U.S. denies plan for 'moat' around Baghdad, BUT.....

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

says 'some trenches' will be used to ensure use of checkpoints.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military denied reports on Saturday that Iraq plans to dig a giant ring of trenches around the city of Baghdad.

Iraq’s Interior Ministry announced earlier this week that it plans to set up 28 checkpoints that would allow controlled access to the city, while closing off other roads as part of a security crackdown.

The New York Times quoted an Interior Ministry spokesman on Saturday as saying the Iraqis would also dig a giant trench around the city of seven million people.


We’re going to build a trench around Baghdad so we can control the exits and entrances so people will be searched properly,” Brigadier General Abdul Karim Khalaf told the newspaper. He said the trench would run across farmland and other open areas.

We're building moats over there so we don't have to build them here? :shrug: MKJ

on edit,link http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14847580/

Maddezmom posted this much more detailed OP earlier.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2149422

[Drum]

1. The red-white-and-blue zone around the green zone.

Now, this is just ridiculous.

[MuseRider]

2. Now that

is what I call bringing them freedom!

[maddezmom]

3. the US Military is calling it a "security belt"

The U.S. military confirmed Saturday that there was a plan in progress to create a "security belt" around the capital.

"There is a plan in progress for a security belt around Baghdad that includes trenches and other obstacles for channeling exit from and entry to the city through checkpoints controlled by Iraqi forces. This is a cooperative effort between the Iraqi government and the Coalition," said Lt Col. Barry Johnson, a spokesman for Multinational Forces in Iraq.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060916/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

6. I saw your OP after I posted. I linked to your OP, love how the WH calls

it a "berm".
:hi: MKJ

[CoffeeCat]

4. Yepper...

"Freedom is on the march." It's a slow march. Because of the holes in the ground. But a march, nonetheless.

So...how much is a "trench" going to cost us?

For the love of Pete...this has got to be one of the most outrageous, asinine things I've heard about the war--since its inception. And that's saying a lot.

There are a million jokes here. I'm just a bit too disgusted right now, to move into full-press humor mode.

Unbelievable.

[Joanne98]

5. Freedom moats!

[global1]

7. How Midevil......nt

[populistdriven]

8. Isn't that was Saddam tried to do to defend Baghdad?

New bosses are the same as the old bosses.

Saddam Hussein favored trenches. He ordered ordinary Iraqis to dig them in their back yards to defend against invading U.S. troops in 2003, and his security forces set fire to oil-filled trenches as the Americans approached. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-060915iraq,1,2131512.story?coll=chi-news-hed