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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Ansar al-Sunna claims responsibility for Mosul attack on US base |
| 2004-12-21 |
| Edited for brevity. A mortar and rocket attack on a U.S. military base in the Iraqi city of Mosul killed at least 22 people and wounded more than 50 on Tuesday in one of the most deadly attacks on U.S. forces since last year's invasion. Iraqi militant group Ansar al-Sunna, a major player in the insurgency against the U.S.-backed government and U.S. forces, said it was behind the attack. A defense official in Washington said it was not clear how many of the casualties were Americans. The attack on a dining hall came at noon when many soldiers at Forward Operating Base Marez, at the northern city's airfield, would have been eating lunch. U.S. military camps in Mosul have tented mess halls seating hundreds of troops. "There were an unknown number of rounds in a rocket and mortar attack," the official said. "We don't know the breakdown (of dead). We don't know if it's U.S., Iraqi, a combination." UPDATE: The Ansar al-Sunnah Army claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on the Internet. It said the attack was a "martyrdom operation" targeting a mess hall in the al-Ghizlani camp. Ansar al-Sunna is believed to be a fundamentalist group whose goal is to turn Iraq into a tightly controlled Islamic state like Afghanistan's former Taliban regime. In August, the Sunni Muslim group claimed responsibility for the beheading of 12 Nepalese hostages. It also has claimed responsibility for recent attacks in Mosul. Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city, was relatively peaceful in the immediate aftermath of the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime last year. But insurgent attacks in the largely Sunni Arab area have increased dramatically in the past year and particularly since the U.S.-led military operation in November to retake the restive city of Fallujah from militants. |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #23 Reply to #20. With the 1st ID, in 65 - 66, our base camp had GP medium tents for sleeping. They had to be 100 foot from the next tent and had to be surrounded by 30 inch high sandbag walls. Anything that had more than a squad had to be divided so that no more than ten men were in a single enclosure. We took a 107 mm rocket which landed about 4 foot from the outside of the wall. One guy took a small piece of shrapnel in the arm. If we hadn't had that wall I probably wouldn't be griping about this today. |
| Posted by: Old Fogey 2004-12-21 8:50:25 PM |
| #22 Can we puh-lease take off the gloves now? |
| Posted by: Brett_the_Quarkian 2004-12-21 8:45:05 PM |
| #21 Eye I! I! Can speak Engalish! I, eye! i Can speak Enngrish! |
| Posted by: Manuel at the check in desk everywhere 2004-12-21 6:47:24 PM |
| #20 Never served, but I always figured if I was in a war zone I would put sandbags around my cot, no matter where it was. Maybe SOP ought to be that dining halls like this get chest high sandbags around each long table. Divide the hall into small zones to limit casualties. |
| Posted by: DO 2004-12-21 6:27:48 PM |
| #19 Welcome to this board Reverand Farrakan. We are just waiting for instructions from Jerusalem and Delhi via coded messages in the Star Trek (original series) TV episodes . We have been instructed to start with Iran, and pillage our way through Syria, and then raze the Saudis and their funny little black rock. Finally, our Jewish overlords have commanded us to divert the Nile and make the Jewish deserts bloom. The Hinduists said they would take care of PakiWakiLand themselves. Something about alleviating a protein shortage in India. I just hope the rest of the Rantburgers won't be too angry for revealing the Jewhinduists plans. Btw, have you and Michael J. |
| Posted by: ed 2004-12-21 6:26:30 PM |
| #18 Cleanup in Aisle 16! |
| Posted by: Raj 2004-12-21 6:17:25 PM |
| #17 The report is that there are 19 US KIAs. Murat sighting in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... |
| Posted by: Rafael 2004-12-21 6:15:47 PM |
| #16 listens to yourselfs junduists scam... why you little shit packers do not joint the army and go to IRAQ ? instead play me me me me ... I'm the most informed one I know more than you |
