A Street Corner in Ramadi

[kpete]

April 12, 2006
A Street Corner in Ramadi
Did the media fall for yet another insurgent information operation in Ramadi?



Click to play CNN video of Ramadi incident
http://www.cnn.com/video/partners/clickability/index.html?url=/video/world/2006/04/09/iraq.ramadi.clashes.affl
Last weekend, several news sources, including the Associated Press and CNN, reported a major insurgent attack on the provincial government headquarters in the heart of Ramadi. We reported the story on Sunday, with skepticism, noting "Insurgents have conducted false propaganda operations in the past, such as the incident in early December where the Associated Press reported a fake uprising based on stringers, so the possibility exists this report is false as well."

Original caption from The Examiner: Unidentified masked gunmen fire at a government building, in Ramadi, 115 kilometers (70 miles) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, March 14, 2006. Gunmen fired three mortar rounds targeting a U.S base and a government building on Tuesday in Ramadi. Police said one civilian was killed during an exchange of fire between gunmen and U.S. forces.

The purported incident in Ramadi never made the press releases at either Multinational Forces-Iraq or CENTCOM. The Associated Press has a reporter (Todd Pitman) embedded with the Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. Mr. Pitman's blog is called AP Blog From Ramadi, Iraq, and the site has not been updated since April 7th. An inquiry to Captain Alfred Smith, the Public Affairs Officer from the 2/28th Brigade Combat Team, which runs Ramadi, produced the following reply; "There was some action , a little more active than the norm but just another day for us."

At first glance, it appears the media has fell for yet another enemy information Operation. But there is more.

A reader in Holland notes some curiosities between a video from last weekend's purported Ramadi attack taken on April 8th and a photograph taken in Ramadi on March 14th. Study the video, then the photo, and you will see both of these images were taken at the exact same street corner in Ramadi, and shot from an almost identical angle. Note the awning, the poles, the two 'booths', even the stance of the 'insurgents' and the direction which they are firing. This is without a doubt the same street corner in Ramadi. The video and photo are obviously taken at two different points in time (note the umbrella in the video, as well as the different dress of the insurgents). (You'll have to watch the video to get the full effect as I was unable to capture a screen shot for a photo comparison.)

http://billroggio.com/archives/2006/04/a_street_corner_in_r.php

[Just Me]

1. Oh, shit!!! This is F-R-AU-D!!!!!

:eyes: They got CAUGHT!!!!

Convince me otherwise, please.

Oh, gawd, I feel sick. This is piti-fucking-ful!

[Just Me]

2. Nominating for the truth-seekers!!! nt