U.S. Warplanes Renew Bombing of Iraq Targets

[jimnyc]

Let's see how the insurgents do as 500lb bombs drop around them. It's a shame it has to come to this, but I don't see any alternatives at this point.

*****
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. warplanes bombed targets in Iraq on Sunday in air strikes that resumed last week for the first time in more than six months after the shooting down of three U.S. helicopters.

The renewed air strikes came as Iraq's interim foreign minister promised that local leaders would meet a December deadline for setting out a path toward self-rule.

The pledge by Hoshiyar Zebari came amid frustration expressed by occupation officials that Iraqi politicians have not moved more quickly to draw up plans for taking over power.

In the new air strikes, F-16 fighter-bombers dropped three 500-pound bombs near the flashpoint town of Falluja, in the area west of Baghdad where 16 American soldiers were killed when a U.S. Chinook helicopter was downed a week ago.

The air strikes early on Sunday followed attacks on U.S. troops, a U.S. military source said. He had no precise details.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&e=1&u=/nm/20031109/ts_nm/iraq_dc_130

 

[rtm]

are we winning yet

 

[jimnyc]

Originally posted by rtm
are we winning yet

Son, you've apparently lost a long time ago. My condolences.

 

[SLClemens]

Originally posted by rtm
are we winning yet

In some senses, most assuredly - just like the American military won every major combat opperation it fought in Vietnam, and just like the Soviets won every battle they fought in Afghanistan.

 

[SLClemens]

If you'd like to read a biased, left-wing report of these same events and some related ones by a bunch of whiney foreigners I'd recommend you take a peak at http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1081221,00.html

 

[spillmind]

mark twain must be turning in his grave.

how on earth is this gaurdian story 'left-wing'??

it's probably because there isn't a positive spin on it?

ignore present reality all you want, but the region will never be stable, people will keep dying, and this whole democracy pipe dream fluke is getting pretty tough to think of as a possible reality.

how do you people pull optimism out of news like this? please divulge the secret!

 

[jimnyc]

how do you people pull optimism out of news like this? please divulge the secret!

Strategically speaking, being on the offensive wins wars. They need to take a stronghold of Iraq and not sit back and react to attacks. From a military perspective, this change in attitude gives me some optimism.

How do you pull negativity out of everything the US does? No need to divulge the secret, I've seen the effect of drugs on the human brain.

 

[spillmind]

jim, i was hoping you could do better than a low brow wanna be drug insult. it wasn't even origininal. yet another demonstration of a weak defense, and diversion tactics

how many times have i stated i love my country and and very fortunate for the opportunities provided attributed from american serving global capitalism? i love my country, but i am not blind to the sometimes devastating ramifications.

so sue me for keeping my good luck in prespective.

.

Strategically speaking, being on the offensive wins wars. They need to take a stronghold of Iraq and not sit back and react to attacks. From a military perspective, this change in attitude gives me some optimism.

oh please! you've been unwavering cheerleader #1 this whole time! you never even mentioned this type of response, yet you hopped on that bandwagon faster than bush can build up his re-selection war chest!

...if these strikes don't hit 'guerrillas' but instead only (inadvertantly) kill more civilians, and the attacks continue, or even increase, then what?

our leadership is dropping the ball, and i expect your duty as a good american- to call a spade a spade

 

[jimnyc]

jim, i was hoping you could do better than a low brow wanna be drug insult. it wasn't even origininal. yet another demonstration of a weak defense, and diversion tactics

That's all you can do, is "hope". Not much else left for you.

how many times have i stated i love my country and and very fortunate for the opportunities provided attributed from american serving global capitalism? i love my country, but i am not blind to the sometimes devastating ramifications.

Not sure, wasn't keeping count. Glad to hear something positive from you, even though it's centered on what you can get out of the country.

oh please! you've been unwavering cheerleader #1 this whole time! you never even mentioned this type of response, yet you hopped on that bandwagon faster than bush can build up his re-selection war chest!

Why should I have had a change previously in my optimism when this is the first time they've went from "reaction mode" to "offensive mode"? I've said all along that they should bomb the scumbags committing the acts, it's only natural for me to see optimism when they start doing so.

...if these strikes don't hit 'guerrillas' but instead only (inadvertantly) kill more civilians, and the attacks continue, or even increase, then what?

