Ambush Kills 3 US Soldiers from Division That Killed Saddam Sons

[muchacho]

BAGHDAD - Three U.S. soldiers died in northern Iraq Thursday in the second fatal attack on troops from the 101st Airborne Division since they tracked down and killed Saddam Hussein's feared sons Uday and Qusay.

Washington had hoped the deaths of the brothers, killed on Tuesday when 200 soldiers stormed their hideout in Mosul, would end a guerrilla war that has claimed 44 U.S. lives since President Bush declared major combat over on May 1.

But with attacks continuing and many Iraqis still worried the hated former ruling family may rise again, the Pentagon prepared to publish grisly mortuary photos to try to convince them Uday and Qusay really are dead.

The U.S. military said the three soldiers from the 101st died when their vehicles were ambushed close to Qayara, south of Mosul, by gunmen who also fired rocket-propelled grenades.

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http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0724-04.htm

[Rhiannon12866]

1. What is it that the administration doesn't get?!

It's true that the Iraqi people hated and feared Saddam Hussein and sons, with good reason, but what would make the U.S. think that they would regard us as any better? It has long been proven that the INC information that the Iraqis would welcome the U.S. with flowers and open arms is completely false. Are U.S. troops still expected to believe this, as we are still expected to believe the administration's lies? They surely have learned otherwise. The Iraqi people see this as an invasion and an occupation of their country. Could any nation be expected to see this otherwise?

They suffered for 12 years under U.S.-led U.N. sanctions, which deprived them of necessities, like food and medicine. Thousands died, most of them children. After the ``first'' Gulf War, the U.S. encouraged the Shia in the south to rise up against Saddam. They did, but the U.S. abandoned them, leaving them to the ``mercy'' of Saddam. Thousands were killed. We have only, recently, found the mass graves.

Then came the recent invasion. Would you embrace the architect of ``shock and awe,'' if you were an Iraqi citizen who survived this? Everyday, American soldiers continue to die, as a result of continuing guerrilla warfare. Iraqis are defending their country. Thousands of Iraqi citizens, many of them children, have died as ``collateral damage.'' They have been caught in the crossfire of bullets and missiles. Children have died, having tried to play with unexploded cluster bombs and grenades. The lack of sanitation in the major cities has produced an outbreak of cholera, a disease eradicated in the 19th century. The majority of Iraqi children are suffering from diarrhea. Also, the Iraqi people are now facing starvation. This is currently their planting season, but this war has deprived them of seed, water and fertilizer. These people are truly in desperate straits. I have heard them say that, at least, under Saddam, they had necessities like water and electricity.

Saddam and sons were truly evil and so many Iraqi citizens died at their hands. Under the present circumstances, how can they possibly believe that The U.S. invading force presents a better alternative for them?:shrug: