http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&...=10&m=11&y=2004
Troops Seize Heart of Fallujah
Full Version: Iraq War and Occupation
Common Ground Common Sense > Issues that Affect Our Lives > Foreign Policy and National Defense > Foreign Policy & National Defense Issues Archive
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=9§ion=0&...=10&m=11&y=2004
Events That Make Fallujah a Deadly Cocktail
Events That Make Fallujah a Deadly Cocktail
http://www.aljazeerah.info/10%20o/This%20N...%20%20Hamod.htm
This Night in Fallujah: Lailat Al Qadr in Ramadan
This Night in Fallujah: Lailat Al Qadr in Ramadan
http://www.aljazeerah.info/10%20n/US%20Gen...es%20Seized.htm
US General: No Zarqawi in Falluja, Battles Rage, Allawi Relatives Seized
US General: No Zarqawi in Falluja, Battles Rage, Allawi Relatives Seized
http://www.aljazeerah.info/10%20n/24%20US%...dent%20News.htm
24 US Soldiers Killed in Baghdad Areas on Tuesday, According to Independent News
24 US Soldiers Killed in Baghdad Areas on Tuesday, According to Independent News
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...es_041110160523
At least 21 die in north Iraq clashes, curfews on flashpoint citieis
At least 21 die in north Iraq clashes, curfews on flashpoint citieis
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...wi_kidnapping_6
Three Members of Allawi's Family Abducted
Three Members of Allawi's Family Abducted
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...d=540&ncid=1473
Iraq Troops Find 'Hostage Slaughterhouses'
Iraq Troops Find 'Hostage Slaughterhouses'
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...d=564&ncid=1473
Iraq Forces Find Falluja 'Hostage Slaughterhouses'
Iraq Forces Find Falluja 'Hostage Slaughterhouses'
http://jang.com.pk/thenews/nov2004-daily/1...4/world/w10.htm
Militants ordered to attack key targets in Iraq
Militants ordered to attack key targets in Iraq
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB3NJ37D1E.html
Widely Differing Pictures Emerge of the Battle for Fallujah Depending on Who's Talking
Widely Differing Pictures Emerge of the Battle for Fallujah Depending on Who's Talking
This news is from Islam Online, and if it's true Bush is guilty of war crimes:
QUOTE(Islam Online @ November 10 2004)
US Troops Reportedly Gassing Fallujah
FALLUJAH, November 10 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - US troops are reportedly using chemical weapons and poisonous gas in its large-scale offensive on the Iraqi resistance bastion of Fallujah, a grim reminder of Saddam Hussein’s alleged gassing of the Kurds in 1988.
“The US occupation troops are gassing resistance fighters and confronting them with internationally-banned chemical weapons,” resistance sources told Al-Quds Press Wednesday, November 10.
The fatal weapons led to the deaths of tens of innocent civilians, whose bodies litter sidewalks and streets, they added.
“They use chemical weapons out of despair and helplessness in the face of the steadfast and fierce resistance put up by Fallujah people, who drove US troops out of several districts, hoisting proudly Iraqi flags on them. Resistance has also managed to destroy and set fire to a large number of US tanks and vehicles.
“The US troops have sprayed chemical and nerve gases on resistance fighters, turning them hysteric in a heartbreaking scene,” an Iraqi doctor, who requested anonymity, told Al-Quds Press.
“Some Fallujah residents have been further burnt beyond treatment by poisonous gases,” added resistance fighters, who took part in Golan battles, northwest of Fallujah.
In August last year, the United States admitted dropping the internationally-banned incendiary weapon of napalm on Iraq, despite earlier denials by the Pentagon that the “horrible” weapon had not been used in the three-week invasion of Iraq.
After the offensive on Iraq ended on April 9 last year, Iraqis began to complain about unexploded cluster bombs that still litter their cities.
Media Blackout
The sources said that the media blackout, the banning of Al-Jazeera satellite channel and subjective embedded journalists played well into the hands of the US military.
“Therefore, US troops opted for using internationally banned weapons to soften the praiseworthy resistance of Fallujah people.
