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Iraq-Jordan
Paleo/Al Arabiya Reporter iced live in Baghdad!
2004-09-12
Live and in color, though mostly red...
A PALESTINIAN television journalist was killed today as he was giving a live report to camera on deadly clashes between US forces and insurgents in the heart of the Iraqi capital. Residents of his home town in the West Bank watched in horror as Mazen al-Tomaisi, who worked for Saudi television Akhbariya and for the pan-Arab satellite channel Al-Arabiya, went down.
"And folks, that thing you see just over my right shoulder is an Apache helicopter, armed with Hellfire missiles! It's just launched! Let's see where it lands!... Ohhhh! Rosebud!"
Mr Tomaisi, 28, was killed when a US helicopter fired missiles on a mob which had gathered round a US tank in Baghdad that had been set ablaze in a car bomb attack, one of a string of bombings across the capital today. Blood spattered across the cameraman's lens and screams were heard by viewers of the Al-Arabiya report. Mr Tomaisi, from the West Bank town of Idna, is the fourth Palestinian journalist killed in Iraq.
Or maybe the fourth lugging a camera...
An Iraqi cameraman and an Iraqi photographer were also slightly wounded by flying shrapnel during the attack.
"Duck, Mahmoud!... Ooooh! That hadda hurt!"
An Iraqi official later said a total of 13 people were killed, including two children, and 55 were wounded during the battle in Haifa Street, a suspected bastion of Saddam Hussein loyalists, where insurgents and US troops clash regularly.
"Legume! Insurgents and U.S. troops clash regularly in this neighborhood! I suspect it's a bastion of Saddam Hussein loyalists!"
"How do you do, Inspector!"
The US military said four soldiers were also wounded.

Grapic pictures:
Jubilant Iraqis swarm over the disabled Bradley (not a tank, btw)

Not so jubilant Iraqis just after choppers destroyed the vehicle to prevent the capture of sensitive equipment.
Posted by:Atomic Conspiracy

#26  We've dealt with the tragic impotence of the Israelis as the Paleo militants routinely car-swarm---now we see what happens when Iraqis perform a BFV swarm. I love it. Talk about a target rich environment. We should be taking out their boomers, and then taking out the resulting swarms.
Posted by: Anonymous6414   2004-09-13 1:53:00 AM  

#25  Keep in mind that the late celebrants were waving a Zarqawi flag on top of the Bradley when it was helizapped. If you are really a non-combatant, perhaps you should avoid triumphantly identifying yourself as the enemy.
Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy   2004-09-13 1:35:50 AM  

#24  Wonder whether the Arab street took the message to heart.
Posted by: Super Hose   2004-09-13 12:46:32 AM  

#23  Mike K...send me an e and let's talk
Posted by: Seafarious   2004-09-12 11:35:31 PM  

#22  Seafarious -
Make it a bit further south - maybe Norfolk, where we can go play on a battleship - and I'm there; Baltimore or the District is just a bit far from SC.

Cheers,
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2004-09-12 11:26:07 PM  

#21  Despite all the attempts by the PC-Government Nannies, the universe's rule that Stupidity Kills is still in force. We should pass out flyers of Before and After labeled, "This is you before islam(e)." on the before. And then on the splattered dead, "This is you on islam(e). Praise allan."
Posted by: Silentbrick   2004-09-12 10:47:20 PM  

#20  Dave D. and any DC-Balto-Philly-Richmond-etc. Mid-Atlantic Rantburgers, pls send me an email. Time to get this thing going.

e-mail is Here.
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Posted by: Seafarious   2004-09-12 10:37:46 PM  

#19  "I also wish that a camera crew could film a barroom full of rantburgers hopping up and down, joyfully celebrating the film shots of Baathist celebrators turning into red lumps on the street..."

There was talk back around February or March about a Rantburg get-together in Baltimore; but nothing ever came of it.

I guess I'll just have to ululate in private.
Posted by: Dave D.   2004-09-12 10:06:18 PM  

#18  It was very satisfying to watch the BBC film, and see the before and after shots. I heartily endorse continuing this practice - I'd personally probably put an Arclight strike in instead of a Hellfire. That might teach jihadis to keep boomers out of their neighborhoods (or - at least - there would not be many repeat performances in any one area).

I also wish that a camera crew could film a barroom full of rantburgers hopping up and down, joyfully celebrating the film shots of Baathist celebrators turning into red lumps on the street - and then show that on Iraqi TV - to let them see what it feels like to have other people joyously celebrating death and destruction of your mates.

