| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| More details on the search for our soldiers |
| 2007-05-14 |
| Meanwhile, 4,000 U.S. troops backed by aircraft, intelligence units and Iraqi forces were scouring the farming area around Mahmoudiya and the nearby town of Youssifiyah for the third day, as the military promised to make every effort available to find the missing soldiers. Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said the military could not verify the claim by the Islamic State of Iraq but "it would not surprise me if ... al-Qaida in Iraq is involved in this because there are similarities to what they've done before." He pointed out that the terror network also had claimed responsibility for killing two U.S. soldiers whose mutilated bodies were found after they went missing in the same area last year. The Islamic State in Iraq offered no proof for its claim on Internet that it was behind the attack Saturday in Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad, that also killed four U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi translator. If the claim proves true, it would mark one of the most brazen attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq, a coalition of eight insurgent groups, including al-Qaida in Iraq. Wonder how long it took him to find that word brazen in a Thesaurus? On Sunday, U.S. troops surrounded Youssifiyah and told residents over loudspeakers to stay inside, residents said. They then methodically searched the houses, focusing on possible secret chambers under the floors where the soldiers might be hidden, residents said. The soldiers marked each searched house with a white piece of cloth. Soldiers also searched cars entering and leaving the town, writing "searched" on the side of each vehicle they had inspected. Several people were arrested, witnesses said. Early Monday morning, U.S. and Iraqi forces exchanged fire with gunmen near Youssifiyah during the house-to-house search operation for the missing American soldiers, killing two suspected insurgents and injuring four others, a top Iraqi army officer in the area said. He said the fighting began at about 3:30 a.m. and lasted for about 30 minutes. The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, said the coalition's search operation in the region has detained more than 100 suspects. The U.S. military did not immediate comment on the report. In Mahmoudiyah, residents complained on Monday that coalition forces had searched through their homes, and AP Television News footage showed on one apartment that appeared to have been ransacked in the search. One resident also said three residents in the area, including two guards at a local mosque, had been detained by coalition forces, but that could not be immediately confirmed. |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #18 I'm girding any expectations for a happy out come. God Bless em. |
| Posted by: RD 2007-05-14 22:46 |
| #17 I wonder if they want us to stop searching because we're getting close to finding some bigshot. Kind of boggles that they would be claiming retaliation for a rape a year later. I hope we don't see our guys on a video getting cut up. This just strengthens our resolve to stop these pond scum types to stop sharing the air with us. I hope we're able to recover and save our guys soon. link |
| Posted by: Jan 2007-05-14 21:47 |
| #16 In Mahmoudiyah, residents complained on Monday that coalition forces had searched through their homes, and AP Television News footage showed on one apartment that appeared to have been ransacked in the search. My heart pumps piss. Cough up our soldiers or STFU. Your choice. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-05-14 20:26 |
| #15 What no video confessions? Guess they aren't British sailors. |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2007-05-14 19:30 |
| #14 On Sunday, U.S. troops surrounded Youssifiyah and told residents over loudspeakers to stay inside, residents said. They then methodically searched the houses, focusing on possible secret chambers under the floors where the soldiers might be hidden, residents said. The soldiers marked each searched house with a white piece of cloth. Soldiers also searched cars entering and leaving the town, writing "searched" on the side of each vehicle they had inspected. Several people were arrested, witnesses said. I contrast this description (from AP too - gasp!) with Matt Lauer's lead-in this morning: "As the US military desperately searches for its missing soldiers..." Grim determination, controlled hatred and fury, visions of righteous justice I'd buy, buy not desperation. Lauer is such a f*ing tool. |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2007-05-14 17:23 |
| #13 The chips in puppies only identify them when scanned, doc, they don't send out homing signals. I'm not sure, but I think the ones in cars make use of the vehicle's electrical power to maintain contact. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-05-14 16:40 |
| #12 Doc, My thoughts exactly. It would seem that in the 21st century when we can have detection collars for the Paris Hiltons of the world, we could do the same for our troops that would allow for quick GPS tracking of their position in these circumstances. I mean, damn -- my mobile phone can tell me where I am within several hundred feet. Why can't we create some kind of electronic GPS dogtag? |
| Posted by: Mizzou Mafia 2007-05-14 16:21 |
| #11 Ya gotta work on the fake empathy, EF. Ya gotta sell it, really sell it. At least act like you actally give a shit about "our soldiers"...it makes the schtick that much more convincing. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-05-14 15:57 |
| #10 Dumbass troll. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2007-05-14 15:44 |
| #9 Guess that's how they knew it was a troll, eh? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-05-14 15:26 |
| #8 European, NS. The decimal point is a comma to Americans. $13,000 dollars a month. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2007-05-14 15:25 |
| #7 13.00 per hour maybe, but 13.00 per month? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-05-14 14:54 |
| #6 I know this town 5104, so don't ride the metre. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-05-14 14:46 |
| #5 EF5014, the claims about our soldiers are nonsense, and you know that. We don't suffer trolls on Rantburg. If you're here to contribute in a reasonable way, fine, but you've now been warned. AoS. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2007-05-14 14:40 |
| #4 sorry. Our soldiers get zilch,nor armour, nothing, while the mercenaries that protect the authorities in the green zone get paid 13.000 /month................. |
| Posted by: Eohippus Flomock5104 2007-05-14 14:18 |
| #3 Now can we FINALLY take the gloves off, GW and go full-tilt Medieval on these worthless scum???? |
| Posted by: USN. Ret. 2007-05-14 13:39 |
| #2 In an era when sensors in puppies and autos for tracking purposes are commonplace, it's astounding that no such devices are utilized in our troops for search and rescue purposes. This IS the 21st Century, right? |
| Posted by: doc 2007-05-14 13:34 |
| #1 Local newspaper reported the death of a soldier in this fracas from the 10th Mountain Division. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2007-05-14 12:08 |