| Posted by: 19 17 2004-12-21 5:54:06 PM |
| #15 I like the idea of letting the Kurds open a huge can of whoop ass!!! and give the jihadis no quarter! |
| Posted by: legolas 2004-12-21 5:48:27 PM |
| #14 I like the idea of letting the Kurds open a huge can of whoop ass!!! and give the jihadis no quarter! |
| Posted by: legolas 2004-12-21 5:48:19 PM |
| #13 The report is that there are 19 US KIAs. KBR is reporting 7 employees/contractors KIA, too. God bless them and their families. |
| Posted by: Tibor 2004-12-21 4:24:50 PM |
| #12 And another thing... We need to institute the Israeli practice of retaliating against the FAMILIES of suicide bombers. Not kill them, displace them. Bulldoze their house, and both adjoining houses. Suicide bombers are typically PAID to "serve" Allan...knowing their family's financial LOSS will exceed the payday will also decrease their numbers. |
| Posted by: Justrand 2004-12-21 4:22:39 PM |
| #11 I agree with Frank...arm the Kurds to the teeth and have them "clean up" Mosel. In fact, GIVE the Kurds ALL of northern Iraq including Mosel. It is time give Mosel a BIG taste of Fallujah...as a lesson to EVERY OTHER STINKING town that harbors this assholes!! Also, I am inclined to agree with the assessment that this sounds more like a suicide bomber (with inside access) than a rocket attack. Time will tell. |
| Posted by: Justrand 2004-12-21 4:18:10 PM |
| #10 Placement and time says it's an attack with help from the inside. I am not thinking this was a lucky magic rocket or mortar round. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-12-21 4:15:12 PM |
| #9 From a tactical viewpoint, the practice of large dining facilities, briefing halls is a no-no when you have an enemy that can deliver explosives/artillery. My experience dates from the sixties Europe and VN. From very personal experience I can tell you dispersal and sandbags save lives. The same situation occurred at Pearl Harbor. I would rather eat cold MREs for 365 days than be blown out of my boots eating a steak dinner. |
| Posted by: Old Fogey 2004-12-21 3:59:23 PM |
| #8 The Sunni Partisans (splinter from of Ansar Al Islam) are claiming a "matrydom operation". Me thinks jihadi go boom. Time will tell. Got a good bud there. Next to Camp Maser. Shot him an email, and he's ok. The CSH stands. Fifty odd patients, 24 KIA (American and Iraqi) and gloating CNNi. "The only way not to lose, is to win. Press on." [insert a picture for serious cussing] |
| Posted by: gimpy 2004-12-21 3:50:34 PM |
| #7 there will be some serious payback ... BTW I heard on the pentagon channel earlier that there was one loud explosion that caused the damage ... a general was giving the briefing ... I wonder if this was perhaps a suicide bomber, car bomb or other IED as opposed to a missile/mortar attack? Anybody heard anything like this? |
| Posted by: legolas 2004-12-21 3:01:29 PM |
| #6 It sounds like they just got lucky with one of their rocket attacks. Just like that Scud that hit the barrack in GW1, fire enough of them and eventually they'll hit something. I feel terrible for the families of the servicemen and women--there are going to be some sad households this Christmas. I hope our boys get some payback and soon. |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-12-21 2:17:53 PM |
| #5 i think BAR is right. They may be strong enough to do damage, but theyre not strong enough to be picky about targets. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-12-21 2:01:16 PM |
| #4 I wonder what really happened here. They're looking for *something* to attack. It doesn't have to be anything in particular; it's just out of habit, that's all. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-12-21 1:35:29 PM |
| #3 Saw on Fox that the base is also used by Iraqi forces. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-12-21 1:30:42 PM |
| #2 Interesting that they went after a *US* Base this close to the election. I thought the designated targets were Iraqis now. I wonder what really happened here. |
| Posted by: Dave 2004-12-21 12:45:26 PM |
| #1 sounds like we need to give our Kurdish friends better weapons and a free-er hand in Mosul. Reverse Arabization |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-12-21 11:49:45 AM |