Fallujah- The Kill Zone

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U.S. Gunships Rake Targets in Fallujah

U.S. Gunships Rake Targets in Fallujah
By LEE KEATH, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A U.S. AC-130 gunship raked targets in Fallujah on Friday night after hundreds of women and children fled the besieged city during a pause in the Marine offensive. On the anniversary of the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, Baghdad and parts of central Iraq were chaotic.

In Fallujah, Marines halted their assault on Sunni insurgents to allow U.S.-picked Iraqi leaders ?- angry at the United States over the bloodshed from five days of heavy fighting ?- to hold talks with city leaders about how to reduce the violence.

Throughout the afternoon, fighting was reduced to sporadic gunfire. But when night fell, heavy explosions resumed as an AC-130 gunship strafed targets and soldiers and insurgents engaged in a mortar battle.

Iraq's top U.S. administrator, L. Paul Bremer, said the unilateral pause was also aimed at allowing humanitarian aid to enter the city and Fallujah residents to tend to their dead.

Many families, emerging from their homes for the first time in days, buried slain relatives in the city football stadium.

A stream of hundreds of cars carrying women, children and elderly headed out of the city after Marines announced they would be allowed to leave. Families pleaded to be allowed to take out men, and when Marines refused, some entire families turned back.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040409/ap_on_re_mi...

* The US is now engaged at revenge killing. This action will not pacify Iraq. It will widen the anger and most likely cause the Shi'te uprising that the US banked on not happening. This massacre is the beginning of the end of US Agression and Occupation!

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PO'd,
I wonder if the administration/military, whomever- in the US, have decided to do by 'terrorizing' what they could not do by 'compassionate war'??

I could not say for sure, but it looks like they intend to destroy every dissenter or jail them until they are broken men--

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Hypocracy
Whoever is in charge of the US Military in Iraq is making
a huge mistake if they feel that the Iraqis can be cowed by this massacre. It will only fan the flames of resentment even higher. The Iraqis aren't going to bow down to the Invading Occupiers! The more that the US and it's few allies punish the Iraqis, the larger the resistance will grow.

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I predict that regular Iraqis will be as glad to get rid of these thugs as we are.

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I predict the Iraqis will not be amused by the civillian casualties.
In any war, it is the innocents who pay the price.

Quote:

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Doctor reveals Falluja's horror toll

Friday 09 April 2004, 20:48 Makka Time, 17:48 GMT

At least 450 Iraqis have been killed and more than 1000 others wounded in fighting in the city of Falluja this week, says a doctor who runs the city's main hospital.

Dr Rafi Hayad, the director of the main hospital supplied the figures to the Reuters news agency. The agency has given no explanation of how Hayad reached his figures.

In Baghdad an aide to a member of the interim Governing Council said on Friday more than 400 Iraqis have been killed and 1000 wounded in a six-day US offensive against insurgents in Falluja.

"To this day, more than 400 Iraqis have been killed and more than 1,000 others wounded in Falluja," said Hatem al-Husseini, an aide to council member Muhsin Abdul Hameed from the Iraqi Islamic Party.

"These numbers were given to us from Falluja, from all hospitals, and they are correct 100 percent," he told AFP.

The Iraqi Islamic Party was leading mediations to evacuate casualties, bring in supplies and end hostilities in the town west of Baghdad.

In Falluja itself US occupation forces have bombed the town , belying administrator Paul Bremer's announcement that his forces were suspending military operations there.

"As of noon today coalition forces have initiated a unilateral suspension of offensive operations in Falluja," Paul Bremer told reporters on Friday.

But, the US-led occupation's deputy director of operations, Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, denied the reports of a ceasefire.

Minutes after Bremer's announcement, US forces carried out a fresh offensive on Falluja bombing the town from the air. Scores of residents were injured in the attack, reported our correspondent.

"There is no brokered agreement for a ceasefire in Falluja," Kimmitt told AFP. "There is no agreement between the rebels and the coalition forces."

IGC statement

Earlier, the Iraqi Governing Council member Mohsin Abd al-Hameed in a statement on behalf of his Iraqi Islamic party to Aljazeera said military action in Falluja would end for a period of 24 hours.

Upon commitment to a ceasefire by the occupation forces and Iraqi resistance fighters the ceasefire would continue, the statement said.

The Islamic party political bureau would send a delegation to hold talks with prominent figures in the town, the statement said.

Aljazeera, meanwhile, has learnt that during negotiations to end the military offensive, US forces imposed many conditions including getting the Aljazeera crew out of the town.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/rdonlyres/35D16627-E268-4ACE-B0E0-553C6624058D/34170/DE7E3CA5786746D8968AE2EF716E1E3C.jpg

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Russian policy re Iraq changing somewhat:

Russia urges US to halt 'disproportionate' use of force in Iraq
Russia has called on US-led forces in Iraq to refrain from "disproportionate" use of force and halt their latest offensive, in one of its toughest statements on Iraq to date.

"Russia calls for an end to military operations and restraint," said the Foreign Ministry in Moscow, one of the staunchest opponents of the US-led war.

The statement followed a week of violence in Iraq that has claimed the lives of dozens of US troops and hundreds of Iraqis.

The ministry said in a statement the US assault on towns in southern and central Iraq, particularly Fallujah, were causing a humanitarian disaster and the troops had to scale back.

It pointed out that the United Nations Security Council had approved a resolution in May 2003, just weeks after the United States launched the war, that not only lifted sanctions against Iraq but also forbade Western powers from exercising unreasonable force in their disputed campaign.

Russia expressed particular concern about the situation in Fallujah, which was encircled and bombed by US troops after four civilian contractors were killed and dragged through the streets by a mob.

"Hospitals, civilian buildings and religious establishments are being attacked," the Ministry said.

"Completely innocent people are being killed as a result, including the elderly, women and children.

"We have seen hundreds of people wounded."

Moscow said it was "imperative ... to halt the humanitarian catastrophe" afflicting some Iraq cities, and avoid an escalation of conflict.

The United States is due to hand over power to an Iraqi interim government by June 30, the deadline it established for the transfer of sovereignty.

But that deadline has been thrown into doubt by the escalating violence by radical Muslim Shiite insurgents.

The Shiites had previously stood on the sidelines of the conflict but are now forming a second front for the hard-pressed coalition forces, which are already battling with a Sunni Muslim revolt.

The Russian statement made no direct appeal to Sunni or Shiite militia to drop their weapons, another apparent sign of increasing frustration with Washington over how it is managing the occupation.

Russia appeared to put all the responsibility on Washington's shoulders, saying the United Nations - where it plays a key role - should not get involved in peace efforts until the United States had security under control.

"The question of putting the process of resolving (the situation in) Iraq under United Nations auspices can only be discussed when conditions are stable and not when open battles are raging in Iraq," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yury Fedotov told Interfax news agency.

Russia had argued until now for the United Nations to play a leading role in resolving the Iraqi conflict.

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But no change from Australian government.

Howard stands firm on Iraq
Prime Minister John Howard has reaffirmed his commitment to Australian troops remaining in Iraq, despite the escalation of violence this week.

Mr Howard has also sent a message of concern and support to the Japanese Prime Minister about the hostage situation.

Three Japanese civilians have been taken hostage in Iraq, with a previously unknown group threatening to burn them alive unless Japan withdraws its 550 troops within three days.

Mr Howard says the Japanese government is right not to negotiate with the hostage takers.

"It's doubly important that that tactic not be allowed to succeed and at the present time any talk of withdrawal or any weakening of resolve or commitments will only encourage a repetition and extension of this kind of behaviour," Mr Howard said.

Civilians at risk

Mr Howard has admitted the worsening situation in Iraq represents an increased risk to Australian civilians in the country but he says he is confident their current security arrangements are sufficient.

The Prime Minister says the Government will not be changing its position.

"I'm not talking in terms of a particular exit strategy. I'm talking in the near and medium term to us completing the tasks that we've been assigned to do," he said.

"Talk of exit strategies at the present time only serves the purpose of those who'd destabilise and undermine the coalition effort in Iraq especially in the light of the difficulties of the past two or three weeks - it is the worst time imaginable for that kind of discussion to be taking place," he said.

Meanwhile, the Government's aid organisation, AusAid, says it has no plans to pull its seven workers out of Iraq.

An AusAid spokeswoman says the security situation in Iraq is being constantly assessed.

Several other aid groups, contacted by the ABC, refused to discuss details about their Australian workers in Iraq over concerns for their welfare.

The Department of Foreign Affairs says there are usually several dozen civilian Australians in Iraq at any one time.

A spokeswoman says civilians can be advised, rather than forced, to leave the country.

She says most Australians in Iraq are dual citizens, however she says there are a small number of Australians helping with the country's reconstruction.

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Incidentally, when the dust settles I suspect the reaction in Fallujah will go down as a bad move, to say the least.

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Does anyone have any good sources re how the majority of Iraqis really do feel about this uprising?

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Australian ABC is reporting that the Japanese civilians' captors have threatened to burn them alive if Japan does not withdraw.

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...or, it may be known that Sadr could not be left to do his magic after June 30--and it was a given he'd have to be confronted.

He's making his power play for domination of post-war Iraq.

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Sadr needs a smart bomb up the wazoo.

His followers need to be terminated with extreme prejudice.

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Tarantulas wrote:

His followers need to be terminated with extreme prejudice.

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(that means KILLED)

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Tarantulas wrote:

(that means KILLED)

Thanks. (If you need any help in German, French, Latin - just ask.)

So: KILLED by prejudices.

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We know what it means.

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Cease fire
Yesterday al Sadr has called a halt to open hosilities. He requested is group to stand down.

The US has opened itself to more world condemnation due to the overkill of their Military. If the US continues their agressive force I believe that their will be an all out Iraqi uprising.

Brutal force will not subdue the people of Iraq.

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dlowan wrote:

We know what it means.

Walter didn't know what it meant.

Quote:

To ?'terminate with prejudice' is/was a term used in the military for removing an officer from their position.

?'Terminate with extreme prejudice' is clearly a play on ?'terminate with prejudice.' It is/was a euphemism for ?'murder' adopted by the CIA in the 1960s, which was later used in spy novels and films and it appears to be an example of art imitating life and not vise versa!

I try to use terminology that can be understood everywhere but sometimes I forget, sorry.

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dlowan wrote:

We know what it means.

Tarantulas wrote:

Walter didn't know what it meant.
[...]
I try to use terminology that can be understood everywhere but sometimes I forget, sorry.

Well, actually such wasn't asked when I passed my exams as a military translator, although I could work up to 'NATO Secret' :wink:

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Yeah, silly American slang. You think everyone knows what it means. Maybe that's part of the "Ugly American" syndrome.

I had a secret clearance in the Navy. The only Secret information I ever read was some document about what a Soviet submarine sounded like on sonar, back around 1975. It was a technical document and I didn't understand much of it. The officer I borrowed it from explained that Soviet submarines sounded like a collection of pots and pans banging their way across the ocean. That I could understand.

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Fallujah- The Kill Zone

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