US arrests 140 people in Iraq

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

The US military arrested more than 140 people, including 35 suspects, in last month's attack on the Rashid hotel, as the coalition turned up the heat this weekend on a lethal insurgency.

US forces stormed areas around Baghdad and north and west of the capital as it looked to crush the combatants who have grown more dangerous in the last month, shooting down choppers and blowing up heavy armour.

US overseer Paul Bremer gave a nudge to the 24-member interim governing council to hurry up and decide on a plan for drafting a constitution, considered essential by Washington for the handing of sovereignty to Iraqis.

Two loud blasts were heard around the capital, in what has become a routine event in Baghdad as combatants almost nightly try to shell the coalition's citadel-like compound.

In a major break for the coalition, the US military detained 35 people in connection with the October 26th rocket attack on Baghdad's Rashid hotel, which killed a US colonel and wounded 17 others, a senior US officer told AFP.

"We detained a total of 35," he said, identifying them all as "former regime loyalists".

More: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/11/10/1068329455153.html

Arrest 140 people INCLUDING 35 suspects?????? WTF>

And geez dropping 500 pound bombs on a place to arrest suspects???? Guess it beats the shot out a warrant in a peaceful femocratic society.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

1. 35 suspects....

...and the other 105 were women and children.

[spinbaby]

2. We're caught in the whirlpool

The more we arrest the more they bomb us which leads to another crackdown which leads to more car bombs which leads to still more arrests which leads to RPGs which lead to...

[gristy]

3. Gotta fill up those prisons that Saddam emptied out earlier this year.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

5. Hey! It's the American Way! Maintain the status quo & keep the largest

per capita population behind bars in the industrialized world.

We're Number ONE!

[E_Zapata]

4. Those friggin "Saddam Loyalists"

It almost implies that Iraq had an actual democracy given that people apparently had an option to be loyal or not.

In which case.....what the fuck were we going for a regime change for? That is......IF indeed a person had the choice to be loyal to saddam or not.

I am surprised that it took Perle and Wolfowitz this long to give the 'subversives' a label........

In fact, I am kind of worried about my neighbor...he is looking more and more like a 'saddam loyalist' with each passing week. They are scary MoFos......... /end sarcasm