At Least 24 Killed in Clashes in Iraq

[Zomby Woof]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49292-2004Apr4.html

By Ghaith Abdul-Ahad
Reuters
Sunday, April 4, 2004; 12:02 PM


KUFA, Iraq - Spanish-led troops and Iraqi police fought a three-hour gun battle with Shi'ite militiamen near Najaf that left 20 Iraqis and four Salvadoran soldiers dead Sunday, witnesses and medical officials said.

The shooting began after protesting militiamen marched on a Spanish-run military base in Kufa, near Najaf, to denounce the arrest of an aide to a radical Shi'ite cleric and last week's closure by U.S. authorities of a militant Baghdad newspaper.

In a statement from Madrid, Spain's Defense Ministry said four soldiers from El Salvador, which has troops headquartered near Najaf, were killed in the fighting and nine wounded. The statement said Spanish troops also fought in the clashes.

[molok555]

1. The Shi'A

are getting restless..bad, BAD news...

[Cooley Hurd]

2. Kick...

...to prevent dupes, also because Iraqi casualties are underreported and I'd like to see this on LBN's front page.

[VolcanoJen]

3. UPDATE: 1 American, 1 Salvadoran killed in Najaf clashes

ON EDIT: According to CNN, we've lost SEVEN US Soldiers today, throughout Iraq, I imagine...

Reuters has updated this story, claiming that 1 Salvadoran soldier, not 4, was killed in the Najaf clashes.

I think the death of one American soldier is new...

http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=845999&tw=wn_wire_story

One American and one Salvadoran soldier died in clashes near Iraq's holy Shi'ite city of Najaf Sunday, Spain's Defense Ministry said, and not four Salvadoran soldiers as it had reported earlier.

The ministry said there had been confusion in its earlier press statement which had reported four Salvadoran soldiers killed and nine wounded when their "Al-Andalus" base in Najaf was attacked Sunday morning.

The correct casualty figures were one U.S. and one Salvadoran soldiers killed and 19 Salvadorans wounded, a spokesman said.

[Nashyra]

5. 7 Soldiers killed in Iraq today

Deadly week for the troops. Why can't they shout it from the rooftops and put the blame on * where it belongs and just keep hammering it until the * poll numbers fall far enough to make it politically smart for him to pull out. That is the only thing that will get them to move.

[Chicago Democrat]

4. CNN's Story adds a few interesting quotes from Generalissimo Bremer.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/04/04/iraq.main/index.html

(snip)

The chief U.S. civilian administrator in Iraq denounced Shiite protests in Najaf Sunday, saying the lethal demonstrations had exceeded the democratic rights to protest, speak and use the media.

"A group of people in Najaf have crossed the line and have moved to violence," Paul Bremer said. "This will not be tolerated by the coalition. This will not be tolerated by the Iraqi people. And this will not be tolerated by the Iraqi security forces."


(Sieg Heil! Seig Heil! Seig Heil!- (maybe they wouldn't be so mad if you didn't close their newspaper, fuckin mobster, facist Bremer, so much for free speech. If they violated the law, why don't you prosecute them... not shut them down. Oh I forgot, there is no law, except the law of the gun. Reap what you sow. Bremer, another blind man in a room full of deaf people.)

(snip)

Masud Barzani, currently president of the Iraqi Governing Council, said such violence is "rejected by the Iraqi people in its entirety."

"Every act that leads to violence and to the losses of coalition forces is something we condemn strongly, and hope everybody would resort to peaceful and democratic means to express their opinions."

(HA, ha! First of all, VIOLENCE, especially US violence is the only basis for the Quisling Iraqi Bush Appointed completely undemocratic and corrupt Iraqi Governing Council. So these people are just reacting to violence already put on them. Secondly, since Iraq is nothing close to a democracy, these people have no "democratic means" to express their opinions.)

[VolcanoJen]

6. Crossed the line, and moved toward violence?

Look, I'm absolutely not cheering on the Iraqis who are killing our soldiers, but honestly... if that's violence, what the hell was shock-and-awe?

Didn't the US cross the line in March of 2003?

Bremer is a lame duck, thanks to the June 30th deadline. He's also not terribly realistic.

[saigon68]

7. Bremer will sic these Mercenaries on the Shia's

They will kill dozens of rag heads soon