BREAKING NEWS ONLY

Axis Kast · Post by **Axis Kast** » 2003-03-23 05:53pm

So what's the overall assessment? Are we heading toward something other than an unmitigated romp? We'll win, but is there anyone who expects more significant resistance?

theski · Post by **theski** » 2003-03-23 06:00pm

Wong, do really consider them to be the same?? The context is very different..

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-03-23 06:32pm

theski wrote:Wong, do really consider them to be the same?? The context is very different..

Explain why it is OK to be flippant about bombing cities and not OK to be flippant about dead bodies of soldiers.

jegs2 · Post by **jegs2** » 2003-03-23 06:40pm

Darth Wong wrote:
theski wrote:Wong, do really consider them to be the same?? The context is very different..
Explain why it is OK to be flippant about bombing cities and not OK to be flippant about dead bodies of soldiers.

I've no issue with the flippancy of an Iraqi soldier over US dead. My issue is with alleged reports that those soldiers may have been executed.

Cal Wright · Post by **Cal Wright** » 2003-03-23 06:41pm

Wong has a point. The US went into THIER country. For them, dead US soldiers are a victory.

What should make you angry however, is the point that they killed the soldiers. Even though this is war, and they are PoWs, think about it. It's said the US will win, and it really is starting to look that way. Which means we would get our PoWs back anyways. So why would they kill them? For the simple fact that we cannot get them back now.

Cal Wright · Post by **Cal Wright** » 2003-03-23 06:42pm

This just in, Black Hawk Down in Afghanstan, all 6 did not survive.

¤§¤

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-03-23 06:46pm

jegs2 wrote:I've no issue with the flippancy of an Iraqi soldier over US dead. My issue is with alleged reports that those soldiers may have been executed.

If they executed POW's, that would be different, of course. My issue was with his anger over the picture of the smiling Iraqi next to the bodies of the soldiers.

I don't believe it has been established whether those soldiers were KIA or executed, as the pictures I saw were too fuzzy to determine the extent or nature of their injuries.

theski · Post by **theski** » 2003-03-23 07:21pm

Conceded, it is emotional response, too many men in my family have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country for there not to be.. Point taken..

Post by **Colonel Olrik** » 2003-03-23 07:22pm

PENTAGON: Chemical weapons factory found (now on sky news)

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2003-03-23 07:26pm

Colonel Olrik wrote:PENTAGON: Chemical weapons factory found (now on sky news)

I've heard that mentioned a couple times today on various news channels but nothing concreate. I was waiting for some one to write it down with some sources before mentioning it here.

If its true, I wonder what the political effects would be?

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2003-03-23 07:28pm

MKSheppard wrote:Jerusalem Post link

About 30 Iraqi troops, including a general, surrendered today to US forces of the 3rd Infantry Division as they overtook huge installation apparently used to produce chemical weapons in An Najaf, some 250 kilometers south of Baghdad.

FNC/Sky News (more or less the same) are now corraborating this report. Take it with the usual grains of salt (or not).

EDIT: The BBC is reporting that unconfirmed reports are coming into the Pentagon.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-03-23 07:30pm

Seems a US Black Hawk model helo has crashed killing six marines.

BBC News

My condolences.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » 2003-03-23 08:08pm

Can we refrain from posting the same things, unless the other posts include corroborating links?

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2003-03-23 08:19pm

The Sydney Morning Herald is now corraborating the chemical plant article; FNC (link posted earlier) has updated their information.

The BBC is reporting that CENTCOM says they're investigating some sites, but nothing concrete from them.

EDIT: Reuters has picked up the report.

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-03-23 08:37pm

Darth Wong wrote:
theski wrote:Check out the smiling Iraqi standing over the Dead soldier.. Unfucking beliveable. :x
Cool down. They probably say the same thing whenever they see smiling American or British soldiers giving the "thumbs-up" sign to reporters and photographers while a bombing campaign is going on.

And how quickly they forget the various US forces posing with Taliban and Al'Qaeda bodies.

Hypocrisy. Gotta love it.

theski · Post by **theski** » 2003-03-23 08:40pm

Hey, weemando,did ya happen to actually read my post about 4 posts up?? before you decided I was a hypocrite..

