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| Iraq-Jordan | |||||
| U.S. Gunship Pounds Falluja on Saddam’s Birthday | |||||
| 2004-04-28 | |||||
| ELF Here you go, birthday boy A U.S. airborne gunship pounded the Iraqi city of Falluja overnight in a display of overwhelming firepower against insurgents who have battled Marines on the outskirts of town for three weeks. As the U.N. envoy on Iraq was telling the United Nations of bloody consequences should talks fail in Falluja, at least one AC-130, first used in Vietnam, poured down fire in what Marines said on Wednesday had been a precision response to an attack.
Local residents said that only one person was injured and that 10 homes which were destroyed had been empty.
A year after the fall of Saddam Hussein, who was spending his 67th birthday in a secret jail in U.S. custody, U.S. forces are trying to quell twin threats to the new order in Baghdad from Sunni Muslim guerrillas in Falluja to Shi’ite fighters in the south before they hand sovereignty to Iraqis on June 30. It was the second time in as many days that they had used such a gunship, a converted cargo plane nicknamed Spooky or Specter which spews concentrated cannon and machinegun fire over the ground.
U.S. officers said an AC-130 killed nearly 60 Shi’ite militia near the second flashpoint, Najaf, on Monday. Commanders near Najaf said that assault appeared to have demoralized guerrillas in the city and was part of a strategy to persuade their wanted religious leader to give himself up. In Falluja a year ago on Wednesday -- previously a public holiday in honor of Saddam’s birthday -- U.S. soldiers killed and wounded dozens of demonstrators. It was an early public relations setback. The town is now a byword for Iraq’s aggrieved and long dominant Sunni minority and in the wider Arab world.
The local police chief said he would renew talks with the Marines about launching joint patrols in the town. U.S. officials, clearly aware that such a move could spark new guerrilla attacks on their troops, have said they will begin joint patrols in the coming days. It is not clear when.
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| Posted by:tipper |
| #10 The U-model is called the Spooky II. |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-04-28 5:53:50 PM |
| #9 Actually, regarding the AC-130 names, there are both Spectre and Spooky versions. - Anal Carl |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H 2004-04-28 1:31:24 PM |
| #8 I can just imagine the buzz of the minigun pouring a rain of bullets into the hideouts of "insurgents".... |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-04-28 1:08:14 PM |
| #7 (the fmr Anonymous4052) A year after the fall of Saddam Hussein, who was spending his 67th birthday in a secret jail in U.S. custody How come collateral damage never affects certain reporters? Oh, I am sorry, I am not being nice am I? |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-04-28 10:58:32 AM |
| #6 Robert Crawford: They won't stop until we lose. Actually, they won't stop, ever, when US troops are involved - to them, every American-led war is a quagmire. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2004-04-28 10:50:02 AM |
| #5 How long till these guys finally stop trying to cast the news and start reporting it, ALL of it, minus the biases? They won't stop until we lose. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-04-28 9:11:57 AM |
| #4 As the U.N. envoy on Iraq was telling the United Nations of bloody consequences should talks fail in Falluja The same one who blames the Jews for the Paleos suffering? No Bias here at all then. |
| Posted by: Charles 2004-04-28 9:00:21 AM |
| #3 Pretty soon they will be writing like this: The Marines with their M-16's that were first used in Vietnam, attacked insurgents along with Cobra Gunships that were first used in Vietnam, and personal light rockets that were similar to the ones first used in Vietnam. They were saved by their personal body armor similar to that first used in Vietnam, and called in support form the LVTP7's that were first used in Vietnam, and used 40mm grenade launchers like those first used in Vietnam to force back the Vietcon [backspace][backspace] [backspace] [backspace] [backspace][backspace] [backspace] [backspace] local rebels. I think they have this macro'd along with quagmire. How long till these guys finally stop trying to cast the news and start reporting it, ALL of it, minus the biases? |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-04-28 8:53:32 AM |
| #2 AC130's are not converted: they are purpose built. The old Spooky were conversions. These things are designed from the bottom up on a C130 airframe. The "First in Vietnam" was gratuitous. The Cobra gunships were first used in Vietnam, and I didnt see that attached to its description. The reporter's bias/ignorance is showing. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-04-28 8:45:36 AM |
| #1 ahhhh, excellent Roooters spin : AC-130's, which were first used in VIET NAM! Flattened houses, which, of course, were empty....did the reporter leave Baghdad to write this? How did he get close enough to interview locals without getting killed? hmmmm? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-04-28 7:09:36 AM |