Gunmen kidnap 22 Iraqi soldiers near base: police (al Qaim)

[bemildred]

Deja vu all over again.

RAMADI, Iraq - Gunmen have kidnapped 22 Iraqi soldiers shortly after they left their base in western Iraq, a police official said on Wednesday.

The soldiers were abducted on Tuesday on the road from Qaim, near the Syrian border, to the town of Rawa, said Shaker Saleh, chief of police of Anbar province.

He said the soldiers were Shi’ites from southern Iraq.

Khaleej Times

[tanyev]

1. But last week they were in their "last throes".

[acmavm]

2. Well, this is just a last desperate act by the 'insurgency' I'm sure.

I don't need to mention that I'm being sarcastic, do I?

[saigon68]

8. The Quislings are about to get their just reward

Courtesy of the Iraqi Resistance Movement

[Roland99]

3. What?! Operation Matador didn't wipe out the "insurgents"??

[chicagojoe]

4. Are these US trained Iraqi soldiers?

Maybe they didn't get to that part of the training yet. You know, the part about if someone tries to kidnap you, and you're an armed soldier, you blow the kidnapper's heads off.

[bemildred]

5. Exactly. As Senator Biden says:

"It's bizarre to suggest the Iraqis can train themselves. They cannot. They have the capability of being trained. They have the capability of defending their own country. But it's going to take time."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1527238

[LibDemAlways]

7. Could Biden be any more of an asshole?

Iraq is the f'ing "cradle of civilization" for God's sake. Somebody needs to buy the ass a book detailing ancient civilization and let him know that the Iraqis did just fine on their own without our criminal interference for many centuries.

[bemildred]

9. Biden lost me long ago during the Anita Hill hearings.

It was clear at that point that Biden is all about Biden, that he
is either stupid or corrupt or both.
:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

[dArKeR]

10. Really so racial! Incredible ignorance or/and racist! SPEECHLESS!

I saw a documentary on genocide. It had genocide surviors from around the world. The question was put to them, "What do you think causes genocide to happen?". Each one had answered, When one people feels they are better than another.

My friends who visited Iraq in the 80's said it was the most open, free, religiously tolerant, most women's rights... of any Arab nation. They said women could freely walk the streets with no vails and no mail escorts. Any person could choose their relgious faith, including becoming Christian. The street cafes were full of mulicolored people in multicolored clothing... moving about as they pleased.

I'd wish the American Media Whores could do a report on this.

[bemildred]

33. That was what struck me about the comment.

I'm glad I am not alone in that.

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. How the hell do you "kidnap" 22 trained soldiers, presumably armed

I mean, really.

[Toots]

11. If Sgt York were here he may be able to tell you

If the Americans kidnapped (captured) a hundred "insurgents" would you ask how they did it?

[pocket]

12. well, last time I heard of this

rebels kidnapped 11 members of the LSF (legion security force) while they were on a bus heading home for R&R. They were unarmed at the time, but wearing their uniform.

LSF is sort of a paramilitary rent-a-cop force used to guard gates and such at Iraqi facilities.

The 11 I refer to were all tortured and then beheaded on videotape.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

13. I think this is called "Taking Prisoners"

Let's hope for their sake that the insurgents are better at following the Geneva Conventions that we are...

[Straight Shooter]

14. How long until Iraqi soldiers turn on American soldiers and massacre them?

It's a nightmare I can envision, that Iraqis train to be soldiers with the ultimate goal in mind of a massacre of American soldiers. It's becoming clear that they'll have plenty of time to execute such a plan, as it's obvious we're going to be there in the "last throes of the insurgency" for at least another year until the American public becomes so outraged that bush will have no choice but to withdraw.

We are being drawn into a trap of our own making. Can anyone say "flypaper"? Wasn't that one of the military's descriptions of being in Iraq, that our soldiers were flypaper to draw the terrorists in and kill them?

I feel so sorry for those kidnapped soldiers. Their deaths will be most unpleasant, and they will be cursing America with their dying breaths.

[Johnywolf]

15. 22 soldiers kidnapped in Iraq

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050608/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_050608181940;_ylt=AlSUicHEzHMRuV6CG7g5nyhX6GMA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

Wow!

[jobycom]

16. Kidnapped, not captured. Interesting semantics. nt.

[Wickerman]

21. they can't have it both ways; if we are at war on terror, they were

captured. If they are simply traffic cops, then they were kidnapped while checking parking meters. Something tells me we are training Iraqi forces to do more than mark tires and write tickets.

[Robeson]

27. "Something tells me we are training Iraqi forces to do more than...

...mark tires and write tickets".

Bingo! We are.

[Wickerman]

29. so, prisoners of war they are, not kidnap victims. n/t

[Robeson]

30. Correct.

[Sparkle]

17. For America, it's not sensational enough, they're Iraqi soldiers.

[oldtime dfl_er]

18. oh well, that just means the insurgency is on its last legs

according to Dickie Cheney. And by the way the rest of the opening sentence says "as four US soldiers were killed in less than 24 hours in attacks north of the capital."

www.cafepress.com/showtheworld

[RamboLiberal]

22. Everytime I click on Iraq Coaliton Casualties web site

the list of killed has grown and I click on it several times a day. My eyes have popped the last couple of days at how fast it is going up! 17 at 3:45PM EDT today.

[Pirate Smile]

19. Here is some of the story.

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Twenty two Iraqi soldiers were kidnapped near the Syrian border, an Iraqi military source said as four US soldiers were killed in less than 24 hours in attacks north of the capital.

With no let-up in the targeting of the country's fledgling security forces, senior Iraqi Shiite leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim demanded that the armed wing of his party play a greater role in hunting down insurgents, who have also singled out the country's majority Shiite community for attacks.

The soldiers, all Shiites from the south, were nabbed by armed men in Rawa, about 250 kilometres (160 miles) west of Baghdad, after they had left their base, said the military source, adding that nothing had been heard from them since.

The defence and interior ministries could not confirm the report.

[meganmonkey]

20. Yep - things are shaping up real good over there

:cry:

[coalition_unwilling]

24. Do we see the "light at the end of the tunnel" yet?

With all credit to Vietnam-era history. In January '68, the light at the end of the tunnel was a freight train headed our way (Tet).

[silver10]

23. Just like Vietnam ...

Any Iraqi who has anything to do with the American government, i.e. police, military, government post, will be a target to insurgents, and they will be tortured and killed to the point that NO ONE will have anything to do with the new government.

In Vietnam, U.S. Special Forces would go into villages and train villagers in farming, sanitation and medical care, and inoculate them in the arm. Then when they left, the Viet Cong would come in and punish those who formed any kind of relationship with the American soldiers - they would chop-off the villagers' arms that received the vaccinations, or just torture and kill anyone just as an example.

It's going to be the same, to the point that we will get absolutely no cooperation from anyone because the Iraqi's will be so afraid to have anything to do with us. Then we will leave, civil war will become worse until a brutal dictator takes over, one that makes Saddam look like mickey mouse. But there will probably be years and years of civil strife, and people being slaughtered.

One thing that man learns from history is that man doesn't learn from history. As long as the greedy corporations are getting their fill, who cares about all this? It wasn't them being called to Vietnam then, and it's not their kids today.

[David__77]

26. The US also raped and killed many Vietnamese...

...and the NLF ("Viet Cong" as the anti-Vietnamese forces have called it) was doubtless supported by most of the people in South Viet Nam. The NLF never systematically killed innocents the way the US did. They certainly did kill collaborators, but also worked to free the average villagers from US occupation and win them over through persuasion.

[Jacobin]

28. Great post

You are exactly right. I remember those days well, unfortunately.

Welcome to DU :hi:

[silver10]

31. Thank you!

I am sorry you had to go through something like that, and unfortunately, there will be a whole new generation of people who will also look back on nightmare experiences. Great Scalia quote.

[IChing]

25. I guess they will be held for ransom?

Otherwise released by the kidnappers?
Got love the newspeak that is alarmingly increasing in the "news"

Now, where is room 101?
Winston can you tell me?

[Chicago Democrat]

32. Our Iraqi Soldiers are more like Sitting Ducks and Keystone Cops

It would be funny if it weren't so unbelievably tragic.


RULE OF WAR CRIMES: ALL SUBSEQUENT AND CONSEQUENTIAL VIOLENCE IS 100% THE FAULT OF THE UNLAWFUL INVADERS. Meaning: The US is responsible for ALL the violence since the invasion is illegal and based on FIXED EVIDENCE. Ergo, WE ARE FUCKED.