U.S. Coalition v. Iraq War General News Thread [Archive]

KConnor56

03-22-2003, 07:58 PM

David,

If I remember correctly the failure rate for cruise missiles is like 4-7% which means out of 1000 we're looking at 40-70 not hitting their mark. Large flat dessert areas really is the hardest for them if they are using TFR (Terrain Following Radar) guidence which most do use. As for Irans response, I really don't think there is much they can do except scream about it. I think they are just happy they aren't getting flooded with refugees.

Ah good old Turkey. The scuttlebut is that Turkey was asking for a larger military prescence in Northern Iraq for them letting us use our bases in Turkey. This is also why they didn't want us basing any troops in Turkey. We denied them that, so, as not to completely piss us off they opened up two corridors for our planes, which to tell you the truth isn't really all that helpful. It does however let us list them as part of the coalition. They have had a small prescence militarily in Northern Iraq for awwhile now. The Kurds really make them nervous. I'm just hoping that they don't decide to use this as an excuse to attack the Kurds. I don't think they will, but who knows.

lonelywolf,

As far as I'm concerned there are no stupid questions. In fact this is a very good question. Reporters in Iraq are accompanied by "Handlers" from the Iraqi government. These handlers control what is said, & when they can make their reports. They have all kinds of rules. All I can guess is that the CNN reporters probably did something to piss off their handlers, so they were thrown out of the country, but this is just a guess.------Ken

David

03-22-2003, 07:59 PM

They are reporting an arrest in the bombing of American Troops in Kuwait - An injured American Soldier! He was suposedly upset about things and tossed the grenades into the tents..
Wonderful..

David

03-22-2003, 08:14 PM

Update to that last post:
13 injured, 2 life threatening.
3 grenades tossed into two seperate Command Tents. 1 grenade was a dud.
They are now saying that this soldier has an Arabic last name and was left back in Kuwait because of problems with him in the last few days (at least).
They are investigating it now.

KConnor56

03-22-2003, 09:27 PM

The Army had a big problem with fragging in Vietnam, I didn't understand it then, & I don't understand it now. I'm not for the death penalty, but this makes me consider it. Attacking your own commanders in the time of war, unbelievable.-------------Ken

David

03-22-2003, 09:50 PM

I think it should be handled out in the field. Time to send him forward to the rest of the 101st..(?) sans a gun & grenades.
I just can't imagine any reason for that, but I doubt I could get in his head either. I'd like to say he was some punk that thought he would just coast on by with some time in the miliatry and then get out, thinking he would never see combat, but I think he has other issues that go deeper.
He is going to wish he didn't survive when they come down on him in a military court.

BillysAngel

03-23-2003, 05:38 AM

Update to your post David. They are now doing a criminal investigation into the American who tossed the grenade into the tent. They're saying that he just went crazy because he wasn't getting along very well with his troop mates and had gotten into trouble several times. This is really sad...
diane

lulu

03-23-2003, 08:06 AM

fedx you said.....3 grenades tossed into two seperate Command Tents. 1 grenade was a dud.
They are now saying that this soldier has an Arabic last name and was left back in Kuwait because of problems with him in the last few days (at least).

are you talking about our guys did this? If so, boy is he in trouble

Cameo

03-23-2003, 10:48 AM

Photos's of our military who are P.O.W.'s....

May we never see the torture these Americans will encounter...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2878521.stm

KConnor56

03-23-2003, 01:30 PM

The public will never see it, but just about every torture/interrogation is recorded, & we will get copies of it.

Cameo

03-23-2003, 02:58 PM

Ken, I just clicked on the link I had provided above and they took down their pictures:confused:

But I did hear on NBC that after the relatives are contacted they may show the 10 minute video. Rationale being, maybe if there is a world out cry, the Iraqi's may demonstrate better treatment of them. I'm not sure if it's possible, but I hope so if that is the case.

Kathy

03-23-2003, 04:53 PM

I just saw about an hour ago pictures of the Marines that were killed and in the morgue of Iraq. SO upsetting, and sure wish they had not done so. They said the only picture going to be seen was a still picture and that is it!.

Pray for our Prisoners of War!

PRAY PRAY PRAY!

Love
Kathy

BillysAngel

03-23-2003, 05:49 PM

Pray indeed...

lonelywolf

03-23-2003, 05:52 PM

I hope and pray they treat our POW's well...
They said the one that throwed the hand gernade just went awall " insubornation" spelt wrong you think maybe it was to much for him maybe I dont think that they got to him and maybe had him turn against us ..
Thank you Kconnor56 I dont always know alot of stuff but im quick at learning

Barbara

03-23-2003, 05:58 PM

They are not treating our POW’s well they have killed and or tortured and mutilated them. Now the news is broadcasting that the Russian government is helping them fix the jamming system we have set up. They have also smuggled night vision goggles into the enemy.

lonelywolf

03-23-2003, 06:08 PM

I just saw that BSS that they say russia is helping them with things it just showed the still pictures OMG

lonelywolf

03-23-2003, 06:56 PM

from what i get out of it russia is tring to help them with hurting us with the goggles but i dont know about the other stuff they are doing with the POW's i know it is going to be he** raised over it

lonelywolf

03-23-2003, 07:03 PM

can someone tell me how to size this down im sorry it is so big i didnt think it was that big

mikespnut

03-23-2003, 07:45 PM

My daughter just graduated from The Defensive Language Institute in Monterey CA, she is an Aribic Linguist for the United States Army and so is her husband. She graduated last week and this week has orders to deploy to Iraq. She is only 18 years old. I hope everyone remembers who is really doing the fighting over there. These are our children.

This morning she called me crying because when she tried to drive off of base she was accosted by a huge group of anti-war demonstrators calling her names.

To have to deal with that type of abuse right before having to go to war and risk her life is awful and makes my heart ache for them.

David

03-23-2003, 08:03 PM

Lonelywolf,
The picture size looks good to me. :)

David

03-23-2003, 08:07 PM

They are reporting on both CNN & FOX right now that they have taken control of a chemical manufacturing facility (most likely weapons) about 90 miles south of Iraq. The facility is 100 acres in size and camoflaged heavily to disguise it from the air. They also have the General in charge of the facility..

Smells like the truth is coming out... Did anyone actually think we wouldn't find anything?

Can anyone say...

(((((C-O-N-F-I-R-M-A-T-I-O-N))))))

You know.. I bet in some peoples mind this isn't a reason to go in either.

danielle

03-23-2003, 08:26 PM

So, where is the big bad wolf (Saddam)? If he's not dead, then he's a coward to the infinite degree. If he is dead - I wonder how hot hell is?

I heard the news about the chemical plant - they're probably making lava lamps or crayons there. Sure. I'll buy that. NOT!

David

03-23-2003, 08:35 PM

Of course, this isn't detailed..

lonelywolf

03-23-2003, 09:51 PM

they were willing to put our guys on tv the POW's why didnt they show Saddam going out on a stratcher like they are saying he was takin out on one the first night oh no you wont see that

Thanks fed ex I just didnt want to get in trouble for it beign so big and all the flag i attached that is

danielle he is a coward i heard they are going to use women and children as sheilds now if they dont (guys cross your legs) i hope they castrate him for it

lifehouse

03-23-2003, 10:42 PM

Hope all of you anti-war activists are catching on that this IS NOT about oil. It's about getting rid of a BEAST in a human body hiding behind women and little children. They now believe he is hiding out with a family in a house somewhere. He probably forced all the women and children in the area into the house with him.

KConnor56

03-23-2003, 11:02 PM

Russia, & France have been supplying Iraq with all sorts of stuff. Here is some info I got from my intel group. We know what they have, how they will try to use it, so it's no surprise to our military. I think that by the time this war is over, that the extent of Russian, & French assistance to Iraq will come out, & be a big embaressment to them both. I understand why they are taking the stance they've taken, but that is for another thread, & another time.

I got this earlier this month;

The computer technology that drives the U.S. and British militaries is their key advantage. It may also be their solar plexus.

Iraq could be expected to try to target sensitive data streams -- or attempt to trick the sensors that use it -- to frustrate any attack led by those countries.

Saddam Hussein's government may have imported jammers that can muddle vehicles' global positioning satellite navigation tools as well as the guidance systems on U.S. "smart bombs," military analysts say.

Iraq may have also bought Czech or Ukrainian acoustic sensors that can uncloak stealth aircraft. Or it could scatter heat-generating decoys that fool heat-seekers on missiles and infrared sensors on aircraft.

These tactics have been seen before. The Serbs used them to blunt NATO attacks in 1999.

"There's no view that our best systems won't work," said Rob Hewson, editor of Jane's Air-Launched Weapons, a military trade publication. "But in certain key areas there are some nasty surprises out there."

Low-tech ingenuity could also come in handy, with air defense crews scanning night skies for attacking aircraft using spotlights powered by diesel generators -- impervious to failures of the electrical grid, said Michael O'Hanlon, defense analyst with the Brookings Institution.

The Iraqi military could resort to booby traps, perhaps blocking routes into Baghdad with exploding drums or mines filled with chemical agents that might stymie a rapid advance, said James Lewis, a technology analyst with the Center for Str
ategic and International Studies.

U.S. war planners have taken such tactics into account and put workarounds in place, Pentagon officials said.

For instance, Air Force officials say they might drop laser- or optical-guided bombs if GPS satellite signals are jammed. Chemical mines and booby traps might slow an advance, but invaders could simply steer around the deadly plumes, analys
ts said.

Most observers believe Iraqi countermeasures would only prove a nuisance, saying invaders worry more about scenarios like grinding urban combat and chemical wea
pons delivered the usual way -- via missiles and artillery
shells.

Still, Iraq could be expected to have tricks at the ready.

"They need to find ways to interfere with air power and with the radio signals that provide intelligence and help target smart bombs," Lewis said. "They'll also need to slow the momentum."

One expected measure would target the weak beams of satellite communications and GPS data that guide everything from single foot soldiers to 2,000-pound bombs.

A Russian company, Aviaconversia, has exhibited GPS jamming systems at military trade shows, claiming they could cripple GPS systems throughout Iraq. The $4,000 devices on display were less worrisome than powerful GPS jammers appar
ently available on the international arms market, said Bob Martinage, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

"We know our GPS systems are vulnerable to jamming because we've jammed them our selves with disturbing ease," said Hewson of Jane's. "If you don't know where you are, you have a real problem."

The Pentagon acknowledges the signals aren't "bulletproof." In December, the U.N. Security Council added GPS jammers to the list of goods banned for export to Iraq.

An October 2002 interview with Air Force Col. Douglas Loverro posted on the Web site of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center said GPS-guided bombs employ alternate navigation that can usher them within 50 feet of a target.

A guided bomb's normal range of accuracy is within 20 feet. That 30-foot difference means a bomb could pulverize a hospital instead of a communications bunker, Hewson said.

In 1999, Yugoslav forces proved the success of a slew of deceptive tactics during the 11-week NATO air assault that forced them from Kosovo.

Despite NATO's sophisticated sensors and guided weapons, the Serbs safeguarded most of their planes and tanks by replacing them with decoys crafted from plastic sheeting, tires and logs. Some decoys cradled heaters that mimicked engine emissions.

NATO bombed hundreds of the dummies. Yugoslavs also simulated troop positions with portable heaters left on empty hillsides to dupe infrared sensors. Had a ground war been ordered, NATO would have faced a largely intact Yugoslav army.

"Our sensors haven't improved in any significant ways since Kosovo," O'Hanlon said. "You can try to be aware of decoys, but that doesn't help if you can't tell the difference between the real thing and a fake."

Serbs also greeted NATO air attacks by firing simple anti-hail rockets -- meant to warm hail-bearing clouds and make them rain, said Jeremy Binnie, an Iraq analyst with Jane's Information Group. Although the basic rockets posed little harm to aircraft, pilots who saw them on radar often aborted their missions, Binnie said.

"Certainly the Iraqis have been working on these techniques, using civilian areas to shelter troops, mixing military vehicles with civilian ones, learning to confuse our surveillance," said Anthony Cordesman, a military analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Some speculate that Iraq may even be able to uncloak radar-evading U.S. aircraft like the F-117 Nighthawk fighter and the B-2 bomber.

The State Department alleged in November that Iraq obtained stealth-exposing Ukrainian radar that can triangulate an aircraft's position by the sounds it makes. Analysts say it's also possible Iraq got a similar Czech-made system called Tamara.

In 1999, Czech intelligence officials claimed a Tamara system allegedly obtained by Yugoslavia was responsible for unmasking an F-117 shot down over Serbia, the first time the touted "stealth" fighter had ever been hit.

U.S. officials dismissed the report.

Can Iraq flummox U.S. war technology as deftly as the Serbs? Most analysts doubt it. They say Serbs were endowed with better morale, terrain and cloud cover, along with a lack of hostile ground forces.

In the end, simple deception may be more effective, Cordesman said.

"If you keep moving, you've got a constant surveillance problem," he said. "All you have to do is change facilities and you're blowing up an empty building."

Valerie

03-23-2003, 11:29 PM

These anti-war demonstrators are just making me sick.Can't they see they are hurting their own country?Iraq and middle East news media will use these American protests as propaganda. Saying all Americans are against the U.S.goverments war in Iraq.They are hurting our country and our servicemen and the truth.

BillysAngel

03-23-2003, 11:41 PM

All I can say is pray... Oh, they used the grotesque pics of our people being tortured as a kind of Psy-Ops, just like the Psy-Ops (Psychologial-Operationss) we have, and still will use against them. As much as it hurts us emotionally, as that is their main goal, we need to remember that and just try to block their tactics as much as possible. It's their ploy to try to get to us -- we must not let it!!!!
diane

Cameo

03-24-2003, 01:24 AM

It's almost 2:30am and Fox News just reported that Saddam is supposed to address the Iraqi people in a few minutes. Experts from the US will be viewing it to see if it is the "real' Saddam...

Kathy

03-24-2003, 01:38 AM

Thanks Pammie! (VBG) I can't sleep and will be waiting for this next! They are saying in 30 mins. SO, this will be very interesting!

I don't know how you guys watch this all! It has really been depressing. All I've done is pray all day!

PRAY PRAY PRAY for our POW!

Love
Kathy

Valerie

03-24-2003, 02:19 AM

It looks like him ,the glasses are gone,Oh , I so hope it was pre re-corded

Kathy

03-24-2003, 02:30 AM

Hey I just noticed something about his speech! NO GLASS's!

Didn't he wear glass's the last time when he spoke?

I can't tell if he said anything!

Not one word about them having POW's! Hmmm?

He did make reference to the battle that took place yesterday!

Generic tape is what they are saying at the moment! He said nothing NEW that wasn't known 7 or 10 days ago!

COOL!
Kathy

David

03-24-2003, 03:21 AM

Ken,
Great info.. Thanks for sharing. I have been hearing bits and pieces about that stuff but that paints a much clearer picture.

Pam,
It's 3:20 AM my time so that is probably 4:20 you time. Did Saddam ever make it to the microphone? I don't see anything about it but I may be between that conversation.

David

03-24-2003, 03:25 AM

Ok, just saw the latest posts I missed when making my last one. Did he (Saddam) make any specific references to the war and areas around Iraq that would confirm the date of the tape? Talk about specific POW's from areas known they were captured at? I guess they will have more info on it in the morning.
Thanks for the info Kathy, Valerie & Pam. :)

David

03-24-2003, 03:41 AM

I am watching FOX and they are showing a feed from Iraqi TV (?) of a crowd of Iraqi soldiers (?) (no uniform, but lots of guns) with one of our Apache Attack helicopters in the background.
The helicopter looks to be in very good condition. They are speculating that it came down with a mechanical failure.
All these fools are standing around (maybe 50 or so) holding their guns up in the air chanting something. The pilot and gunner are no where to be seen.
I REALLY hope these guys hang out there a little longer because you can bet we will be bombing the heck out of that helicopter REAL soon. They think they got a prize.. They are going to have scrap metal and body bags in a minute.

David

03-24-2003, 03:52 AM

The Iraqi Dis-Information minister is rattling on again now. He is saying that we have taken their citizens hostage and are violating the Geneva convention. They are following it to the letter but we (American's) don't have to. We are full of crocodile tears, blah blah blah..

ROTFLMAO.. He is now saying that two pesants shot down the Apache by themselves.

Here is a picture of the downed Apache:

Cameo

03-24-2003, 07:43 AM

Here is a link to what aljazerera is showing the world.
As reported by our media, the pictures and scenes of the pow's are very disturbing and graphic. The site is in arabic, but as one knows, pictures are worth a thousand words. In this case, I believe it will impact our country and the world in the necessity to destroy Saddam and his regime.

http://www.aljazeera.net/special_coverages/waroniraq/index.htm

lonelywolf

03-24-2003, 01:21 PM

is it me are is it strange that the iraqs aint sent up no planes and we been bombing them with ours

the anti war people are maiking me sick to they think it was peace what they did to our guys and gals ( i heard 1 female was in the POW's )

Budwoman

03-24-2003, 02:51 PM

Yes, Pme, I saw that speech at 3:30 Am this morning..... I couldn't sleep.... It was Sadam, but I really belive it was pretaped probably about a week ago.

Also, Becca, honey, I feel for you.... This War protest MUST ABSOLUTELY stop now.... Not too many did want us at war, but WE ARE HERE. NOW we must stand behind our TROOPS and our PRESIDENT. We must unite as a Country... If Russia is helping Iraq, then it won't be long before France and Other Countries join them... This may end up being a World War before we all know it....

lMay God Bless and Keep us ALL>..

