Marines Kill 25 Iraqis in Ramadi Clashes (14 US wounded)

[Barrett808]

Marines Kill 25 Iraqis in Ramadi Clashes
By PAUL GARWOOD, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. Marines killed 25 insurgents and captured 25 others during several hours of fierce fighting in Ramadi, a hotbed of the insurgency against U.S. and Iraqi forces, the American military said Thursday.

The fighting Wednesday in Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad, wounded 14 U.S. servicemen, but none of the injuries were life-threatening. Ten of the wounded subsequently returned to duty, the Marines said.

In Baghdad, insurgents fought U.S. soldiers on Haifa Street, the scene of a shootout earlier this month, an unidentified hospital official told Associated Press Television News. Two Iraqis were reported wounded.

Interior Ministry official Sabah Khadum said Iraqi police and intelligence forces arrested 200 people, including several "non-Iraqi Arabs," during the Haifa Street operation and discovered a huge cache of weapons. U.S. and Iraqi officials have long complained that fighters from neighboring countries are battling coalition forces.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=4&u=/ap/20040722/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[daleo]

1. I thought they weren't going to do body counts

Are these actual bodies, or the type that manage to be gone by the time the battle is over? Bragging about body counts is not usually a good sign that either tactical or strategic objectives are being met, unless your strategy is to wage a war of attrition.

Some interesting stuff about hostages too:

"One of the Indian hostages appeared on video broadcast on Indian television stations. He identified his employer as Kuwait and Gulf Link, or KGL. The video also showed the Egyptian hostage speaking and one of the Kenyans speaking in English.

"KGL sent us by force to Iraq. Now they (the captors) have caught us. They say we are siding with America. Along with us, our trucks have also been seized," the hostage, identified as Tilak Raj by Aaj Tak news television, said. "We are being treated well. They are giving us food and drink. We are three Indians, three Kenyans and one Egyptian.""

[UpInArms]

2. related article: Iraqi Killed, 14 Coalition Soldiers Injured in Baghdad At

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aQDBhGksYYbU&refer=us

July 27 (Bloomberg) -- One Iraqi civilian was killed and 14 coalition soldiers were injured in a mortar attack today on a residential district in central Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

The attack took place at 6.45 a.m. Baghdad time, said a military spokeswoman by telephone from Baghdad, reading from a statement. She wouldn't say what nationality the soldiers are. Agence France-Presse reported they are American. An Iraqi civilian was also injured in the attack.

The mortar attack took place in the Salhiya district of the city, the Associated Press reported. Earlier, a U.S. military spokesman said the blasts were near a fortified zone where the U.S. embassy and Iraqi government offices are located.

...a bit more where they go on to minimize the death toll...

I wonder if our country really will stand up and demand the removal of this corrupt cabal.