US convoy hit in Mosul

[leftchick]

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5FA41DD4-C3A1-42A5-8503-831418384965.htm

<snip>
A car bomb aimed at a US military convoy in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul has caused several casualties, witnesses have said.


A pick-up truck sped up beside the US convoy and exploded in Mosul's southern Yarmuk district at 0800 GMT (11am), said Iraqi police First Lieutenant Jaralla Mohammad Said.

<snip>
Witnesses said they saw body parts scattered in the street after the blast on Monday, which occurred in southern Mosul on the main highway leading into the city from the south.

No casualty figures were immediately available, but witnesses said civilians and soldiers had been hit.

[leftchick]

1. AP story........

Bobby-Trapped Car Explodes in Mosul (their headline!)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041011/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_car_bomb&cid=540&ncid=1480

MOSUL, Iraq - A car bomb exploded Monday in western Mosul as an American military convoy was passing by, witnesses said. First reports indicated it may have been a suicide attack.


Witnesses said U.S. forces cordoned off the area soon after the attack.

It was unclear if there were U.S. casualties.

Car bombs have been used with increasing frequency by insurgents battling American forces and their Iraqi allies.

[4dsc]

2. Mosul is the next hotbed

HEard it on the radio last week that the tentionsin the city are rising fast!! Its going to be a little Bagdad soon..

[PCIntern]

4. I want to say something about this story:

As I was getting dressed to come to the office, a flash came over Debka.com which stated the first report of this incident. I posted that fact, with a link, and was politely instructed by the Moderator that debka was not a valid news source. I will not utilize that site again for my posts here, since I follow the rules.

I respect that decision of the Moderator, and I know that the site has been the subject of innumerable arguments here at DU in the Israel-Palestine board, but I will tell you that I have never ever seen a news piece involving Breaking News, coming thru on that site which turned out to be untrue or revoked in its entirety. I would remind people that it was alone in reporting the fact that there were numerous weapons of Mainland China's manufacture in Afghanistan, something which was disputed in the mainstream press and on this board, and then...there they were, and everyone else broke the story as though it was news.

In almost all cases, I have seen reports of attacks in the Middle East there first by a longshot, but I am only remarking upon this fact, not upon the interpretation of meetings, or news bias, or whatever, simply that when things happen, they are often reported there first accurately.

Once again, I will certainly abide by the Moderator's and DU's prerogatives. Thank you for your attention, and I apologize if I have offended anyone.

[TomClash]

3. Reuters is the source for the Al Jazeera story

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=600820&src=rss/uk/worldNews§ion=news

[Media_Lies_Daily]

5. No chance they could have reported the story simultaneously?...

They both have reporters on the ground in Iraq...why discount Al Jazeera?

[Aidoneus]

6. al-J just has "Agencies" listed at their bottom line

Their article has a lot more information, and not only on this event, than the Reuters piece. :shurg:

[JoFerret]

7. So dangerous for jounalists in Iraq

...we may have to take the stories where we find them if tere is a track record of credibility.

[TomClash]

9. I'm not

but some people do.

The fact that Reuters reported it too gives it added credence IMHO

[leftchick]

8. Al-Jazeera takes witness accounts in their stories....

Reuters left this out...

<snip>
Witnesses said they saw body parts scattered in the street after the blast, which occurred in southern Mosul on the main highway leading into the city from the south.

No casualty figures were immediately available, but witnesses said civilians and soldiers had been hit.

US soldiers opened fire after the attack.

Mosul sees frequent attacks on US and Iraqi security forces, along with civilians and political officials.

[leftchick]

10. Update.... US Still not admitting any soldier casualties.....

Though it sounds bad... :(

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11046299%5E1702,00.html

<snip>

TWO Iraqis were killed and 18 others wounded in a suicide car bomb attack today against a US military convoy in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, medical sources said.

A US military spokesman said earlier that there had been a "a complex attack" on a convoy in Mosul and that there were unspecified casualties.

A utility vehicle sped up beside the US convoy and exploded in Mosul's southern Yarmouk district, said Iraqi police officer Jarella Mohammed Said.