My Love
Donna

Phil in Paris

03-24-2003, 03:07 PM

Originally posted by budwoman
If Russia is helping Iraq, then it won't be long before France and Other Countries join them

Please think twice before you post this kind of things OK ?????? :mad: :mad:

deb

03-24-2003, 03:22 PM

The report I heard on NPR yesterday stated that Russia had sold these things to Iraq within the last year....not in the last week....

Deb

Cameo

03-24-2003, 03:22 PM

Just like you don't hold your views of what our country does against us individually, we sure don't view you, our favorite Frenchy in any negative light. I actually like France and can't wait to visit, though I may not agree with your President, as I'm sure you don't agree with ours!

I hope that made sense:(

Pammie

Phil in Paris

03-24-2003, 03:43 PM

We're not anti USA or pro Saddam, we're anti war. Saying France will help Irak against the USA is stupid, hurting and slanderous !!

flygirlaa2

03-24-2003, 08:31 PM

My dad sent me another pic. In the email, it said that soldiers are being led to god in record numbers.

David

03-24-2003, 10:05 PM

Originally posted by lonelywolf
is it me are is it strange that the iraqs aint sent up no planes and we been bombing them with ours

The answer to that is easy.. They have a very limited number of planes left, and we would blow them out of the sky with ease. Our Air Force, Navy and Marine Pilots are the best in the world by far. Our planes are on the cutting edge. What they are flying are old Soviet Migs and planes from generations back, that even in the best hands are no match at all. So, basically, if they take off.. They loose them with no gain..

See Related:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/air-force-equipment-intro.htm

and

http://www.fas.org/irp/world/iraq/af/

Air Force
by 1990 the Iraqi air force consisted of 40,000 men, of whom about 10,000 were attached to its subordinate Air Defense Command. The Air Defense Command piloted the five MiG-25s which were Iraq's sole source of operational imagery intelligence, MiG-21, and various Mirage interceptors and manned Iraq's considerable inventory of surface to -air missiles (SAMs).

The air force was headquartered in Baghdad, and major bases were located at Basra, H-3 (site of a pump station on the oil pipeline in western Iraq), Kirkuk, Mosul, Rashid, and Ash Shuaybah. Iraq's more than 500 combat aircraft were formed into two bomber squadrons, eleven fighter-ground attack squadrons, five interceptor squadrons, and one counterinsurgency squadron of 10 to 30 aircraft each. Support aircraft included two transport squadrons.

The equipment of the air force, like that of the other services, was primarily of Soviet manufacture. After 1980, however, in an effort to diversify its sources of advanced armaments, Iraq turned to France for Mirage fighters and for attack helicopters. Between 1982 and 1987, Iraq received or ordered a variety of equipment from France, including more than 100 Mirage F-1s, about 100 Gazelle, Super-Frelon, and Alouette helicopters, and a variety of air-to-surface and air-to-air missiles, including Exocets.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

lonelywolf

03-24-2003, 10:12 PM

ok i didnt know that thanks fed ex for letting me know

i didnt mean to make no one mad i just want my family to come home safe i have 3 cousins over there 2 in marines 1 in army

David

03-24-2003, 10:15 PM

Russia, France and the other countries are not assisting Iraq. Some of us may be bitter because of the heavy opposition from some countries to the war, but none of them (that I have heard of) are helping Iraq.
The stuff about Russian firms selling Iraq Jammers and other types of military equipment is not a new issue.. It is just now coming out (at least publicly).

Lets please keep it civil and not point fingers.
I do want to point out that France recently said it would get into the war if chemical weapons were to be used. Saddam is now threatening to use Chemical weapons if we cross the line into Baghdad. Who knows.. Maybe we will have France fighting with us after all..
That all remains to be seen but I don't think we will ever see them fighting against us, at least not in this war. :)

lonelywolf

03-24-2003, 10:21 PM

i hope they dont use the chem. but with this man who knows what he will do he knows he is going to get busted one way are the other

Phil in Paris

03-25-2003, 05:55 AM

Thanks David :)

danielle

03-25-2003, 06:04 AM

I agree David! ;)

KConnor56

03-25-2003, 07:19 AM

I don''t hold any one responsible for what their government does, or doesn't do. As I don't feel responsible for what my government does. I have major problems with some foreign governments, as I have problems with our government. Pro war or anti-war really doesn't concern me at all. All members of PTO have my respect till they as individuals, do something to lose it. I consider people here as my friends even though I disagree with them on this one issue. Lets not forget we all here have a common enemy we are fighting against, & lets not lose sight of our war, that some are fighting everyday, & will still be fighting long after Iraq is in the news.----Ken

Budwoman

03-25-2003, 07:59 AM

Phil, my precious Frenchman....

I certainly was not intending to point fingers... Just stating what I have heard for the past two weeks on American TV.... I love you and France... I told you earlier what my dream is... I want to visit Paris very badly... That statement was not meant to hurt or slander at all....

During the Korean Conflict, my ex Husband was stationed in France.... As always the troops visited bars in France on Leave... He told me on Many occasions that MOST Frenchmen did not like the troops being there at all. He said they had asked some of them at one point why they did not like them... They said to the troops. Their exact quote was
"Because you are under worked, over paid, and Over here, BY God.

So, because of this, I have had an impression that the French do not care for Americans very much... That does not mean you don't. You are a very exceptional person. Just as many of us on this site do not dislike any country.....we are just confused.... I am so very sorry if I hurt you..... This was not intentional...

I love ya guy

Donna

Phil in Paris

03-25-2003, 08:10 AM

Donna

I too have much respect and affection for you and for who you are.

There is a big misunderstanding about what French or France think of Americans and the USA. It's not because we don't support you in this war that we are your enemies. Friends can have different points of view, and still can be friends. It's the same here, we don't appove of this war, but we still consider the USA our friend, and will certainly not join Saddam's troops against you !!! We don't support Saddam at all, neither the french people, nor the french government.

This being clarified, you and your husband are still invited to my place, and will be more than welcome !! :)

All my love
Phil

Budwoman

03-25-2003, 08:16 AM

Love You Honey, I don't like this war either, but, now we are in it and I support our President and especially our troops who have gone to defend our freedom.... But, I harbor no ill will to anyone, not even the Iraqi people.... I sure wish they could find Sadam .... Soon....

Love ya Hon

Donna

Kathy

03-25-2003, 11:18 AM

BREAKING NEWS:

Shia's are UPRISING AGAINST Saddams Military! More information to come!

Budwoman

03-25-2003, 12:06 PM

Thank God.... Maybe they can help us find him...

Donna

Cameo

03-25-2003, 12:12 PM

I just heard this too, this is probably the 'break' the British military for need to secure Basra. The Shiiite majority I guess finally decided we are for real this time and are going to fight for their freedom too! Basra had 1.3 million people in the city and they have no electricity or water...so conditions are extremely critical.

The British 7th Armored Brigade Rocks!!!

Pammie

David

03-25-2003, 12:24 PM

No cable where I am at so no CNN or FOX :( Time to hit the online sites. Thanks for the info!

Kathy

03-25-2003, 12:47 PM

Saddam's soldiers are bombing the citizens in Basra for the uprising! But, Britian has secured the City so far. The Regime have starved the Iraqi people. The people in Basra have about 2 weeks of food left and no water. They are going to pump water from Umm Qasr.

1. Air raids pound targets in northern Iraq cities around Mosul and Kirkuk, taking out anti-aircraft artillery batteries threatening coalition warplanes. Fierce sandstorms limit visibility in Baghdad but bombing raids continue to pound entrenched Republican Guard divisions ringing the city.

2. U.S. Army 3rd Mech. Infantry Division poised outside of Karbala, having made contact Monday with units of the Medina Republican Guard division. Parts of the division are running low on supplies and fierce sandstorms are slowing the advance.

3. 1st U.S. Marines Division pushing north toward Tigris River valley and Baghdad.

4. Elements of 1st Marines Division make their way through Nasiriyah, scene of some of the fiercest Iraqi resistance. In street fighting backed by helicopters, the units secure two key bridges, cross the Euphrates and race toward Baghdad.

5. British forces step up fighting against Iraqi militia to secure the southern port of Basra for humanitarian aid deliveries.

6. Turkey positions troops on its border with Iraq to prevent a flow of refugees, Turkish officials say. U.S. voices concern that the troop buildup will interfere with coalition operations and provoke Kurds.

7. British minesweepers completing sweep of Shatt al Arab, clearing the way for humanitarian aid once Umm Qasr or Basra harbors are secured.

8. A Navy corpsman is killed by an Iraqi rocket-propelled grenade, and Iraqi TV shows images of two U.S. Army Apache helicopter pilots captured after battle Monday between their unit and Medina Republican Guards near Karbala.

9. Continued fighting around the Rumeila oil wells forces U.S. oil fire contractors to withdraw from blazing oil field.

Cameo

03-25-2003, 12:53 PM

Kathy Rocks Too!!! :p

I think you can officially be called the PTO correspondent for news reporting on the Iraq Freedom Campaign!!!;)

Kathy

03-25-2003, 01:15 PM

THANKS PAM!

I think David (Fed-X) has done a FANTASTIC JOB keeping us upto date! To find out NOW that he does not have Cable for CNN or FOX means he is pouring out all this info. from his heart! THANKS DAVID!

FOX equals DRAMA But, I flip back and forth from these two channels to stay on top of what is going on! And also MSNBC.

I want to hear as soon as possible MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Donald Rumsfeld said most Iraqi's have a gun to their head by the Terriost's to fight against the Americans. If they flee the Regime is shooting citizens in the head. Once they start hearing other City's uprising against the Saddam Regime we will see a another FREE COUNTRY!

YAHOO
Love
Kathy

Kathy

03-25-2003, 03:42 PM

Iraqi-American Shiites aid U.S.

Pentagon recruits hundreds to help rebuild their homeland

By Jeff Ghannam
MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR

DEARBORN, Mich., March 17 — Several hundred Iraqi Shiites who want to prove their loyalty to the country that gave them freedom are volunteering in the U.S. war effort to get a second chance to oust the Iraqi leader who made them refugees.

_ _ _ _LOCAL IRAQI opposition members said more than 300 Iraqi Shiites who fled here after they tried but failed to overthrow Saddam Hussein in 1991 have volunteered in the U.S. war campaign. About 60 have been deployed since January with the help of an Iraqi opposition group recruiting for the U.S. Defense Department. Many volunteered after a visit last month by Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz.
_ _ _ _The Iraqi Shiites, many with U.S. citizenship or permanent resident visas, are believed to be among the few in the nation’s Arab-American and Muslim communities who support a potential war with Iraq, said Iraqi Shiite religious leader Hassan Qazwini of Detroit’s Islamic Center of America. Qazwini proudly displays a photo of himself with President Bush.
_ _ _ _
EAGER TO SERVE
_ _ _ _Munem Alsaedy, 47, said he expects to serve as a translator for the Defense Department. He said he spent one month in Hungary training with the Free Iraqi Forces and has met with government officials in Washington. He and his wife, Efham Albedeary, lost three children while living in a refugee camp in Saudi Arabia. Another daughter was left in Iraq with Albedeary’s mother. They have not seen her for 13 years, although they speak with her by telephone.
_ _ _ _The couple and their three other children reside in a basement apartment in southeast Dearborn in the shadow of the belching Ford Motor Co. smokestacks, an area that has served for decades as a way station for countless Arab immigrants before they move on. Satellite TV beams in programs from the Middle East.
_ _ _ _“This is my country,” Alsaedy said. “It gave me freedom. I want to help America because America gives me help.”
_ _ _ _Many of the refugees speak of terrible hardship as refugee camp dwellers in Saudi Arabia before arriving in the United States. Up to 15,000 refugees came to Dearborn and neighboring Detroit, drawn by its established social services for Arab immigrants.
_ _ _ _Metro Detroit has North America’s largest concentration of Christian and Muslim Arab Americans and Arab immigrants. Many families arrived over the past century, but the Iraqi Shiites are among the most recent to join the community.
_ _ _ _Former President George H.W. Bush implored the Iraqis to rise up against Saddam in 1991. Thousands of Shiites in the south of Iraq and Kurds in the north rebelled. But many local Iraqi Shiites said the United States abandoned them when they were left without military cover after a cease-fire had been called, leaving Saddam’s forces to crush the rebellions. _Still, many forgive the United States and are eager to fight Saddam again.
_ _ _ _The Iraqi Shiites said they believe the United States will finally make good on its promises for regime change and democracy in Iraq, where many have family. Perhaps their support also gives significance to their hardship as anti-Saddam refugees and distinguishes them in a post-9/11 world in which they may be misunderstood as Muslims.
_ _ _ _The Iraq Salvation Movement, a collection of Iraqi opposition groups in the United States led by former Iraqi Gen. Fawzi al-Shamari, is helping to enlist volunteers who will get $1,000 a month and additional pay to support their families. A Defense Department spokeswoman would not release the number of Free Iraqi Forces recruited so far.
_ _ _ _
THE AMERICAN DREAM
_ _ _ _Lt. Col. Jim Yonts at U.S. Army Central Command in Tampa, Fla., said many of the Iraqi Americans may serve as truck drivers or interpreters. If English skills aren’t strong, “They would not be accepted,” Yonts said, adding, “It would not be an open door to bring them in.”
_ _ _ _Diaa Al-Tamimi, 34, a volunteer and the father of three children, said he signed up to join his brother, who is believed to be training at a military base in Hungary, where up to 3,000 Iraqi opposition volunteers may be trained, according to the Department of Defense. “We’re ready,” he said.
_ _ _ _While many Iraqi Shiites admit war would bring further hardship and death to Iraqis, they believe it is the only option. They say Iraqis already suffer under Saddam.
_ _ _ _The desire to help their motherland while serving their adopted country cuts across generations.
_ _ _ _Tribal elders Abdzaid Almashkur, 80, and Abdulali Alwishah, 59, a lawyer and former member of the Iraqi parliament, both said they expect to serve in their native regions to ease concerns among their clans over a possible U.S. military presence in Iraq.
_ _ _ _Alwishah’s son, Ahmed Shulaiba, 28, said he volunteered to give Iraqis a true picture of Iraqi Americans like himself and to instill in them the democratic principles that the Iraqi community in the United States has become used to.
_ _ _ _“I’ve lived the last 11 years in America,” said Shulaiba, an assembly line worker at Ford who knows he is living the American dream. He spent 14 months in a refugee camp before arriving in the United States. “I can buy anything.” In Iraq, “they sell loose cigarettes on the street to get something to eat.”
_ _ _ _U.S. officials have made it clear they appreciate the aid of Shiite Iraqi Americans. Wolfowitz visited Dearborn on Feb. 23 and encouraged Iraqi Shiites to serve with U.S. forces. Wolfowitz said the volunteers were needed to serve as guides, translators and experts on civil affairs. “After a conflict, the skills and local knowledge of these forces will help to rebuild Iraq,” Wolfowitz said.

David

03-25-2003, 11:41 PM

Ok.. Got the cable back.. Fox, CNN and others.. not that they are the best to be had, but they do have some interesting feeds.. I have been guilty of re-spewing some of their information. Some of that has turned out to be accurate, while other stuff has been less than on the mark..
I have done some searching and am still trying to locate some IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channels where some Iraqi's may be chatting live about what is happening over there.. I would love to talk to people in Baghdad. Of course, this doesn't mean their info is accurate, but it would be nice to have a real live feed. If/when I find something like this, I will tell everyone else where to find it. I am very sure it exists, but like most things on the internet, you have to find them. :)

Barbara

03-25-2003, 11:44 PM

That sounds great David get right on it will ya! Love Barbara

Cameo

03-26-2003, 07:07 AM

LOL, David, I have been looking for this too..... Try doing an search on 'international search engines' and use one of those search engines. I think I might have been getting close, but had to leave before I found one. I don't think we'll find one using the popular search engines!

Pam

Kathy

03-26-2003, 12:46 PM

If you’re a Chicagoland resident, you’ve probably heard about this “call-in” to the Don and Roma show on WLS. If not, you’ll definitely want to listen to this and share it with others. It’s quite moving. Here’s what happened. Don and Roma’s son is an F18 fighter pilot (and X-Blue Angel, local Chicago celeb), who is currently in theatre awaiting orders. A typical, anti-war moron E-mailed Don and Roma a nasty note that stated he wished their son would die should their be a war. That’s the long and short of the note, it was very nasty, they read it on air. Roma was in tears. Soooo, this Iraqi girl called in after hearing the letter, and her response is the file I’ve attached. They are going to replay this everyday until the war is over.

Don: "Ah Angie I believed was born there, in Iraq. Angie Goodmorning you are on Route 60?"

Angie: "YES"

Don: "Goodmorning!"

Roma: "Goodmorning Angie"

Angie: "HI! I love listening to your show! I listen to it all the time."

Roma: "Thank You"

Angie: "I just wanted to say that I was born in Iraq and I left Iraq when I was 17 and I came to a country where they accepted me for what I am. Iraq never accepted me because of my Religion I was a Secondhand Citizen over there because I was Christian. Iraq people are DEAD! Bush is not killing Iraq People or our troops are not killing Iraq children. Saddam killed them a long time ago and Thank God for BUSH! Finally there is a Man who can speak for Iraq children. I do know alot of people will die and that is sad. But, Iraq people are dead. You just don't know how bad it is, living under that regime. So, for those people for those Americans that are ignorant about what is going on in Iraq PLEASE understand Iraq people are dead. They have no Voice we can't speak our Minds we can not practice our Religion and This is the only country THANK GOD FOR AMERICA you just don't know how to Appreciate this country. You just don't know how lucky you are and You know I'm a citizen and I'm PROUD to be an AMERICAN and Shame on those Americans that they talk like that about our troops SHAME ON THEM!

