U.S. forces fight major gun battle in Baghdad (Sadr City)

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

Source: Los Angeles Times

Troops come under fire during a raid in Sadr City, and as many as 49 people, including children, die in the ensuing violence. Troop casualties are still unknown.
By Christian Berthelsen, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
12:44 PM PDT, October 21, 2007

BAGHDAD -- U.S. forces engaged in a major gun battle with militants during an early morning raid in the Shiite district of Sadr City today and may have killed as many as 49 people. The Iraqi government said many of the victims were civilians, but the U.S. insisted only "criminals" were killed.

Those wounded in the incident included 8- and 11-year-old boys who were interviewed in their hospital beds by the Times. Another man said his 1 1/2 -year-old son was killed, as well as a neighbor's son the same age.

U.S. officials said the raid did not capture or kill its target, a man believed to be the leader of a kidnapping cell who they said previously had sought funding from Iran to finance high-profile abductions. A military spokesperson did not immediately respond to press inquiries as to whether any U.S. soldiers were wounded or killed in the incident.

According to the initial U.S. account, ground forces arrived in Sadr City, a stronghold of the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr's Mahdi Army, and began clearing buildings where the target was believed to be when they came under fire from machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.

MKJ


Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq22oct22,1,2603361.story?coll=la-headlines-world&track=crosspromo

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Another massacre in our names. MKJ

[Amonester]

1. Watta Way to make new friends in the puppet government... n/t

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

2. Yep. "clearing buildings" in the center of Baghdad.

MKJ

[Robbien]

3. The thread in GD has pictures of the toddler "criminals" killed by our bombs in this raid

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2102760&mesg_id=2102760

and there are plenty of other stories/pictures on the web showing the bloodied mattresses of the sleeping on the roof Iraqis whom the military are claiming to be the bad guys they killed.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

4. On edit. Another open attack on civilians.

I myself got caught up in the Bill Maher hecklers/Hillary's cat threads.

Lots of distractions here including some interesting posts on the Latest page after this particular LBN OP.

We are being told that the poor in Baghdad are being systematically killed. And, it's our tax dollars paying for this unspeakable death and destruction.

Plus, there was a significant incursion from Turkey into Northern Iraq, with several dozen dead.

Wonder what Bush's oil buddy Hunt thinks about all this.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3037398

MKJ

[Robbien]

7. It is amazing the activity all those distraction threads are getting when I am so overwhelmed

by what is happening in Iraq and the rest of the world today.

Ah well, such is the crazy quilt which makes up DU.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

8. I got caught up, myself. Distractions are just that.

Crazy quilt, very apt. MKJ

[Strelnikov_]

10. "Wonder what Bush's oil buddy Hunt thinks about all this."

Last time I take advice from that idiot W.

[spag68]

14. I think you have it backwards

It was the PPK Kurds attacking into Turkey, killed 17 soldiers, Get your story straight.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

15. Thanks for the correction.

The border has become a flashpoint.

MKJ

[gratuitous]

5. No, no, only "criminals" were killed

We have special "criminals-only" bullets and grenades; we don't kill innocents; three-year-olds can be terrorists, you know.

Hollow, hollow, hollow. What are our tax dollars paying for?

[Warren Stupidity]

6. The Iraqi account is quite different.

According to them, the US occupation forces started off with an airstrike that was unprovoked, and then followed up with ground troops who were shot at by irate Iraqis who just had their neighborhood destroyed.

[monktonman]

11. Consider the source....

I dont trust Al-Maliki any more than I trust Bush.

[monktonman]

12. ...oooops! drunk again n/t

[xchrom]

9. imagine the fury in sadr city?

let's see what happens now -- if another poll is taken.

[monktonman]

13. What would Al-Maliki say if this were a Sunni neighborhood?? n/t

[Massachusetts]

16. FUBAR

We have done enough damage to Our Troops, The Iraqis and OUR reputation.

The boat already left the dock, burn the village to save it.IMO