Italian Troops In Firefight With Insurgents In Southern Iraq (Nasiriyah)

[markses]

http://www.turkishpress.com/turkishpress/news.asp?ID=23365

ROME, July 29 (AFP) - Italian troops traded fire Thursday with insurgents in the southern Iraq town of Nasiriyah, Italy's ANSA news agency reported citing a spokesman at military headquarters in Rome who described the situation as tense.

No-one was injured in the exchanges, during which the militants took control of two bridges, the agency quoted Captain Ettore Sarli as saying.

He said diplomatic contacts are underway to try to calm the situation.

Sarli said one of the clashes occurred at the Italian Libeccio military base, where an Italian soldier was killed on May 17.

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Everything's coming up roses....:eyes:



Nasiriyah Bridge

[cspiguy]

1. this after yesterday's action involving polish troops

methinks the dark side is getting serious about making all the foreigners go home.

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. "diplomatic contacts are underway to try to calm the situation"

Won't be too long before the "coalition" stops going into Nasiriyah.

[necso]

3. The "war" has been lost.

With "coalition" troops taking an increasingly "defensive" stance, the "insurgents" continue to solidify their gains.

Some time ago, the "administration" decided that the casualties entailed in trying to control Iraqi cities were politically unacceptable. So they have made a big to-do about turning over control to Iraqis and tried to minimize US losses -- without notable success.

The war was lost when the Iraqi military was disbanded as opposed to decapitated and controlled. What is going on now is just a shadow play.

Perhaps after they steal the next election these crazies will attempt to regain control of the situation, but it looms increasingly difficult. I suppose that they might really believe that Iraqi surrogate forces will be adequate for this task --- if so they are fooling themselves yet again.

But of course these idiots do not worry about being dead wrong, as long as they can continue to fool the American people -- the only thing that they do really well -- but then again they do have a lot of help!

[madrchsod]

4. many of these troops are guarding

the archaeological sites in this area. they are in a losing battle with the looters who appear to have shopping lists of treasures from customers across the world. the bush administration was approached before the war by people who wanted to "protect" the Iraqi treasure by bring it here. this has been an on going crusade by the "archaeological magazine" to get this story out.....