I think there is a high probability that many insurgents will be taken down in the upcoming weeks. Should attacks continue or increase, the US should not waver and continue on their mission.

 

[SLClemens]

Originally posted by spillmind
mark twain must be turning in his grave.

how on earth is this gaurdian story 'left-wing'??

it's probably because there isn't a positive spin on it?

Well of course! Where does it refer to the people dropping the bombs from afar as "brave men and women?" Where are the long quotations with no context or commentary from Whitehouse officials? Where is repeated mention of "coalition forces?" Where is mention "Saddamite / Baathist remnants / dead-enders / no-hopers / terrorists"? I mean really, you'd think that shooting down a clear military target of an occupying army while killing no civilians wasn't even terrorism, from this bunch of lefties of teh Guardian's Old Labour remnants.

What's next? A satirical "War Prayer"?

 

[SLClemens]

Originally posted by jimnyc


I think there is a high probability that many insurgents will be taken down in the upcoming weeks. Should attacks continue or increase, the US should not waver and continue on their mission.

So if this tactic is working so well, why are there more and more and more insurgents and attacks spreading to other areas of Iraq? I suppose just a few more weeks of stiff US reponses and attacks will stop and we can get on with having democray?

 

[jimnyc]

Originally posted by SLClemens
So if this tactic is working so well, why are there more and more and more insurgents and attacks spreading to other areas of Iraq? I suppose just a few more weeks of stiff US reponses and attacks will stop and we can get on with having democray?

Who said it is working well? This turn around in strategy just started yesterday!!

 

[SLClemens]

Originally posted by jimnyc
Who said it is working well? This turn around in strategy just started yesterday!!

You seemed a bit enthused about it. Well, we'll see in a few weeks' or months' time, I suppose. I'm not especially optimistic myself.

 

[spillmind]

jim, can't you realize your attempts at insults only reflect upon yourself and your arguement?

Not sure, wasn't keeping count. Glad to hear something positive from you, even though it's centered on what you can get out of the country.

man, you are really giving me something to smile about tonight.

you sit there and say:

How do you pull negativity out of everything the US does?

and then to pull this:

Glad to hear something positive from you, even though it's centered on what you can get out of the country.

from this:

so sue me for keeping my good luck in prespective.

you just hate the fact that i love my country every bit as much as you do, and that we don't see eye to eye and it burns you.

i'll be impressed if the attacks are 'greatly reduced'

better yet, care to define these terms and then place a little wager on paypal? come on! show some faith in your chimp's tactics and better yet- show some patriotism, man!

 

[jimnyc]

How fitting that your entire post would be filled up with cartoon characters, it shows the mentality level of your arguments.

 

[SLClemens]

Originally posted by jimnyc
How fitting that your entire post would be filled up with cartoon characters, it shows the mentality level of your arguments.

Uh, Jim, it seems there are only four or five of us following this thread, and I don't think you're really impressing any of us with silly characterizations of your opponent that completely ignore anything on-topic he says.

And if you want to get all mature and erudite on a fellow poster, it would be best not to do it with a sentence comprised of a comma splice and a noun where an adjective should be. ...says he of absolutely carleess spellijng and typpographie...

 

[jimnyc]

I'm not trying to impress anyone here. Is that why you are here? I hope not! The opposing arguments I've read so far have been equally dull.

 

[Aquarian]

With the bombing, would it be appropriate to say that 'major combat operations have resumed'?

 

[jimnyc]

Originally posted by Aquarian
With the bombing, would it be appropriate to say that 'major combat operations have resumed'?

Combat operations have most definitely resumed. I guess we'll have to wait and see just how large of a scale they take.

 

[dijetlo]

Originally posted by jimnyc
Combat operations have most definitely resumed. I guess we'll have to wait and see just how large of a scale they take.

From the gaurdian article:
>>As F16s jets dropped 500lb bombs on the area where the helicopter was shot down, US troops launched a massive sweep operation, designed as a show of force against resistance fighters based in the Sunni Triangle, which saw the arrest of several dozen alleged fighters and the death of five more. <<

Hey guys, that's collective punishment...bad sign. It never works and only builds support for the opposition. Look for more trouble if our leaders don't wise up.