“More and more, the US military edits and censors reports sent by embedded journalists to their respective newspapers and news agencies,” the sources added.
Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem Al-Shaalan had said Tuesday, November 9, would be decisive.
“Al-Shaalan declaration meant nothing but the use of chemical weapons and poisonous gases to down Fallujah fighters,” observers told Al-Quds Press.
The reported gassing stands as a grim reminder of Saddam Hussein's alleged gassing of the Kurdish community in the northern city of Halbja in 1988.
While the West insisted that Saddam was the one behind the heinous attack, the ousted president pointed fingers at the then Iranian regime.
Source: http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/20...article05.shtml
FALLUJAH, November 10 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - US troops are reportedly using chemical weapons and poisonous gas in its large-scale offensive on the Iraqi resistance bastion of Fallujah, a grim reminder of Saddam Hussein’s alleged gassing of the Kurds in 1988.
“The US occupation troops are gassing resistance fighters and confronting them with internationally-banned chemical weapons,” resistance sources told Al-Quds Press Wednesday, November 10.
The fatal weapons led to the deaths of tens of innocent civilians, whose bodies litter sidewalks and streets, they added.
“They use chemical weapons out of despair and helplessness in the face of the steadfast and fierce resistance put up by Fallujah people, who drove US troops out of several districts, hoisting proudly Iraqi flags on them. Resistance has also managed to destroy and set fire to a large number of US tanks and vehicles.
“The US troops have sprayed chemical and nerve gases on resistance fighters, turning them hysteric in a heartbreaking scene,” an Iraqi doctor, who requested anonymity, told Al-Quds Press.
“Some Fallujah residents have been further burnt beyond treatment by poisonous gases,” added resistance fighters, who took part in Golan battles, northwest of Fallujah.
In August last year, the United States admitted dropping the internationally-banned incendiary weapon of napalm on Iraq, despite earlier denials by the Pentagon that the “horrible” weapon had not been used in the three-week invasion of Iraq.
After the offensive on Iraq ended on April 9 last year, Iraqis began to complain about unexploded cluster bombs that still litter their cities.
Media Blackout
The sources said that the media blackout, the banning of Al-Jazeera satellite channel and subjective embedded journalists played well into the hands of the US military.
“Therefore, US troops opted for using internationally banned weapons to soften the praiseworthy resistance of Fallujah people.
“More and more, the US military edits and censors reports sent by embedded journalists to their respective newspapers and news agencies,” the sources added.
Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem Al-Shaalan had said Tuesday, November 9, would be decisive.
“Al-Shaalan declaration meant nothing but the use of chemical weapons and poisonous gases to down Fallujah fighters,” observers told Al-Quds Press.
The reported gassing stands as a grim reminder of Saddam Hussein's alleged gassing of the Kurdish community in the northern city of Halbja in 1988.
While the West insisted that Saddam was the one behind the heinous attack, the ousted president pointed fingers at the then Iranian regime.
Source: http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/20...article05.shtml
I don't believe this for a minute. This is published on Islam Online. Consider the source.
BTW: We already know Bush is guilty of war crimes.
BTW: We already know Bush is guilty of war crimes.
QUOTE(Gabrielle @ Nov 10 2004, 06:53 PM)
I don't believe this for a minute. This is published on Islam Online. Consider the source.
BTW: We already know Bush is guilty of war crimes.
BTW: We already know Bush is guilty of war crimes.
yeah i bet you can find an islamic paper that will print that americans are beheading religious Imans secretly too. Hell if they could get away with it theyd say we used nukes!!
I don't know WHAT to believe anymore!
Bush lies non stop to us...so...did you read Bin Laden's speech transcript...
he certainly sounded more truthful that our government...
Personally...I think the Neo-Cons are capable of anything...afterall, they ARE the CHOSEN OF THE CHRISTIAN GOD!
Bush lies non stop to us...so...did you read Bin Laden's speech transcript...
he certainly sounded more truthful that our government...
Personally...I think the Neo-Cons are capable of anything...afterall, they ARE the CHOSEN OF THE CHRISTIAN GOD!
democracy now was just saying that some victims in fallajua had phosperous burns......that would be napalm?
is that legal to use?
is that legal to use?
What's ironic about this is that it's the same tactic that the neocons use. Say it whether it's true or not. Keep saying it until the people believe it's true. And the radical Islamics only need to hear it once to believe it.
And the US walked right into it by using napalm during at the beginning of this mess.
And the US walked right into it by using napalm during at the beginning of this mess.
QUOTE
“Therefore, US troops opted for using internationally banned weapons to soften the praiseworthy resistance of Fallujah people.
“More and more, the US military edits and censors reports sent by embedded journalists to their respective newspapers and news agencies,” the sources added.
“More and more, the US military edits and censors reports sent by embedded journalists to their respective newspapers and news agencies,” the sources added.
This is clever yellow journalism. Note the slant, which I placed in boldtext. And they mix it into truth (which is, the embedded media are obviously edited to suit the USA), and that makes the story more credible. Such tactics were used by Hearst when he started the Spanish-American war from his editorial desk, and has also been used by the Neoconservatives. It's wrong, damaging to the concept of a free press.
But I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir. Let us confirm the story through the many honorable independent news sources before jumping to conclusions.
I will say that I wouldn't put it past this horribly screwed-up administration, but I'll refrain from accusing them (in this case) until I see a credible reason. Kudos to the poster who mentioned that Bush is already a war criminal on several counts.
Edit: embedded media, not troops!
QUOTE(Cloudy @ Nov 10 2004, 06:09 PM)
democracy now was just saying that some victims in fallajua had phosperous burns......that would be napalm?
is that legal to use?
is that legal to use?
No white or red phosphorus is different than napalm.
White or Red Phosphorous is not a chemical weapon, it is an incendary weapon most commonly used for smoke screens and screening effects. It can also be used to destroy POL (petroleum, oil, lubricants) sites or ammo dumps due to the incindary effects. The weapon systems using this are Artillery, mortars and aircraft both fixed wing(jets) or rotary wing(helos).
If the injured were burned by this they were either in the wrong place at the wrong time or were actively engaging US forces and should consider themselves lucky they are still alive.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...d=540&ncid=1473
Group Vows Revenge on Allawi for Attack
Group Vows Revenge on Allawi for Attack
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/11/internat...ast/11arab.html
Arab Response to Attacks Reveals Mixed Allegiances
Arab Response to Attacks Reveals Mixed Allegiances
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6444440/
Tommy Franks on Scarborough Country
"Time will tell," says Ret. Gen. Franks on Fallujah
Tommy Franks on Scarborough Country
"Time will tell," says Ret. Gen. Franks on Fallujah
Close
Fighting in Falluja rages amid confusion
by
Thursday 11 November 2004 6:31 AM GMT
Machine gun, mortar and rocket fire continue to shake the city
Conflicting reports are coming from besieged Falluja, with US-led forces saying they have tightened their grip on most of the city and fighters saying they are still in control.
As the US military seized what it said was more than two-thirds of the city by early Thursday, Iraqi troops fighting alongside them said they found houses where foreign captives had been held and, in some cases, killed.
Machine gun, mortar and rocket fire shook the city as US warplanes made several bombing runs over the Julan district in the space of 15 minutes.
With US marines backed by Iraqi troops moving from building to building, a US officer said they expected to take command of the city before the weekend.
"If everything goes as planned we will take full control of the
city in the next 48 hours," he said on condition of anonymity, adding that it would take "at least 10 days to clear the city".
Counter claims
But Abu Shams al-Fallujy, a member of the National Islamic Resistance in Falluja, told Aljazeera that US forces had entered the city's centre rapidly because they were surrounded in the Julan neighbourhood and were being targeted by snipers.
US troops have encountered
fierce resistance in the city
"The US troops say they have controlled the town. In fact, they are only in control of the town centre where there are no resistance fighters. The town's centre is resided by the civilian population who had escaped the outskirts of the town to avoid a crossfire as a result of the intense US bombing and resistance.
