U.S. troops kill 60 in Iraq al Qaeda offensive

[sabra]

Source: Reuters

BAGHDAD, Jan 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Monday it had killed 60 militants during a week-long offensive in northern Iraq against al Qaeda which has proved a resilient foe and has resisted previous attempts to drive it from the region.

The offensive in four northern provinces and Baghdad's southern suburbs was launched on Jan. 8 by the U.S. military, which regards al Qaeda as the single greatest threat to Iraq's security and has blamed it for an upsurge in suicide bombings.

In Baghdad, gunmen killed appeals court judge Amir Jawdat al-Naeib as he drove to work on Monday. Naeib's driver was also killed. Militants have frequently targeted judges, academics, other professionals and their families.

The new offensive is seen as part of the U.S. strategy of reducing violence to give Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government time to cement the security gains with political progress towards national reconciliation.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L14356347.htm

[Magleetis]

1. Reducing violence

by killing people. Makes perfect republican sense.

[DemoTex]

2. Body count: How 1960-ish!

Too bad there isn't a David Halberstam or John Laurence reporting, or Eddie Adams photographing these U.S. offensives .. just to keep the US military propagandists honest.

[AlinPA]

3. Yes, seems that they are doing some more reporting of body counts lately.

[stillcool]

4. What is that like 2/3 of a bomb per person?....

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL1069138220080110?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

U.S. warplanes pound southern Baghdad outskirts
Thu Jan 10, 2008 4:06pm EST
By Peter Graff

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. warplanes launched their biggest air strike in Iraq since at least 2006 on Thursday, bombarding date palm groves on Baghdad's southern outskirts with more than 40,000 pounds of bombs in a matter of minutes.

Two B-1 bombers and four F-16 fighter jets struck more than 40 al Qaeda targets in three zones of Arab Jabour, a lush district just south of the capital that has become a haven for fighters driven out of other areas.

"Thirty-eight bombs were dropped within the first 10 minutes, with a total tonnage of 40,000 pounds," the military said in a statement. "Each bomber passed over twice and the F-16s followed to complete the set."
----------------------
U.S. forces spokesman Maj. Winfield Danielson said Thursday's air strike was the biggest in Iraq since at least 2006. A spokeswoman for U.S. forces in central Iraq, Maj. Allayne Conway, said it was too soon to assess the damage inflicted.

[Hulk]

5. Ah, the friendly Saudi Al Queda......they just keep on ticking!

Great...we killed another 60. Multiply that times brothers, sisters, children, parents, cousins, grandparents, etc...and tomorrow there will be 360 new Saudi's to take their places.

Way to go Betrayus/bush ass kissers. We are really kicking ass (our own).

[xchrom]

6. as long as they call them al qaeda -- then they aren't iraqi insurgents.

:eyes:

[Xenotime]

7. Let the slaughter continue

[goodgd_yall]

8. Utter crap

The surge has reduced violence? By whose accounting?

[Roy]

9. The ONE bright spot about this war.....

Not one innocent male Iraqi above the age of 15 has been killed or reported killed.

The only innocents, women and infants, everyone else is Al Quada.

Talk about your smart bombs.

[stillcool]

10. wrong place...