Bush never killed anybody Saddam been killing all these children I can not speak my mind because if I speak my mind he'll cut my tongue over there He will RAPE our Children in front of our EYES! You just don't know how bad it is! So for those Ignorant People PLEASE SHUT UP!

Okay that is all I have to say and I'm so Proud SO PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN And thank you for listen!"

Roma: "Angie you said everything better than any any other citizen could today!"

Don: "Thank You"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I felt this was the Right forum to post this! I listened to the Radio Conversation and was very over welmed by this Irag Girl who called in. I wanted to share this with PTO. And if anyone would like to listen to her too, let me know and I will send the download file.

Thank God for People like ANGIE! Who knows what it is like to APPRECIATE being an AMERICAN!

Love
Kathy
PS GET YOUR HANKEY! ((((((((ANGIE))))))))))

Phil in Paris

03-26-2003, 01:04 PM

Originally posted by Kathy
A typical, anti-war moron E-mailed Don and Roma a nasty note that stated he wished their son would die should their be a war.

Gosh this is not a "typical" anti-war human being, this is just a stupid asshole !!! Personally I wish Don and Roma's son will come back safe to his homeland.

I wish death for nobody, neither the anglo/american troops, nor the Iraki people.

Phil

deb

03-26-2003, 01:45 PM

I agree Phil. Most anti-war folks do not wish death or injury on anyone. I know I don't. This sounds like a lunatic.

Deb

David

03-26-2003, 01:50 PM

Lets please keep from calling anyone names. I know we all have their views, and you all know mine when it comes to war, but we can share them without name calling or pointing fingers.
Thanks,
David

Kathy

03-26-2003, 02:11 PM

YIKES!

I posted this Iraq Girls phone conversation so it could give meaning to the FREEDOM OF IRAQ. I do understand how upsetting the phrase "A typical, anti-war moron" can be!

But, what I was hoping for was postings or a comment about the Iraq Girl and how proud she was that President Bush was going to Free her People. Did anyone read that part?

I think I made a mistake posting this in this thread! And I should have started another!

Sorry David!
Love
Kathy
PS I WISH YOU COULD LISTEN TO THIS IRAQ GIRLS CRYS! I'm willing to send it to anyone who wants to hear her.
It is very MOVING and gives more reason to why our Troops are there!

Click here to listen to the audio clip: http://www.pwcracer.com/iraqicomeback.mp3

lonelywolf

03-26-2003, 07:57 PM

i did hear it kathy it was sent to me in a email the live feed was and it did have me in tears to hear her cring it hurt when she said that if she spoke her mind over there sadam would of cut her tounge out it was so pitiful

Kathy

03-26-2003, 10:05 PM

PLEASE PRAY!

Fox News just reported that Iraqi Regime is executing our POWS at the moment!

PRAY PRAY PRAY!
Love
Kathy
PS I'm confused, I think they said the first POW's that were in the Convoy were executed. They said they made them get out of the Truck and shot them in the head.

David

03-26-2003, 11:41 PM

Lonelywolf,
Was it a link in an email leading to a live audio stream? Do you have the link?
Thanks

Trying to find info online about them shooting POW's.. Not seeing it on TV right now but I wasn't watching earlier.

Kathy

03-27-2003, 12:27 AM

WAR AND PEACE AND CABLE TV

By

Ron Marr

If you seek evidence of the degradation of common sense in America, you need look no further than the reactions currently pouring forth from certain segments of the general public and virtually all of the talking heads on TV.

At the time of this writing, though we have barely been at war for a week, a hue and cry can be heard from those whose perception of time has somehow been warped by an all-pervasive media.

"When will this war be over," they moan. "Why haven't we won yet?"

The answer is simple. It will be over when it's over. The reason we haven't yet won is because we've been in it for less than a week. However, listen to the press darlings and you would think we were in year 57 of the 100 years war. Our troops achieved an amazing success in the speed with which
they moved toward Baghdad - probably unprecedented in military history - and yet our TV nation is wringing it's hands over the prospect of a "long" war.

I'm certain those who fought in World War II, Korea or Vietnam, are perplexed by such ludicrous invective. What intelligent person expects a major military action, conducted in a large country known for extremely harsh conditions, against a murderous dictator who has been ensconced for
decades, to be completed in hours or days? What could lead people to consider such a possibility?

Another simple answer....TV. Or rather, a pathological reliance on the comforting platitudes of TV over a semblance of focused intellect. A frighteningly large percentage of the populace puts more faith in the words of the well-groomed news readers - the largely uninformed conjecture of Rather, Jennings and Brokaw - than they do the generals and administration officials who provide information on what IS happening and what SHOULD be expected.

Why do so many people adopt such an approach? To quote Jack Nicholson -which should be more palatable to the entertainment-obsessed masses than recalling the words of Tommy Franks or Colin Powell - "you don't want the truth! You can't handle the truth!"

The truth, boys and girls, is that a whole slug of the Middle East wants us dead. The truth, is that they would take any action they could to accomplish that goal, on a large scale or small. Five people or five million matters not to them, for they see all Americans as a threat to their twisted Utopian dream of a totalitarian world ruled by the unforgiving hand of
mass-murdering religious fanatics.

And yet, despite a preponderance of evidence to the contrary, some Americans;
(A) think we shouldn't fight for our own survival or
(B) are confused that the war didn't end in five minutes.

What boggles me is how they can hold such misconceptions after the bloody attacks on our soil.

It defies logic. Shortly after September 11th President Bush explained, repeatedly, that the war against terrorism would be long and hard. He told us we would not tolerate countries that harbored, trained or supported terrorists. At that time, while the buildings still smoldered and body parts were being pulled from the piles of twisted steel, Americans were in near
total support of strong action. However, the President's wise words were applauded and cheered with the fervor of a late stage Alzheimer's patient.

A year and a half later, roughly a quarter of our citizens would prefer to bury their heads in the sand, hoping against hope that Martin Sheen will stroll from the Oval Office and announce that the world is safe and war is outlawed and terrorism is dead and that cats have acquired the power of
speech.

In short, the TV generation has forgotten that we did not bring war to the terrorists; they brought war to us. George Bush did not say this would be a quick fight. The press did. George Bush did not say this would be a simple action. The press did. George Bush did not say defeating Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden would be a stroll in the park.
The press did. That's because George Bush lives in the world as it is, while the press more often than not lives in the world as they would like it to be.

So, let me spell it out in terms the TV generation can understand. War is not just another aspect of network programming. Everything won't be tidy and neat before the evening's prime time viewing hours are over. The crime won't
be perpetrated, investigated and solved within an hour. Vic Morrow is not back from the dead for a new episode of "Combat." Superman has split for Krypton. Gilligan might make it off the island...but it will take a long, long time.

Sorry, but the batteries on the ruby slippers are expired. There is life, which is harsh, and there is TV, which is smoke and mirrors. You can believe that the great and powerful Oz will make it all go away, but doing so will leave you with nothing but a fuzzy screen and an empty box of popcorn.

I hate to tell you this, but we're not in Kansas anymore.

Kathy

03-27-2003, 01:04 AM

OKAY, I just heard that the POW's they were talking about being Executed are the one's found in the Road from Sunday!

They have not said anything about the POW's that are the 7 American's and 2 British who have been flashed on TV.

Love
Kathy

David

03-27-2003, 01:23 AM

Well, I just got a copy of the video that Al Jazeera (AKA Propoganda TV) aired of the American POW's that were executed (obviously) after being captured. I don't speak Iraqi (hindi or whatever they speak) so I couldn't understand what they were saying but the pictures speak loud enough. And then at the end some little punk comes in like he has some trophies.. You know our boys are going to be gunning for his arse when this is all said and done.. He messed up getting his mug on tape.
We'll be picking them up soon and bringing them back home.

David

03-27-2003, 01:36 AM

A daytime view of the sand storm... Doesn't look like a whole lot of fun..

David

03-27-2003, 02:40 PM

Looks like they are bombing Baghdad again.. Just saw three HUGE explosions downtown.

KConnor56

03-27-2003, 06:51 PM

I was listening to the Marine, & two soldiers that were wounded give a press conference today. They are brave guys, but listening to them, sure didn't do anything to give me any confidence in their CO's. I don't know maybe I'm being to picky.

Kathy

03-27-2003, 07:53 PM

hmm? I saw the same thing Ken. And I was hoping for more from them too! I was looking for them to say something to make this War Political Correct. Then I thought about all the news reports I have been hearing.

So, how about the Image of an Iraq Citizen tied to a Pole in the Middle of City of Al-Nasiriyah with his tongue cut out? I just heard this on the news! And they said it was done by the THUGS as a Warning to the Citizens.

Or How about this Image:

Kathy

03-28-2003, 01:16 AM

They just reported that Iraqi's were seen unloading Chem. Drums from trucks and wearing chemo Suits all around Bagdad.

Also, 2 5,000 lbs Bunker Buster Bombs were just dropped on Baghdad for the 1st time.

Pray!
Love
Kathy

lonelywolf

03-28-2003, 04:34 PM

sorry fed x im tring to get the email link back that was sent to me i been offline with a broken foot ill find it tonight for you by the wat did they every bomb our helo that went down i heard they are saying another one has been shot down but the TV thinks its the same one the other day just repeats of the helo

David

03-28-2003, 04:52 PM

There was just a huge explosion near the Sheraton Hotel in Kuwait City.. There was a camera on, I believe in that hotel, which shook pretty good and you could see what looked to be parts of cement falling off a parking garage across the street, and then something falling that looked light glass or parts of light bulbs still burning a bit..

David

03-28-2003, 06:18 PM

Looks like that bomb was riding at the front of a missle. I'm watching the reports and video of the damage and though they keep saying there is Arabic writing on the parts that are scattered all over the place, I saw English writing/numbers on at least two pieces.
Lots of people are saying that it came down in a lake that is behind the shopping mall and theater, but dang if that sucker didn't have some powerful explosives on it to damage the area like it did hitting, or exploding in water..
I'm sure more facts will filter out soon.. I'm definitely interested in knowing more on whos missle it actually was.

SHERRON

03-28-2003, 06:32 PM

David.......I heard it was a silkworm missle.......chinese made

KConnor56

03-28-2003, 08:24 PM

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

"Our Business Now Is North"

22 March 2003

With one phrase, Lt. Col. Tim Collins, commander of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish, summed up the task in hand for the British forces waiting to remove Saddam Hussein from Iraq.

Collins was addressing his 800 men, an arm of Britain's 16 Air Assault Brigade, at Fort Blair Mayne, a Kuwaiti desert camp 20 miles south of the Iraqi border. Here is as much of his extraordinary speech as has been reported.

"We go to liberate not to conquer. We will not fly our flags in their country. We are entering Iraq to free a people and the only flag which will be flown in that ancient land is their own. Show respect for them.

"There are some who are alive at this moment who will not be alive shortly. Those who do not wish to go on that journey, we will not send. As for the others I expect you to rock their world. Wipe them out if that is what they choose. But if you are ferocious in battle remember to be magnanimous in victory.

"Iraq is steeped in history. It is the site of the Garden of Eden, of the Great Flood and the birthplace of Abraham. Tread lightly there. You will see things that no man could pay to see and you will have to go a long way to find a more decent, generous and upright people than the Iraqis. You will be embarrassed by their hospitality even though they have nothing. Don't treat them as refugees for they are in their own country. Their children will be poor, in years to come they will know that the light of liberation in their lives was brought by you.

"If there are casualties of war then remember that when they woke up and got dressed in the morning they did not plan to die this day. Allow them dignity in death. Bury them properly and mark their graves.

"It is my foremost intention to bring every single one of you out alive but there may be people among us who will not see the end of this campaign. We will put them in their sleeping bags and send them back. There will be no time for sorrow.

"The enemy should be in no doubt that we are his nemesis and that we are bringing about his rightful destruction. There are many regional commanders who have stains on their souls and they are stoking the fires of hell for Saddam. He and his forces will be destroyed by this coalition for what they have done. As they die they will know their deeds have brought them to this place. Show them no pity.

"It is a big step to take another human life. It is not to be done lightly. I know of men who have taken life needlessly in other conflicts, I can assure you they live with the mark of Cain upon them. If someone surrenders to you then remember they have that right in international law and ensure that one day they go home to their family.

"The ones who wish to fight, well, we aim to please.

"If you harm the regiment or its history by over-enthusiasm in killing or in cowardice, know it is your family who will suffer. You will be shunned unless your conduct is of the highest for your deeds will follow you down through history. We will bring shame on neither our uniform or our nation.

"[Regarding the use by Saddam of chemical or biological weapons] It is not a question of if, it's a question of when. We know he has already devolved the decision to lower commanders, and that means he has already taken the decision himself. If we survive the first strike we will survive the attack.

"As for ourselves, let's bring everyone home and leave Iraq a better place for us having been there.

"Our business now is north."

V/R
DCS, G-2, Pentagon

KConnor56

03-28-2003, 08:45 PM

FYI

"One Team - Keeping The Leadership Informed"

CW5 CI/HUMINT Officer, G2/ODCSINT
HQS, USARPAC, ATTN: APIN-CI, Bldg 101,
Fort Shafter, HI 96858-5100

Subject: Link for Iraq Maps

24 March 2003

MILINET: Link for Iraq Maps

Contributed By: MGySgt Terry Murray, USMC (Ret.)

======================================

The below link is for maps of Iraq produced by the Central Intelligence Agency

The "Mother" of all IRAQ Map Links! (Must See!) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/873496/posts

lonelywolf

03-29-2003, 11:18 AM

i found that link fed x here it is if it will work in here

http://images.radcity.net/5149/359372.mp3

if not i still got the email that was sent

friggwolf

03-29-2003, 11:38 AM

Well as of today it looks as though the ground troops are going to take a break for 6 or 7 days due to needing more food, ammo and water delivered. They did say that the air strikes will still go on. And what about the woman who is in his top organization who got her schooling here in N Texas!

Another casualty of 5 when an impersonator claimed to need help but then blew up the car and killed the 5 AMericans. I am curious--does anyone have a favorite news channel? I prefer to watch Fox News and since I am at home all day I definately get a lot of it!

Also--what is up with Syria? I didnt get the whole ting.

Debbie

KConnor56

03-29-2003, 05:02 PM

It looks like a lot of that Russian hardware that the Iraqis have has been coming in from Syria, along with other supplies. In complaining about it to the Syrians, the US used words that mean if they keep it up, we will consider it an act of war. Syria was worried from the beginning that they were next on the US's hit list, which in my opinion they should be, hell they should have been taken out a long time ago. So they are making a lot of noise because they think we are going to go after them next. Syria can't handle Isreal, they definately don't want to have us on their butts. --------Ken

If any one country is responsible for terrorism, it's Syria.

David

03-29-2003, 06:09 PM

Excellent point, Ken.
I have not heard all that much about Syria in a few years but their name used to pop-up quite a bit, along with Libia.
Do you have any idea why we have not focused more on them recently? I'd wager that quite a few Al Queda are hanging there now, along with Egypt, Beirut and other places..

What are your thoughts on Isreal keeping quiet right now. I am sure they would like nothing more than to get involved, but I guess that would really set the region off?

David

03-30-2003, 03:14 PM

Looks like Saddam's condition is up in the air once again. Just recently they were saying that the U.S. Military thought he was in control and fine, but CIA and other analysts reviewing a recent video noticed that Saddam's personal body guard who has only guarded him and has always been by his side, was standing behind one of the military speakers without Saddam. They say they have never seen this before..
More fuel to speculate on....

Barbara

03-30-2003, 03:21 PM

I saw that myself this morning, could that mean we really did get him that first night? I have not seen anything on his son's either how about you. Love Barbara

KConnor56

03-30-2003, 04:22 PM

I don't know why we haven't been harder on Syria. We have been holding their feet to the fire tthough. Just about every terrorist organization litterally has an office in Damascus. Hezzbollah pretty much owns the Bekka Valley which is in Syria controlled Lebanon. Syria does have some influence over Islamic Jihad, & Hezbollah. We are more interested in stability in the mid east than we are about democracy in the mid east. The world needs a stable & reliable flow of oil to keep the global economy running. We have taken it upon ourselves to make sure that this flow of oil to the rest of the world flows without problems. As far as I'm concerned Syria should be next on our list if for nothing else than because of what they did to Lebanon. Lebanon was a beautiful modern country, with greaat people who loved the west. Syria is mainly responsible for the destruction of Lebanon. What they did to Beirut is horrible. As for Isreal, as long as they don't get caught with any boots in Iraq they should be OK. If they are attacked & they have a measured response then not to much will happen. I'm sure they have, or have had Special Forces on the ground in Iraq, but as long as they don't get caught there won't be any problems.

Cameo

03-30-2003, 05:49 PM

“WE WILL USE any means to kill our enemy in our land, and we will follow the enemy into its land,” Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan said at a Baghdad news conference. “This is just the beginning. You’ll hear more pleasant news later.”

Kathy

03-30-2003, 06:42 PM

And Bush has been called a Baby Killer! VLS
(VERY LOUD SCREAM's)

Thanks Pam, Now I need to go cry! I'll be back!

(sad)
Kathy

Kathy

03-30-2003, 06:45 PM

Okay I'm back!