"With respect to Julan, al-Askary, Nizal, Jibail and the industrial quarter, they are still under control of the resistance which vows not to allow the US forces to control the town unless it is turned into dust," al-Fallujy said.
"The situation in the town is very critical. The US forces began a retreat under intense resistance fire. They are conducting a ferocious aerial bombing and artillery barrage. They have not accomplished any advance towards the edges of the town," al-Fallujy added.
Signs of the killings of captives were found by Iraqi troops in the northern districts, according to an Iraqi general.
"We have found hostage slaughterhouses in Falluja that were
used by these people and the black clothing that they used to wear to identify themselves, hundreds of CDs and whole records with names," Major-General Abdul Qader Mohan said.
Acting on the orders of US-appointed interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi after weeks of heavy US aerial and artillery bombardment, about 10,000 US and 2000 Iraqi soldiers stormed Falluja late on Monday.
Allawi's kin captured
Allawi has vowed to crush the rebellion ahead of elections
planned for January.
Allawi's cousin, his wife and
son have been captured
But the tough-talking premier's family got caught up in the battle when a gang in three cars snatched his cousin, Ghazi Allawi, his wife and their son in Baghdad overnight, spokesman for the interim government Thaer al-Nagib said.
They were captured in front of their home in Yarmuk district in Baghdad.
A previously unknown group, Ansar al-Jihad, threatened in an internet statement to kill all three within 48 hours unless Allawi halted the Falluja attack and released all Iraqi prisoners.
Scores of fighters have been killed and at least 11 US and two Iraqi soldiers have died in the offensive, the US military said.
But al-Fallujy told Aljazeera: "The toll among the resistance is very scant. Most of the dead are civilians in the town centre in al-Dhubbat and al-Wuhda neighbourhoods.
"There are so many dead and wounded civilians who need medical assistance. But the physicians and the ambulances cannot reach these people because of the US sniper fire," he added.
No medical help
The Red Cross and Red Crescent expressed concern over the fate of the wounded, as the government said some of the tens of thousands who fled were ill and living in cramped conditions.
Up to half the population of 300,000 may have stayed
behind.
In an effort to persuade fighters in the Sunni Muslim city to lay down their arms, Allawi offered an amnesty to those who had "committed no major crimes".
The assault on the city - where residents say wounded children are dying from lack of medical help, food shops are closed and power has been cut - has angered Muslim clerics.
And in a move that could potentially undermine the planned 27 January elections, the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS), urged a boycott.
"The clerics call on the ... people of Iraq to boycott the coming elections that they want to hold on the remains of the dead and the blood of the wounded from Iraqi cities like Falluja and others," Harith al-Dhari, its top official, said.
The AMS also reported that one of its members, Shaikh Abdul Wahab al-Janabi, was killed in the Falluja attack.
Iraqi journalist Fadil al-Badrani said many civilians had died in the bombing of the city and people had resorted to burying their dead in gardens. Many houses have also been destroyed.
Aljazeera
By
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BDA...1730F9CA0B4.htm
Close
Fighting in Falluja rages amid confusion
by
Thursday 11 November 2004 6:31 AM GMT
Machine gun, mortar and rocket fire continue to shake the city
Conflicting reports are coming from besieged Falluja, with US-led forces saying they have tightened their grip on most of the city and fighters saying they are still in control.
As the US military seized what it said was more than two-thirds of the city by early Thursday, Iraqi troops fighting alongside them said they found houses where foreign captives had been held and, in some cases, killed.
Machine gun, mortar and rocket fire shook the city as US warplanes made several bombing runs over the Julan district in the space of 15 minutes.
With US marines backed by Iraqi troops moving from building to building, a US officer said they expected to take command of the city before the weekend.
"If everything goes as planned we will take full control of the
city in the next 48 hours," he said on condition of anonymity, adding that it would take "at least 10 days to clear the city".
