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Iraq-Jordan
US Military Says It's Killed 360 Militants in Najaf
2004-08-09
U.S. forces have killed at least 360 militants in the past four days of fighting between U.S. troops and Shi'ite militiamen in the holy city of Najaf, a senior U.S. military official said on Monday.
Must be change in policy, we haven't done many bodycounts before.
The official, who asked not to be identified, said the toll included fighting up until late on Sunday. He said U.S. troops were not actively pursuing rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Mehdi Army Shi'ite militia.
That mission is on the Iraqi polices plate.
Fighting broke out on Thursday and there have been fierce clashes since, with U.S. helicopter gunships attacking militia positions inside Najaf's ancient cemetery and militants hiding out around the city's holiest shrine, the Imam Ali mosque. In the past 48 hours, U.S. marines have been trying to tighten a noose around the militia, closing in on the area around the golden-domed shrine.
This is how you do "surround"
In the past, the area around the mosque was considered off limits to U.S. forces, who feared a popular backlash if the holy site was damaged. But the U.S. official said on Monday the governor of Najaf had given the marines permission to carry out operations inside the exclusion zone around the shrine if necessary.
Green light, full speed ahead!
Posted by:Steve

#11  Well at least the left will be pleased treatment of prisoners have improved, 'dramatically.' ;o)
Posted by: badanov   2004-08-18 6:44:55 PM  

#10  mithch shep is right. It's time to stop acting like these pp, are some regular criminals. Most are trainded too kill and thats what they want too do too our soldiers. It is time for this too end and their is no time like the present.
Posted by: Anonymous6105   2004-08-18 6:42:41 PM  

#9  The original "300 after two days" number came from the Marine Divisional Operations Officer, so I would rate it right up there with sunrise for credibility: he prolly personally counted ears and tails.
However, at the same time, the Governor of Najaf and environs said that "1000 Mahdis had been captured". While nowhere near as high cred as the 1st Marine Ops, if true, this is a jugular hemorrhage to fat boy.
It is also a major dig on the Iranians, who today were loudly complaining and demanding we cut it out--obviously smarting themselves from having a lot of their ha-has short circuited, operatives terminated and leaders arrested.
An important point: WTF is that Iranian Corps on the border doing? They have been too quiet for too long.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2004-08-09 23:49  

#8  "Seems like a self eating watermelon to me."

-As are most of their 'holy leaders'. Bunch of egotists claiming to know the mind of God. Notice how not one picks up an AK and leads by example, they just sit back and send out the young stupid arab boys to do their bidding while they hide in their Quran and spew garbage from the pulpit - f*cking cowards (may feces be upon them).
Posted by: Jarhead   2004-08-09 21:06  

#7  The only reason he has to defend the mosque is because he is there. If he left no one would bother it.

Seems like a self eating watermelon to me.

Posted by: Michael   2004-08-09 4:56:58 PM  

#6  And before any bikers complain, I was just using my ninth grade history teacher's figure of speech. He used it to compare the short-lived Norse colonization of "Vineland" to a gang of Hell's Angels trying to take over a back-country town with the usual late-Seventies concentration of cranky Vietnam vets.

Nowadays, the bikers are getting a tad elderly. They use the funeral parlor next door to my apartment regularly for funerals. They might be old, but they're still loud.
Posted by: Mitch H.   2004-08-09 3:53:32 PM  

#5  Cut Shep a little slack, he's young and passionate and a Brit. :)

Posted by: Shipman   2004-08-09 3:52:41 PM  

#4  Shep: How would you like it if the State Troopers decided to clean an infestation of Hell's Angels out of your hometown by saturation bombing the main drag? Most of the yahoos in Najaf are apparently ghetto 'bangers from Sadr City and Midians from the sticks. Even if Najaf didn't have the holiest fucking site in Shi'a Islam, I still wouldn't want to see them level the place. Most of the locals are pro-American, especially since the last "revolt".
Posted by: Mitch H.   2004-08-09 3:48:24 PM  

#3  It seems evident that the Iraqis have had their fill of Tater and his hoods. I read earlier reports of great resentment on the part of people and shopkeepers that were getting sick of having their digs and businesses taken over and property appropriated by Tater and his Tots. If this is the case, it is a good turn. I would like to see more Iraqis ratting out the boomers and foreigners. If that happens on a large scale, we will have REALLY turned the corner on Iraq. From reading the account last week of action in Mosul, though, I am concerned about the large concentrations of fighters showing up in these actions. Hopefully Najaf is a good start for cleaning out these large gangs of terrorists.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2004-08-09 2:48:47 PM  

#2  i think theres definatly a policy not to bother taking prisoners anymore, i mean what would be the point as they can just sit there laughing at us while we try and interogate them,besides most of them are useless anyway intel wise.I must say though i'm a bit worried about the lack of force being used.I've been watching t.v and it seems theres shit loads of those black suited fellows running around in packs with imbedded AFP and rueters 'reporters'. Why arn't we killing these wild mobs? i say smash the whole of najaf with an MLRS barrage followed by an hours worth of firing on the city from a very heavy artillary barrage,say 20 - 40 guns all blasting away at once.After thats trough send over the AC-130's to mop up the remaining fools still lurking the streets.And while all this is going on razor wire round the whole of Najaf and encirle it,nothing goes in or out. I wanna see that kill totaliser go up and up till theres no more goons left to die for Al-Sadder
Posted by: Shep UK   2004-08-09 2:21:52 PM  

#1  BZ Men!
Posted by: Yosemite Sam   2004-08-09 2:12:17 PM  

00:00