"I saw a pick-up truck driven by a suicide bomber," he said.TWO Iraqis were killed and 18 others wounded in a suicide car bomb attack today against a US military convoy in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, medical sources said.

A US military spokesman said earlier that there had been a "a complex attack" on a convoy in Mosul and that there were unspecified casualties.

A utility vehicle sped up beside the US convoy and exploded in Mosul's southern Yarmouk district, said Iraqi police officer Jarella Mohammed Said.

"I saw a pick-up truck driven by a suicide bomber," he said.

The blast rattled the city and blew a deep crater in the road and helmets lay on the ground from US soldiers, an AFP correspondent said.

[leftchick]

11. Another report... very messy...

I thought Mosul used to be a "success story"??

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=123&art_id=qw1097489884503B262

<snip>

No casualty figures were immediately available and the US military said it was investigating. The witnesses said civilians and soldiers had been hit. Four vehicles were destroyed, including one reduced to a charred wreck.

The bomb gouged a crater two metres deep in the road. US soldiers opened fire after the attack, the witnesses said.

Insurgents have frequently mounted attacks on US forces in Mosul, 390km north of Baghdad.

Police said the beheaded bodies of two Mosul residents had been found in the city in the past 24 hours.

... if they aren't releasing US casualty numbers yet it is most likely pretty bad... :(

[leftchick]

12. 1 US soldier dead 9 others wounded!!!...." Complex Attack"

that makes 3 dead soldiers today and God knows how many wounded. They really tried to keep the lid on this attack.....

:(

http://www.turkishpress.com/turkishpress/news.asp?ID=30434

MOSUL, Iraq, Oct 11 (AFP) - Two Iraqis and a US soldier were killed and 27 others wounded in a suicide car bomb attack Monday against a military convoy in the northern city of Mosul, medics and the US military said.

"A suicide bomber drove the pick-up truck loaded with explosives into the path of the oncoming convoy where it detonated, leaving a five-foot (more than one metre deep) crater in the road," said a US military statement.


<snip>
Medical sources in the city said the attack killed two Iraqis and wounded 18 others, while the military said one soldier died and nine other American troops were wounded.

It was unclear if the bomber was in the tally.

After the blast, US troops came under fire with small arms from a nearby mosque, according to the military. Iraqi national guardsmen later searched the mosque area but could not find the gunmen.

[ausiedownunderground]

13. Fighting heating up not cooling down?

Reports in the Ozzie media with the exception of the Murdoch press seem to be countering this "Fighting cooling down readying for great November offensive" message you seem to be getting in the US mainstream media.
Fierce fighting is continuing in Samarra where it appears that the US forces still only control parts of the city but are struggling to control their supply lines into it. Heavy fighting is occurring in Al Latifiyah to the South of Baghdad where media here is reporting that 3000 US troops are battling close to 1000 guerillas. It appears that this is a very important fight for control of supply lines into Fallujah and Ramadi which appear to be next on the US retake list after your election is over.
Fighting in Mosul and its environs has also been heating up. As part of my cybersurfing i used to call in on an American soldiers Weblog called "My War - Fear and Loathing in Iraq". This soldier was fighting as an infantryman in a Stryker brigade in Mosul. Although his attitude was fairly gung-ho his writings were very eloquent and very mod!! He also described in fascinating detail several engagements with the guerillas in Mosul, including an excellant piece he called "Men in Black" which was written in such a way as to have you on the edge of your seat as you read his musings. A really fabulous piece of on the spot journalism. However not long after this piece he told us that he had been hauled up in front of his superiors and his writings came to an abrupt halt which was a great shame. However in early September he re-appeared, but his style had radically changed. No more engagment stories. In fact he even posted a piece written by his Battallion Commander which although well written was the proverbial "Pile of Crap"!!! Then suddenly in early October he's stopped posting again. Likely sign that Action heating up in Mosul????? as he normally posted quite often.
Another likely thorn in "The Bush Gangs" Nirvana dream is Kirkuk where it appears from our media reports tensions between Arabs, Turkmen and Kurds is nearing boiling point!