Counter claims
But Abu Shams al-Fallujy, a member of the National Islamic Resistance in Falluja, told Aljazeera that US forces had entered the city's centre rapidly because they were surrounded in the Julan neighbourhood and were being targeted by snipers.
US troops have encountered
fierce resistance in the city
"The US troops say they have controlled the town. In fact, they are only in control of the town centre where there are no resistance fighters. The town's centre is resided by the civilian population who had escaped the outskirts of the town to avoid a crossfire as a result of the intense US bombing and resistance.
"With respect to Julan, al-Askary, Nizal, Jibail and the industrial quarter, they are still under control of the resistance which vows not to allow the US forces to control the town unless it is turned into dust," al-Fallujy said.
"The situation in the town is very critical. The US forces began a retreat under intense resistance fire. They are conducting a ferocious aerial bombing and artillery barrage. They have not accomplished any advance towards the edges of the town," al-Fallujy added.
Signs of the killings of captives were found by Iraqi troops in the northern districts, according to an Iraqi general.
"We have found hostage slaughterhouses in Falluja that were
used by these people and the black clothing that they used to wear to identify themselves, hundreds of CDs and whole records with names," Major-General Abdul Qader Mohan said.
Acting on the orders of US-appointed interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi after weeks of heavy US aerial and artillery bombardment, about 10,000 US and 2000 Iraqi soldiers stormed Falluja late on Monday.
Allawi's kin captured
Allawi has vowed to crush the rebellion ahead of elections
planned for January.
Allawi's cousin, his wife and
son have been captured
But the tough-talking premier's family got caught up in the battle when a gang in three cars snatched his cousin, Ghazi Allawi, his wife and their son in Baghdad overnight, spokesman for the interim government Thaer al-Nagib said.
They were captured in front of their home in Yarmuk district in Baghdad.
A previously unknown group, Ansar al-Jihad, threatened in an internet statement to kill all three within 48 hours unless Allawi halted the Falluja attack and released all Iraqi prisoners.
Scores of fighters have been killed and at least 11 US and two Iraqi soldiers have died in the offensive, the US military said.
But al-Fallujy told Aljazeera: "The toll among the resistance is very scant. Most of the dead are civilians in the town centre in al-Dhubbat and al-Wuhda neighbourhoods.
"There are so many dead and wounded civilians who need medical assistance. But the physicians and the ambulances cannot reach these people because of the US sniper fire," he added.
No medical help
The Red Cross and Red Crescent expressed concern over the fate of the wounded, as the government said some of the tens of thousands who fled were ill and living in cramped conditions.
Up to half the population of 300,000 may have stayed
behind.
In an effort to persuade fighters in the Sunni Muslim city to lay down their arms, Allawi offered an amnesty to those who had "committed no major crimes".
The assault on the city - where residents say wounded children are dying from lack of medical help, food shops are closed and power has been cut - has angered Muslim clerics.
And in a move that could potentially undermine the planned 27 January elections, the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS), urged a boycott.
"The clerics call on the ... people of Iraq to boycott the coming elections that they want to hold on the remains of the dead and the blood of the wounded from Iraqi cities like Falluja and others," Harith al-Dhari, its top official, said.
The AMS also reported that one of its members, Shaikh Abdul Wahab al-Janabi, was killed in the Falluja attack.
Iraqi journalist Fadil al-Badrani said many civilians had died in the bombing of the city and people had resorted to burying their dead in gardens. Many houses have also been destroyed.
Aljazeera
By
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BDA...1730F9CA0B4.htm
Close
The fog of war. Both sides have a plan, nobody knows what's going on, chaos reigns.
US Forces Tighten Grip On Fallujah
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=9E1786:2F72C9D
US troops bombarded targets in Fallujah with renewed airstrikes and artillery
Thursday, hitting mortar positions and sniper nests
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=9E1786:2F72C9D
US troops bombarded targets in Fallujah with renewed airstrikes and artillery
Thursday, hitting mortar positions and sniper nests
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...=1514&ncid=1473
Saudi grand mufti denounces deciving youths into fighting in Iraq
Saudi grand mufti denounces deciving youths into fighting in Iraq
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...d=564&ncid=1473
Iraq Rebels Hit Back Amid Falluja Battles
Iraq Rebels Hit Back Amid Falluja Battles
A senior Marine Corps surgeon warned that casualties will surpass any level seen since the Vietnam War.
