MSNBC Breaking News:U.S. military reports the deaths of seven soldiers

[truthpusher]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

[cal04]

1. link:U.S. military reports deaths of 7 troops

The U.S. military reported the deaths of seven more American soldiers Saturday, while Sunni insurgents bombed another market in a predominantly Shiite district, killing at least 13 people in a bid to terrorize Baghdad before a U.S.-Iraqi crackdown.

The U.S. deaths raised to at least 12 the number of service members killed in the past three days. The most recent seven deaths were the result of roadside bombs, two in Diyala province, two in Baghdad and three others at an unspecified location north of the capital.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070127/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[rodeodance]

4. oh my gawd. 12 in 3 days.

[rodeodance]

5. rec for the troops and families

[AzDar]

2. OUT. OF. IRAQ. NOW!!!

How utterly delusional does one have to be to believe that this will EVER get 'better'??
NO MORE.

[DemKR]

3. HOW MANY MORE FREAKIN' LIVES?????

1, 7, or 10....It doesn't matter...This war needs to end!

[jaysunb]

6. Welcome to DU

you are absolutely correct. The killing needs to stop now !

[democrank]

7. Welcome to DU, DemKR.

You`re right. This war does need to end.

~PEACE~

[Betty]

8. troop surge = even more live targets

as ususal, the chimp plays right into their hands.

[ShortnFiery]

9. How can we tell when they tell us how they died ...

Since they covered up the true story of kidnapping and torture so that General Peaches wouldn't be embarrassed as he sailed through his confirmation. :grr:

[lapfog_1]

10. This was expected...

in fact, it's going to get worse... maybe to an average of 8 to 10 per day.

It's all part of the "brilliant" plan that Petraeus to embed our forces with Iraqi army forces (meaning that they will now be stations at dozens to hundreds of unfortified police stations and Iraqi army barracks rather than sitting holed up in our newly built heavily fortified army bases... and that our forces will go on patrol with the Iraqis and take the fight to the insurgents... and after cleaning out a neighborhood, to station more troops there to "hold" it.

It might have worked... 2 years ago and with an additional 100,000 troops to 200,000 troops. And if the Iraqi army was truly a "national army" rather than heavily infiltrated by Shia militants who are as likely to "frag" the Americans as fight with them... if they show up at all. I don't believe for a second that when it comes time for the new formations to take out one of Sadr's death squads that have been rounding up Sunni's and executing them (after first demanding and getting ransom for their victims), that anything good will happen. We may hear a lot more stories of entire platoons being killed off in one incident. Unless we simply choose the Shia side and refuse to do anything about the death squads. In which case the Saudis will be royally pissed off at us and we could see another Arab oil embargo or some other equally chilling reaction.

In any event, from now till the surge is officially deemed a failure, higher American death tolls will be the new norm. Say 6 months... that's 180 days (give or take) and another 1200 to 1800 American dead.

[24HRrnr]

12. Coudl you please post

your analysis that defined your figure of 100,000 to 200,000 troops would be sufficient 2 years ago.

Please also post any current analysis on the surge.

Thanks.

[lapfog_1]

16. I believe 100,000 was the number in Petraeus's paper

on the subject after his first tour of duty in Iraq. It wasn't called out specifically, but using his formula, that's what is now calculated as needed to pacify a city the size of Baghdad. I haven't read the paper, only what was reported on it in the MSM. I believe that he was questioned on the discrepancy in his confirmation hearings... I didn't see his response. As to my remark about 2 years ago... that's just my opinion. Of course, Patraeus wasn't the first general to come up with such estimates, the Army chief of staff, Gen. Shinseki, had a similar or larger number in mind and said so to Congress before the invasion which effectively ended his career in the U.S. Army... read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Shinseki
many other now retired (forced from office) generals have now come forward and stated that Shinseki was correct and that Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz (now both removed from the DoD) were completely wrong.

Right after the fall of Baghdad, had we taken the following steps, things might be much different than today...

1. Do not disband the Iraqi Army... ask the top Baathist generals to retire (at full pay, mind you)... but keep the troops and let them keep their light weapons (rifles and sidearms).

2. Immediately secure the Iraqi ammo dumps with American soldiers (needed more than we invaded with for this).

3. Allowed the Iraqi army to secure their own cultural and business establishments (with almost invisible American supervision).

4. Started an immediate war recovery effort by hiring thousands of Iraqi people to rebuild their own country.

5. Before the anything else, bring all the tribal leaders and religious leaders (Sunni, Shia, Kurd) together and agree on a framework for sharing oil revenues. Lift all sanctions and get the oil industry back on it's feet. Then talk about democracy and voting and so on.

6. Set a date certain that the US forces would leave. Do NOT occupy Saddam's palaces and start building permanent installations and green zones and such (people have a way of thinking that if you are building a huge embassy and permanent army bases and so on, that you might be thinking of not leaving.

I think that had we done this, rather than the war profiteering and Neocon laboratory for international empire building, we might be in much better shape there (actually, we might well be gone from there and now dealing with other international situations, and from a position of strength rather than weakness because of failure).

[24HRrnr]

20. Thank you

very much!

[krispos42]

11. Requiescat in pace, brave warriors. Your job in this existance is done

Taps
music by Brig. Gen. Butterfield, 1862
lyrics by unknown

Fading light, dims the sight;
And a star, gems the sky, gleaming bright;
From afar, drawing nigh;
Falls the night...

Day is done, gone the sun;
From the lake, from the hills, from the sky;
All is well, safely rest;
God is nigh...

Then goodnight, peaceful night;
Till the light, of the dawn, shineth bright;
God is near, do not fear;
Friend, goodnight...

[MissB]

13. How awful.

[UrbScotty]

14. Too sickening.

Just too sickening.

[DoYouEverWonder]

15. All because

Bush decided more troops have to die.

[bdrube]

17. On the Day of the Big Protest, How (Unfortunately) Fitting

[RL3AO]

18. This has to stop.

[Va Lefty]

19. More blood for the war machine

This is beyond sad

[WritersBlock]

21. I saw the headline on Breaking News, then it was gone. Anyone got any further on this?

Can't find it on the MSNBC site now. It's not on any of the headline links that I can see now. It's like it was there for a few minutes last night, then disappeared.