Lonan3 Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 The 'Battle of Najaf' was widely reported as a hard-fought victory for American and British troops - but was it really? These are just extracts from the articles quoted, and It's probably best to read both of them in full before trying to make your mind up about whether this was a heroic action or something approaching another Mi Lai. NBC NEWS VERSION Iraq's army announced Monday it killed the leader of a heavily armed cult of messianic Shiites called "the Soldiers of Heaven" in a fierce gunbattle aimed at foiling a plot to attack leading Shiite clerics and pilgrims in the southern city of Najaf on the holiest day of the Shiite calendar. Senior Iraqi security officers said that as part of the plot, three gunmen were captured in Najaf after renting a hotel room in front of the office of Iraq's most senior Shiite spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, with plans to attack it. The fierce 24-hour battle was ultimately won by Iraqi troops supported by U.S. and British jets and American ground forces, but the ability of a splinter group little known in Iraq to rally hundreds of heavily armed fighters was a reminder of the potential for chaos and havoc emerging seemingly out of nowhere. Members of the group, which included women and children, planned to disguise themselves as pilgrims and kill as many leading clerics as possible, said Maj. Gen. Othman al-Ghanemi, the Iraqi commander in charge of the Najaf region. OR INDEPENDENT There are growing suspicions in Iraq that the official story of the battle outside Najaf between a messianic Iraqi cult and the Iraqi security forces supported by the US, in which 263 people were killed and 210 wounded, is a fabrication. The heavy casualties may be evidence of an unpremeditated massacre. A picture is beginning to emerge of a clash between an Iraqi Shia tribe on a pilgrimage to Najaf and an Iraqi army checkpoint that led the US to intervene with devastating effect. The involvement of Ahmed al-Hassani (also known as Abu Kamar), who believed himself to be the coming Mahdi, or Messiah, appears to have been accidental. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pragmatopian Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Nothing surprises me any more. I'm worried that one day it's going to stop disturbing me too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tameelf Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 do the maths regarding truth or lies over the past 5 years and concider that all thats being done is to incite the peoples of the middle east to retaliate. america as a cuntery is bancrupt finansualy and morialy. now blameing iran for all the insurgency in iraq yanks want to esculate the war to continue plundering the oil WHEN america or isreal attacks iran i cant see the chinesse and russhians holding back considering these two nations invest there cash in the iranian econemy american ground troops 200k china 1.5 million ground troops russian troops unknown http://www.itszone.co.uk/zone0/viewtopic.php?t=67188 if link dont work site is war without end spelling mistakes can be rectified bushes mistakes cant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3v0 Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 america as a cuntery He he, how apt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pragmatopian Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 spelling mistakes can be rectified And they really ought to be - good grief! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manxman In Exile Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 spelling mistakes can be rectified And they really ought to be - good grief! Tameelf's standard of literacy makes him or her sound like an American! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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