Franks: 10 to 25 Attacks a Day on U.S. Troops in Iraq

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=716&e=11&u=/nm/20030710/ts_nm/iraq_usa_attacks_dc

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. troops in Iraq face 10 to 25 attacks a day, partly because they are hunting for Baathists, "jihadists" and fighters crossing the border from Syria, Gen. Tommy Franks, who ran the war against Baghdad, said on Thursday.

Franks, who stepped down recently as head of U.S. Central Command and will soon retire, told the House Armed Services Committee that "on a given day, there will be somewhere between 10 and 25 violent incidents" in Iraq where 148,000 U.S. troops are located.

He did not bend to Democratic attempts to label the current fighting conditions as guerrilla warfare, saying those types of operations would be supported by the people but that Iraqis did not support the violence.

Also, while U.S. forces were seeing "increasing sophistication," including the use of mortars in attacks, there did not appear to be coordinated efforts under a command, Franks said. "It doesn't fit my own personal definition."

more

[NYC]

1. I take it his "own personal definition" is not the Webster definition.

.

[hedda_foil]

3. Apparently not!

:hi:
hedda

[soupkitchen]

2. So does anybody else think it's low class for Frank's to retire

While the soldiers he "led" to war are still taking fire on the ground?

[indictrichardperle]

4. in the first days of the invasion

when there was a problem with strung out supply lines, and things werent going well....Franks was taking alot of heat, rumor that he was forced out.

He's no Shenseki, but he does a good job of shining Rummy's shoes. David Hackworth .....probably the foremost expert, says it is most definitely a guerrilla war. I dont respect Franks, pretty much only "yes men" hang around in today's neo-con pentagon.

[saigon68]

23. Definitely a guerrilla War

In spite of RumDums statements

[DemoTex]

5. "Some of these damn Eye-rack-ees carry mortars under those funny dresses"

The base plate is strapped to their ass, the tube is down their leg, and a few rounds are up their sleeves. Everyone knows that a mortar is an easily concealed weapon. Anyone who has ever been in a heavy weapons platoon in the Army or USMC knows what I am talking about.

[Dhalgren]

9. Right!

You can just see a 15 year old Iraqi lounging at a bus stop and... suddenly whips out his mortar he had under his shirt and starts firing it from the hip as he's running down the street! Man, that should be in Schwartenegger's next movie!

[tonyblurr]

6. TOENAIL FRANKS : BIGGEST MEATHEAD OF THE YEAR

http://www.usnewslink.com/tommyfranks2002meatheadoftheyear.htm

BIGGEST MEATHEAD OF THE YEAR

"TOMMY DOESN'T KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS"
By Jay O'Three

TAMPA, FL - 3/05/02 Demonstrating just Who is in charge of the 'War on Terra,' General Tommy 'Deaf Dumb and Blind Kid' Franks made a rather startling slip of the tongue here late yesterday. In a briefing regarding the death of eight American soldiers in renewed fighting in Afghanistan, the General expressed his condolences to the families who had lost loved ones in Viet Nam, a war that ended nearly thirty years ago. Perhaps reflecting the 'mission creep' taking place in the current war, and foreshadowing the quagmire it will become, he has succinctly if inadvertently exposed the MORONARCHY's real agenda. Since a spokesperson for the Taliban was unavailable, we were not able to confirm rumors that Bridget Fonda is being groomed as the next 'Hanoi Jane.'

TOMMY CAN YOU HEAR ME?

[DemoTex]

7. TOMMY CAN'T HEAR YOU. HE IS DEAF, DUMB, AND BLIND.

But Iraq is his pinball table. Know what I mean?

BTW: Welcome Tonyblurr!

[saigon68]

8. Its IRAQNAM

Welcome to the new Gorilla (sic) War of the 21st Century !!!!!

[Rhiannon12866]

24. Great post, tonyblurr!

Welcome to DU!:toast:

It's also true that Franks has been indicted for war crimes in Belgium:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3450.htm

[DrGonzoLives]

10. Gee, and I thought I missed out on Vietnam

Looks like I get my chance to witness it as it happens.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Mari333]

12. and we sit here in the USA with our asses in our hands

for the last 2 years..we marched, we screamed, we marched, we were tear gassed, arrested, lost our jobs, lost our savings, lost so much we worked for over the last 50 years...and in 2 and one half years THIS is the fascist bullshit we get for it..and every day a kid is blown to bits in some goddamned invasion we screamed and screamed against..the whole WORLD said NO!!!!! but they got away with it, and we still sit with our butts in our hands, passing out leaflets, marching, screaming more and more that the USA is run by an illegal JUNTA ...when in the face of all of it, the reality is that some kid named John or Chris or Tom is lying in the sand in 109 degree heat, with his guts spilled all over the ground, and wishing he were home again with his mom and dad and brothers and sisters as he dies..
of course, the JUNTA sits in air conditioned offices with butlers and maids ready to wipe the arses of the ruling class , who eat well, live well, and are murderous bastards with no conciensce..
I dont think I can BE more angry..I dont think It is possible.

[dbt]

18. Mari333, what you just wrote (with a couple of exceptions)

could have been written in 1971 about Viet Nam! What was that George Bernard Shaw said? Oh yeah:

The one thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.

Patience,
:freak:
dbt

[Proud_American]

13. Great news Tommy!

"He did not bend to Democratic attempts to label the current fighting conditions as guerrilla warfare, saying those types of operations would be supported by the people but that Iraqis did not support the violence."

So this means that if, say, N Korea or China were to launch a nuke towards the U.S. but their citizens didn't support it then it's not really a nuke! Right?

(My first post! No applause please; just send money!)

[NYC]

17. Welcome to DU!

Good post. :hi:

[Proud_American]

22. Thanks NYC!

n/t

[Rhiannon12866]

25. Great first post, Proud_American!

You're a welcome addition to DU!:7

[peterh]

14. Franks gets caught….

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wxxi/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=520586

Gen. Tommy Franks appeared Thursday before the House Armed Services Committee with a large map showing the trouble spots in Iraq. He pointed to a small triangle and a few dots indicating where troops were coming under attack, with the vast rest of Iraq shaded safely green. A quick-witted Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher (D-Pleasanton) pointed out that the triangle and spots "represent 70% of the Iraqi population." And most of the green-colored area was unpopulated desert. Oh.


A BIG attagal goes to Ellen Tauscher

[ignatius]

15. 10 to 25 attacks a DAY!!! Dammit "Bring em home." Do you

suppose dumbass knew that number when he used his stupid "bring 'em on" line? In addition to the attacks, I wonder how many will have illnesses from exposure to depleted uranium?

A drummed up war for Bush and his crazy buddies...as someone once said,WAR.. the profits are reckoned in dollars, the losses in lives.

[saigon68]

16. ONE THING FOR SURE

Chimpy's not the brightest Bulb on the TREE !!!!!

[Rose Siding]

19. So how many attacks are there *really*

If they admit to up to 25, could it be double that? More?

If I was willing to accept an estimate from Franks as the pure and simple truth, I'd get a job in the press pool.

[saigon68]

20. A Lot and they aren't going to end soon !!

Militiaman describes Iraqi resistance

http://www.thedailycamera.com/bdc/middle_east/article/0,1713,BDC_10836_2099194,00.html

Network of guerrilla cells ready for a long war, he says

"We have many more people and we're a lot better organized than the Americans realize," said Khaled, 29, who gave an hour-long interview Wednesday on the condition that only his first name be published. "We have been preparing for this kind of guerrilla war for a long time, and we're much more patient than the Americans. We have nowhere else to go."

****

Khaled spoke calmly, and his eyes did not flinch when he talked about killing Americans. He said repeatedly that he was not afraid to die. "The advantage we have over the American soldiers is that we believe in our cause and they don't," he said. "We're willing to die,and they're afraid of death. That's why we're going to win."

[Rhiannon12866]

26. FALLUJAH, again!

That seems to be the most dangerous place in Iraq for Americans. It seems that everytime I hear about yet another death, it's in or around this particular city.
:scared:

Thanks for the link! This story deserves its own separate thread!:think:

I heard Franks say yesterday that Americans can expect to be in Iraq for another four years. At this rate, many times the number of American soldiers will be killed keeping the peace than died in fighting the war.:-(

[saigon68]

27. How many attacks today?

They are starting to put a blackout on this.

[tonyblurr]

28. General Toenail Franks

Mohammad Khatommi Franks?

[tonyblurr]

29. BURP!

http://news.yahoo.com/news?g=events/iraq/010403armedforces&a=&tmpl=sl&ns=&l=1&e=94&t=&prev=95

[Rhiannon12866]

30. Of course they are. They are terrified that the American people

are going to wake up and begin to equate this with Vietnam, as Franks, obviously, has.

I do not recognize all the stripes here, as I am unfamiliar with the military, but believe that you must be one of our brave veterans. On CBS, tonight, they called today unique, as none of our American troops were killed in Iraq today. This is certainly good news, but the number of Americans who have died in this unnecessary war is just a tragedy.;(

[saigon68]

31. There were 2 killed in accidents

According to the CHIMPANZEE criminal in charge they don't count.

[teryang]

21. Strange criteria

<He did not bend to Democratic attempts to label the current fighting conditions as guerrilla warfare, saying those types of operations would be supported by the people but that Iraqis did not support the violence.>

The majority of arabs do disfavor violence, but who is viewed as responsible for this violence? Is it more likely that Arabs view Iraqis as responsible or invading Americans? Does one have to wait for a majority of people to support violence to call it guerilla warfare?

[Rhiannon12866]

32. Just today this story in The Guardian

used the word ``guerrilla'' in the headline. It also says that the troops were told yesterday that they were still at war. I have been debating this with a friend who is career army. I asked him if this means that the ``mission'' is no longer ``accomplished.'':-(

'Guerrilla' attacks put US troops on high alert
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1000053,00.html

[saigon68]

33. WHO PUT THE GORILLA IN IRAQ-NAM ??????

The Chimpanzee that WHO !!!!!

[chasqui]

34. The SUNTIMES also

The Chicago Sun-Times has been the more jingoistic of the two major Chicago newspapers, and it had this headline today (I read it in actual paper format, how retrogade can one get!):

http://www.suntimes.com/output/iraq/cst-nws-iraq17.html

'Guerrilla war' in Iraq, general says

July 17, 2003
BY STEVEN R. HURST



BAGHDAD, Iraq--In a marked escalation in attacks, suspected insurgents tried to shoot down a U.S. transport plane with a surface-to-air missile Wednesday, killed an American soldier in a convoy and gunned down the mayor of an Iraqi city.
The new American commander in Iraq acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that coalition forces are facing a ''classical guerrilla-type war situation'' against opponents ranging from members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party to non-Iraqi fighters from terrorist groups. Gen. John Abizaid spoke on the eve of a banned holiday that Saddam loyalists could use to demonstrate their power.
<SNIP>

The decision has been made to call this exactly what it is, which is a guerrilla war.

[Rhiannon12866]

35. You and I know it's a guerrilla war and has been for a long time

What else would you call it?! Just ask the poor ``sitting ducks'' (I read this term somewhere, today) who are being picked off one by one. They can ban the term, but not the truth. The Toronto Star weighed in with a similar headline. You can't fault the press, this time.:-(

Iraq now guerrilla war, top U.S. general says
http://www.thestar.ca/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1058393418987&call_page=TS_World&call_pageid=968332188854&call_pagepath=News/World&pubid=968163964505&StarSource=email