OH PLEASE LET THIS WAR BE OVER BEFORE THEY SEND IN THEIR LITTLE TROOPS!

Pray that our bombs do not hurt the people of Iraq!

Love
Kathy

David

03-30-2003, 07:43 PM

Ken, I'm definitely following what you’re saying in regards to the Bekka Valley, Lebanon / Beirut, etc..
Richard Marcinko was on TV earlier this morning fielding questions about the war, though as big a mouth as he has had in the past, he sure wasn’t giving much up. They kept asking him about what or where the SEALs might be and he just said that they took the port. (I'm sure Ken knows him, but for anyone who doesn't, he's the ex-leader and founder of the Navy SEAL's premier anti-terrorist group – ST6, some other less known anti-terrorist (Red Cell) & international Dev Groups, and now writes books. Lots of people don't like him but he has been deeply involved with proactively pushing the anti-terrorist agenda well before most American's realized it was a problem that could be brought home to us. He also did federal time before they supposedly pulled him out early having something to do with Desert Storm?) I remember reading his first book, watching Red Cell and a LOT of interviews and instructional manuals where he was talking about working in and around Lebanon and just how much of a problem that area has been with terrorists.
Hasn’t the Bekka Valley been the premier breeding/training ground of terrorists since the 50’s or 60’s? I wonder what if any ties Al Queda has to that region?

David

03-30-2003, 07:44 PM

I was looking for a couple things on Richard Marcinko and came across this writing by him. It obviously pre-dates the Twin Towers coming down but he warns of bigger things prior to them happening. If you are interested in Terrorism in American and abroad, he knows his stuff. Read up:

http://itscool.com/roguewarrior/terrorism.htm

MyLife1020592

03-31-2003, 02:00 PM

I was wondering if anyone has heard anything about reporter Phillip Smucker being taken back to Kawait for reveiling where the unit he was traveling with was at...I think that I heard that he was with the 1st BN 5th Mar. but I am not sure...Does anyone have any idea...Also does anyone know how to e-mail a reporter...

David

03-31-2003, 02:25 PM

MyLife,
I haven't heard anything but will see what I can dig up. I'm sure if it happened there will be info on it someplace. Also, the email address should not be that hard to track down though I am not sure if they are checking them while they are over there, if you are talking about a reporter on the ground in Iraq.

David

03-31-2003, 02:30 PM

By Mark Jurkowitz, Globe Staff, 3/28/2003

The Pentagon has ordered Christian Science Monitor reporter Philip Smucker out of Iraq, according to the newspaper, in what appears to be the first case of a journalist removed from the battle zone for reportedly disclosing sensitive information.

''We're disappointed,'' Monitor editor Paul Van Slambrouck said yesterday. ''It looked to us that [Smucker reported] information that was pretty widely available.''

Smucker, a freelancer under contract for the Boston-based Monitor and The Daily Telegraph of London, apparently ran afoul of the US military after giving an interview to CNN on Wednesday.

Explaining his location, Smucker, who was with the Fifth Regiment of the First Marine Division, said: ''It's right across from Najaf. If Najaf is the Army column coming up towards Baghdad, then we're the Marine column coming up further.'' At that point, CNN's Carol Costello cautioned him, ''Don't be too specific,'' and the interview continued.

FULL DETAILS & REPORT:
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/087/nation/Reporter_for_US_paper_is_told_to_leave_Iraq+.shtml

MyLife1020592

03-31-2003, 04:45 PM

Thank you very much FedX...That was very helpful...

lonelywolf

03-31-2003, 06:44 PM

I know this is off the track but atleast its good news on our side two of our guys that were thought to be MIA are found

For a week, two American soldiers were stranded in the Iraqi desert. They survived - hungry, thirsty and tired, but eager to get back to their unit and back to the war.

KConnor56

03-31-2003, 09:33 PM

Coalition Troop Casualties, POWs, MIAs

Mar 29, 2003
The Associated Press

U.S. and British troop casualties from the war. U.S. totals (which include only those identified by military or confirmed by family members): 36 dead overall, 29 dead in combat, seven captured, 16 missing. British total: 23 dead

DEATHS:
U.S.
March 27:
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Menusa, 33, Tracy, Calif., combat.

March 26:
Marine Maj. Kevin G. Nave, 36, White Lake Township, Mich., vehicle accident

March 25:
Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone, 40, Boise, Idaho, grenade attack
Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Michael Vann Johnson Jr., 25, Little Rock, Ark., combat

March 24:
Marine Cpl. Evan James, 20, La Harpe, Ill., drowned in canal
Marine Sgt. Bradley S. Korthaus, 29, Davenport, Iowa, drowned in canal
Army Spc. Gregory P. Sanders, 19, Hobart, Ind., combat

March 23:
Army Spc. Jamaal R. Addison, 22, Roswell, Ga., combat
Marine Sgt. Michael E. Bitz, 31, Ventura, Calif., combat
Marine Lance Cpl. Brian Rory Buesing, 20, Cedar Key, Fla., combat
Marine Lance Cpl. David K. Fribley, 26, Fort Myers, Fla., combat
Marine Cpl. Jose A. Garibay, 21, Costa Mesa, Calif., combat
Marine Cpl. Jorge A. Gonzalez, 20, Los Angeles, combat
Army Pfc. Howard Johnson II, 21, Mobile, Ala., combat
Marine Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Jordan, 42, Enfield, Conn., combat
Marine 2nd Lt. Frederick E. Pokorney Jr., 31, Tonopah, Nev., combat
Marine Cpl. Randal Kent Rosacker, 21, San Diego, combat
Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas J. Slocum, 22, Thornton, Colo., combat
Marine Lance Cpl. Michael J. Williams, 31, Arizona

March 22:
Navy Lt. Thomas Mullen Adams, 27, La Mesa, Calif., helicopter collision
Marine Lance Cpl. Eric J. Orlowski, 26, Buffalo, N.Y., machine gun accident
Army Capt. Christopher Scott Seifert, 27, Easton, Pa., grenade attack
Army Reserve Spc. Brandon S. Tobler, 19, Portland, Ore., vehicle accident

March 21:
Marine Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, Waterville, Maine, helicopter crash
Marine Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre, 30, St. Anne, Ill., helicopter crash
Marine 2nd Lt. Therrel S. Childers, 30, Harrison County, Miss., combat
Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, 22, Los Angeles, combat
Marine Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, Houston, helicopter crash
Marine Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Waters-Bey, 29, Baltimore, helicopter crash
Date not given:
Marine Sgt. Nicolas M. Hodson, 22, Smithville, Mo., vehicle accident

CAPTURED:
March 24:
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ronald D. Young Jr., 26, Lithia Springs, Ga.
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 David S. Williams, 30, Orlando, Fla.

March 23:
Army Spc. Edgar Hernandez, 21, Mission, Texas
Army Spc. Joseph Hudson, 23, Alamogordo, N.M.
Army Spc. Shoshana Johnson, 30, Fort Bliss, Texas
Army Pfc. Patrick Miller, 23, Park City, Kan.
Army Sgt. James Riley, 31, Pennsauken, N.J.

MISSING:
March 23:
Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas A. Blair, 24, Broken Arrow, Okla.
Marine Pfc. Tamario D. Burkett, 21, Buffalo, N.Y.
Marine Cpl. Kemaphoom A. Chanawongse, 22, Waterford, Conn.
Marine Lance Cpl. Donald J. Cline, Jr., 21, Sparks, Nev.
Army Master Sgt. Robert J. Dowdy, 38, Cleveland
Army Pvt. Ruben Estrella-Soto, 18, El Paso, Texas
Marine Pvt. Jonathan L. Gifford, 30, Decatur, Ill.
Marine Pvt. Nolen R. Hutchings, 19, Boiling Springs, S.C.
Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, 19, Palestine, W.Va.
Army Spc. James Kiehl, 22, Comfort, Texas
Army Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, 35, El Paso, Texas
Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick R. Nixon, 21, Gallatin, Tenn.
Army Pfc. Lori Piestewa, 22, Tuba City, Ariz.
Army Pvt. Brandon Sloan, 19, Bedford Heights, Ohio
Army Sgt. Donald Walters, 33, Salem, Ore.

OTHER COALITION CASUALTIES:
DEATHS:
British:
March 28:
Lance Cpl. Matty Hull, in combat in southern Iraq; death is being investigated possibly as result of friendly fire.

March 25:
Cpl. Stephen John Allbutt, Stoke-on-Trent, England, tank hit by friendly fire.
Trooper David Jeffrey Clarke, Littleworth, England, tank hit by friendly fire.

March 24:
Sgt. Steven Mark Roberts, Bradford, England, combat
Lance Cpl. Barry Stephen, Perth, Scotland, combat

March 23:
Sapper Luke Allsopp, London, combat
Staff Sgt. Simon Cullingworth, Essex, England, combat
Flight Lt. Kevin Barry Main, jet shot down by friendly fire
Flight Lt. David Rhys Williams, jet shot down by friendly fire

March 22:
Lt. Philip Green, helicopter collision
Lt. Marc Lawrence, helicopter collision
Lt. Antony King, Helston, England, helicopter collision
Lt. Philip West, Budock Water, England, helicopter collision
Lt. James Williams, Falmouth, England, helicopter collision
Lt. Andrew Wilson, helicopter collision

March 21:
Color Sgt. John Cecil, Plymouth, England, helicopter crash
Lance Bombardier Llewelyn Karl Evans, Llandudno, Wales, helicopter crash
Capt. Philip Stuart Guy, helicopter crash
Marine Sholto Hedenskog, helicopter crash
Sgt. Les Hehir, Poole, England, helicopter crash
Operator Mechanic Second Class Ian Seymour, helicopter crash
Warrant Officer Second Class Mark Stratford, helicopter crash
Maj. Jason Ward, helicopter crash

AP-ES-03-29-03 1850EST

This story can be found at: <http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAFH4Q8WDDhtml>

KConnor56

03-31-2003, 09:38 PM

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

FYI-

This Centcom link shows you the Arabic and English translations of the leaflets our government has been dropping over Iraq.

(These are real - not a joke)

http://www.centcom.mil/Galleries/leaflets/showleaflets.asp

David

04-04-2003, 02:10 AM

Ok.. I'm back on the job. :) I see there are a number of other threads that are covering things but I will continue with as much of the blow-by-blow as I can here. I started this thread prior to creating a dedicated forum for the War & such, so everyone is welcome to post in both now.
Thanks again for the info/links you have posted, Ken, and everyone else for that matter.
David

David

04-04-2003, 02:14 AM

Looks like we will have this airport under wraps, despite the Iraqi military claims that the U.S./Brits are not within 100 miles of Baghdad. Their lies won't hold much water when we are in visual range of everyone in the city.

From CNN:

American armored divisions launched the assault on the airport, 12 miles from the center of the Iraqi capital, as U.S.-led coalition troops advanced on the city.

The battle for the airport continued after dawn.

Iraqis have tried to stop the U.S. advance by charging with dump trucks, pickup trucks and buses filled with Iraqi soldiers firing their weapons, according to reports from CNN correspondent Walter Rodgers, embedded with the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry, near the airport. The Army calls the soldier-filled vehicles "suicide buses," Rodgers said.

U.S. tanks easily destroy the Iraqi vehicles, he said. At least one of the buses blew up as if it had explosives inside, Rodgers reported. (Full story)

A U.S. military official said there have been no U.S. casualties so far.

Full Link:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/04/03/sprj.irq.war.main/index.html

David

04-04-2003, 02:24 AM

I know this has been addressed in another thread but I want to add it here as well.
I think everyone will agree with me that we are so very glad to have her back.

David

04-04-2003, 02:59 AM

He wasn't the first, and he might not be the last, but reporters seem to be having a real hard time following the rules laid down by military command in this unpresidented move to allow journalists/reports on the battle field.

Even as I type this, one of these reporters near the airport is videoing a medic aid a wounded Iraqi soldier in a ditch. He has been showing full body shots where you could see the guys face. CNN just warned them not to get facials.

Back to Geraldo "Walsh"... ;)

"CNN is reporting that Fox News Channel executives and the Pentagon reached a deal Monday in which Geraldo Rivera, who raised the military's ire when he reported operational details, will leave Iraq voluntarily rather than be expelled from the country.

U.S. military officials told CNN on Monday morning that Rivera violated the cardinal rule of war reporting by giving away crucial details of military plans during a Fox News Channel broadcast from Iraq, where the reporter was temporarily assigned to the Army's 101st Airborne Division.

In the live broadcast, Rivera told his photographer to aim the camera at the sand in front of him. Rivera then outlined a map of Iraq, and showed the relative location of Baghdad and his location with the 101st Airborne. He then showed where the 101st would be going next.

"He gave away the big-picture stuff," a senior military official told CNN. "He went down in the sand and drew where the forces are going."

A Pentagon official told CNN that members of the 101st Airborne would escort Rivera to the Kuwaiti border. But Rivera appeared in another live report from Iraq hours after the official announced his expulsion, and said he knew nothing of it.

"In fact, I'm further in Iraq than I've ever been," Rivera said. "It sounds like some rats from my former network, NBC, are trying to stab me in the back [... ] MSNBC is so pathetic a cable news network that they have to do anything they can to attract attention [ ... ] You can rest assured that whatever they're saying is a pack of lies."

Nevertheless, Geraldo is packing his bags. Guess the search for the secret vault of Saddam Hussein will have to wait for another day. "

David

04-04-2003, 03:05 AM

It makes me proud of whom our military is to watch them actually tend to the wounded Iraqi soldiers. It is maddening to know that our men don't get the same care. They are often tortured and sometimes executed. Despite all of our troops knowing this, I sit here and watch live on FOX our guys helping a republican guard soldier that survived a heavy fire fight not 12 hours earlier.

David

04-04-2003, 03:06 AM

For those who are not aware, the international airport is about 12 miles from downtown Baghdad. We are right at the door..

BillysAngel

04-04-2003, 08:31 PM

This is sooooo sad. Look at the ages of these people who have been killed :( I wish this would hurry up and be over!!!
d

Kathy

04-04-2003, 08:58 PM

CNN today said we have Killed over 100.000 Iraqi's in Saddam's Regime!

If this is so, I thought there was only 50,000 to begin with.
I guess there isn't any left or the 100,000 were civilian's that Saddam FORCED TO FIGHT!

Please Pray for this War to be over with!

LOVE
Kathy

David

04-04-2003, 09:05 PM

I am sure many of you have now seen the pictures of Saddam (body double?) out in the streets amongst his people.. Well, I have serious doubts that this was him.. It would be the first time he has been seen in public in 3 years. This guy also didn't look nearly as serious as I would imagine Saddam would be..

David

04-04-2003, 09:08 PM

Captured republican guard troops being marched to a POW camp.

Kathy

04-04-2003, 09:11 PM

Yes Fed-x, I heard that Saddam has a phobia of people touching him and it is not allowed! This is one point they were make at CNN a few hours ago!

They said check out all the people who are kissing him and touching him. This is not the charactor that he portraits normally!

VERY INTERESTING!
Love
Kathy:rolleyes:

David

04-04-2003, 09:12 PM

This is a Soviet made Iraqi T-55 tank that was killed by a Marine Core Abrams M1-A1 tank. The T-55 is no match at all for the M1 battle tanks.. neither is their training.

David

04-04-2003, 09:32 PM

A few of Saddam's body doubles taking a cruiz on the Tigris river.

Kathy

04-04-2003, 10:06 PM

They are reporting right now that Coalition is IN BAGDAD!

They went in about an Hour ago!

Please Pray!
Love
Kathy
Pray for all who are spending days and nights in fear.

God of all comfort:
for children too young to understand the noise and terror,
for families who wait anxiously while soldiers fight,
for innocent people who have become casualties,
for all who seek to do good among those in need,
our prayers rise up to you, our help and strength.
Amen.

David

04-04-2003, 10:27 PM

Sgt. Assan Akbar has been formally charged with two counts of premeditated murder, and 17 counts of attempted murder.
Too bad congress hasn't officially declared war, or they could shoot him for it out in the field.

David

04-04-2003, 10:31 PM

They are saying we have around 10,000 Special Forces guys around Baghdad getting ready to take care of business. That is a LOT of special forces guys. I'm not sure any elite SF operators would like to be a part of something this big. I wonder what exactly they are calling "Special Forces".
Well, if they are there.. it is about to get really bloody in the streets of Baghdad..

David

04-04-2003, 10:56 PM

They are showing an awesome live video feed from inside Baghdad now of our tanks and other armored vehicles cruising into Baghdad. There are suicide vehicles making runs at our troops but getting decimated before they even get near. We have only lost one tank on the way by an RPG but it is only damaged, nobody killed.
The picture is excellent! They have the satelite dish working instead of the video phone.
The gunners on the tanks are tearing up the woods on either side of the road as they all roll.
They are now showing clips from earlier.
Dang.. I need to find a tape for my VCR.. more soon.

Kathy

04-04-2003, 11:56 PM

A U.S. Army combat engineer with Psalm 21 written on his kevlar helmet, bows his head as he takes a short rest after securing an important two lane bridge over the Euphrates river, outside Baghdad, April 4, 2003.

Kathy

04-05-2003, 12:00 AM

A group of Iraqi soldiers dressed in civilian clothes approach a checkpoint, set up by U.S. Marines Military Police, on a road southeast of Baghdad, April 4, 2003. The U.S. military said it was confident that it had breached the defensive ring around Baghdad, but Iraqi Special Republican Guards were still operating in the area.

