for so long

that it is beginning to feel "normal". And I hate that.

Welcome to DU, Blue Tires, the group vomit is at 3:15 PM.

[snooper2]

4. So now reporting has come to this?

We have sustained "some" casualties?

[MsFlorida]

5. was wondering about

that some myself. "Some" casualties? How much is "some?" Makes me sick too, where do I sign up for the group vomit?

On another note, son's fiancee brought some pictures that her sister's husband (in the military) had taken of iraq. We really did beat up on the flintstones and they know it.

[Dhalgren]

8. Welcome to DU!

And would you mind elaborating on the "beatup on the Flintstones" thing? Thanks in advance.

[montana_hazeleyes]

19. I was wondering what

was meant by "beatup on the Flintstones" also. Sounds condecending to me.

[Barrett808]

6. AP: Iraq Suicide Attack Causes U.S. Casualties

AP: Iraq Suicide Attack Causes U.S. Casualties
By JIM KRANE, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Three suicide bombers attacked the headquarters of the 82nd Airborne Division west of Baghdad on Thursday, the military said. There were casualties, but it was not clear if any U.S. soldiers died in the third suicide attack on American troops this week.

"There are reports of casualties, but I don't have any more details," a military source said on condition of anonymity.

There were no U.S. fatalities in the previous two suicide attacks this week, indicating that massive defenses erected at American facilities were paying off.

Three Iraqis were killed in the car that exploded Thursday, the military source said. The bombers who hit the Champion Base in Ramadi, 60 miles west of Baghdad, detonated their bomb just outside the gate, the source said.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031211/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq&cid=540&ncid=1480

[UpInArms]

7. since they are failing to "release" information

I tend to think it must be pretty bad news.

They have to figure out how to spin this into a positive news story so that the final version only has to be revised several times before the truth is found.

[Dhalgren]

9. Or if there were a dozen US fatalities

they could have several "accidents" over the next few days to account for them. Non-combat deaths don't count, don't cha' know.

[UpInArms]

10. and the information is "buried" deep in other articles

here is one that I think is telling of 2 additional deaths of soldiers - in Samarra

http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2003/12/10/ap/Headlines/d7vcakn80.txt

In Samarra, another volatile city 60 miles north of Baghdad, two members of the U.S.- led paramilitary Civil Defense Corps were killed overnight by unidentified gunmen while on patrol, witnesses said Thursday.

these are not the soldiers that were reported yesterday in Mosul - that is this paragraph (same article)

Also in Mosul, two U.S. soldiers were killed Wednesday and four injured in two separate attacks. The predominantly Sunni Muslim city is home to many former soldiers and Saddam loyalists.

it is getting too hard to know how successful this gawd-awful war can get

:puke:

[loudnclear]

11. Here is a link with the latest info...it must be pretty serious...US won't

say how many killed.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D4F993E0-13F4-433A-B3AE-B725E539A1A5.htm

Now how can this be labeled a "terrorist attack" since this was at a US military base?

[catmandu57]

12. Yahoo link reporting one dead

14 wounded in the attack.

[Cooley Hurd]

14. CNN confirming one dead, as well...

:grr:

[pdove]

15. Do you believe them?

We know our soldiers are superman, just like Terminator in CA.

[NickB79]

16. How badly wounded?

Bet you a wad of cash we're looking at amputated limbs, nervous system damage, brain damage, etc. Some of those who were "only" wounded will never recover. But we sheeple don't get to hear that from the media or Centcom.

[pdove]

13. Can we recall Bush and Cheney?

For all those horrible thing they did to our country and around the world.

Why we can recall in California, while not recall Buch and Co?

I can only see more bloodshed ahead, if we do not withdraw back to home.

What can we do? Should we wait until next November? How many of our brothers and sisters, husbands and wifes have to die, before we realize that we have to retreat for good?

[Blue_Tires]

17. thanks for the welcome

and the worst part about this administration and the invasion is that there is literally a new outrage every day, which means all the previous ones get pushed to the back of our minds...nowadays, who even talks about Enron and all the madness which happened pre-9-11? I've literally lost track of all the scandals

[teryang]

18. Noticed the attempted mischaracterization

...of incidents Central Command tries to label as accidents. Like the recent hard landing of helo on fire as an accident. Soldiers who asked not to be identified reported that the aircraft had been attacked. The same for the Striker vehicle that went into the drink. It was being fired upon according to one report.

It's hard for me to understand how when an armored vehicle goes into the drink while patrolling in a combat zone, the casualties are characterized as the result of non hostile causes. Would they be patrolling in Iraq if there wasn't a war going on? Or would they be patrolling on collapsing berms stateside? In three years at a base with two divisions, I never heard of one such accident death.