Fighting erupts in Iraqi city of Falluja

[quagmire_iraq]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L24298605.htm

FALLUJA, Iraq, June 24 (Reuters) - Fighting erupted between U.S. soldiers and guerrillas in Falluja on Thursday, with U.S. warplanes and helicopter gunships swooping low over the Iraqi city and insurgents firing rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47s.

On Saturday and Tuesday, U.S. forces destroyed houses in Falluja in what the military said were "precision strikes" against safehouses used by fighters loyal to Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, blamed for many attacks in Iraq.

A senior military official said 20 foreign fighters had been killed in Tuesday's strike on a Zarqawi-linked safehouse.


FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - The U.S. military said it launched a "precision strike" on a safe house used by militants linked to al Qaeda operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the Iraqi city of Falluja on Tuesday night.

[thebigidea]

1. uh... we're rebuilding schools... and uh, opening hospitals... uh...

flowers... uh... candy?

[physioex]

2. Sigh......I just read about this on google news.....

:(

[ScrewyRabbit]

3. Oh, I remember the Fallujah victory

where we pulled out to leave the city in the hands of our good friends, the Fallujah Brigade. Looks like the whole thing is going swimmingly...

[quagmire_iraq]

4. As you can see

The dead were Terrorist guards while the wounded were foreign Terrorist truck driver bringing terrorist supplies to the terrorist cities in Terrorist Iraq.



Iraqis look at the damage to vehicles in a parking lot that was hit in overnight airstrikes by the U.S. military in Fallujah, Iraq. Witnesses at the scene said that the bedding lying on the hood of the car was used by men sleeping in the vehicles at the time of the strike. U.S. forces launched an airstrike targeting militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi after his group beheaded a South Korean hostage.
The strike hit a garage, killing four civilian guards and wounding six other people in Iraq 's most rebellious town. REUTERS/Akram Saleh

[Nihil]

5. Yep ...

... really f*cking precise aren't they?

With "precision" like that, it's hard to see why the Iraqis are
complaining so much: surgical strikes that only take out the terrorist
target and no collateral ... you'd think that Falluja would be crying
out for more of this careful, discriminating police activity rather
than risk losing any of the innocent civilians, the women, the children
to random, scattershot group reprisals.

> A senior military official said 20 foreign fighters had been killed in
> Tuesday's strike

"Yeah, well they're Iraqi (that's foreign ain't it?) and we're fighting
them (so they must be fighters). Stop asking so many goddamn questions."

[quagmire_iraq]

6. At least four car bombs in Iraq's Mosul - police

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L24309316.htm

BAGHDAD, June 24 (Reuters) - Rebels launched coordinated assaults on Iraqi police that turned several mainly Sunni Muslim cities into battle zones on Thursday and at least 23 people were killed, including three U.S. soldiers.

Three more blasts shook the city later, and local television ordered residents to stay at home. Police blocked off all major roads, and announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew.

The U.S. military said an American soldier had been killed and three wounded in the blasts. It said a security guard was killed when gunmen attacked a private security company, but did not give the guard's nationality.

Black-clad gunmen, some claiming loyalty to Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, attacked a police station in Baquba, 60 km (40 miles) northwest of Baghdad.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

[Nihil]

9. That's about a quarter of a ton of HE in each

> U.S. planes dropped 500-pound bombs

Like I said, real "precise" ...


I'd call a sniper bullet "precise".

I'd call a SAS squad "precise".

The action of a company of regular troops may or may not be "precise",
depending on how well planned & executed the operation ends up being.

Calling the arrival of several 500lb bombs "precise" is simply shit.

[Moderator]

13. quagmire_iraq

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted new source.


Thank you.

DU Moderator

[quagmire_iraq]

7. U.S. SAYS MOST CITIES "UNDER CONTROL"

Brigadier General Mark 'the frog- change the channel if you dont like bad news' Kimmitt, deputy director of operations for the U.S. army in Iraq, confirmed there had been clashes in a number of Iraqi cities.

"With the exception of what we are seeing in Baquba, most seem to be under control right now," he told reporters.

A senior U.S. officer said the attacks were likely to have been the work of Saddam loyalists, rather than Zarqawi followers. He said 30 to 40 fighters had staged the Baquba attacks, with lower numbers in action elsewhere.

U.S. forces had used laser-guided weapons against three houses in Baquba to silence small-arms fire.

(With reporting by Faris Mehdawi in Baquba, Fadel Badran in Falluja and Maher al-Thanoon in Mosul)

[Aidoneus]

8. In other words: bad time to be a crusader in Iraq

The more they feel it must be asserted that everything is in control, the more often it is the opposite as truth.

[jmcgowanjm]

10. Wolfowitz started this w/ his weekend visit

A senior Task Force Olympia officer told Wolfowitz the situation
in Mosul is nothing like that in the restive city of Fallujah.
"You're not going to see a situation here where the city will
turn against the coalition," the officer said during an
operational briefing.

http://www.dod.gov/news/Jun2004/n06172004_2004061702.html

U.S. was tempted to 'pull the plug' on Fallujah Brigade

"The Fallujah Brigade was a Band-Aid to create a cease-fire," said a senior official in Wolfowitz's delegation. "It has to be viewed as a temporary fix."

Shehwani said Zarqawi was no longer in Fallujah.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5246259/.

According to an anonymous source, Wolfowitz
then said, "Well, shit, drop some bombs on Fallujah
anyway. I'm tired of watching those "ragheads"
thumb their noses at us. Kill 'em all and let
God sort them out."

[quagmire_iraq]

11. Anti-Coalition mayhem

Iraqi men fight a fire in a house after U.S. airstrikes in Fallujah, Iraq, during battles between U.S. forces and Iraqi militants Thursday June 24, 2004. Militants launched coordinated attacks against police and government buildings across Iraq Thursday, less than a week before the handover of sovereignty. (AP Photo/Abdul-Kadr Saadi)


Armed militants drive through the streets of Fallujah, Iraq, chanting pro-resistance slogans after battles with U.S. forces Thursday June 24, 2004. Militants launched coordinated attacks against police and government buildings across Iraq Thursday, less than a week before the handover of sovereignty. (AP Photo/Abdul-Kadr Saadi)


Iraqis gather among their dead relatives at a hospital in Baqouba, Iraq, after battles in the city between Iraqi armed militants and U.S. troops and Iraqi police Thursday June 24, 2004. Militants launched coordinated attacks against police and government buildings across Iraq Thursday, less than a week before the handover of sovereignty. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)


An Iraqi man lies injured in a Ramadi hospital, 110km west of Baghdad, Iraq after a militant attack on a local police station Thursday June 24, 2004. Insurgents launched coordinated attacks Thursday against police and government facilities across Sunni Muslim-dominated areas of central and northern Iraq, killing at least 23 people, including three U.S. soldiers, U.S. and Iraqi officials said. (AP Photo/Abdul-Kadr Saadi)


An Iraqi man looks at the destruction of the police station in Ramadi, 110km west of Baghdad, Iraq fter an militant attack Thursday June 24, 2004. Insurgents launched coordinated attacks Thursday against police and government facilities across Sunni Muslim-dominated areas of central and northern Iraq, killing at least 23 people, including three U.S. soldiers, U.S. and Iraqi officials said. (AP Photo/Imad Mulla)


An Iraqi man looks at the destruction of the Ramadi, Iraq police station after a militant attack Thursday June 24, 2004. Insurgents launched coordinated attacks Thursday against police and government facilities across Sunni Muslim-dominated areas of central and northern Iraq, killing at least 23 people, including three U.S. soldiers, U.S. and Iraqi officials said. (AP Photo/Imad Mulla)


South Korean anti-war protesters hold candles with placards during a rally in downtown Seoul Wednesday night. Anti-war passions continued to flare Thursday as activists vowed to block the dispatch of more troops to Iraq and the government banned the video the the beheading of South Korean hostage Kim Sun-Il.(AFP/file/Kim Jae-Hwan)


Japanese troops patrol in Iraq. Public sentiment against involvement in Iraq, where Tokyo has deployed 550 troops, is strong and growing(AFP/File/Kazuhiro Nogi)


U.S. Army soldiers lift a destroyed car after an explosion in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, June 24, 2004. A car loaded with explosives went off in Baghdad's district of al-Doura killing five Iraqi soldiers and wounding three others, witnesses said. Rebels launched coordinated assaults on Iraqi police that turned several mainly Sunni Muslim cities into battle zones on Thursday and at least 23 people were killed, including three U.S. soldiers. REUTERS/Ali Jasim


An Iraqi firefighter arrives to the scene after a car bomb explosion in front of a police station, in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, June 24, 2004. Rebels wreaked havoc in five Iraqi cities on Thursday with coordinated car bombings and assaults on local security forces in which at least 67 people, including three U.S. soldiers, were killed. REUTERS/Namir Noor-Eldeen


Member of Iraq's Civil Defence Corp stands guard while conducting a joint patrol along with U.S. 1st. Cavalry Division soldiers, in the New Baghdad neighborhood, early June 24, 2004. REUTERS/Nikola Solic