David

04-05-2003, 12:19 AM

Kathy, Kathy.. I think you are just as much a news junky as I am. ;)

Kathy

04-05-2003, 01:14 AM

It is 2:12AM Eastern Time and Our Troops are in the Center of Bagdad!

U.S. 3rd Infantry Division. 101st Airborne Division and 94th Battalion arriving shortly.

Elements of Adnan and Al Nida Republican Guard Divisions, having left Mosul and Tikrit, respectively, join Baghdad defenses.

The Hammurabi Division of the Republican Guard moves toward Baghdad to reinforce the capital.

David I THINK SO TOO!

Love
Kathy
PS MY HEART IS BOUNDING!

Kathy

04-05-2003, 01:35 AM

Al Nida Republican Guard Divisions has been penetrated!

They are planning to divide the City of Baghdad and Drop thousands of Flyers over the city!

Troops are only receiving light resistances!

The Tigris River divides the City from Eastern and Western.

They are telling Citizens to stay in their home! People are CHEERING FOR BUSH IN THE STREETS!

WOW!
Kathy

David

04-05-2003, 01:46 AM

The 3rd ID just captured the Headquarters of the Medina Republican Guard, FOX is reporting. (I wonder how much of it was left after all of the bombing!?)
Time to print out a map of Baghdad and start charting our movement.

David

04-05-2003, 01:51 AM

This makes 3 divisions of the "elite" (haha) republican guard that have been squashed.

Kathy

04-05-2003, 02:19 AM

This Operation was Deliberately Planned!

Caution is being taken by Troops! They don't want to get ahead of the game!

Do you think it is save to put up our Flags?

Love
Kathy
Karbala is being searched by the 101st Military! Alot of citys were by past to get to Baghdad and now they are going into them to secure!

Cameo

04-05-2003, 12:51 PM

An Iraqi lawyer tipped U.S. forces to the location of POW Jessica Lynch after seeing her slapped in the face by a burly Fedayeen security man guarding her in a Nasiriyah hospital, according published reports.
-------------------------

The 32-year-old lawyer, identified only as Mohammed, told The Washington Post and USA Today that he peered through a window at the hospital where his wife worked as a nurse and saw a sight that "cut" his heart: Lynch being slapped in the face by the black-clad Iraqi security agent.

He said he decided on the spot he had to tell U.S. forces where to find the captured American private.

"Don't worry, don't worry," he recalled telling Lynch after later sneaking into her hospital room and promising to help.

Mohammed walked out of Nasiriyah along a treacherous road known as "ambush alley" and, hands raised, approached a U.S. Marine.

The Marine asked curtly: "What do you want?" Mohammed offered "important information about woman soldier in hospital."

In the days that followed, Mohammed made several more risky trips to the hospital, which was full of Iraqi security guards, at the request of U.S. officers. He gathered information on the number of troops and made hand-drawn maps of the building's layout and location.

His wife, Iman, filled in other crucial details, including the fact a helicopter could land on the roof, according to USA Today.

Lynch, a 19-year-old Army supply clerk, was captured in an ambush when she and other members of the 507th Maintenance Company made a wrong turn in Nasiriyah. U.S. commandos rescued her Tuesday in a nighttime raid.

Asked why he decided to help, Mohammed said he simply couldn't watch the mistreatment of a fellow human being without taking action.

"A person is a human being regardless of nationality," he told the Post. "Believe me, I love Americans."

Mohammed, talked to the newspapers after he, his wife and daughter were taken to a U.S. military camp in the Iraqi desert. They were to be flown later to a refugee center in Umm Qasr, Iraq's deepwater Persian Gulf port. He withheld his last name to protect his family.

Mohammed told the newspapers he acted will full knowledge of the risks.

"I am afraid not for me," he said. "I am afraid about my daughter and my wife. ... Because I love much."

Marines said Mohammed's story gave them courage.

"He's sort of an inspiration to all of us," Lt. Col. Rick Long told the Post.

Lynch was flown Wednesday to a U.S. air base in Landstuhl, Germany, where she underwent back surgery at a military hospital. She was said also to have suffered fractures in both legs and a broken arm.

MyLife1020592

04-05-2003, 07:10 PM

Has anyone heard anything about 35 casualities with the 1st BN. 5th Mar...My Aunt thought that she haerd that before...Just curious...Thanks...

Cameo

04-05-2003, 07:23 PM

Come on Kathy and David and the other correspondents. I've been having withdrawls from FOX news all day...just listening to BBC...Please give us the latest!

Pammie

Kathy

04-05-2003, 07:33 PM

HEY! We have to take a nap once in awhile! I have been looking! I think Auntie missed understood what she heard! She might have heard something about the 507 and not the 5th.

I'm listening right now about Chemical Ali being KILLED! I'll be back!

I haven't heard anything all day because my Hubby is sick of FOX NEWS!

Then My Mom calls me and said "HAVE YOU HEARD" and I said "HELL NO!" and "Hubby had TV on Cowboy movies all day!"

GEESH!
Love
Kathy
PS I'll be back!

Valerie

04-05-2003, 07:46 PM

Yeah Kathy whats up?? I now come to PTO for all my war news if I can't watch FOX. I did hear something about the US finding missiles made by Russia and finding some other things from other countries thus being why our allies weren't in favor of us going to war since they were selling Saddam supplies.

Kathy

04-05-2003, 07:58 PM

Hi Val,

YES, I heard the same thing this morning but I also heard France, and the USA made weapons were found too! But, that was this morning and I have Fox on now!

They just said that they found a Fresh Grave and think it is Qusay Hussen "Chemical Ali" They bombed his house last night! I guess his Karma come knocking at his door!

Also, they said that Deafening explosions have been Rocking Baghdad as we speak!

Also, Planes are stacked in different altitudes so they don't collide into each other. But they still are dodging one another even though they are taking this type of precaution!

BE BACK!

Love
Kathy

Kathy

04-05-2003, 08:42 PM

JAMIE QUOTE

Has anyone heard anything about 35 causalities with the 1st BN. 5th Mar...My Aunt thought that she heard that before...Just curious...Thanks...

OKAY, it was the Republican Guard who lost 35 and they have ceased to exist!

Our Troops:
79 Killed 8 MIA 7 POW

British Troops
27 dead

US is flying 24 hours and the airspace is tighter! Over 60 Firefighters.

100's of Iraqi's are trying to kill Coalition by strapping bombs to themselves! Coalition progress is SUPERB!

We are near chokehold on Baghdad according to US officials.
Bombs are going off continuously

HA! This is a funny one! The jerk who keeps speaking for Saddam on Iraqi TV is trying to tell Journalist that he will take them to the Saddam Airport so they can leave Iraq. A bomb went off right by the Hotel they were staying in and it was noted as to close for comfort for the 100's of Journalist's!

MORE TO COME!
SUNRISE IN BAGHDAD AT THE MOMENT!

Kathy

04-05-2003, 09:20 PM

British AS 90 155mm self propelled guns of C Battery, 3 Regiment of the Royal Horse Artillery, fire on Iraqi targets from a position near the city of Basra in southern Iraq, April 5, 2003. The United States said its troops thrust towards central Baghdad on Saturday, reporting only sporadic resistance as the 17-day-old war to topple President Saddam Hussein moved nearer a climax. _

Kathy

04-05-2003, 09:39 PM

Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, reading a message he said was from Saddam, said invasion forces were concentrating on Baghdad, but weakening elsewhere in Iraq.

Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al Sahaf speaks during news conference in Baghdad, April 5, 2003. Iraq's information minister said on Saturday Baghdad was firmly under Iraqi control and denied U.S. reports that troops had reached the center of the capital.

An Iraqi soldier holds a U.S. army uniform which the Iraqi information ministry said belongs to a captured U.S. soldier, in Baghdad April 5, 2003. U.S. troops staged a foray into Baghdad for the first time on Saturday, taking the 17-day-old war to topple Saddam Hussein right into his battered capital.

Kathy

04-05-2003, 09:43 PM

A British soldier holds up a book showing the dead bodies of who are thought to be Iraqis, discovered along with human remains and coffins at an abandoned Iraqi base near Basra, April 5, 2003. The remains were found in what appears to be a makeshift morgue on the outskirts of the town of Al Zubayr and it is unclear as to how long they have been there.

Kathy

04-05-2003, 09:47 PM

British forces look at human remains and coffins they discovered at an abandoned Iraqi base in southern Iraq, April 5, 2003. The remains were found in what appears to be a makeshift morgue on the outskirts of the town of Al Zubayr and it is unclear as to how long they have been there. _

Kathy

04-05-2003, 09:56 PM

This is the Jerk that I couldn't think of earlier! He drives me NUTTS!

Iraqi Information Minister Sahaf reads Saddam message: "The criminals will be humiliated....To hurt the enemy more, raise the level of your attacks."

David

04-05-2003, 10:23 PM

Yeah, I can't believe this guy.. I mean, I don't think I have ever seen someone spew such ridiculous BS, that are obvious (to anyone that hasn't been oppressed inside of Iraq) to even a child. I listened to his kah-kah speech early this morning after I turned off the computer and was getting ready for bed. "You are only hearing sound bombs!" (WTF? We shoot off noise makers rather than actually hit tanks, buildings, etc?) This clown states that all of what we are showing on TV is propaganda? Please.. We don't have mock-up Baghdads and all the other cities built in the California desert so we can pretend. I mean really!? Who does he think he is fooling? His ass is going to be in a real tight sling when we lay siege on the city when we aren't within 100 miles of there.. Jeezus.. Does anyone fail to see how these dick-tators oppress these people? They control all that they hear and most of what they see. It is sad that a great deal of the Iraqi people have believed this crap.. It's pretty much all they have known for the last 30+/- years..

Kathy

04-05-2003, 10:29 PM

I THINK HARRY NEEDS TO GO CHECK OUT THE COFFINS OF THOSE INNOCENT IRAQ CITIZENS WHO GOT THEIR TONGUE CUT OUT! I have a picture of one but will spare PTO of the gruesome photo!

HEY HARRY CAN SADDAM CHECK OUT YOUR TONGUE??????

OPEN WIDE NOW!

Entertainer Harry Belafonte delivers a speach during an anti-war rally at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland April 5, 2003. Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Berkeley and Oakland in California to protest the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

Kathy

04-05-2003, 10:40 PM

OH PLEASE GIVE ME A BREAK!

I like to see this demonstrator do that in Iraq and still have a tongue at the same time!

A demonstrator covers his face with a bandana calling for "no war against Iraq" during a march in Oakland, California, on April 5, 2003. Thousands of protestors joined the anti-war march and rally which called for peace abroad and social justice at home.

Kathy

04-05-2003, 11:56 PM

FIRST NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN KILLED IN WARTIME!

Carlos Miller and Mark Shaffer
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 4, 2003 11:20 PM

U.S. Army Pfc. Lori Piestewa, the Tuba City soldier who had gone missing in Iraq after enemy soldiers ambushed her unit last month, is dead, the Department of Defense said late Friday night. "This tragedy has rocked the very foundation of the Hopi reservation," Wayne Taylor Jr., chairman of the Hopi tribe said in a statement shortly after midnight.

Piestewa, 23, an enrolled member of the Hopi tribe, leaves behind two children. Her family declined comment late Friday night.

The seven other soldiers in her unit that had been listed as missing were also killed in action, the Department of Defense said.

Taylor said many Hopis have been continually praying for Piestwa's safe return since March 23, the day she was listed as missing in action."We will get through this and we will continue to pray that all of our soldiers, not just Hopi, are safely returned home to their families," Taylor said in the statement.

He noted in the statement that of the 56 Hopi men and women serving in the United States armed forces, all but eight are in the Persian Gulf region.

The eight bodies were found in the same hospital from which Pfc. Jessica Lynch was rescued earlier this week. A ninth body has yet to be identified.

The soldiers, part of the 507th Maintenance Company of Fort Bliss, Texas, an Army mechanics group, were attempting to catch up to a huge convoy of tanks and troops moving to Baghad on March 23.

They had fallen behind because they had to repair several stalled vehicles. They were ambushed in the town of An Nasiriya.

Two members of that unit were pronounced dead shortly after the attack, five were taken as prisoners of war and Piestewa and seven others had been listed as missing in action.

Piestewa had enlisted in the Army shortly after her graduation from Tuba City High School five years ago, where she had been a leader of the school's junior ROTC program. She also had been a member of the school's softball team.

Piestewa, who was divorced, is survived by a 4-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter.

Lori's father fought in Vietnam and her grandfather was a World War II veteran.

The youngest of four children, she joined the Army about 2 1/2 years ago and did supply work. The family received an e-mail from Lori saying she was about to enter Iraq and it "felt good that she was not sitting around and waiting any more."

The 507th provides repairs and support for the 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense

Artillery Regiment, which is comprised of five Patriot missile batteries. In the Middle East, the unit is attached to 3rd Infantry Division.

Piestewa's family, who had been praying that she would turn up alive like rescued Pfc. Jessica Lynch, had no comment late Friday and had apparently learned of her death from reporters.

Pfc. Lori Piestewa of Tuba City checks her equipment at Ft. Bliss, Texas, before leaving for the Middle East in February.

Barbara

04-06-2003, 12:16 AM

I am very curious about the picture of the protester with the mask over his or her face! If you believe in something so much why does he or she have to cover the face are they hiding? When I have something to say you can look at my face and call me on the phone if you like! Barbara

KConnor56

04-06-2003, 09:07 AM

Mano y Mano

Marines enter marshes, bayonets fixed, fighting the enemy in hand to hand combat.

KConnor56

04-06-2003, 09:24 AM

Hey, you guys don't like Bahgdad Bob? I think he's funny. He is like a SNL skit.

This guy has to get up in front of everyone & spout stuff he knows is a lie, to people who know it's a lie, so at least he has fun with it.

"We have them surrounded, they are on the run, we are crushing them," LOL, LOL,LOL,LOL,LOL, you can't make stuff like this up, LOL He sounds like the Kwicky Mart manager from the Simpsons, LOL.

I'm waiting for him to have one of his daily press briefings, & have a bunch of SEALS come busting through the door. "Who has who surrounded",LOL. We have to know where he's at giving these briefings.

Kathy

04-07-2003, 12:11 AM

Heavy Fighting is going as we speak! US Troops occupy Center of Baghdad and seized Key buildings in the Center of Baghdad!

Presidental Palace and Iraqi Info. Ministry Hit!

9:09 AM in Baghdad as the fighing goes on!

There are pocket resistance and HEAVY FIGHTING IS BEING TELEVISED on TV.

Kathy

04-07-2003, 12:27 AM

Oh gosh! Guess how I found out my Guy David Bloom Died at the age of 39!

I went to visit my son today and he gave me the News in the Prison Visiting Room. Boy was I floored!

I LOVE THIS GUY! Pray for his Family Please!

Love
Kathy
PS What a way to leave and go to the other side, doing something you LOVE!

David Bloom, co-anchor of NBC's 'Today' show weekend editions, died in Iraq while covering the war, NBC said on April 6, 2003. Bloom's death was not combat-related, NBC said. He died after he suffered a pulmonary embolism.

David

04-07-2003, 12:29 AM

That is great Ken.. haha Seriously.. Black Clad SEAL's with MP5's smoking kicking down the door right in the middle of one of his spew spells.. Byline reads "Fact or Fiction.. DisInformation Minister SOL"

David

04-07-2003, 12:34 AM

Can't wait to hear the Dis Information Minister trying to play off our troops in front of (what's left) the Presidential Palace. Guess that is another California set we're broadcasting from.
Talking about a photo shoot. What has it been? A little over 2 weeks since we George said we were coming for him? 2 weeks from start to the presidential palace.

I think ole' Ollie North is actually the one shooting the footage and commentating.
This feed is supposed to be going out on Al Jazeera even.

Kathy

04-07-2003, 12:35 AM

Ken, GOOD ONE! LMAO! Baghdad Bob!

I have a visual of him going out the door say,

"I have everything under control! This is not Real! This is a Hollywood Movie and these are Actors pretending to be Seals!
REALLY!!!"

David

04-07-2003, 12:37 AM

BAGHDAD, Iraq — U.S. troops seized key buildings in the center of the Iraqi capital on Monday, including a major presidential palace and the Information Ministry

Reporters saw the tanks roll into the heart of Baghdad on the western side of the Tigris River, which divides the city. Also occupied was the Al-Rashid Hotel.

The 2nd Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division entered the city at 6 a.m. moving up highway and meeting only moderated resistance mostly from infantry. They took assault fire and rocket propelled grenades.

The U.S. Army columns moved from southeast to northeast to the newest and main presidential palace on the Tigris.

Iraqis fled along the river, some jumping in the water.

Attack Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry entered the compound and began securing the building and searched the grounds.

They drew small arms fire from a clock tower overlooking the compound. Tanks quickly destroyed it.

Most of the compound was severely damaged from prior U.S. raids.

Col. David Perkins told his troops before the operation that the mission was intended to be "a dramatic show of force" to demonstrate that U.S. forces can enter Baghdad at any time, anywhere.

The Bradley fighting vehicles and tanks took up fighting positions around the presidential palace on the way in, up Highway 8.

U.S. troops had to pass through a 400-yard-long minefield to approach the area.

There were 200 anti-tank mines spread on the road and U.S. troops pushed them aside and proceeded down the highway.

Across the river on the southern tip of the old palace presidential compound on the west bank of the Tigris, fire raged in what used to be an army camp.

There was no sign of any Iraqi troops after a group was seen running northward. Two Iraqi tanks sat motionless as heavy machine gun and light arms fire continued.