I just hope the PC elements don't inspire such a hand-wringing that we next hear about the involved attack helicopter pilots being brought up on charges for causing unneccesary civilian carnage.

You play with fire, you get burned. Suck it up.
Posted by: Lone Ranger   2004-09-12 9:56:38 PM  

#17  What a bunch of stupid f&%ks.

Swarm around a burning military vehicle that might start cooking off any live ammunition inside of it.

Great idea, moron @ssholes! Be sure and say hello to Allah for me.
Posted by: Zenster   2004-09-12 9:08:09 PM  

#16  Payback is a real bitch. Piss on a US vehicle...you get a "go see allan" card free of charge.
Posted by: anymouse   2004-09-12 8:42:37 PM  

#15  I've been in a sour mood all weekend. Mostly becuase yesterday was...well... yesterday if you know what I mean.

This story actually put a smile on my face.

Posted by: Mark Z.   2004-09-12 8:20:42 PM  

#14  More before and after photographs (some not recommended for the queasy)

Maybe next time, the survivors will be less inclined to indulge in any impromptu propaganda pieces.
Posted by: Lux   2004-09-12 8:19:45 PM  

#13  Who the heck dances 'round a Free Fire Zone???

You snooze... You lose. Literally.

Or

If you kick a tiger in the ass. Do remember that the tiger has CLAWS!

Is that the Adaggio For Strings I hear in the background?
Posted by: Jack Deth   2004-09-12 8:17:37 PM  

#12  Thsi should be SOP for all vehicle losses.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2004-09-12 8:12:23 PM  

#11  ... must be an accordian in there somewhere.

Use an accordian, get a Hellfire enema. (Or something like that.)

Speaking of musical instruments, where's my femtoviolin?
Posted by: Zenster   2004-09-12 8:08:59 PM  

#10  Well a tad more sanitation of the gene pool. Who wants to bet that the "news crew" were standing by during the ambush to "gather this news"n too.

Traveling in a war zone to gather news is dangerous. Thats why all the westerners do it with us or from the bar in a nice safe hotel in the green zone. Traveling with the terrorist and a camera does not give you a free pass from getting a burial shroud.
Posted by: Trolling for Allan   2004-09-12 7:58:40 PM  

#9  I screwed up the link somehow, but if you copy and paste it, it should work.
Posted by: Baltic Blog   2004-09-12 7:52:30 PM  

#8  What next? Revisionist history for Goebbels men who died at D-Day? "I'm a journalist for "Der Sturmer" he cried as an American tank machinegunned him...get out the hankies and violins mis amigos..
Posted by: borgboy   2004-09-12 7:51:42 PM  

#7  Finally...it's about time this swarming, dragging bodies, ululating, children dancing with glee, and Arab reporters standing by to film it all is put a stop to.
Posted by: TS(vice girl)   2004-09-12 7:51:40 PM  

#6  You can watch the BBC video from this page

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3648786.stm

The link is on the upper right.

Looks like a skin-skin kill.
Posted by: Baltic Blog   2004-09-12 7:49:19 PM  

#5  Comm isn't much good in the ME. The paleos and the Iraqis do not communicate much, otherwise the Paleos could have given the heads-up on avoiding car swarms™.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2004-09-12 7:47:15 PM  

#4  "Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be Jihadis......."
Posted by: whitecollar redneck   2004-09-12 7:27:50 PM  

#3  But they were just minding their own business and celebrating a wedding...there must be an accordian in there somewhere.
(BTW, have any video links turned up for this yet?)
Posted by: Anonymoose   2004-09-12 7:23:50 PM  

#2  Whoa.........We've put our game face on.
Posted by: whitecollar redneck   2004-09-12 7:18:46 PM  

#1  Additional details, idiotarian spin-free, from ME Online:
"Witnesses saw an angry mob pelt the burning tank with stones and dance around the armoured vehicle as one man climbed on top, waving a black flag emblazoned with the name of Zarqawi's group Tawhid wal Jihad (Unity and Holy War), while veiled women ululated.

A pair of US helicopters then swooped down over the neighborhood and fired missiles and heavy machine-gun fire into the mob, scattering at least five corpses across the ground.

The US military said the tank was destroyed from the air "to prevent looting and harm to the Iraqi people".



Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy   2004-09-12 7:15:30 PM  

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