There have already been 100,000 "excess" Iraqi deaths since Bush launched his first strike on Iraq 18 months ago - that is, above and beyond those killed by Saddam Hussein, sanctions, U.S. bombings, and disease, all put together, in the 15 months prior to the invasion.
A study published by the Lancet found that the risk of death by violence for Iraqi civilians is now 58 times higher than before Bush began to liberate them in April 2003.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/110904A.shtml
There have already been 100,000 "excess" Iraqi deaths since Bush launched his first strike on Iraq 18 months ago - that is, above and beyond those killed by Saddam Hussein, sanctions, U.S. bombings, and disease, all put together, in the 15 months prior to the invasion.
A study published by the Lancet found that the risk of death by violence for Iraqi civilians is now 58 times higher than before Bush began to liberate them in April 2003.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/110904A.shtml
General Says 18 U.S. Troops Killed in Falluja
2 hours, 52 minutes ago Top Stories - Reuters
By Will Dunham
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eighteen U.S. troops have been killed and another 69 wounded in this week's offensive to take control of the rebel-held Iraqi city Falluja, a senior U.S. Marine Corps commander said on Thursday.
Five Iraqi troops fighting alongside the Americans also have been killed in the ground assault that started on Monday, while 34 Iraqi security forces have been wounded, Maj. Gen. Richard Natonski, commander of the 1st Marine Division, told a briefing in Falluja, monitored at the Pentagon.
Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said earlier in the day that "hundreds and hundreds of insurgents" have been either killed or captured in the assault, but did not offer more specific figures.
Myers said there have been "hardly any, if any, civilian casualties so far" in Falluja.
A spokeswoman at the U.S. military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, the usual destination for seriously wounded U.S. troops stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan, said 102 Americans arrived from Iraq in two plane loads on Thursday. They joined 125 wounded troops who arrived there from Monday to Wednesday.
"Our forces are conducting deliberate clearing operations within the city, moving from house to house, building to building looking for arms caches, insurgents and any other tools and weapons," Natonski said.
Natonski provided fresh details on the discovery, announced by Iraqi security forces on Wednesday, of "hostage slaughterhouses" in Falluja. Insurgents have taken numerous Iraqi and foreign hostages, often beheading them in videotaped executions.
Natonski said his forces found one hostage, an Iraqi, who had been taken by the insurgents. "He was bound severely, (and) beaten. And he is currently at a medical facility being treated for his injuries," Natonski said. It was unclear where in Falluja the hostage was found.
The general said he personally visited a "very nondescript residence" in the northwestern part of the city, which the U.S. military suspected was a building where hostages were held and killed.
Inside the building, he said, there was a windowless room with a banner on the wall, where it was suspected hostages were executed.
"There were two thin mattresses and straw mats covered in blood. There was a computer, and many computer discs found inside the room. There was also a wheelchair, which we believed was used to move the prisoners around. We believe they were bound and moved around the complex in the wheelchair," Natonski said.
Natonski also said that "in almost every single mosque in Falluja," U.S. and Iraqi government forces have found an arms cache, "IED factories" to make the so-called improvised explosive devices often planted on roadsides by insurgents, and "weapons repair facilities." He said snipers have shot at U.S. forces from minarets.
Article here -
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...lluja_killed_dc
2 hours, 52 minutes ago Top Stories - Reuters
By Will Dunham
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eighteen U.S. troops have been killed and another 69 wounded in this week's offensive to take control of the rebel-held Iraqi city Falluja, a senior U.S. Marine Corps commander said on Thursday.
Five Iraqi troops fighting alongside the Americans also have been killed in the ground assault that started on Monday, while 34 Iraqi security forces have been wounded, Maj. Gen. Richard Natonski, commander of the 1st Marine Division, told a briefing in Falluja, monitored at the Pentagon.
Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said earlier in the day that "hundreds and hundreds of insurgents" have been either killed or captured in the assault, but did not offer more specific figures.
Myers said there have been "hardly any, if any, civilian casualties so far" in Falluja.
A spokeswoman at the U.S. military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, the usual destination for seriously wounded U.S. troops stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan, said 102 Americans arrived from Iraq in two plane loads on Thursday. They joined 125 wounded troops who arrived there from Monday to Wednesday.
"Our forces are conducting deliberate clearing operations within the city, moving from house to house, building to building looking for arms caches, insurgents and any other tools and weapons," Natonski said.
Natonski provided fresh details on the discovery, announced by Iraqi security forces on Wednesday, of "hostage slaughterhouses" in Falluja. Insurgents have taken numerous Iraqi and foreign hostages, often beheading them in videotaped executions.
Natonski said his forces found one hostage, an Iraqi, who had been taken by the insurgents. "He was bound severely, (and) beaten. And he is currently at a medical facility being treated for his injuries," Natonski said. It was unclear where in Falluja the hostage was found.
The general said he personally visited a "very nondescript residence" in the northwestern part of the city, which the U.S. military suspected was a building where hostages were held and killed.
Inside the building, he said, there was a windowless room with a banner on the wall, where it was suspected hostages were executed.
"There were two thin mattresses and straw mats covered in blood. There was a computer, and many computer discs found inside the room. There was also a wheelchair, which we believed was used to move the prisoners around. We believe they were bound and moved around the complex in the wheelchair," Natonski said.
Natonski also said that "in almost every single mosque in Falluja," U.S. and Iraqi government forces have found an arms cache, "IED factories" to make the so-called improvised explosive devices often planted on roadsides by insurgents, and "weapons repair facilities." He said snipers have shot at U.S. forces from minarets.
Article here -
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...lluja_killed_dc
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a...ah_041111193046
US Military estimates more than 500 insurgents killed in Fallujah
US Military estimates more than 500 insurgents killed in Fallujah
QUOTE(VIETNAMVET @ Nov 11 2004, 04:47 PM)
A senior Marine Corps surgeon warned that casualties will surpass any level seen since the Vietnam War.
Hmmmmm, methinks since I already know that there are NO surgeons in the Marine Corps I'd have to be skeptical about anything else this piece says.You got anything better?
QUOTE(big sky brad @ Nov 11 2004, 05:36 PM)
General Says 18 U.S. Troops Killed in Falluja
While cutting and pasting stories already available elsewhere might be interesting it doesn't give us any insight into your own feelings on the matter. Do stories like this make you happy? Who would you rather see win the battle, our troops or the insurgents? It's difficult to tell from your posts.
QUOTE(Snuffysmith @ Nov 11 2004, 04:33 PM)
While this story is interesting it leaves me wondering how accurate it is. Wasn't it widely reported that it was Iraqi forces that captured this hospital?Also, was the author the same Pepe Escobar that was fired from the Manila Times a few years back for faking information in stories?
If the news bothers you, Pat, then don't watch it!
QUOTE(big sky brad @ Nov 12 2004, 09:53 AM)
If the news bothers you, Pat, then don't watch it!
Quite the philosophy - if somether bothers you then just ignore it. Methinks that's the case when someone asks big sky brad a question, if it bothers him he just won't answer it. Of course there's the old start a thread, but don't participate in it tactic. Then there's the throw out a statement, but refuse to back it up tactic. At least it shows consistency.I still wonder just what big sky brad really feels about the fighting in Fallujah. It appears he might be disappointed our Marines and troops are doing so well there, which may be why he only seems to want to post negative stories about it. Methinks his reluctance to say otherwise just strengthens my supposition.
