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U.S. troops smash into homes, major raid to hunt for guerrillas
Using sledgehammers, crowbars, explosives and armored vehicles, U.S. forces smashed down the gates of homes and the doors of workshops and junkyards Wednesday to attack the Iraqi resistance that has persisted despite the capture of Saddam Hussein.
Good Morning! This is your farking WAKEUP CALL ASSHOLES!
Loud blasts mixed with the sound of women and children screaming inside the houses. An explosion at the gate of one compound shattered windows, cutting a 1-year-old baby with glass. U.S. medics treated the injury while other soldiers handcuffed four men, who were later released. The raid, launched before dawn and lasting until midmorning, targeted the city of Samarra, north of Baghdad. U.S. officials say some 1,500 fighters operate in Samarra, making it one of the persistent hotspots in the so-called Sunni Triangle.ââSamarra has been a little bit of a thorn in our side,ââ said Col. Nate Sassaman. ââIt hasnât come along as quickly as other cities in the rebuilding of Iraq. This operation is designed to bring them up to speed.ââ
So we are taking off the kidd gloves.
| I think they're pissed for the attack from behind the kiddies yesterday. |
In the Samarra raid by some 2,500 troops, dubbed Operation Ivy Blizzard, the 4th Infantry Division and Iraqi forces detained at least a dozen suspected guerrillas though others got away, apparently tipped off about the raid.
| I see Mahmoud the Weasel has a new job... |
In the cityâs industrial zone, troops used even their Bradley fighting vehicles to break down the doors of warehouses, workshops and junkyards. ââLocksmiths will make a lot of money these days,ââ said a U.S. soldier, laughing as he sat atop a Bradley.
| Rule Number One of civil, well-reasoned discourse: never cheeze off the guys who drive tracks... |
The sweep came after U.S. troops on Tuesday snared a suspected rebel leader and 78 other people, all in one building near Samarra where they apparently were planning attacks. On Monday, guerrillas in the city ambushed an American patrol, sparking a battle in which soldiers killed 11 attackers.
That worked well for them didnât it?
ââTheyâve made a mistake to attack U.S. forces,ââ Sassaman said. ââNo one knows the town better than we do. Weâre gonna clean this place.ââ
| "Boyz, this here town ain't big enough for all of us! It's time for you to go!" |
With Saddam in custody, the most wanted Iraqi fugitive is Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, a high-ranking member of the former regime thought to be organizing anti-U.S. attacks. But it was unclear whether U.S. officials think al-Douri is in the Samarra area.
| He's reputed to have thrown in the towel. Still waiting for more on that one... |
In Wednesdayâs sweep, soldiers used satellite positioning devices to locate buildings pre-marked as targets. As Apache helicopters flew overhead, troops downtown fanned out in squads of 14 to storm several walled residential compounds, using plastic explosives to break in. At one home, an explosion ignited a small fire. Elsewhere, a suspect was punched in the head and a soldier said: ââYouâre dead. Youâre dead.ââ
| "You might as well lie down and rot, Mahmoud!" I like it when they stop being nice. |
Troops later moved on to the industrial area, where they found little. One military official said he suspected insurgents moved much of their equipment to farms outside town. Sassaman said troops in Samarra seized four rocket-propelled grenade launchers and a dozen assault rifles, as well as bomb-making material.
| They should have taken more than that... |
Meanwhile, a member of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council blabbed like a media reporter said the U.S. military is holding Saddam in the Baghdad area. U.S. officials have previously said the former dictator was at an undisclosed location in Iraq.ââHe is still in greater Baghdad,ââ said council member Mouwafak al-Rubaie. ââMaybe he will stay there until he stands trial.ââ
| Okay. So now he's at an undisclosed location in greater Baghdad. My guess would have been the airport compound, anyway. But I hope they're tightening Bremer's security. He's a prime candidate for a snatch-and-trade... |
The council has established a war crimes tribunal and hopes to put him on trial for human rights abuses. The United Nations, the Vatican and many countries oppose putting Saddam on trial before any court that could sentence him to death and others have expressed worries Iraqâs justice system cannot try him fairly.
I mean they will have all those victims and relatives of victims who will testify! We canât have that!
Council member Adnan Pachachi said ââall stages of the trial will be public.ââ He added that international experts ââare always welcomeââ because the tribunal allows for the appointment of foreign judges.
Posted by: CrazyFool 2003-12-17 |
