Hundreds of Iraqi, US troops braced for Najaf assault

[mourningdove92]

US airstrikes began at dusk as Iraqi and US troops braced for an imminent assault on Najaf's holy shrine, with orders to kill or capture militia leader Moqtada Sadr unless he surrendered.

Amid the tension, two ministers in the US-backed interim government escaped bombings in the capital, one of which was claimed by the group linked to Iraq's alleged Al-Qaeda chief, Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi.

Hundreds of heavily-armed Iraqi national guardsmen and US marines were seen fanning out across the Old City around the shrine well before nightfall.

At around 7:30 pm (1530 GMT), two US Apache helicopters fired missiles near the city's vast Valley of Peace cemetery, before tanks began pounding positions in the Old City around 10:50 pm, an AFP correspondent witnessed.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/040824/1/3mndk.html

[babylon_system]

1. Rumsfeld must be engorged with blood by now

Hasn't he had enough yet? Shouldn't someone take away his keys?

[lebkuchen]

2. Have we lost total control of Iraq or what?

Did we ever have control to begin with?

[leftchick]

5. It certainly appears that way lebkuchen...

Is there anyone left in Military authority that actually gives a shit at what is happening is the bigger question.

[Karenina]

6. WHY is this necessary???

To what end? :shrug:

[leftchick]

3. Needs New Headline... make that....

Hundreds of US Troops and a couple of scared shitless Iraqi NG ready to lock and load... :eyes:

[NickB79]

4. Maybe they're seen South Park The Movie

"Operation Get Behind the Darkies!"

[rocktivity]

7. And the convention starts next Monday

At this point, Bush has nothing to bring to the convention except maybe Sadr's head.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Nordic]

8. does this remind anyone else of The Alamo?

The arabs will make movies about this for 200 years to come.

We will forever be the bad guys.

"Remember The Alamo!"