Attackers Shell American Base in Najaf

[dArKeR]

By MARIAM FAM, Associated Press Writer

NAJAF, Iraq - Attackers wounded two U.S. soldiers Friday and mortar shells rained down on the main American base in Najaf — separate incidents that threatened the deal aimed at ending the bloody, seven-week standoff around this Shiite holy city.

Masked gunmen of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia — some with knives and hand grenades strapped around their waists — roamed the streets of Najaf's twin city, Kufa, accusing the U.S.-led coalition of failing to honor the agreement to halt the fighting.

The fighters accused the Americans of a provocation by sending tanks and armored vehicles into Kufa from three directions, prompting the militia to open fire "to protect ourselves." Three Iraqis were killed and eight injured in armed clashes, hospital workers said.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=2&u=/ap/20040528/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_7

100F/37C Degrees in Najaf. Do you know why your children are dying?

ALL citizens and ALL corporations who donate to Bush are immoral and will NEVER make it to Heaven.
http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/IZXX0008_f.html?force_units=1

Pretzel Brain Bicycle
http://darkerxdarker.tripod.com/pretzelbrain.htm

[JoFerret]

1. Free Iraq

[saigon68]

3. THIS ONES GOOD TOO

[daleo]

2. I don't get the thing about knives

"Masked gunmen of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia — some with knives and hand grenades strapped around their waists — roamed the streets of Najaf's twin city, Kufa, accusing the U.S.-led coalition of failing to honor the agreement to halt the fighting."

I mean, they are described as "gunmen" (resistance fighters, some would say). What is the big deal about having a knife. Unless it is subliminal propaganda:
- knife strapped around waist, to remind people of Berg beheading video, and imply they are connected.

It just seems like a weird detail.

[bemildred]

4. Good eye, I expect US troops have knives too, so what?

MY guess is the writer just liked the "out of control" image.

[Nevernose]

7. Perhaps there's a religious/cultural significance

Did anyone happen to catch Slate's travelogue on Yemen? Apparently all Yemenis carry ceremonial daggers, all the time. Perhaps there is something similar among the men in southern Iraq.

[bemildred]

8. An interesting point, but I don't think so.

Most Iraqis I have seen seem to have ceremonial AK47s and RPGs.
It is possible that the Mahdi Army guys have them for some such
reason, but it could be because they come handy in a fight too.

Yemen IS a fascinating place, and they seem to be regretting
their involvement in The War Against Terror (TWAT(tm)) too.

[jmcgowanjm]

5. Like to know the coversation here:

U.S. soldiers arrested four suspected militiamen, who
claimed they were unaware of the order to stop
attacks.

Hey, don't you guys know that you're not supposed to be firing mortars at us?

Oh, sorry, the message hadn't reached our
forward positions yet. Tell you what, let me check my email
and we'll get back to you on that.


Yeah right. And the message at Bastogne
(since this is Memorial Day Weekend) was
not "Nuts to you", it was "Fuck You".
The same message the Iraqis are giving us.

[underpants]

6. I guess that "negotiating with 'terrorists'" thing isn't going so well

It is amazing how complicit the media has been in the sudden and ( by this admins supposed MANLY image) cowardly way they have backed off of alSadr and their initial claims about him.