4 Big Explosions in Iraq "Green Zone"--but the story has disappeared

[frank frankly]

No word on this since 4:57pm. Sounds big and looks like a media blackout.

Anybody have any information on this?

:shrug:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=1&u=/ap/20031211/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_explosions

A spokeswoman for the coalition, speaking on condition of anonymity, said officials were aware of explosions but did not know the location.

(snip)

Insurgents last month fired mortars into the "Green Zone," a two-square-mile area that encompasses several buildings. If Friday's explosions also occurred inside, it would be the first time in several weeks that the seat of coalition power was hit.


The zone includes the Al Rasheed Hotel, used by military and coalition civilian employees until a rocket attack Oct. 26 that killed a U.S. colonel and wounded 18 other people. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was in the hotel at the time, but escaped injury.


Here's a link to the Breaking News thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=265100

[Sliverofhope]

1. I haven't seen anything further on the story

It seems to have disappeared.

And surely by now they at least know the location of the explosions. It smells of blackout.

[frank frankly]

2. damn.

those POS war profiteering nazi bastards.

bring our troops home NOW

[Sliverofhope]

4. Do you suppose this will be the last we hear of it?

And the story will be ignored, and the casualties or damage covered up? Can it really be that easy?

[JaySherman]

14. In all likelihood, yes.

Could it be that easy? With a totally compliant media, it would appear so. No wonder they want to keep countries like Germany and France out. If a democratic nation with an independent media got in there the truth might get out. And before anyone brings up the Brits and the BBC: you don't hear about too many of them stationed in or near Baghdad, do you? They're occupying the "safe" areas.

The other day I read there's something like 11,000 wounded. That's astronomical! It also means KIA rates are very likely much higher than the official statistics.

It's all so sad.

[DrBB]

3. I heard it on NPR this afternoon

...but nothing since then. It definitely sounded like a significant event at the time.

:shrug:

[Roon]

16. I was surfing TV Channels

and I just came across a live feed of Baghdad at night with pillars of smoke. It caught my attention because at first I thought it was an old replay of when we first attacked. Then I saw it was labled as being live and POOF,it was gone. I did turn my TV off after that so I don't know if Fox went back to it or not.

[JaySherman]

6. They making the entire war disappear.

It's completely off the front pages. An explosion here, a helicopter crash there... then nada, zip, zilch. This is stark contrast to even only a month ago. If they can't make this war go away, they'll make it "go away." This is true Soviet style iron fisted censorship.

:grr:

[Coldgothicwoman]

5. They didn't have a word about it

on my ABC News radio affiliate hourly updates. This is the first I'd heard.

[Sliverofhope]

8. I wouldn't know anything about it

if I wasn't online when people posted about it. That's how things have become these days. The media has a complete and total stranglehold on how we see the world... if we see the world. It's intolerable.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Ok the cynic in me.

Who did they nail?

[frank frankly]

9. I don't know, nb, but your question is maybe the answer

It may have been real bad...you are usually dead-on about breaking news.

[Sliverofhope]

10. I don't think they could cover up a major death

ie, if Bremer was hurt, that would be harder to hide. At least I would assume so.

[PurityOfEssence]

11. Like sands through the hourglass...these are the ways of their lies...

What explosions? The economy's great. We're only assasinating Iraqis we know are guilty. Halliburton's not guilty, even though I have nothing to do with the business anymore. Those were Saddam loyalists, even though we don't know who did it. What pipeline explosion? The economy will grow and grow and grow. There is no global warmi--I mean, global climate change. There definitely is a god. You hate America. Those people don't value life like we do. We're gonna clamp down harder on them to foster freedom. If they were meant to have electricity, Edison would have been an Arab. We're not looting that country. Your liberties are only temporarily suspended until the end of the permanent war. Jesus wants you to spend a whole lot of money this season, even though it's going really well.

[Cleita]

12. The last I heard on CBS was that most of the soldiers

who were hurt are back on duty. The guerillas were killed. Since no news cameras or correspondents are able to find out anything, we really don't know. I'm sure eventually what really happened will leak out to the foreign press and we will find out later rather than sooner.

[greyl]

13. On the 5:30 est BBC news broadcast

they had a reporter speaking live about 3 or 4 large explosions and the sounds of sirens with the area in question in the background. He said there where no known details beyond that, and the nighttime picture didn't reveal any flames or smoke.
On PBS, the BBC broadcasts again at 12 or 12:30, so maybe they'll have more then.

[1songbird]

15. I haven't heard anything else about it either.

This is very telling in itself.

[Scott Lee]

17. Get used to it. First they nix reporting the civilian dead....

and now this. Soon further stories of insurrection, death and injury against US occupiers are going to disappear completely from your papers, TV news and maybe even internet.

The Bush Reich is doing a smash up job of covering up the evidence so the Fatherland looks good.

[frank frankly]

18. it is true

you are right

they are nazis

[frank frankly]

19. a kick

kick

[frank frankly]

20. in case the late nighters missed this

don't know what happened, but it sounded like something

[Kool Kitty]

21. Last mention of this that I heard was

on Blitzer's show and he said almost nothing about it, just reported on sounds of 3-4 explosions. Strange, no?

[SoCalDem]

22. I emailed my friend there and he's ok..

He did not elaborate, but said things were getting back to normal.. He is a US Army Colonel (an Iraqi) and is attached to the CPA.. He lives in the compound that was hit.. Last month they were hit by several rpgs & missiles..

[frank frankly]

23. good

and i hope it stays that way for him. thanks for the information.

this nightmare must end.

[Merlin]

24. Last report was nobody knew the origin of it.

They could find no damaged buildings. A city of 5 million. Nobody knows what happened. Hmmmm.