Insurgents loot police uniforms (thousands)

[floda]

Insurgents have acquired thousands of police uniforms after officers deserted their posts when rebels attacked stations in Mosul.



About 3,200 of the Iraqi town's 4,000 police officers dropped their weapons and ran off, intimidated into submission by groups of armed insurgents during a 48-hour period, it has emerged.

American-led troops will now potentially face rebels wearing police uniforms making it extremely difficult to distinguish them from policemen.

At least seven police stations were overrun and looted of their weapons, radios, uniforms and vehicles, before being set ablaze or, in at least one case, destroyed by dynamite.

more...


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/11/19/uuniforms.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/11/19/ixportaltop.html&sSheet=/portal/2004/11/19/ixportaltop.html

[The Sheik]

1. Shit.

That doesnt seem to good.

[Mabus]

3. Ya think?

But once again, the incompetency of those in charge is self-evident. You know I think even Barney Fife would have seen this one coming.

[flyingfysh]

2. there were also American military uniforms stolen

from a laundry in Kuwait. This was over a year ago.

[Cha]

4. This sounds like the keystone cops..

how many "insurgents" were there to override 4,000 Iraqi police?


I wonder if this will make the US newspapers?

[Algorem]

20. dropped their weapons and ran?wouldn't you sorta want to hold on to the

weapon maybe?

[alcuno]

5. Wasn't there a story earlier this week about 31 Iraqi NG kidnapped?

On their way back from training in Jordan? I mean, how do you kidnap 31 adult males at one time? I am so sick of people pretending like things are okay over there. If even ONE of these incidents happened in the US, people would go stark raving mad from rage.

[Kagemusha]

9. You point an assault rifle at a bunch of unarmed men.

That's how.

[alcuno]

13. And go where with them? 31 guys at a time?

I just keep trying to imagine the kidnapping of 31 men in this country. I know Iraq is out of control and not the US, but it's almost comical when you think about it. It's not like 31 men were captured on the battlefield, they were taken from a hotel.

[slor]

6. Good Grief! Are they trying...

to fuck this up as much as possible?

[NYC]

7. Beheaded bodies found in Mosul.

Beheaded Bodies Found in Mosul; U.S. Storms Baghdad Mosque

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/19/international/middleeast/20iraqcnd.html

...As many as a dozen beheaded corpses have been discovered in western Mosul, while in Baghdad today Iraqi and American troops killed at least three people during a raid on an influential Sunni mosque that had been accused of inciting terrorism against United States forces.

... Some of the beheaded bodies found in Mosul are thought to have been Iraqi soldiers killed for collaborating with Americans.

...A 35-year-old businessman in Mosul who said he was a witness to the executions, Senan Shukri, said that the two Iraqi soldiers were brought by car to a public square, where they were surrounded and beheaded immediately.

...Lt. Col. Erik Kurilla, the commander of the First Battalion of the 24th Infantry Regiment, said he had been in contact with his counterparts at the Iraqi National Guard but that they had been unable to say whether any of their officers were missing. They said that a number of guardsmen have left on leave and cannot be tracked down, Col. Kurilla said.

[saigon68]

22. Sounds like a fair and free ELECTION COMING UP

</SARCASM>

[SheepyMcSheepster]

8. bring 'em on!

what a mess. keeps getting messier and messier.

[burrowowl]

10. U$ will have to change

the uniforms. Who will pay for them? The Iraqi Policemen?

[dArKeR]

11. In my opinion the American Media is responsible for the murder of our

soldiers. Along with Gingrich, Falwell, Robertson and the Bush Crime Family. Above all the Media is guilty of murder.

[Dem2theMax]

21. I agree with you. If the media had done their job --

tell America the TRUTH -- none of this would be happening.
The blood is on their hands as much as it is on *'s.

[NNN0LHI]

12. Rummy says it is just one uniform...

... and the media keeps showing the same guy stealing it over and over again. Nothing to worry about.

Don

[paper chase guy]

18. ok...

5 minutes earlier, I would have been spitting soda out of my nose, but luckily, I've long since swallowed it. :)

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

14. I'm sure most of the stolen uniforms were stolen by simply

wearing them.

[countmyvote4real]

15. It’s one thing to be an uninvited “guest,” but the really

irritating ones are those that wreck your home, murder your family, steal your resources and won’t leave. Hello, USA? The Iraqi people don’t want us there. We’ve overstayed our welcome. Oh wait. There weren’t any chocolates and flowers when we arrived.

If there was a lesson to be learned from Vietnam, it’s that this is a pissing match that we cannot win. Of course our “Dear Leader” did not learn that because he was AWOL and he’s not a critical thinker.

The only reasons that we are still there are Hubris and Avarice. I think the latter is still the stronger motivation. But as the old saying goes, “Pride goeth before a fall.” In short, the longer we stay there under the transparently false pretense of Operation Iraqi Liberation, the deeper our nation will sink. I don’t mean to sound like a fatalist, but the ungodly policies of the * administration are destroying us in so many ways. Trust me. We’re going down.

[PartyPooper]

16. A catostrophic success.

Isn't that what Junior called it?

:eyes:

[Algorem]

17. It's probably a really low-priced vacation destination,though.Gotta be

some real bargains.

[daleo]

19. They may have sold them, or given them to the resistance

In my opinion, it is an open question as to how much the Iraqi police or so-called national guard really cooperate with U.S. forces. They probably provide plenty of equipment and intelligence to the resistance, if only for their own protection.