Jihad Unspan says 1 US general and 1 US contractor have been captured in Fallujah:
Warning: I don't know how credible is this site, it seems to use sources near rebels, so this could be false, but if this news is true is a real blow to American forces in Fallujah
QUOTE(Jihad Unspan @ November 12 2004)
“Resistance Is Unshakable Mountain” Says Captured General; American Contractor Seized
Nov 12, 2004
By Omar Al-Faris, JUS
An American General was among those captured by Mujahideen forces on Thursday after having to abandon their vehicles under Mujahideen fire.
The incident came after the Mujahideen lured the Americans into city center and forcing them to split into six groups, the Mujahideen destroyed 14 tanks on the main street linking the old road to Ramadi. US occupation forces have recently resorted to using tanks instead of personnel carriers to storm the city after realizing that their personnel carriers were easily hit and destroyed. As the tanks blazed, no soldiers came out of the destroyed tanks that usually carry 9 soldiers on board.
Six more tanks were destroyed on Al-Hadrah Street, between Al-Askari neighborhood to the south and Officers area to the north. Another six tanks were hit and exploded in Al-Shuhada neighborhood and US soldiers managed to abandon them right before the explosion. Some were captured on Al-Tharthar street but Mujahideen declined to disclose their number except to say that an American general was among the captured. A member of Fallujah Mujahideen Council quoted the American General saying: “The resistance is unshakable mountain, I have felt relieved only after I have been captured because I saw death coming my way from all directions”
Mujahideen also announced the capture of undisclosed number of Americans in Golan neighborhood. Several more tanks have been under siege near Al-Hadrah mosque. Soldiers cannot come out and Mujahideen are trying to explode the tanks from distance because if they get close enough they will become an easy target for American snipers.
American Contractor Captured
The 1920 Revolution Brigade have captured another American “contractor” in Iraq. Al-Jazeera television aired a videotape Thursday the middle-aged man, who carried a U.S. passport and an identification card in the name of Dean Sadek. Sadek was shown sitting in front of a green wall and although the Arab station would not air the audio, they said the groups demands were that all businesses stop cooperating with U.S. authorities. It is unclear when and where Sadek was captured. (JUS)
Source: http://www.jihadunspun.com/intheatre_inter...list=/home.php&
Nov 12, 2004
By Omar Al-Faris, JUS
An American General was among those captured by Mujahideen forces on Thursday after having to abandon their vehicles under Mujahideen fire.
The incident came after the Mujahideen lured the Americans into city center and forcing them to split into six groups, the Mujahideen destroyed 14 tanks on the main street linking the old road to Ramadi. US occupation forces have recently resorted to using tanks instead of personnel carriers to storm the city after realizing that their personnel carriers were easily hit and destroyed. As the tanks blazed, no soldiers came out of the destroyed tanks that usually carry 9 soldiers on board.
Six more tanks were destroyed on Al-Hadrah Street, between Al-Askari neighborhood to the south and Officers area to the north. Another six tanks were hit and exploded in Al-Shuhada neighborhood and US soldiers managed to abandon them right before the explosion. Some were captured on Al-Tharthar street but Mujahideen declined to disclose their number except to say that an American general was among the captured. A member of Fallujah Mujahideen Council quoted the American General saying: “The resistance is unshakable mountain, I have felt relieved only after I have been captured because I saw death coming my way from all directions”
Mujahideen also announced the capture of undisclosed number of Americans in Golan neighborhood. Several more tanks have been under siege near Al-Hadrah mosque. Soldiers cannot come out and Mujahideen are trying to explode the tanks from distance because if they get close enough they will become an easy target for American snipers.
American Contractor Captured
The 1920 Revolution Brigade have captured another American “contractor” in Iraq. Al-Jazeera television aired a videotape Thursday the middle-aged man, who carried a U.S. passport and an identification card in the name of Dean Sadek. Sadek was shown sitting in front of a green wall and although the Arab station would not air the audio, they said the groups demands were that all businesses stop cooperating with U.S. authorities. It is unclear when and where Sadek was captured. (JUS)
Source: http://www.jihadunspun.com/intheatre_inter...list=/home.php&
Warning: I don't know how credible is this site, it seems to use sources near rebels, so this could be false, but if this news is true is a real blow to American forces in Fallujah
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