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| Iraq |
| GIs Exchange Fire With Iraq Guerrillas |
| 2003-09-04 |
| EFL: U.S. forces exchanged fire with Iraqi guerrillas who lobbed at least six mortar rounds at them in intense fighting in downtown Tikrit Thursday, and the Americans detained four people, including a suspected bomb maker. I still think Tikrit would make a nice parking lot. In Tikrit, the mortar shells missed their targets, causing no injuries or damage, said Lt. Col. Steve Russell, commander of the 4th Infantry Division’s 1st Battalion, 22nd Regiment, which patrols Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, 120 miles north of Baghdad. Typical islamic marksmanship, they would have been thrown out of the VC. An American reconnaissance patrol, responding to the mortar attack, was ambushed with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, directly opposite the 4th Infantry’s sprawling headquarters in one of the ousted leader’s former palaces. Bradley fighting vehicles were called in as reinforcements, opening fire at the guerrillas as tracer bullets lit the night sky over Tikrit, which was plunged into darkness. An intense firefight ensued and at least one house was on fire. Helicopters were heard hovering above. Russell played down the attack, saying no U.S. casualties were reported, but one attacker might have been killed as the rest of the guerrillas disappeared. Shoot and scoot. "When you have such an incident, it appears to be a spike in activity. But in reality, it’s a decline," Russell told said. No, no, no! Don’t you watch the news? It’s a Quagmire(tm)! Also Thursday, U.S. troops acting on a tip from an Iraqi raided a house in Tikrit and detained four people, including a suspected bomb maker. Also seized were weapons and ammunition and a box of explosives, wires, clocks, nails and other bomb making material. Col. James Hickey, commander of the 4th Infantry’s 1st Brigade, said the man, who was not identified, surrendered without a fight. He was suspected of bomb making activities in the Tikrit area and was being interrogated, Hickey said. Hickey said the mortars that were fired into Tikrit were traced to a spot where the Charlie Company of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Regiment, was sent to investigate before it came under attack. He also said the guerrillas might have suffered casualties. Got a blood trail, do you? U.S. soldiers shot to death three Iraqis who were placing a homemade bomb by the road southeast of Baqouba late Wednesday, 4th Infantry Division spokesman Lt. Col. William MacDonald said. The Iraqis were engaged by soldiers, who fired a tank round and small-arms at their truck, destroying it, MacDonald said. "Target 100 meters, vehicle beside road, load HE." "HE up!" "Fire!" The shootings took place in an area where guerrillas have been placing homemade bombs to target U.S. troops, he said. That’s three more that won’t cause any trouble. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 U.S. soldiers shot to death three Iraqis who were placing a homemade bomb by the road How do they know they were Iraqi ? Were they carrying local IDs ? I suspect rather this is laziness on the part of a reporter ("happened in Iraq = they were Iraqi"), which is a concern because this glosses over the significant involvement of foreign jihadi morons. |
| Posted by: Carl in NH 2003-9-4 12:20:45 PM |