US troops in fierce clashes in holy cities

[MsMagnificent]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1222317,00.html

American troops called in an AC-130 Spectre gunship yesterday in fresh clashes with a rebel Shia militia in the holy Iraqi city of Kerbala.
The US military said it killed 18 fighters loyal to the cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in fighting before dawn yesterday. Two Iranian pilgrims and a driver for the Arabic television channel al-Jazeera were also killed.

<clipped> read more via top link...

(I went through a couple pages of Latest Breaking News and did not see this Subject,
if this is redundant, my apologies and please remove it.)

[izzie]

1. Can you think of a bigger error?

I really do not know why I say you can not fire on a church if it has guns and fighters in it, but some how I feel it is bad and very bad in that part of the world. Also the way Bush made war does not help. I do not think these people will for get this and it will be more important than the prison stuff or as bad for us.

[saigon68]

11. THIS PHOTO IS ALL OVER EUROPE TODAY

Muslim women call for the release of Iraqi women held in jail in Iraq (news - web sites), during a demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in central London, May 22, 2004. REUTERS/David Bebber

[donsu]

13. smirks use of the 'crusade' word is not lost on Iraqis

they know he means it.

[gottaB]

2. If it's redundant, it's because they keep repeating the same mistake

Maybe one of these times it will work? Not bloody likely.

[symbolman]

3. There's a name for repeating

the same mistake over and over and expecting a different result..

it's called INSANITY. :)

I wonder when they are going to start taking out churches over here.. guess that's just what Bush would want, really..

then it's the Hatfields and McCoys all over again..

[izzie]

4. Is this just human folly? We keep doing things that do not work over.

I do it my self at times. I guess we all do. My father used to say to me. Well you see how bad that worked out for your sister' would you like to try it? I often did. Yar I do know what to call myself.

[teryang]

5. Al Jazeera lost two people

The filming has to be stopped because the fighting is of a heroic nature. It might be labeled propaganda. Humans have an innate tendency to imitate what they see. Another rationale is that the film has tactical value.

If someone can be seen well enough to be hit in the eye by a sniper, it is also evident that he is a non-combatant.

[Just Me]

6. This article is loaded.

The al-Jazeera reporter was killed from a single bullet shot in the left eye. That does not sound like an accident as he was filming the violence from a rooftop.

Also, a Spanish radio reporter was held by al-Sadr forces then released after four hours. I wonder what that individual will be reporting when able to get back on-line.

Gunships are being used in the conflict which is dangerously close to holy mosques.

It's all very ugly when you consider that we were only supposed to topple Saddam and free these people who had nothing to do with 9/11 and who did nothing to threaten the security of the USA.

[BeFree]

9. Very ugly...

Can anyone tell me just when it was that America declared WAR on the Iraqi People? Somehow i missed that bit of news.

[Alerter_]

7. By destroying Ali's Tomb, will they destroy Shiism?

I'm beginning to think they will destroy Muslim holy sites in Iraq as a lead up to Israel destroying the Dome of the Rock to build the "Third Temple" that the fundie Christians and Jews want.

I used to ignore the religious implications of the war as just propaganda, and concentrate on the oil and strategic power as the major reasons. But the religious angle is good for influencing populations on a large scale, "writing history" so to speak, and that's obviously the game plan for these psychopaths.

[BeFree]

10. Remember when * said:

"This Crusade"

He let the truth slip out right after 9/11. Still have any doubts?

[Alerter_]

12. "invade their countries and convert them to Christianity"

Ann Coulir right? no doubt about it anymore. So, why do we assume the prison rapes and torture, videotaping them, and releasing them to the public was an accident, or a leak? Looking at it from a propaganda/religious angle, it's the best type of PsyOps available. Then destroy your temples. The religion and culture is destroyed.

Or at least that's the theory. It seems to me we might wind up making Osama Bin Laden the new Moses/Christ of the 22nd Century. That can't be good.

[MsMagnificent]

15. I agree

and it scares the living hell out of me

[jayfish]

8. Worse Than Saddam.

At least he wasn't allowed to use aircraft when he crushed his "Shia uprising. Where are we going to put all of the mass graves?

Jay

[Judi Lynn]

14. Thanks for the article: it's very well done. n/w

[MsMagnificent]

16. Note it's a UK paper

I wonder if this is being reported in our papers?
The Guardian is great for intelligent, well-written articles and they're NOT afraid of the fascist tactics of Bu$h or to a lesser extent, Blair
IMHO anywyas :D

[maggrwaggr]

17. It really bothers me we're not hearing more about this here

Here in the US we're hearing almost nothing about this.

Yet this has been going on for days and days and days.

We get hints of it, usually the military bragging that they've killed scores of Iraqi "insurgents" or Sadr "loyalists" or whatever.

But what the fuck is really going on?

NOBODY'S covering this here.

How many people are we massacring as I type this?