U.S. Troops Move Against Iraqi Insurgents
Leading Guerrilla Arrested
By SLOBODAN LEKIC, AP
BAGHDAD, Iraq (Nov. 17) - Mortar and tank fire lit up the night sky over
Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit Monday in a show of force to intimidate the
resistance, while troops angered residents by mounting their biggest-ever hunt
for weapons and explosives in a middle class Baghdad area.
Meanwhile, in the town of Ramadi west of Baghdad, troops announced they had
arrested a leader of the Fedayeen guerrillas responsible for bomb attacks and
ambushes on U.S. forces. The suspect, Kazim Mohammed Faris, was a ''high value
target,'' a military statement said.
U.S. forces have reacted to the increasing attacks in which dozens of Americans
and their allies have died by mounting a massive show of force in central and
northern Iraq.
Buildings factories and other facilities believed used as staging areas for
guerrilla attacks have been bombed from the air and blasted by artillery
barrages. Troops have carried out dozens of raids aimed at apprehending
suspects and seizing weapons and bomb-making materials.
One such ''cordon-and-search'' raid early Monday in Baghdad's middle-class
Azamiyah district netted 21 suspects along with 30 Kalashnikov AK-47 automatic
rifles, about a dozen shotguns and 10 handguns. Most suspects had violated a
one weapon per house rule.
Some 2,000 troops of the 1st Armored Division - backed by tanks, armored
vehicles and low-flying helicopters took part in the nighttime raid, sealing
off a 20 block area and searching every single building inside it.
Col. Charles Sexton, commander of one of three participating battalions
expressed satisfaction that the massive searches had gone off without incident.
But many citizens of the neighborhood next to the Tigris River said they were
puzzled by the choice of target, because the area - which is home to
bureaucrats, lawyers and other professionals - has not seen any rebel activity.
Saddam was last seen in public in the neighborhood in April.
Some also were furious that troops were arresting men who had more than the
single AK-47 now allowed by the coalition forces. At least a dozen of those
taken away were detained after the army confiscated revolvers or bird guns that
could not have presented a serious threat to the security of the occupying
forces.
Talk About It
· Chat | Post a Message
''Of course everybody has weapons,'' said Samir al-Hadith, an engineer who
works in Saudi Arabia and had returned to Baghdad to check on his home. ''There
are so many thieves nowadays. we have to defend our families.''
''Under Saddam Hussein there was much more security and we could own guns,'' he
said.
Zuheir Ali, 26, was detained after troops found a snub-nose .38 Smith & Wesson
revolver in his house along with an AK-47. They left the automatic rifle but
confiscated the handgun.
''I don't understand this, we're not criminals, we only want to defend our
homes from looters,'' Ali said.
Watch Video
Iraq Is Uneasy
Broadband Only
U.S. Going After Saddam Loyalists
Chopper Crash Investigated
Journalists accompanying the troops during the bitterly cold night were offered
hot tea by several of the residents.
''But no tea for the soldiers,'' said Lamya Shaheen Ahmed who stood on the
sidewalk with her mother and two sisters after troops had gone through their
house.
Another such raid was mounted Monday in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, where
hundreds of soldiers rolled into the town center in Bradley armored vehicles.
The show of force was mounted ''just to display their number and might,'' said
Lt. Col. Steven Russell.
Meanwhile, a tape purportedly made by Saddam Hussein urged the rebels to
escalate attacks against the occupation and ''agents brought by foreign
armies'' - an apparent reference to Iraqis supporting the coalition.
The speaker on the tape, aired on Al-Arabiya television, said the only way to
end the chaos in Iraq was for Saddam and his now-outlawed Baath Party to return
to power.
More on This Story
· U.S. Changes Helicopter Routes
· Italians Killed in Iraq Mourned in Rome
· List of Victims in Helicopter Crash in Iraq
· New Fast Track for Iraqi Sovereignty
The CIA said it would review the tape for its authenticity. President Bush
dismissed the recording.
''The evil ones now find themselves in crisis and this is God's will for
them,'' he said.
The speaker also lashed out at Iraqis who cooperate with the U.S. military,
calling them ''stray dogs that walk alongside the caravan.''
The last purported tape from Saddam was aired on Arab television Sept. 17. The
CIA has been unable to authenticate that recording, saying the audio quality is
too poor.
Faced with a deteriorating security situation, the U.S.-led coalition has bowed
to demands from Iraqi politicians and agreed to speed the transfer of power.
The new formula, announced Saturday by the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing
Council, calls for a provisional, sovereign government to be established by
June.
However, France's foreign minister said in an interview published Monday in the
French daily Le Croix that the plan to moves too slowly. Dominique de Villepin
urged the Americans to have a provisional government in place by the end of
2003.
11-17-03 0542EST
.
|
|
| User: "Grantland" |
|
| Title: Re: U.S. Troops Move Against Iraqi Insurgents |
17 Nov 2003 10:54:32 AM |
|
|
(TonyZ2001) wrote:
The CIA said it would review the tape for its authenticity. President Bush dismissed the recording.
''The evil ones now find themselves in crisis and this is God's will for
them,'' he said.
heh heh. Wacky B00$h!
Grantland
.
|
|
|
| User: "jha_amin" |
|
| Title: Re: U.S. Troops Move Against Iraqi Insurgents |
17 Nov 2003 10:33:07 PM |
|
|
(Grantland) wrote in message news:<3fb8fcc9.80248561@ct-news.iafrica.com>...
tonyz2001@aol.com (TonyZ2001) wrote:
The CIA said it would review the tape for its authenticity. President Bush dismissed the recording.
''The evil ones now find themselves in crisis and this is God's will for
them,'' he said.
heh heh. Wacky B00$h!
Grantland
Religion is the Devil's greatest achievement. In the guise of religion
he has pulled off his most audacious coup. He has flagrantly
masqueraded as God. He has had us bow down and worship him. He has had
us commit every type of evil in the name of holiness. He has passed
off his bigotry as God's opinions. He has had us segregate humanity
into the 'ins ' and the 'outs', believers and non-believers, the saved
and the damned. He has convinced us that God likes us but not them.
And convinced them that God likes them but not us. And then, in a
stroke of dark brilliance, he warns his faithful flock of sheep: 'Be
sure you do not pay heed to anyone but me, for the Devil is a wily
wolf and he will surely trick you.' [Jesus and The Lost Goddess]
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