Iraqi police and medics rush to the scene of a car bomb explosion in Mosul, Iraq, Thursday June 24, 2004. A hospital official in Mosul said at least 50 people died in four bombings in the northern Iraqi city. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ibrahim)


Iraqi police walk through the courtyard of a destroyed police station in Ramadi, Iraq after a militant attack Thursday June 24, 2004. Militants launched coordinated attacks Thursday against police and government facilities across Sunni Muslim-dominated areas of central and northern Iraq, killing at least 23 people, including three U.S. soldiers, U.S. and Iraqi officials said. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)


An Iraqi medic removes a body after a car bomb explosion in front of a police station in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, June 24, 2004. A series of car bomb attacks on police stations in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Thursday killed at least 40 people and wounded 60, Iraqi police said. REUTERS/Namir Noor-Eldeen


Iraqi police officers stand near a crater caused by a car bomb explosion, which went off in front of a police station in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, June 24, 2004. A series of car bomb attacks on police stations in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Thursday killed at least 40 people and wounded 60, Iraqi police said. REUTERS/Namir Noor-Eldeen


Iraqis look at a destroyed car at the scene of one of four car bomb explosions, targeting police force in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, June 24, 2004. Iraq's health ministry said that at least 44 people were killed in a series of car bomb blasts in the northern city of Mosul, 390 km north of Baghdad, and 216 wounded. REUTERS/Namir Noor-Eldeen


Iraqi police secure the scene of one of four car bomb explosions, which targeted the local police force in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, June 24, 2004. In Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, multiple car bombings on police buildings rocked the city, killing at least 44 people and wounding 216, the Health Ministry said. REUTERS/Namir Noor-Eldeen


Turkish bomb squad work at the site after a bomb exploded near the entrance of the Hilton Hotel where U.S. President George W. Bush is expected to stay this weekend, in Ankara on Thursday, June 24, 2004. Two police officers standing near the bomb when it went off were injured. Turkey is one of the United States' best friends in the region, but anti-American feelings are soaring following the invasion of Iraq. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)


Bush is the real terrorist
Protesters in Seoul June 24, 2004 hold signs at a rally to mourn over Kim Sun-il who was beheaded by Muslim militants in Iraq. President Roh Moo-hyun ordered a full investigation on Thursday into the kidnapping and beheading of a South Korean hostage by militants in Iraq, after it emerged the man was abducted three weeks before Seoul found out. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won


A helicopter flies above a road in Fallujah, Iraq, in this image made from television, Thursday, June 24, 2004. Guerilla forces clashed with US forces in the restive Iraqi town 60 km (40 miles) outside of Baghdad Thursday. Amid the fighting, a US Marine helicopter made an emergency landing outside Fallujah. (AP Photo/APTN)


The bodies of two policemen lie dead on the floor close to a police station in Baquba, 60 kms northeast of Baghdad. Sixty-six people were killed and 268 wounded in coordinated attacks by insurgents across central and northern Iraq the Iraqi health ministry said in a provisional toll.(AFP/Ali Yussef)


Iraqis pull a burned body out of a destroyed car after one of four car bomb explosions, targeting police force in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, June 24, 2004. Rebels bent on disrupting a handover to Iraqi rule bloodied five cities on Thursday with coordinated assaults on local security forces in which about 75 people, including three U.S. soldiers, were killed. The violence in Baquba, Falluja, Ramadi, Mosul and Baghdad intensified a sustained campaign by Iraqi insurgents and foreign militants to sabotage Iraq's formal transition from U.S.-led occupation to an interim government in six days' time. More than 200 people were wounded. REUTERS/Namir Noor-Eldeen


An Iraqi soldier collects body remains of one of his colleagues after an explosion in Baghdad, June 24, 2004. Rebels bent on disrupting a handover to Iraqi rule bloodied five cities on Thursday with coordinated assaults on local security forces in which about 75 people, including three U.S. soldiers, were killed. The violence in Baquba, Falluja, Ramadi, Mosul and Baghdad intensified a sustained campaign by Iraqi insurgents and foreign militants to sabotage Iraq's formal transition from U.S.-led occupation to an interim government in six days' time. More than 200 people were wounded. REUTERS/Ali Jasim


An Iraqi son guides his wounded father out of the scene of one of four car bomb explosions, targeting police force in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, June 24, 2004. Rebels bent on disrupting a handover to Iraqi rule bloodied five cities on Thursday with coordinated assaults on local security forces in which about 75 people, including three U.S. soldiers, were killed. The violence in Baquba, Falluja, Ramadi, Mosul and Baghdad intensified a sustained campaign by Iraqi insurgents and foreign militants to sabotage Iraq's formal transition from U.S.-led occupation to an interim government in six days' time. More than 200 people were wounded. REUTERS/Namir Noor-Eldeen