Phil Skayhan · Post by **Phil Skayhan** » 2003-03-23 08:45pm

weemadando wrote:And how quickly they forget the various US forces posing with Taliban and Al'Qaeda bodies.

Hypocrisy. Gotta love it.

Yes, I remember you being very excited about that. What ever came of that?

On topic: According to FNC, the spokesman for the UN Weapons Inspectors said that they were unaware of any facility in An Najaf. According to Terrence Talor, a former inspector, they did visit a cement facility there earlier this year, however (perhaps part of the biological team and not the chemical).

EDIT: To clarify, Talor is not the spokeperson for the inspectors.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » 2003-03-23 10:41pm

CNN reported a 3 hour long battle with the Republican Guard, no word on casualties, but the 11th (?) Attack Helicopter Regiment (Apache) had to withdraw due to the amount of AA fire put up by the Guard.

jegs2 · Post by **jegs2** » 2003-03-23 10:46pm

Ted wrote:CNN reported a 3 hour long battle with the Republican Guard, no word on casualties, but the 11th (?) Attack Helicopter Regiment (Apache) had to withdraw due to the amount of AA fire put up by the Guard.

That sounds like a candidate for a multiple B-52 strike...

Ted · Post by **Ted** » 2003-03-23 10:54pm

jegs2 wrote:
Ted wrote:CNN reported a 3 hour long battle with the Republican Guard, no word on casualties, but the 11th (?) Attack Helicopter Regiment (Apache) had to withdraw due to the amount of AA fire put up by the Guard.
That sounds like a candidate for a multiple B-52 strike...

USAF and RAF planes were around, but they didn't attack the Guard.

CNN.com

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-03-24 01:42am

Darth Wong wrote: If they executed POW's, that would be different, of course. My issue was with his anger over the picture of the smiling Iraqi next to the bodies of the soldiers.

I don't believe it has been established whether those soldiers were KIA or executed, as the pictures I saw were too fuzzy to determine the extent or nature of their injuries.

The full tape supposedly shows at least two of them shot through the forehead. The question also comes up, if they where killed in the ambush why waste the effort to haul them off?

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-03-24 01:47am

jegs2 wrote:
Ted wrote:CNN reported a 3 hour long battle with the Republican Guard, no word on casualties, but the 11th (?) Attack Helicopter Regiment (Apache) had to withdraw due to the amount of AA fire put up by the Guard.
That sounds like a candidate for a multiple B-52 strike...

It appears that the area is urban, which is why the Apaches had to close in rather then locating the tank on radar from several klicks. That means no carpte bombing and likely no JDAM's.

According to CNN, almost every aircraft was hit 15-20 times, though mostly by small caliber fire, and that one actually took a direct hit from an RPG in the engine without going down. All aircraft returned to base and there's no report of causalities, but some of the Apaches are unserviceable.

its unlikely the Apaches will return, well perhapes a few might attempt a long range attack. More likely the Air force will attack with Mavericks from F-16's and A-10's. Course, if the brigade needs to move then we might see the use of Sensor fused weapon, or a long range slaughter by returning AH-64's.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-03-24 01:50am

Sea Skimmer wrote:The full tape supposedly shows at least two of them shot through the forehead. The question also comes up, if they where killed in the ambush why waste the effort to haul them off?

I dunno- ask the Somalis who dragged US Delta Force men through the streets. Maybe they just thought the bodies would make good trophies or photo-ops.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-03-24 01:52am

Sea Skimmer wrote:its unlikely the Apaches will return, well perhapes a few might attempt a long range attack. More likely the Air force will attack with Mavericks from F-16's and A-10's. Course, if the brigade needs to move then we might see the use of Sensor fused weapon, or a long range slaughter by returning AH-64's.

Do the Iraqis have night-vision gear widely deployed? Would the cover of darkness make these kinds of operations easier?

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2003-03-24 01:56am

There are some reports of Iraq buying large amounts of IR googles, but I have no idea if they ever got them let alone if they were disseminated out to the regular army in any numbers.

Having NVG gear widly in use in the US military gives us the ability to exploit the advantage of engaging in the dark. If the opposition has similar gear, the advantage is negated or lessened to a large degree.