Groups of U.S. soldiers moved in the direction where the Iraqi soldiers fled. Members of Saddam's Fedayeen paramilitary fighters prevented journalists from leaving their hotel.

Iraqi troops did not use any mortars or artillery against the American forces.

F-16 fighter jets flew ahead of the U.S. armored column, bombing any tanks or armored personnel carriers along the way.

U.S. troops also fired mortars on key intersections before passing through. Tanks took up positions around key intersections.

Black smoke clogged the air and covered the city.

The stepped-up assault on Baghdad followed a weekend of incursions by U.S. forces in tanks and armored personnel carriers. Troops rolled through streets of the capital "destroying all of the enemy vehicles and personnel with whom they've come in contact," Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Sunday.

"One of the points is to destroy the enemy that we found, and the last two raids have been very, very successful at doing that," he said.

David

04-07-2003, 12:43 AM

LOL.. I'm listening to this live feed. It is great.. The troops are talking in front of the Palace and one just said, "Saddam doesn't own Baghdad, we do!"
Another one said he is "going into the palace, going to turn those gold handles and take him a cold shower in Saddam's bathroom".

Kathy

04-07-2003, 12:50 AM

The Troops are now entering and securing the Second Presidential Palace!

AND

Route 2 north of Baghdad!

Very sad to hear about the Teenage Boys that are running around Baghdad trying to be Saddams Regime!

Love
Kathy

KConnor56

04-07-2003, 01:30 AM

I would love to see Baghdad Bob looking at the business end of an MP5, he would litterally pee all over himself. I wonder if he would squeal like a pig?(Remember Deliverance?)

There was a poster of Saddam saying "Keep Saddam in your hearts" & some Marine had written below that, "And our boot will be in your ass", LOL

The Big Dogs have come out of the Tall Grass, & are kicking ass, & don't care about names. We are going to take Saddams s**t, & hope he don't like it, LOL.

WOW sorry about that I just had a testosterone attack, it happens every once in awhile, I'm OK now though

Kathy

04-07-2003, 01:38 AM

OH PLEASE LET ME SLAP HIS FACE FIRST!

He is on MSNBC right now and I want to get sick!

"Airport is SAFE AND SECURE! USA TROOPS are surrounded!"
YEAH YEAH YEAH! And your Momma is an American too!

OH HE HAS VIDEO that would disturb us! So he will spare the Reporters! UGH!

LIAR LIAR HIS PANTS ARE ON FIRE!

YIKES this guy needs to have his TONGUE CUT OUT!

Just my Opinion!

HEY PAY ATTENTION JERK! WE are coming to get your ASS!

Kathy

04-07-2003, 01:49 AM

Mohammed Saeed Al-SAHAF

"We destroyed the small groups that tried to invaded Baghdad. There is no existence of them in Baghdad. Baghdad is Safe and Secure. The invaders will all be slottered."

As MSNBC shows Baghdad having serious Gun fighting going on while he is speaking and dening that the Troops are in Baghdad!

David

04-07-2003, 12:47 PM

They are reporting that large containers containing Sarin, Tabun and various other nerve and blistering agents said to be found just South of Baghdad and East of Karbala (sp?).
They say that preliminary tests are positive, though they have been wrong in the past. One of the guys that was moving this stuff apparently started vomiting and blistering up himself. Not sure why he wasn't wearing full chemical gear of if this was prior to him knowing what this stuff was.

SHERRON

04-07-2003, 08:58 PM

They are reporting on FOX NEWS........they think they have finally got SADDAM

Jeni

04-07-2003, 09:53 PM

Saddam and his two sons have been killed? Is it finally true?

Kathy

04-07-2003, 09:58 PM

WASHINGTON (April 7) - An American bomber struck a residential complex in Baghdad on Monday after U.S. intelligence received information that Saddam Hussein, his sons and other top Iraqi leaders might be meeting there, U.S. officials said.

There was no immediate word on who might have been killed, but U.S. officials said they had evidence the target had been destroyed. ''There is a big hole where that target used to be,'' one U.S. official said, speaking only on condition of anonymity.

The attack was carried out by a single B-1B bomber which dropped fewer than five 2,000-pound bunker-penetrating bombs on the residential building, the officials said.

It came on a day when U.S. forces also occupied two of Saddam's palaces and knocked down a statue of the Iraqi leader as they tried to wrest control of Baghdad from his regime.

U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said American intelligence learned Monday morning of a high-level meeting in Baghdad between senior Iraqi intelligence officials and, possibly, Saddam and his two sons, Qusai and Odai.

The intelligence was passed to U.S. Central Command, which sent aircraft to drop bunker-busting bombs on the target.

Coalition strikes have aimed at top Iraqi leaders since the beginning of the war. U.S. and British troops have invaded at least four of Saddam's many palaces in recent days, including two in Baghdad Monday, looking for information, including clues to where he and his inner circle might be.

On March 19, President Bush authorized a strike on a suburban Baghdad compound where Saddam and his sons were believed to be staying. That strike, like Monday's attack, was based on time-sensitive intelligence.

For days after the initial strike, U.S. officials sorted through intelligence suggesting Saddam may have been killed or injured, but intelligence officials have become increasingly confident he survived that strike.

Earlier Monday, U.S. and British officials said they believed Saddam's top commander in southern Iraq had been killed in a U.S. airstrike.

American warplanes bombed a home in Basra where Saddam's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, was believed to be staying. That attack, too, was based on a time-sensitive tip. Al-Majid was a former Iraqi defense chief whose enemies called him ''Chemical Ali'' for his role in 1988 chemical weapons attacks on Iraqi Kurds.

Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, showed a video clip of the attack at a Pentagon news conference Monday.

''We believe that the reign of terror of Chemical Ali has come to an end. To Iraqis who have suffered at his hand, particularly in the last few weeks in that southern part of the country, he will never again terrorize you or your families,'' Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said.

Kathy

04-07-2003, 10:05 PM

FOX NEWS IS REPORTING THAT SADDAM WAS SEEN WITH HIS 2 SONS GOING INTO THIS RESIDENT THAT HAD A Resturant connected.

It was around 1:00PM Eastern Time. They dropped 4 bunker buster bombs.

They got the building and a lot of other people who went into the building.

The said what is left is a crater and reduced to dust. They are showing pictures of the building and it is leveled!

This was a meeting before they left town. Source of the meeting is credible and the tip pinned pointed the spot.

CRIMONY!

I'll be back!

David

04-07-2003, 10:09 PM

Wouldn't that be nice and sweet. Hopefully they smashed him like the bug he is... and his two little roaches too.

Kathy

04-07-2003, 10:13 PM

30 members were there! OH OH THEY ARE TALKING TO FAST!
They said our ground assets followed him. The area was commercial area. And not a residential complex!

April 8 — Senior administration sources said intelligence information was sufficiently reliable to justify a massive attack in a residential area.

April 8 — A U.S. Air Force warplane dropped four enormous bombs on a residential complex where “extremely reliable” intelligence indicated that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and one or both of his two sons were attending a meeting, senior administration officials told NBC News late Monday. The sources would not rule out the possibility that Saddam could have moved before the bomber struck, but they said it was likely that he and his sons were dead.

BillysAngel

04-07-2003, 11:37 PM

Did anyone see the news with one of our guys sitting in Sadaam's big chair with his gun and crossing his legs?? What a wonderful picture!!!
diane

Kathy

04-08-2003, 01:18 AM

U.S. Army Stf. Sgt. Chad Touchett, center, relaxes with comrades from A Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, following a search in one of Saddam Hussein's palaces damaged after a bombing, in Baghdad Monday, April 7, 2003.(AP Photo/John Moore)

Kathy

04-08-2003, 01:21 AM

OH PLEASE NO!

Fox News is saying now that Chemical ALI might still be alive!

UGH!

Kathy

04-08-2003, 01:32 AM

Lieut. Gen. Ali Hasan Al-Majeed [Ali Hassan al Majid], the infamous "Chemical Ali," is Saddam's cousin and was the governor of the south of Iraq.

Coalition aircraft struck the residence of Ali Hassan al-Majid, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s cousin. Two Coalition aircraft using laser-guided munitions struck the home at approximately 9:30 p.m. EST April 4, 2003. The structure is located in Al Basrah, approximately 250 miles southeast of Baghdad.

On April 7, reports from British military sources indicated that the body of Ali Hasan Al-Majeed had been identified.

Al Majid is called Chemical Ali because he decided the best way to solve the Kurdish rebellion was to gas them. He orchestrated the gassing of Kurdish villages carried out by low-flying helicopters with express orders to kill every living thing in the area, including plants and wildlife. This was all part of Operation Anfal, which saw the widespread use of chemical weapons against the Kurds in northern Iraq. International observers estimate Iraqi forces killed 50,000 to 100,000 people during the 1988 campaign known as "Anfal" which means "the spoils."

In March 1988, in the town of Halabja, 5,000 Kurds died writhing in agony and 10,000 were seriously affected when Iraqi jets dropped chemical bombs on the town. Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons attack on Halabja, a predominantly Kurdish city in northeastern Iraq. On March 16, 1988, an estimated 5,000 civilians were killed and 10,000 injured when Iraqi air forces bombarded Halabja with mustard and other poison gases. Over a decade after the massacre, the people of Halabja still suffer from very high rates of serious diseases such as cancer, neurological disorders, birth defects and miscarriages. Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons attack on Halabja was not an isolated incident. It was part of a systematic campaign ordered by Saddam Hussein and led by his cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid.

Valerie

04-08-2003, 02:25 AM

So Kathy is Saddam gone or what?

David

04-08-2003, 02:53 AM

Nobody can say just yet but they seem more optimistic than they did the first go round and the start of the war. They say it will be about 3 days until they know for sure one way or another, unless Saddam took the bomb on the chin, and in that case, he won't even be paste.

I got a good laugh earlier when they were talking about being able to identify him by DNA. I think it was one of the ex generals or colonels that said, we definitely have DNA of his to match up.. We have one of his ex-lovers which happens to have the same DNA as him. (Incest anyone?)

David

04-08-2003, 03:50 AM

Apparently at least one reporter is dead after U.S. forces attacked the Palestine hotel in Baghdad after a sniper fired on them. The 16th floor suite that Reuters was in was partially hit. 4 other reports are said to have been seriously injured.
It sounds like the Iraqi's are deliberately using the reporters as human shields. I think it is time to tell the reporters to get out of there. Under no circumstances should a building be exempt, and thus used by the Iraqis to kill us without fear of retaliation.

David

04-08-2003, 03:55 AM

The Iraqi planning ministry building was pounded by ground forces and aircraft in the early morning of April 8th.
I saw this on video and it was impressive, to say the least.

MyLife1020592

04-08-2003, 10:15 AM

Actually, isn't Saddam's wife his cousin...I am thinking that I heard that on t.v. I am alomost positive that she is...So ya I would have to say INCEST...

lonelywolf

04-08-2003, 07:03 PM

Saddam has been married for nearly forty years. His wife, Sajida, is his first cousin on his mother's side and the daughter of Khairallah Tulfah, Saddam's uncle and first political mentor

http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2002/05/bowden.htm

lonelywolf

04-08-2003, 07:05 PM

opps i think thats double incest if i read it right

Valerie

04-08-2003, 07:13 PM

So does that mean Saddams kids are also his first cousins?

Kathy

04-08-2003, 08:43 PM

Okay, Saddam's son's are his First Cousins once Removed! They share the same Grandfather of Saddam!

Fox News is reporting Saddam is walking around in Baghdad and alive! OR Am I hearing this wrong??????????

I have not had the news on all day! I was thinking he was DUST! Crap! I hope I heard this wrong!

Will be back later!

Love
Kathy

KConnor56

04-08-2003, 09:36 PM

I hope we try & convict Baghdad Bob the way we did Tokyo Rose & Axis Sally, or Annie or what ever her name was. Throw him into prison, on a level 4 GP yard in Texas., hell any state would do. I know what would happen in Calif. HaHaHaHaHaHa

Kathy

04-09-2003, 12:01 AM

Guess what I say on Fox News TONIGHT?????????

He he he!

Saddams Body Guard, that never leaves his side, standing on the side of the Rubble looking into the 60 foot HOLE waiting to see what they will dig up!

So, is Saddam alive?

Why is his trusted Bodyguard there?

Why didn't he die?

LOTS OF QUESTIONS!
Love
Kathy

David

04-09-2003, 12:12 AM

Could he have been the snitch? I bet the retirement is better from this end than from that. ;)

Kathy

04-09-2003, 12:40 AM

Saddam survived attack on building say British intelligence sources

Richard Norton-Taylor, Oliver Burkeman in Washington, and Rory McCarthy in Camp As Sayliya, Qatar, The Guardian April 9, 2003

Saddam Hussein survived an attack on a building in Baghdad in which he was reported to have been meeting his sons Uday and Qusay on Monday afternoon, British intelligence sources said last night.

"He was probably not in the building when it was bombed," a well-placed source said. The source added it was believed that President Saddam had been in the building earlier.

The American pilot of a B-1 bomber circling nearby was told the Iraqi president had entered the building. Twelve minutes later, the pilot dropped four 2,000lb joint direct attack munition bombs on it.

Intelligence sources declined to say how the information about the Iraqi leader's whereabouts was gleaned, whether from listening devices, special forces, or Iraqi informers on the ground. Pentagon officials had referred to three credible sources of "human intelligence" locating President Saddam in the building, in the upmarket district of Mansur, which is still under Iraqi control.

As fighting continued in Baghdad yesterday, American fire killed three journalists in attacks on the al-Jazeera office and on the Palestine Hotel on the east bank of the Tigris. At least 50 Iraqi fighters were killed, one American officer said, ... [...]

Kathy

04-09-2003, 12:46 AM

NBC, MSNBC AND NEWS SERVICES

April 9 — Iraqi construction crews worked Wednesday to clear the rubble left by a massive U.S. bombing aimed at eliminating Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, but U.S. military officials told NBC News that some intelligence analysts were losing confidence that the airstrike had accomplished its mission, and British intelligence officials were reported to have told the CIA that he escaped.

THE LATEST ATTEMPT to take out Saddam and other senior leaders from the air occurred Monday afternoon in the well-to-do al-Mansour section of western Baghdad, when a U.S. B-1B bomber dropped four laser-guided “bunker buster” bombs on a home.
Military officials told NBC News on condition of anonymity that the strike was based on “human intelligence” from an unidentified Iraqi that Saddam, his son Qusay and other members of the ruling Baath Party were meeting in the home, presumably in a fortified bunker beneath the main building.
The bomb blasts about 2 p.m. local time (6 a.m. ET) left a smoking crater 60 feet deep and flattened at least three houses. About 20 other houses were damaged, some of them badly, by the explosions, which broke windows and doors up to 300 yards away, ripped orange trees out by the roots, hurled steel beams 100 yards and left a heap of broken concrete, mangled iron rods and shredded furniture and clothes.
Witnesses said that nine Iraqis were killed in the initial strike and that four others were wounded. Iraqi rescue workers pulled three bodies from the wreckage Tuesday — those of a boy, a young woman and an elderly man.

Kathy

04-09-2003, 01:04 AM

Saddam Probably Survived Attack, Say UK Newspapers
Wed April 9, 2003 12:59 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Iraqi President Saddam Hussein probably survived a massive U.S. airstrike designed to kill him, according to unnamed British intelligence sources quoted by British newspapers on Wednesday.
"We think we just missed him," one British intelligence source told the Daily Telegraph.

On Monday a U.S. B-1 bomber dropped four satellite-guided bombs on a Baghdad building where Saddam and his sons Qusay and Uday were believed to be meeting.

U.S. forces are still investigating who was killed in the attack. But British intelligence sources have told newspapers Saddam escaped.

"He was probably not in the building when it bombed," one anonymous intelligence source told The Guardian.

The Times said British intelligence believed Saddam left the building in Baghdad's al-Mansour district shortly before the bombs reduced it to rubble.

"We think he (Saddam) left the same way he arrived in the area, either by a tunnel system or by car, we're not sure," The Times quoted an intelligence source as saying.

The Ministry of Defense in London declined to comment on the reports.

David

04-09-2003, 03:06 AM

He is worse than a cat! ;) But he is running out of lives, either way you cut it. Thanks for the news Kathy

KConnor56

04-09-2003, 04:50 AM

THE WAR IS OVER PARTYING IN THE STREETS IRAQ IS FREE

EVERYONE IS CELEBRATING IN THE STREETS.

NOW THE TRUTH WILL BE COMING OUT AS TO WHAT THIS INSANE MONSTER HAS DONE TO HIS PEOPLE.

THANK YOU TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA'S ARMED FORCES!!!!!!!!!!

David

04-09-2003, 10:39 AM

I just woke up and am watching it on TV right now... How beautiful is this? After they tore down that statue of Saddam and all those Iraqis stormed onto it, I noticed one of our soldiers standing in the middle of this and Iraqis were kissing him on the cheeks.

There is still fighting going on in some places but the tide has turned and the people that have had a foot on their neck for so long are finally realizing the evil dictator is not in control any longer. Hopefully he is dead.. If he is not, he is going to wish he was...

David

04-09-2003, 10:42 AM

Where is Baghdad Bobby? He's missing a good opportunity to blatantly lie about his.. Look at all the Iraqis we brought all the way to Hollywood for this propoganda campaign!

Kathy

04-09-2003, 10:43 AM

A U.S. soldier watches as a statue of Iraq's President Saddam Hussein falls in central Baghdad April 9, 2003. U.S. troops pulled down a 20-foot (six metre) high statue of President Saddam Hussein in central Baghdad on Wednesday and Iraqis danced on it in contempt for the man who ruled them with an iron grip for 24 years. In scenes reminiscent of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Iraqis earlier took a sledgehammer to the marble plinth under the statue of Saddam. Youths had placed a noose around the statue's neck and attached the rope to a U.S. armoured recovery vehicle.

Kathy

04-09-2003, 10:52 AM

WOW, I was thinking maybe we need to start a new thread about storys of those who were Hurt by Saddam during his reign. I have a feeling more storys will be coming out of the woodwork. Here is one, so get your Hanky!

Chemical Victim Weeps as Saddam's Power Crumbles
Wed April 9, 2003 11:07 AM ET
By Mike Collett-White

HALABJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Tears streamed down Fakhradeen Saleem's face on Wednesday as he watched television images of Saddam Hussein's government crumbling in Baghdad.

Listening to his devastating story of loss at the hands of the Baathist administration, it was not hard to see why.

The soft spoken teacher, 54, took nearly two hours to explain what happened in this run-down northern Iraqi town on March 16, 1988, a date etched in the memory of millions of Kurds.

On that day Iraqi warplanes roared over the town, dropping chemical weapons including nerve agents which killed 5,000 people in the dying days of the war against neighboring Iran.

Three of Saleem's seven children died of the agents they breathed in. He buried Sangar, a son of six, and Nigeen, a daughter of eight with his own hands before going with the rest of his family to the cemetery, where they lay down expecting to die.

During the panic in Halabja, his eldest daughter took away his infant son, but to this day he does not know if they survived.

"Every now and again people who lost each other that day come back to Halabja from Iran and elsewhere. I keep hoping that one day it will be me."

At the cemetery a second daughter died quietly in her sleep, but the rest of the family survived. The 10-year-old Hawreen was buried by a friend in his garden and reinterred by Saleem three years later.

Among his children, only Tara, a daughter who is now 27, and Bafreen, another daughter of 19, are known to have survived the attack, for which Saddam will be forever despised by Iraq's Kurdish minority.

NUMB WITH GRIEF

"How can I feel happiness or sadness after what I have been through?" Saleem asked. "To be honest, I can no longer feel the difference."

But that did not stop him shouting to his wife a few days ago when initial reports about the demise of Saddam Hussein's notorious cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, surfaced from the south of the country where he commanded Iraqi forces.

Nicknamed "Chemical Ali," he led the campaign against rebellious Kurds in the 1980s, and has been hated by the minority that now controls the north of the country ever since.

The British military believe they may have found the body of Saddam's cousin, although they have yet to confirm its identity.

"When I heard about Ali I was overjoyed and called my wife over to come and hear the news," Saleem said, his sunken eyes lighting up momentarily.

"But the head of this regime is Saddam, and he is behind what has happened to the Kurds. If he is allowed to survive, he will only create more Alis."

Saleem, a small, gray-haired man, expressed his gratitude to the United States and Britain for spearheading the war on Saddam.

"The Kurds never wanted this war, but I hope that if you listen to my story you will understand why I feel the way I do."

Kathy

04-09-2003, 11:00 AM

I had to post this. It tore my heart. This is the otherside of the War. I know in the coming days we will see and hear more.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ali Ismail Abbas, 12, wounded during an airstrike according to hospital sources, lies in a hospital bed in Baghdad, April 6, 2003. A missile obliterated his home and most of his family, leaving him orphaned, badly burned and blowing off both his arms.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Orphaned Iraqi Boy Becomes Haunting Face of War
Wed April 9, 2003 09:43 AM ET

By Sinead O'Hanlon
LONDON (Reuters) - From Hiroshima to Vietnam, pictures of horrifically injured children have long formed the starkest and most enduring images of war.

Now a badly burned Iraqi boy, who lost his family and both arms in a U.S. bombing raid on Baghdad, has become the face of suffering in the conflict for many around the world and sparked a flood of fundraising appeals.

At least three British newspapers and a charity launched appeals on Wednesday to raise money for war victims in Iraq, spurred by the haunting photo and story of Ali Ismaeel Abbas.

"The picture that will stay with us...the image that refuses to leave the retina no matter how many times you blink, is of 12-year-old Ali Ismaeel Abbas," London's Evening Standard said as it launched an appeal on behalf of the Red Cross.

Three days ago the child haltingly told Reuters journalist Samia Nakhoul -- herself later injured when a U.S. tank shelled a Baghdad hotel on Tuesday -- how war had shattered his life. The Reuters photographer was Faleh Kheiber.

The missile that obliterated Ali's home also killed his father, pregnant mother, brother, three cousins and three other relatives and left him without his arms and badly burned.

"Can you help me get my arms back? Do you think the doctors can get me another pair of hands. If I don't get a pair of hands I will commit suicide," he said with tears spilling down his cheeks and fear and pain in his eyes.

"I wanted to become an army officer when I grow up, but not any more. Now I want to become a doctor, but how can I? I don't have hands."

POTENT SYMBOL

Catherine Mahoney from the British Red Cross said they had been inundated with calls from people who wanted to donate money to Ali, to adopt him, or help fly him out for treatment.

But she said the picture had a much wider impact than showing the child's personal tragedy. It had brought home the whole human cost of the war unlike any other image so far.

"Because of the way reporters have been embedded with the military, a lot of the coverage so far has been concentrated on the military campaign, not the human cost," she said.

"But this little boy Ali has captured the horror of war. It is all spelled out in the photo, in his face, his eyes. One person has made the horror real for the world."

Mahoney said there was always one image from a conflict or disaster that was the most potent symbol of suffering -- from the picture of nine-year-old Kim Phuc running naked and burned after a napalm attack in the Vietnam War to that of Sophia Pedro who gave birth in a tree in flooded Mozambique.

Maharani Gayatri Devi, wife of the former ruler of the Indian princely state of Jaipur, said she wanted to pay for his medical treatment in Iraq or anywhere else in the world.

"I want to help the boy in getting back his limbs. I will bear the expenses," Gayatri Devi told Reuters.

One British artificial limbs clinic has offered to treat Ali while the Limbless Association charity set up "Ali's Fund for the Limbless of Iraq," dedicated to helping him and other children who have suffered similar tragedies.

Television stations and newspapers have carried numerous editorials and letters about Ali.

"How can we explain to this innocent child that it was for his own good that his family have been taken away from him and his life destroyed," one man wrote in The Daily Mirror newspaper, which itself began an appeal in tandem with the United Nations children's fund UNICEF.

David

04-09-2003, 05:05 PM

Appreciation..

I've been seeing people kiss George Bush's picture all day on TV.. Praising his name.. Thanking U.S. of A. and Allah for freeing them.. Kissing Marines... Wearing the U.S. flag.. Spitting and smacking with shoes Saddam's images and parts of broken down statues...

This is what it is all about to me.. THE ENDS ARE WORTH THE MEANS..

I'm just sorry it took so many years; that it had to come down to the threat of "Weapons of Mass destruction", which I have complete faith they will find now that Saddam can't keep moving them. These people have been repressed, tortured, raped, gassed, and outright murdered by the Baath Party Regime headed up by Saddam Hussein.

American Blood has indeed been spilled.. Innocent civilians and reporters have been killed... But to see all these people dancing in the streets, FINALLY able to do so, makes me happy, and though it hurts my heart that American's & Brits have lost their lives, it was for a damn good cause. I don't care if you think this was about "Oil", or about "Domination", or anything else.. Open your eyes and look at the people that can now express themselves openly for the first time in 30 years.

Our soldiers, who died, died proud, and as hero’s to the Iraqi people.

David

04-09-2003, 05:06 PM

Thank the tank

David

04-09-2003, 05:07 PM

'Thanks... and can I get your number?" :)

David

04-09-2003, 05:08 PM

Day #21.. 3 Weeks from when the first bombs dropped..

David

04-09-2003, 05:12 PM

Time to pay the dues to the people who you repressed.

An Iraqi Fedayeen paramilitary is clubbed by a man in the streets of Basra on Tuesday April 8.

I am sure we will be seeing a LOT more of this street justice.

BillysAngel

04-09-2003, 05:15 PM

Kathy,
I saw that horrible picture of that poor little boy last night and it took my breath away. I just said to myself, please let this be over fast!!!
But I loved all of the Iraqui's appreciation to our Soldiers today when that ugly statue came tumbling down and nothing was left but the boots it was standing in. I hope that reflects how Sadaam is right now, blown out of his damn boots. He has tortured this poor country for way too long. The pictures of the small children hugging and kissing our Soldiers was just amazing. It made me cry!! My cousin is over there, but he works in Intelligence so I am going to email him today and see how he's doing. I just got his email address. Did ya'll see the Iraqi man on TV chanting "THANK YOU, MR. BUSH"!!! I can't wait for the re-building to begin...
diane

David

04-09-2003, 05:16 PM

Picture of the giant statue Saddam bought for himself for his birthday. Both Iraqi and U.S. Soldiers brought it down today.. There were thousands around and it was a mad house with a celebration atmosphere.

Kathy

04-09-2003, 05:21 PM

I tried my darnest to steal those pictures but my AOL account wouldn't let me right click them!

I saw today on TV that an Iraqi Citizen in Dearborn, MI was going to change his name to BUSH! He cried when he heard Iraqi was free of Saddam.

People are being encouraged to talk to the Reporters and tell them their story of how Saddam effected their family and lifes.

But, it will not be over completely until we all know where the heck he is! I'm curious to find out if he has a wound to his head. According to the Bible the 3rd Anti-Christ will have a wound to his head and come back to life.

UGH UGLY THOUGHT!

I also heard that over 2 Million Iraqi's live all over the world and most will probable return to Iraqi!

I feel so Happy for the Iraqi People!
This is just so AWESOME!

Love
Kathy
PS WHERE IS BAGHDAD BOB NOW??? TURKEY?

David

04-09-2003, 05:22 PM

Diane,
That picture made me sad also.. I wish I could find some pictures of the people Saddam and his kids got their hands on. I was reading up earlier about a tortue prison in Basra (I think) the people called the White Tiger or Lion. They tortured people to death there. Dipped them in chemical baths and watched their skin melt off.. These are the things they won't suffer any longer at the hands of a DICtator named Saddam Hussein.

Kathy

04-09-2003, 05:27 PM

CHEERS DIANE! I have a can of WHOOP ASS As we are speaking! LMAO!

BillysAngel

04-09-2003, 05:57 PM

LOL I LOVE IT KATHY!!!!

BillysAngel

04-09-2003, 06:03 PM

DIC is correct David!!! What a wonderful country WE get to live in!!

Kathy

04-09-2003, 06:50 PM

http://ron.keller.name/Blessed/RollCall.html

I posted this in another Thread but I think it should be here too!

Love
Kathy

BillysAngel

04-10-2003, 02:12 AM

Hi everyone. I just wanted to let you all know that I finally got to e-mail my cousin, and he answered me right back!! I was so happy to hear from him. He is a Captain S.L., USAF Air Defense!!!!! I did not know he was a Captain!! :) I guess my little cousin is all growed up, yes, I said growed:) Well anyway, he says everything is well there and he is doing good. He said that although he's not out there in the desert, since he is in Intelligence, it is rough being there. But he said all is going really well:) I just wanted to share!! Oh, and he is set to come home to Las Vegas to his wonderful wife and 4 kids in mid June, then plans to come to Texas for a visit!! I am so excited for one, because I haven't seen him in so long, and second, my b-day is June 24th, what a wonderful b-day present that will be!!!
Diane

KConnor56

04-10-2003, 08:38 AM

Regarding that Statue, the sybolism is quite remarkable, & speaks of this whole war. The Iraqi people repressed by this mad man, try to tear him down, but no matter how hard they fight, they just can't do it on their own, so with the help of a friend, The U.S. Military, & working together, they bring this mad man, & his statue crashing down. If you wrote this in a movie, no one would believe it.

Kathy

04-10-2003, 05:41 PM

1st BABY Born in the FREE IRAQI Country was Named GEORGE after George Bush!

If I can find a picture I will post!

Heard it at MSNBC TV

Love
Kathy

Kathy

04-10-2003, 05:46 PM

Saddam Hussein's presidential yacht, the Al-Mansur, is seen adrift on the Shatt al-Arab river in Basra, southern Iraq, on April 10. U.S. Navy pilots dropped small bombs, mostly 500-pound laser-guided weapons, on the yacht.

Kathy

04-10-2003, 05:47 PM

A U.S. Marine releases a pigeon in Baghdad. The Marines had been using pigeons to detect possible chemical warfare attacks as they made their way through Iraq.

David

04-11-2003, 07:34 PM

Anyone heard about the enriched plutonium the troops are said to have found. I guess that isn't on the prohibited list, is it? haha

David

04-11-2003, 10:30 PM

There are some early reports that an underground prison has been found around Basra. They have been hearing pounding on walls but have not been able to gain access to this underground structure.

I'm sure if this is a prison it will be a humanitarian nightmare. Lets hope everyone is all right, and maybe even some U.S. POW's there?

SHERRON

04-12-2003, 08:43 AM

On Fox........they are reporting that Saddam's top scientific adviser has surrendered to U.S. FORCES.....:D

MyLife1020592

04-14-2003, 03:32 PM

Are we not posting in here anymore...FEDX...KATHY...I don't even know what is going on with the war anymore...Please inform me...

David

04-14-2003, 03:55 PM

I"ve been away for a few days but I'm back now. I don't know where everyone's favorite PTO anchor is.. Kathy? Where did you go??

BillysAngel

04-14-2003, 04:02 PM

Hey everyone... just to let ya'll know in case you haven't heard... all major fighting in Iraq is finally OVER!!!!!! woohoo They say that the end is in sight!!! :) And the 7 P.OW's are safe!!!! What a wonderful wonderful piece of info!!!

BillysAngel

04-14-2003, 04:59 PM

I just got some wonderful news!!! My cousin will be home from the war on THURSDAY!!!!!! woohoo!!!!!!
diane

Kathy

04-16-2003, 12:27 AM

WOW! I was MISSED? COOL!

I was snowed in! Can you believe that? Went to Mammoth for a few days!

NOW, everyone knows about my commitment to Praying for all Prisoners on the 13th of the Month! NOW, can you believe it, our POW's were released on that day? I CAN! Hee hee!

POWER OF PRAY!
Love
Kathy
PS DAVID, I thought you would have taken over for a few days! LMOF!

Kathy

04-16-2003, 12:29 AM

A file combination picture compiled from video footage shown on Iraqi television of U.S. prisoners of war who were found north of Baghdad April 13, 2003. Seven U.S. POWs were found safe and well in Iraq Sunday after their captors apparently fled from U.S. Marines advancing on Saddam Hussein's crumbling northern bastion of Tikrit.

Kathy

04-16-2003, 02:49 AM

POW RESCUE TEAM FEARED AN AMBUSH

April 16, 2003 -- Marines who found seven U.S. POWs on Sunday feared the Iraqi tip that launched their search was a setup - until one captive called out from a house, "I'm an American."
"We thought it could be a ‘Black Hawk Down' situation," Lance Cpl. Curney Russell told The Washington Post - referring to the 1993 Somalia ambush that cost 18 American lives.

The Marines had been told to look for the Army POWs in House 13 of a warren of mud-colored hutches in the Iraqi town of Samarra, near Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown.

They found House 11 and House 12 - but as they looked for House 13, they saw dozens of people staring at them.

"Something's not right," Russell, 18, recalled saying.

Then Lance Cpl. Aaron Greenleaf heard the POWs call out, and shouted to his squad leader: "Sir, I can hear them over here!"

They broke down the door of a house and found the Americans guarded by three unarmed Iraqis.

The highest-ranking prisoners, Chief Warrant Officer David Williams-a helicopter pilot - begged the Marines not to hurt the Iraqis, police officers who used their own money to buy the prisoners food.

The ex-POWs are reported in good health at a base in Kuwait. There's no word on when they'll return home. Post Wire Services

Kathy

04-17-2003, 07:08 PM

RUMORS ARE SAYING HE HUNG HIMSELF!

http://welovetheiraqiinformationminister.com/

-- Daily Updates --

17 April -- No legs on rumors of demise of Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf (M.S.S.); whereabouts still unknown... Pentagon HR Department quietly shifts M.S.S. administrative leave status from "PTO" to "unpaid."... This site featured in 697,039 media reports.

16 April -- Iranian newspaper Mardom Salari reports rumors of MSS suicide, but no substantiation. White House believes MSS and other Iraqi bigs now in Syria... Visits to this site average 500,000 per day...

15 April - Daily Telegraph reports that M.S.S. has a son who practices medicine in Ireland. "My father is a good guy," reports Dr. al-Sahaf. "When he comes home from work and takes off his uniform we do not discuss his job."...

14 April - The fever grows. Major media outlets promise lucrative personal-appearance contracts, talk show bookings, etc. Representatives of William Morris Agency sighted at Iraqi/Syrian border...

13 April - M.S.S. not included in "Death Pack" playing cards distributed to coalition forces. International uproar. NBC News: M.S.S. "curiously absent."

12 April - Sahafomania grips globe. Amateurish website dedicated to M.S.S. crashes four separate servers. Visitor rates reach 4000 per second. Website inexplicably featured in daily papers, Reuters, AP, CNN, BBC and assorted lame talk shows.

10 April - M.S.S. begins 'administrative leave'. Wannabe MSSers try to steal limelight from the One and Only. Closest competitor may be Mohsen Khalil, Iraqi Ambassador to the Arab League:
"Iraq will not be defeated. Iraq has now already achieved victory - apart from some technicalities."

9 April – Last known remark of M.S.S., to John Burns of NY Times : "I NOW INFORM YOU THAT YOU ARE TOO FAR FROM REALITY."

David

04-17-2003, 07:37 PM

I went to this site earlier today after I saw it on fox.. :) I am going to buy some cards for sure! Thanks for the link.. I guess we should copy and paste all his BS in the Baghdad Bobbie thread?

I hope the punk didn't go out like that..

KConnor56

04-19-2003, 09:08 PM

I want to see this guy on trial so bad I can taste it, LOL.

David

04-23-2003, 07:55 PM

Yeah, as do I!

"This REALLY is not a courtroom! That was not a sentence I received! All you infedels are seeing things.. I am in Fiji drinking froo frooz!"

Kathy

04-24-2003, 01:10 AM

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-12295368,00.html

AIRLINE SLAMS ALI AD

Budget airline eastJet has hit out over an advert which features the cult Iraqi information minister 'Comical Ali' as its spokesman.

The company told Sky News Online the ad by rival Ryanair was "distasteful".

The picture shows Mohammed Saeed Sahaf declaring: "We're winning the war. We're beating the Americans."

He then adds: "Easyjet have the lowest fares."

Infamous

Sahaf became infamous during the war against Iraq for his wild claims, colourful language and a reluctance to accept the reality of the situation on the ground.

At one point he strolled on to the roof of the Palestine Hotel and told the world's media there were no "infidels" in Baghdad when American tanks could be seen a few hundred yards away.

His behaviour has made him a cult figure and internet sites and merchanising products have sprung up in his honour.

But easyJet does not see the funny side.

'Tasteless'

"It is a little bit tasteless considering the guy has rumoured to have committed suicide," said spokeswoman Samantha Day.

Ms Day said the company would not be hitting back.

"EasyJet has always been controversial and we always use impactful advertising, so we have not lost our sense of humour at all.

"They are obviously trying to pick a fight a fight with EasyJet. We will not retaliate. We will not be wasting our advertising money by doing what they want and trying to get free publicity."

The advert is part of a campaign by the Dublin-based company poking fun at easyJet and disputing its claims to offer the lowest fares available on the routes it operates.

Ryanair said it was running the advert for a week and would be issuing a statement regarding eastJet's comments.

Kathy

04-24-2003, 01:16 AM

'Comical Ali' resurfaces
23/04/2003 19:02 - (SA)

London - Iraq's former information minister Mohammad Said al-Sahhaf, famed for insisting his country was defeating US troops even as Baghdad fell, has found a new role - in a bitter advertising war between rival airlines.

Irish-based budget carrier Ryanair has courted controversy by using Sahhaf's image in newspaper advertisements rubbishing its rival, Britain's easyJet.

In one of a series of Ryanair advertisements slamming easyJet, Sahhaf is pictured supposedly saying: "We're winning the war. We're beating the Americans. EasyJet have the lowest fares."

The captions play on Sahhaf's insistence during the war that US troops were being routed, despite mounting evidence to the contrary, most famously the appearance of a US tank on a Baghdad street just behind him.

He has already become a cult figure, even inspiring a US toymaker to produce a talking doll modelled on him.

The minister himself vanished when US forces took over the Iraqi capital on April 9, while unconfirmed press reports claim that he has committed suicide.

EasyJet spokesperson Toby Nicholl criticised Ryanair's approach.

"It is in slightly bad taste, especially given that the guy might have killed himself," he said.

"The war is a very serious business, and maybe not the sort of thing to joke about."

As for the specific claims, Nicholl said that easyJet never claimed to be cheaper than its rival, only that it served more centrally-located airports.

Ryanair, which flies from its main hub near London to a series of European destinations, helps to keep costs down by often using less-busy airports some distance from the cities which they serve.

Kathy

04-24-2003, 01:31 AM

An American toy company has begun selling a talking doll of the Iraqi Information Minister, widely known as Comical Ali.It recites some of the phrases that made Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf a cult figure during the Coalition offensive.

The 63-year-old's bravado in the face of overwhelming evidence made him an unlikely media star embraced by both supporters and foes of the US-led war.

Connecticut custom doll-making company Herobuilders.com has produced the 12-inch action figure in tribute to what it calls his "one-man battle against the observable facts".

The standard version of the doll is selling for $24.95 and the talking version for $35.95.

The "Iraqi Dis-Information Minister" doll recites phrases such as:

"There are no American infidels in Baghdad. Never!"

"Our initial assessment is that they will all die."

"No. I am not scared and neither should you be."

"We have given them a sour taste."

"They're not even (within) 100 miles (of Baghdad)."
Herobuilders.com claims to have been swamped with hundreds of orders for the doll in the first 24 hours they went on sale.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A US toy company Hero Builders has produced dolls based on Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, Iraq's former information minister.

In a sarcastic tribute to what US-based Hero Builders calls Mr al-Sahhaf's "one-man battle against the observable facts", they have produced 12-inch-tall action figures in his image.

The "Iraqi Dis-Information Minister" doll comes also in a talking version that parrots phrases such as "There are no American infidels in Baghdad. Never!" and "Our initial assessment is that they will all die."

Among other patriotic offerings, Hero Builders also produces the "Saddam Insane", the "Babbling Osama" and the "Dirty Terrorist".

It also sells pink dresses and bondage outfits, which it says can be used to demean its villainous dolls. (hmmmm....... or encourage transvestism in little boys? read it as you may).

Other companies that jumped the gun to cash in on the war - such as Sony have this week admitted to a lapse of judgement when they tried to trademark the phrase "shock and awe" reported Thursday, April 10.

Kathy

04-24-2003, 01:57 AM

Wed April 23, 2003 01:33 PM ET
By Paul Taylor, European Affairs Editor

BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) - European countries that opposed the U.S.-led war on Iraq are scrambling to ingratiate themselves with the victorious United States, but France faces some punishment for its leadership of the anti-war axis.

In the last 10 days, France, Germany and Turkey have all acted to try to repair strained relations with Washington, welcoming the fall of Saddam Hussein and pledging to cooperate on a range of issues from post-war Iraq to Afghanistan and NATO.

The French have shifted most spectacularly, reversing their position to propose an immediate suspension of U.N. sanctions on Iraq and dropping opposition to NATO taking over management of an international peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan.

Diplomats said there were even hints that Paris might accept a military role for the Atlantic Alliance in the post-war stabilization of Iraq, not immediately but perhaps by summer.

"The change of tone has been amazing," a NATO diplomat said.

Yet the Bush administration has been far warmer toward Russia, which continues to insist U.N. weapons inspectors must return to Iraq before sanctions can be lifted, than it has toward France.

In the run-up to the Iraq war, President Jacques Chirac said Paris would use its U.N. veto to block any resolution allowing the use of force and sent his foreign minister around the globe to lobby Security Council waverers to oppose the United States.

DAMAGE DONE

Russia too threatened a veto but U.S. officials believe French campaigning did most to obstruct support for military action in Iraq.

They also say Washington has "other fish to fry" with Moscow, including enlisting Russian help to pressure Syria to cooperate both on Iraq and in curtailing its support for anti-Israeli Lebanese and Palestinian militant groups.

Turkey's refusal to allow U.S. troops to invade Iraq from the north was arguably more harmful to Washington's war plans than the French-German-Russian diplomatic blockade.

Yet Secretary of State Colin Powell has already visited Turkey and Ankara has agreed to send peacekeepers to Iraq.

Once the fighting was over, Paris also promised to be "pragmatic" in seeking solutions to rebuild Iraq. But the diplomatic damage was done.

Powell, often regarded as the most pro-European member of the Bush administration, said Tuesday that France would face unspecified consequences.

"It's over and we have to take a look at the relationship. We have to look at all aspects of our relationship with France in light of this," he told television interviewer Charlie Rose.

The French industry federation says its firms are already suffering unquantified economic damage in the United States.

Vice President Dick Cheney said recently he believed France's main goal was to rein in the United States, regardless of the threat posed by Iraq.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder won re-election last September in part by campaigning against U.S. military action in Iraq, infuriating the White House. Some analysts credited Schroeder with having pulled Chirac deeper into the anti-war camp than France had initially intended.

Germany, France and Belgium, backed by a majority of public opinion across Europe, jointly blocked NATO military assistance to Turkey before the war but eventually relented.

Schroeder has since made up with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Washington's chief comrade in arms, and has come close to apologizing for anti-American comments by some German ministers.

Diplomats say Washington is now keen to start rebuilding bridges with Berlin, perhaps partly to isolate France.

COUNTERWEIGHT

British officials say Chirac had learned the hard way that he cannot unite the European Union, or even a hard core of its founder members, as a counterweight to U.S. world power.

The EU split roughly down the middle, with five of its members and 10 east European candidate states signing public statements of support for the hard-line U.S. stance on Iraq.

Although Chirac publicly upbraided the newcomers for their bad behavior, France now seems determined to avoid deepening the rift.

Diplomats say Paris is keen to avoid any bold declaration of European independence from the United States at a four-nation mini-summit on European defense called by Belgium next Tuesday.

France and Germany, which will attend the meeting along with Luxembourg, initially advocated the idea of a pioneer group of EU countries moving ahead with closer military integration. But diplomats say the timing has given both countries cold feet.

"The French and the Germans want a low profile. They don't want the Brussels meeting to do anything that would offend the British or the Americans," an EU diplomat said.

If Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, struggling for re-election next month, had not put them on the spot by publicly announcing the invitation, Chirac and Schroeder would have preferred to delay the initiative, he said.

While the Bush administration has not spelled out what, if any, measures it may take against France, diplomats said the public ostracism of Paris appeared to be producing results.

"You just have to look at the way the French are adjusting their positions at the United Nations, in NATO and in the EU to see that the American pressure is having an effect," one said.

Kathy

05-14-2003, 01:11 AM

washingtonpost.com
2 Mass Graves in Iraq May Hold 15,000 Bodies

Associated Press
Wednesday, May 14, 2003; Page A19

LONDON, May 13 -- More mass graves have been found at two new sites in Iraq, containing at least 4,000 bodies and perhaps as many as 15,000, human rights groups and a British news report said today.

If forensic experts confirm the findings, the mass graves at Hilla and the village of Muhammad Sakran would be the largest uncovered since Saddam Hussein's government collapsed in the U.S.-led war.

Residents using tractors and, later, their hands, excavated bodies this week from graves in the central Iraqi town of Hilla, 60 miles south of Baghdad.

In a news release today, New York-based Human Rights Watch said the United States had known about the Hilla site since early May, when the mayor of the city asked for help in guarding the graves and U.S. forces refused.

"The U.S. government has not acted on important information about mass graves in Iraq," said Peter Bouckaert of Human Rights Watch in Baghdad.

"The result is desperate families trying to dig up the site themselves -- disturbing the evidence for forensic experts who could professionally establish the identities of the victims."

The British Broadcasting Corp., which showed television footage of the grisly scene, said that at least 3,000 bodies were exhumed. It quoted unidentified human rights groups as saying that the graves could contain 10,000 to 15,000 bodies. Human Rights Watch did not confirm estimates of the number of people buried there.

The BBC said it did not know how or when the victims in the Hilla graves were killed, but said they could have been Shiite Muslims massacred by Iraqi forces after a Shiite uprising against Hussein after the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Another grave containing more than 1,000 bodies was recently found in Muhammad Sakran village, about 25 miles north of Baghdad, Human Rights Watch said.

Kathy

05-14-2003, 01:16 AM

The star witness against the government of Iraq hobbled into the room, her legs braced with clumsy metal callipers. "Anna" had been tortured two years ago. She is now four years old. Her father, Ali, is a thick-set Iraqi who used to work for Saddam's psychopathic son, Uday. Some time after the bungled assassination of Uday, Ali fell under suspicion.

He fled north, to the Kurdish safe haven policed by Western fighter planes, but leaving his wife and daughter behind in Baghdad. So the secret police came for his wife. Where is he? They tortured her. And when she didn't break, they tortured his daughter. "When did you last see your father? Has he phoned? Has he been in contact?" They half-crushed the toddler's feet. Now, she doesn't walk, she hobbles, and Ali fears that Saddam's men have crippled his daughter for life. So Ali talked to us. I have been to Baghdad a number of times. Being in Iraq is like creeping around inside someone else's migraine. The fear is so omnipresent you could almost eat it. No one talks. So listening to Ali speak freely was a revelation. He is not exactly a contender to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury. He has the heft of an enforcer. He told me that he had tortured for the regime. But I don't think he was lying to us. 'Faked funerals' Ali talked about the paranoid frenzy that rules Baghdad - the tortures, the killings, the corruption, the crazy gangster violence of Saddam and his two sons. And the faking of the mass baby funerals. You may have seen them on TV. Small white coffins parading through the streets of Baghdad on the roofs of taxis, an angry crowd of mourners, condemning Western sanctions for killing the children of Iraq They used to collect children's bodies and put them in freezers for two, three or even six or seven months

Usefully, the ages of the dead babies - "three days old", "four days old" - are written in English on the coffins. I wonder who did that. Ali gave us the inside track on the racket. There aren't enough dead babies around. So the regime stores them for a mass funeral. He said that he was friends with a taxi driver - he gave his name - whose son had a position in the regime. Ali continued, he told me that he had to go to Najaf - a town 160km (100 miles) from Baghdad - in order to bring children's bodies from various freezers there, and that the smell was unbearable. They used to collect children's bodies and put them in freezers for two, three or even six or seven months - God knows - until the smell got unbearable. Then, they arrange the mass funerals. The logic being, the more dead babies, the better for Saddam. That way, he can weaken public support in the West for sanctions. That means that parents who have lost a baby can't bury it until the regime says so. So how could it be that people would put up with this sickening exploitation of grief? A murder story Ali told another story. He had seen Uday kill with his own eyes. This was some years ago, before the assassination attempt left Saddam's oldest son half-paralysed and impotent. Uday's lust is famous in Baghdad. He wanted a woman who played tennis at Baghdad's Sports Club and he and Ali went round to the club. As Uday was turning into the car park, a tennis ball came over the fence and bounced against the car of the woman he desired. The tennis player came into the car park to retrieve the ball, apologised to the woman. Maybe there was a bit of flirting - that does happen at tennis courts, even in England. From his car Uday watched the two of them. Enraged, he took out a wooden cosh and beat the tennis player's brains out. And then - get this - a few days later, the dead man's relatives apologised to Uday for the distress their son had caused him. Incredible? I don't think so. In northern Iraq - the only part of the country where people can speak freely - we met six other witnesses who had direct experience of child torture, including another of Saddam's enforcers - now in a Kurdish prison - who told us that an interrogator could do anything: "We could make a kebab out of the child if we wanted to." And then he chuckled.

In that environment, with that background noise of fear, it is not impossible to imagine that the government of Iraq could have conned the world, inventing numbers of dead babies that the gullible - and that includes the United Nations - accept as reliable. While we were in the north of Iraq, the chairman of the Great Britain Iraq Society, Labour MP George Galloway, was in Baghdad. He popped up on Iraqi TV and bared his soul. "When I hear the word Iraq," he said, "I hear someone calling my name." I don't. When I hear the word Iraq, I hear a tortured child, screaming.

Kathy

05-20-2003, 09:43 AM

BAGHDAD, Iraq (May 19) - Saddam Hussein is hiding in Iraq with a small group, probably including his sons, and issuing orders to trusted supporters as he plots a return to power, according to former Iraqi generals returned from exile.

The generals, who were in exile for years and now play a key role in working with U.S. forces to purge the Iraqi public service and security apparatus of Saddam die-hards, said the deposed president had ordered a name-change for his Baath party.

Maj.-Gen. Tawfiq al-Yassiri told Reuters Saddam had changed its name in the last few days to "Auda," meaning return.

"Saddam used his authority as the secretary-general of the party. He is hiding with a small group that probably includes his two sons," said Yassiri, who helped lead a rebellion against Saddam in 1991.

Saddam was trying to spread chaos in Iraq, which is now under the control of the U.S. forces that ousted him last month after three weeks of war.

"Saddam Hussein prepared for every eventuality, including the total collapse of his regime. He does not leave anything to chance and has ample means of communication," Yassiri said.

"He uses different tools at his disposal to issue orders for his followers to spread chaos."

The general said most old Baath leaders were gone, but a new generation, including sons of the old guard, was helping Saddam.

Iraqi Maj.-Gen. Saad Obeidi, a psychological warfare specialist now working with U.S. forces, said Saddam's success would depend on how the U.S.-installed administration ran Iraq.

"Time has always been the backbone of Saddam's strategy. He is a man who knows the psychology and sociology of Iraq. The looting and disorder we see now fall in his favor," said Obeidi, a psychological warfare specialist.

"Americans have to act fast. People will forget all about the Baath Party if order and prosperity return."

The Baath party, whose name means resurrection, was founded in Damascus in the 1940s by three Arabs educated at the Sorbonne university in Paris. It came to power in Iraq in 1968 and used force to crush all opposition.

Earlier this month U.S. forces banned senior members from holding office in Iraq and said it had been dissolved.

Speculation about the whereabouts of Saddam and sons Qusay and Uday has swirled since Baghdad fell. Several top aides are in U.S. custody and Washington has said it is confident he will be found if he is still alive.

Earlier this month a close associate was quoted as saying Saddam was safe in Iraq and organizing resistance. And pro-U.S. Iraqi politician Ahmad Chalabi said in remarks published a week ago he had credible information Saddam and his sons were alive and in Iraq.