A US Marine at a temporary base alongside the highway, on the outskirts of Fallujah. Insurgents, some believed linked with terror suspect Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, unleashed attacks on four cities across Iraq leaving more than 35 dead including three US soldiers in an apparently coordinated onslaught.(AFP/File/Mauricio Lima)


An Iraqi policeman takes position during clashes in Baquba, 60 kms northeast of Baghdad. Insurgents, some believed linked with terror suspect Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, unleashed attacks on four cities across Iraq leaving more than 35 dead including three US soldiers in an apparently coordinated onslaught.(AFP/Ali Yussef)


Iraqi insurgents take position during clashes in Baquba, 60 kms northeast of Baghdad. Insurgents, some believed linked with terror suspect Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, unleashed attacks on four cities across Iraq leaving more than 35 dead including three US soldiers in an apparently coordinated onslaught.(AFP/Ali Yussef)


Iraqis evacuate a body of a victim from the scene of one of four car bomb explosions, targeting police force in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, June 24, 2004. Rebels bent on disrupting a handover to Iraqi rule bloodied five cities on Thursday with coordinated assaults on local security forces in which about 75 people, including three U.S. soldiers, were killed. The violence in Baquba, Falluja, Ramadi, Mosul and Baghdad intensified a sustained campaign by Iraqi insurgents and foreign militants to sabotage Iraq's formal transition from U.S.-led occupation to an interim government in six days' time. More than 200 people were wounded. REUTERS/Namir Noor-Eldeen


Iraqis remove a body of a victim from the scene of one of four car bomb explosions, targeting police force in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, June 24, 2004. Rebels bent on disrupting a handover to Iraqi rule bloodied five cities on Thursday with coordinated assaults on local security forces in which about 75 people, including three U.S. soldiers, were killed. The violence in Baquba, Falluja, Ramadi, Mosul and Baghdad intensified a sustained campaign by Iraqi insurgents and foreign militants to sabotage Iraq's formal transition from U.S.-led occupation to an interim government in six days' time. More than 200 people were wounded. REUTERS/Namir Noor-Eldeen


An Iraqi youth carries a wounded boy away from the scene of a car bomb blast in the northern city of Mosul, June 24, 2004. A series of car bomb attacks on police stations killed at least 40 people and wounded 60, Iraqi police said. They said more bodies were still being brought in to hospitals. At least seven large explosions were reported in Mosul Thursday morning. Photo by Namir Noor-Eldeen/Reuters


An Iraqi youth collects belongings from the rubble of his house damaged in one of the five car bomb attacks that hit Mosul, 370 kms north of Baghdad. At least 66 people were reported killed as US forces reacted to an intensifying and apparently coordinated wave of attacks on four Iraqi cities, less than a week before the June 30 transfer of power to a transitional government.(AFP/Mujahed Mohammed)


An Iraqi man stands close to a pool of blood at the scene of one of the five car bombs that exploded in Mosul, 370 kms north of Baghdad. At least 66 people were reported killed as US forces reacted to an intensifying and apparently coordinated wave of attacks on four Iraqi cities, less than a week before the June 30 transfer of power to a transitional government.(AFP/Mujahed Mohammed)


An Iraqi policeman takes position during clashes in Baquba, 60 kms northeast of Baghdad. At least 66 people were reported killed as US forces reacted to an intensifying and apparently coordinated wave of attacks on four Iraqi cities, less than a week before the June 30 transfer of power to a transitional government.(AFP/Ali Yussef)


Iraqi insurgents take position during clashes in Baquba, 60 kms northeast of Baghdad. At least 66 people were reported killed as US forces reacted to an intensifying and apparently coordinated wave of attacks on four Iraqi cities, less than a week before the June 30 transfer of power to a transitional government.(AFP/Ali Yussef)


Iraqi police and medics gather around a crater at the scene of a car bomb explosion in Mosul, Iraq (news <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/slideshow/manual/*http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news?p=%22Iraq%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw> - web sites <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/slideshow/manual/*http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?cs=nw&p=Iraq>) Thursday June 24, 2004. A hospital official in Mosul said at least 50 people died in four bombings in the northern Iraqi city. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ibrahim)


A video grab of remains of a car after a car bomb explosion outside a police station in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul June 24, 2004. Rebels bent on disrupting a handover to Iraqi rule bloodied five cities on Thursday with coordinated assaults on local security forces in which about 75 people, including three U.S. soldiers, were killed. The violence in Baquba, Falluja, Ramadi, Mosul and Baghdad intensified a sustained campaign by Iraqi insurgents and foreign militants to sabotage Iraq (news <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/slideshow/manual/*http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news?p=%22Iraq%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw> - web sites <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/slideshow/manual/*http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?cs=nw&p=Iraq>)'s formal transition from U.S.-led occupation to an interim government in six days' time. More than 200 people were wounded. REUTERS TV


