U.S. says killed 93 Qaeda-linked fighters in Iraq

[maddezmom]

BAGHDAD, Jan 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Monday 93 rebels were killed and 57 captured in a 10-day operation against al Qaeda-linked insurgents northeast of Baghdad.

In an unusually detailed video news conference broadcast to journalists in Baghdad from Diyala province, Colonel David Sutherland said Iraqi troops had fought well in the operation and were improving their capabilities every day.

He said 25 weapons caches, including around 1,200 Katyusha rockets, had been found during operations dating back to November in the area around a remote village called Turki.

Sutherland said U.S. and Iraqi forces had gradually isolated the insurgents since November before launching the 10-day assault backed by air strikes from Jan. 4 to 14. Last week, the Iraqi army said it had killed about 50 rebels in the area.

more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PAR256580.htm

And in 1 day:
Twin car bombs kill 88 in Baghdad market + 14 killed in Baquba
22 Jan 2007 16:01:45 GMT
Source: Reuters

By Aseel Kami and Ross Colvin

BAGHDAD, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Two car bombs ripped through a busy market in Baghdad on Monday, killing 88 people in fresh violence of the kind that U.S. and Iraqi forces plan to target in a new offensive in the lawless capital.

Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki blamed the car bombs on followers of Saddam Hussein, whose botched execution last month angered many among his fellow minority Sunni Arabs.

The midday blasts, less than a second apart, also maimed scores at a second-hand goods market in Bab al-Sharji, a busy commercial area that is home to both Sunni Arab and Shi'ite shopowners and traders in central Baghdad.

Hours later, at least 14 people were killed and 40 wounded when a bomb exploded in a town near Baquba, northeast of Baghdad, police sources said.

more:http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L22762997.htm

[MidwestTransplant]

1. I guess we are using body counts now.

[maddezmom]

2. they use them when they need to show what great progress they are making

:sarcasm: And even when they do, if you compare and contrast body counts they are losing.

[C_U_L8R]

3. So how do they know they're AQ?

were they carrying membership cards?

This whole "AQ in Iraq" seems like BS.

[SanCristobal]

5. Try telling that to the terrorists who started it.

I'm sure they will cut your head off. Al Qaeda runs a convenient franchise style terror network. It's not hard to become part of it by having a few loosely associated people start using the name, then all of a sudden you are the new branch office. Al Qaeda in Iraq is probably the most legit Al Qaeda group not hiding in Pakistan.

[Tempest]

6. There's few al-Qaeda in Iraq

And certainly not 93 of them in one small area.

Just as the U.S. claimed to have killed al-Qaeda in Sudan, and it later turned out to be nomadic herders, this is B.S. propaganda.

It's Vietnam all over again.

[C_U_L8R]

7. Agree. But how do you know they are AQ?

And not insurgents... sunni, shiite, baathist, etc...

Curious.

[maddezmom]

10. no one knows

the only thing for sure is they are dead. And really we're not even sure that is true. :shrug:

[Selatius]

12. Anybody could make a homemade bomb, kill people, and then claim to do it for Al Qaeda

It's become as much an idea as an organization. In short, it has matastasized.

[coalition_unwilling]

19. Or children disguised as AQ???? n/t

[UpInArms]

25. prolly 'cuz they had their 401k plans in their pockets

and the shiny brochure that AQ puts out in their hands.

They have an office in a tall highrise that has an ocean view and corner offices for the up and coming AQ #2 (always needed)

:sarcasm:

[Strelnikov_]

21. The Organization Named By The CIA As 'Al-Queda' Ceased To Exist

as an operational organization upon the invasion of Afghanistan.

What we have now are local Jihadi's (Spain, London, Bali, Iraq, etc etc) latching onto the 'Al-Queda' brand name to provide some degree of cred on the street.

So be it. Just because they take the name does not mean they are a threat to the nation, which they are not. They are a motivated bunch of deluded, albeit homicidal, yahoos.

We all know why the Reich and their compliant media apply the 'Al-Queda' label continuously. It is to instill fear, to invoke the 'Power of Nightmares' by building them up into a SPECTRE like organization with worldwide access.

[BushOut06]

14. The only Al Qaeda terrorists in Iraq are the ones that we created

I guess 4+ years of bombing, torture, and killing are enough to turn some people into "terrorists". And "Al Qaeda" is a name that's thrown around so loosely nowadays, that practically anyone with an AK-47 can be considered an "Al Qaeda" representative.

[arewenotdemo]

16. Military-age males

That's all anyone in the Reich needs to know.

[Strelnikov_]

18. If They Run, They Are Al Queda

If they just stand there, they are well disiplined Al-Queda.

[acmavm]

22. That is EXACTLY what I was wondering. Or do they have

uniforms, like a sports team or UPS?

[Selatius]

4. Body counts mean jack shit in guerrilla warfare and they know it.

Ho Chi Minh taught America that lesson firsthand 40 years ago, but I guess somebody else is going to have to teach the Bush-crony fuckwads in the Pentagon again.

[pocoloco]

8. Would you mind defining "linked"?

Wasn't one but knew a friend of one, had seen one in person, lived in the same country, any info would help?

[maddezmom]

9. sorry I can't define it

:hi:

[pocoloco]

26. Please excuse me, I was trying to be sarcastic, but not directed at you.

I was curious as to how many civilians were included in the count?

[Doctor_J]

11. We killed 2,000,000 VC 30-40 years ago

Well, if we had today's media, all 2 million would have been called VC.

So what?

[llmart]

13. Government propagada.......

pure and simple. They are desperate now because of the chaos they've created so they have to start putting out more of this type of crap. However, no one believes them any more, so they better just save their breath.

[coalition_unwilling]

20. We won't get fooled again. N/T

[PATRICK]

15. Kind of late in the day

for any reruns of the Vietnam body count contest isn't it?

[rodeodance]

17. whole lot of Killing going on.

[daleo]

23. I suppose this is supposed to make up for the 25 U.S. troops on Saturday

It's not good to get into a war of attrition.

[Nihil]

24. Wonder what the age range was for the latest "Al-Qaeda" bust?

I mean, are we talking the Veteran's Brigade here (60+) or the
Al-Qaeda Youth Division (<15)?

Was this the famous Al-Qaeda Amazon Battalion (covered up females)
or the Al-Qaeda Cavalry (horses, mules & camels)?

There again, it could just be another stunning "victory" over the
OAPs, the children, the women, the farmers and their livestock
(as in that wonderful US Somalian "victory").