| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq-Jordan |
| Heavy Fighting in Najaf |
| 2004-09-06 |
| US warplanes spearheaded a massive two-pronged assault to crush a Shiite Muslim uprising in Iraq's city of Najaf. Jets screeched overhead as massive explosions and tank and machine-gun fire boomed through the city and smoke engulfed its historic centre, home to the Imam Ali shrine, revered by Shiites all over the world. Thousands of US forces, backed by Iraqi police and national guard, mounted a pincer movement to trap Moqtada Sadr's fighters in the heart of the city, before going on to raid the militia leader's empty home. Iraqi and US troops sealed approaches to the mausoleum, as hundreds of terrified residents, urged on by attacking forces and the city's mosques, fled through the dusty streets. "Leave the city. Help coalition forces and do not fire at them," one announcement instructed in Arabic. "We are here to liberate the city..." This is the first notice of this I have seen. It is dateline Sept 6, and is an AFP report. Any confirmation? |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #9 This is an old news release that somehow got re-released. Funny to see the reactions. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-09-06 9:14:10 PM |
| #8 engulfed its historic centre, Isn't that the slum? |
| Posted by: anon 2004-09-06 7:20:24 PM |
| #7 I don't think Sistani has any pull with the people in Najaf (wrong sect). It's an example of what life would be like if all the Waffen SS took refuge after WWII in a small city. This is the center of resistance. I think that we should just level the whole town and start over. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2004-09-06 7:12:16 PM |
| #6 Note that this AFP story is heavily slanted against the coalition, exaggerating the scale of air attack and uncritically repeating highly suspect statements about civilian casualties. I think its unexplained resurrection is a more sophisticated version of a familiar leftist propaganda tool known as the "typo lie," that is, an erroneous bit of propaganda, usually offhand, that can be dismissed as a technical error of some kind if caught. Some of these may be simple errors, but some authors, notably Howard Zinn and the notorious Cold War Kremlin shill Tom Gervasi, seem to make errors at a rate that would shame a seventh grader, and every single one of these favors their various anti-Amrican contentions. Zinn, for example, once claimed that 12,900 people were killed during the US occupation of Vera Cruz in 1914. The actual number, agreed by all primary sources, was 129. Gervasi under or over-stated practically almost every numerical quantity in his anti-military polemic, Arsenal of Democracy, by a factor of at least 10 (claiming for example that a Cessna 172 cost $413,000 in the early 70s, exactly 10 times the real figure provided by his cited sources). Every single one of these "errors" (over 400) was favorable to his contention of massive waste, fraud, conspiracy, exploitation of third world countries, and aggression at the Pentagon. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2004-09-06 6:09:53 PM |
| #5 WTF? The events in this story took place on August 12 and 13th. Maybe the reporter wrote the story and put it in a bottle. It took 3 weeks to was ashore in Australia. Either that or the publisher needs to cut off the supply of Fosters in the press room. Tipper what do you know about this delayed report? Showing up anywhere else down under? |
| Posted by: GK 2004-09-06 5:42:56 PM |
| #4 This will go on for a couple of days, then al-Sistani makes a statement. Then US forces will jump hoops for that pre-barbecued pig, and al-Sadr lives on to wage terror another day. This tactical BS will deter recruitment in the American military. What soldier with an ounce of self-respect would want to fight an unwinnable war? |
| Posted by: Anonymous6334 2004-09-06 5:34:11 PM |
| #3 Old news. Don't know why its being rehashed. |
| Posted by: JackAssFestival 2004-09-06 3:36:11 PM |
| #2 sounds good to me,lets hope its true they've gone in, wouldnt want Sadr thinking hes safe,Najaf and falluja must go! |
| Posted by: Shep UK 2004-09-06 2:41:26 PM |
| #1 May we finally finish flushing the Najef-toilet of the human excrement. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2004-09-06 2:34:26 PM |