A video grab shows Iraqi policeman and passers-by at the scene of a car bomb explosion outside a police station in Mosul, June 24, 2004. Rebels bent on disrupting a handover to Iraqi rule bloodied five cities on Thursday with coordinated assaults on local security forces in which about 75 people, including three U.S. soldiers, were killed. The violence in Baquba, Falluja, Ramadi, Mosul and Baghdad intensified a sustained campaign by Iraqi insurgents and foreign militants to sabotage Iraq (news <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/slideshow/manual/*http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news?p=%22Iraq%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw> - web sites <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/slideshow/manual/*http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?cs=nw&p=Iraq>)'s formal transition from U.S.-led occupation to an interim government in six days' time. More than 200 people were wounded. REUTERS TV


A video grab shows an Iraqi policemen at the scene of a car bomb explosion outside a police station in Mosul, June 24, 2004. Rebels bent on disrupting a handover to Iraqi rule bloodied five cities on Thursday with coordinated assaults on local security forces in which about 75 people, including three U.S. soldiers, were killed. The violence in Baquba, Falluja, Ramadi, Mosul and Baghdad intensified a sustained campaign by Iraqi insurgents and foreign militants to sabotage Iraq's formal transition from U.S.-led occupation to an interim government in six days' time. More than 200 people were wounded. REUTERS TV





An injured Iraqi man is wheeled down a hospital hallway Baqouba, Iraq, after morning battles in the city between Iraqi police and armed militants Thursday June 24, 2004. Militants launched coordinated attacks against police and government buildings across Iraq Thursday, less than a week before the handover of sovereignty. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)


An Iraqi detainee awaits medical attention from American military medics inside the Abu Ghraib prison on the outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq Thursday, June 24, 2004. A U.S. soldier said the detainee had been injured when the roadside bomb he was setting for an American convoy exploded prematurely. (AP Photo/John Moore)


Mohammed Ghadban comforts his brother Ismael who says he was injured by U.S. helicopter strikes on Baqouba, Iraq, during battles in the city by Iraqi armed militants and U.S. troops Thursday June 24, 2004. Militants launched coordinated attacks against police and government buildings across Iraq Thursday, less than a week before the handover of sovereignty. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)






Iraqi police and medics rush to the scene of a car bomb explosion in Mosul, Iraq, Thursday June 24, 2004. A hospital official in Mosul said at least 50 people died in four bombings in the northern Iraqi city. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ibrahim)


Three car bombs have hit the northern city of Mosul.




An Iraqi man looks at the destruction of the police station in Ramadi, 110km west of Baghdad, Iraq (news - web sites), after an militant attack Thursday June 24, 2004. Insurgents launched coordinated attacks Thursday against police and government facilities across Sunni Muslim-dominated areas of central and northern Iraq, killing at least 23 people, including three U.S. soldiers, U.S. and Iraqi officials said. (AP Photo/Imad Mulla)


The bodies of two policemen lie dead on the floor close to a police station in Baquba, 60 kms northeast of Baghdad. Eighteen people, including 11 policemen and a US sioldier were killed and 26 wounded as supporters of al-Qaeda terror suspect Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi battled coalition forces and Iraqi police in the town.(AFP/Ali Yussef)


Iraqi police officers stand near a crater caused by a car bomb in front of a police station in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, June 24, 2004. A series of car bomb attacks on police stations in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Thursday killed at least 40 people and wounded 60, Iraqi police said. (Namir Noor-Eldeen/Reuters)




A Cobra helicopter gunship (L) and UH-1 Huey search for insurgents after a U.S. Marine patrol from the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Marine Division was attacked near Falluja June 24, 2004. Falluja was one of several Iraqi cities hit by what appeared to be coordinated attacks. (Bob Strong/Reuters)


A rise in violence has been expected in the lead up to the June 30 transfer of power.


Militants calling themselves the Group of Jihad and Resistance threatened Allawi's life in a video that aired on Al Aribya Wednesday.


Hussein Malla / AP
Iraqi police push a burned car away from the scene of a roadside bomb which exploded near the Kindi Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, on Wednesday, killing three Iraqis, including a mother and her child.

[leftchick]

12. Ruh Roh! Cnn say "fallujah brigade" helping insurgents...

wtf? Like this wasn't predicted to happen? :crazy: