9 US soldiers killed in Iraq in 2 days

[rodeodance]

Source: AP

9 US soldiers killed in Iraq in 2 days

14 minutes ago

BAGHDAD - Nine American soldiers were killed in the first two days of a new American drive to kill al-Qaida in Iraq fighters holed up in districts north of the capital, the U.S. military said Wednesday.
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Six soldiers were killed and four were wounded Wednesday in a booby-trapped house in Diyala province, where joint U.S.-Iraqi forces were driving through a difficult web of lush palm and citrus groves, farmland and fertile river bottoms.

The military also announced that three U.S. soldiers were killed and two were wounded Tuesday in an attack in Salahuddin province. The operation began Tuesday.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080109/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_soldiers_killed_1

[Bicoastal]

1. Oh, right...

...the whole "Iraq War" thing. How did we forget?

:evilfrown:

[rodeodance]

29. faint blimp on a radar screen.

[fed-up]

2. and which of the top 3 dem candidates will bring our troops home quickest??? nt

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

3. .

http://youtube.com/watch?v=f_T0Jfjo-iI&feature=related

[EnviroBat]

4. That kills me a little bit more everytime...

I'd better get going now, I'm a wreck inside.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

6. It's painful to be sure. nt.

[jasmine621]

5. Hardly a word from the MSM. More about truck accident in CA.

The MSM drives me nuts!

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

7. This should be headlines

in 40 point bold in every paper and the lead story on the tv news. Sadly, most of the country will shake their heads and try to wish it into the cornfield. This thing will never stop on its own or because of anything or anyone in Washington D.C. It must be stopped by people like you and me! :cry:

[ohio2007]

13. Seems the caucuses will trump news outside the country until november

politics is a ratings show on the front burner. All else,even Britanny will fall out of first place due to this #1 show
Survivor; DC Island
;)

[w8liftinglady]

8. my ltte to be printed tomorrow-update to 3917

Believe it or not,we remain at war.You might have forgotten.It's not mentioned anymore.3911 troops have been killed in Iraq,754 killed in Afghanistan.28,661 have been wounded in Iraq,7154 in Afghanistan.

Our nation has shown a pathetic disregard for its care of our veterans of war.Here are a few tidbits for you to consider:
-Since the end of the Viet Nam War,100,000 Viet Nam veterans have committed suicide.
-According to numbers recently released by the VA,approx. 245,000 OIF/OEF troops will suffer from PTSD.
-Since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom,Twenty-two thousand soldiers have been discharged with a Section 8(dishonorable)discharge,describing "Personality Disorders" as the reason for discharge.This is a loosely veiled way to avoid paying disability to these veterans with PTSD.
-There were 378,000 disability claims pending in the VA in FY 2006,84 thousand of which had been waiting greater than six months.
-1.8 million veterans lack health insurance(86% of which are employed)
-Nearly 400,000 veterans are homeless.
-Of the 700,000 veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War,150-200 thousand are sick.Depleted uranium,Sarin gas,and controversial vaccines have left these brave troops with severe neurological disorders,immune system disorders,and cancer.Our government has largely refuted any existance of "Gulf War Syndrome".

I could go on and on.My son and father,uncles and cousins use the VA system for healthcare.They have all served at least once in battle(my son-three times).

According to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America,Our Texas Representatives perform poorly when it comes to "Supporting Our Troops".Senator Hutchison is rated a "D" based on her voting record,Senator Cornyn is rated a "D-",and Congressman Barton is Rated a "C".These are the same individuals who want the common man to keep sending their sons and daughters to a war judged by profit,with no end in sight.

We have elections coming up soon in Ellis County.I strongly encourage everyone in Ellis County to do some research on voting records for all our candidates.A photo-op with an amputee does not indicate support.Our veterans deserve sincere support from the government and people they so bravely defended.

[tchunter]

28. i've been a long time lurker and small time contributer to this forum and site but...

i have always been impressed with the LTTE you post here and i hope that the circulation of the paper appreciates them as much as i do.



just a thank you and a thumbs up!

[Skittles]

31. hey w8

put two spaces after each period and one after each comman - makes it much easier to read your wonderful stuff, especially for old peepers like mine :D

[daleo]

9. I always wonder how much control the administration/military has over casualty levels

I tend to think that casualties are probably highly correlated with how much exposure the troops have - i.e. patrolling, leaving base, etc.. It seems like Bush and/or the military can bring down casualties temporarily by just reducing activity, if it is necessary for domestic political considerations.

I just wonder how much of the reduction in violence over the past three months or so was real, and how much was manufactured.

[sabra]

10. Military Use of Unmanned Aircraft Soars

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i_7otabxw8XLB8yCGhhlMhX7Vs7QD8TTEH400

WASHINGTON (AP) — The military's reliance on unmanned aircraft that can watch, hunt and sometimes kill insurgents has soared to more than 500,000 hours in the air, largely in Iraq, The Associated Press has learned. And new Defense Department figures obtained by The AP show that the Air Force more than doubled its monthly use of drones between January and October, forcing it to take pilots out of the air and shift them to remote flying duty to meet part of the demand.

The dramatic increase in the development and use of drones across the armed services reflects what will be an even more aggressive effort over the next 25 years, according to the new report.

The jump in Iraq coincided with the build up of U.S. forces this summer as the military swelled its ranks to quell the violence in Baghdad. But Pentagon officials said that even as troops begin to slowly come home this year, the use of Predators, Global Hawks, Shadows and Ravens will not likely slow.

"I think right now the demand for the capability that the unmanned system provides is only increasing," said Army Col. Bob Quackenbush, deputy director for Army Aviation. "Even as the surge ends, I suspect the deployment of the unmanned systems will not go down, particularly for larger systems."

[daleo]

24. I suppose that's another way to keep down casualties

Or at least to attempt to do that. Death by remote control.

[superconnected]

11. The war is going great, if you love death.

[ohio2007]

12. determined to go into Diyala province means it's going to hit the fan

until they reach the Iranian border

Execution caught on tape
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=630_1199902378


actions are moving into the new "no go zone", an area the Iraqi's need to take back. Can't wait til the remaing eight provinces get handed over to the Iraqi army..... especially the province in the north

http://news.google.com/news?q=Diyala+province&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7ADBR&um=1&hl=en&sa=X&oi=news_result&resnum=1&ct=title

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/jan-june07/diyala_04-24.html

[maddezmom]

14. Six U.S. soldiers die in booby-trapped house in Iraq

Source: Reuters

Six U.S. soldiers die in booby-trapped house in Iraq

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Six U.S. soldiers were killed in a house rigged with explosives on Wednesday in Diyala province, where U.S. and Iraqi forces have launched a major operation against al Qaeda, the U.S. military said.

The military said four U.S. soldiers were also wounded in the explosion.



Read more: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/10/worldupdates/2008-01-10T015255Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-313235-1&sec=Worldupdates

[leftynyc]

15. Prayers to their families

May they rest in peace and may every person in this administration rot in hell.

[subsuelo]

20. Good thing the Dems have been pushing for impeachment

The real Dems that is

[ohio2007]

27. empty breifcases.....

bushco will be gone in a matter of months.

what will the real dems be doing after he leaves town before anything even was tabled
?
finger pointing for the next four years ?

[Missy M]

16. How awful....

I hope the four wounded soldiers survive. Wish there was some way they could detect for explosives before they enter booby-trapped houses. There is violence still going on there and we aren't hearing much about it.

[lebkuchen]

17. My message to Bush: I told you so.

nf

[bdamomma]

18. oh this must stop.

:cry:

[fed-up]

19. and which of the top 3 dem candidates will bring our troops home quickest??? nt

[OKthatsIT]

21. Sorry if I shock you...but...

I wouldn't put it past Bush/Cheney Black Ops involvement. Whenever there's an Al Qaeda signature, there's gangsters on every level, continuing the reason for WAR$.

[Barrett808]

22. k & r

[bemildred]

23. RIP. nt

[bronxiteforever]

25. "when I try to sleep at night, I only dream in red"

:cry:

[LynnTheDem]

26. Those "death throes" just keep on keeping on.

But shhhh! Don't tell the Republics & their silly little freepers who are still chanting what a "success story" the "surge" is.

[IamyourTVandIownyou]

30. Shhhhh, McCain and HRC are surging.

.