Iraq Rebel Cities to Be Retaken in October - Minister

[JuniorPlankton]

What's going on there?
Does * expect a "war-time-president-rally"?
-----------------------------------------------------------
Snip

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and Iraqi forces will retake rebel-held cities in Iraq in October, Defense Minister Hazim al-Shalaan told Reuters on Wednesday.

"You wait and see what we are going to do. We are going to take all these cities in October," Shalaan said.


http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=N00ZF14HKULDOCRBAEOCFEY?type=topNews&storyID=6367016

[wryter2000]

1. "There are no Americans in Baghdad...

None! And if there are, we'll barbecue their stomachs!"

[Eye and Monkey]

2. Easier link to story

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6367016

[JuniorPlankton]

3. Thanks!

I goofed up with the link :pals:

[daleo]

4. It is hard to believe

I don't think getting a lot of American troops killed in Iraq during October will cause the "rally round the flag" effect that Bush would like. It is probably just Allawi's boys blowing some smoke.

[central scrutinizer]

5. Dear God, no

Another bloodbath on the horizon - I imagine KKKarl Rove has figured exactly how many GI's can be killed (acknowledged to be killed, that is) to give Bushco a slight "war president" boost. A delicate balance, too many killed will work the other way. When will these evil bastards stop using our brave young soldiers as pawns protecting the king?

(edited for grammar mistake)

[Javaman]

10. They will stop when they are booted out of office...

So let's see now, we average between 2 and 3 dead soldiers perday, countless Iraqi civilians perday...
If history is any indication on how this will go, (remember the first time they tried taking fallujah?) We should see a huge jump in soldiers dead and Iraqi civilians dead. And just like last time, when it becomes a political liability to continue because of the high casuality rate, they will stop, nothing will be changed and many people will be dead.
Then, like one soldier was quoted as saying after that last attempt in april, "what was that all about?"

Yes, indeed, "what was that all about?" people will be asking the US years from now when the topic of Iraq is brought up.

To quote Marlon Brando, "the Horror, the horror".

[TheWraith]

15. Nah.

People here give Karl Rove too much credit for intelligence and cunning. Remember, these guys thought that the war would go well, that they'd be reelected in a walk, everything. They've got the whole reverse Midas touch thing going for them, and if they think that ANY casualties in October will help Junior, then they are in for a big surprise.

[BJ]

6. They get Baghdad Bob to come out of retirement?

[Aidoneus]

7. translation: "Rebel Cities" to multiply in October

implied subtitle: thousands to die for the whims of Officially Distinguished Idiots who, unfortunately, won't be the ones dying.

[SOS]

12. This "strategy"

brings to mind another military genius from an earlier time:

"Four or five frigates will do the business without any military
force."

Lord North on the American Revolution, 1774

[leftchick]

8. According to Asia Times it will be a "November Offensive"...

and it will be bloody! :(

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FI29Ak01.html

<snip>

Immediately after the collapse of the non-negotiations, the US initiated almost daily bombing of various neighborhoods in Fallujah. The cover story has been that they are bombing "safe houses" used by terrorists associated with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and that no other people are present during the attacks. But hospitals report daily that the vast majority of the casualties are civilians. It is clear to everyone but the US public that the attacks are designed to persuade the people of Fallujah to abandon their support of the rebellion. To add a further element of threat to the equation, the US has repeatedly announced that it would soon reinvade the city, and during the second week of September even announced on loudspeakers that the residents of certain areas should evacuate because of a pending attack. This was a bluff. US military officials admitted to American reporters that they are waiting until after the November elections in the United States.

We can expect that the bombing will continue until November, followed by a full-scale assault on the city, one that might be far more brutal than the previous attacks on Fallujah and Najaf - unless, of course, the strategy changes again. In the meantime, there are ongoing overtures for new negotiations, but without either side changing its position.


....lots of information in the article regarding "the adjusting" US strategy.

[madrchsod]

9. October Surprise

bush will launch a do or die offensive against these cities in October. the cities will be blasted to pieces by the use of heavy bombers,the f-fighters. then there will be a ground offensive using copters and a-10`s along with every piece of armour they can find.....bush will revel in the carnage and prove to his distracters that he has won the peace. we will never see the civilians that were butchered......

[Tripmann]

11. October eh?

Anybody would think there is an election in November or something.

Tripmann

[ItsMyParty]

13. Sy Hersch said he heard this was going to happen

Said it a few weeks ago. He said this will not be precision bombing, etc, but really unleashing the dogs. Air strikes, Marines turned lose on the population, etc. And Bush's base will dance in the light of the pale moon as it happens!! The rest won't know enough about what is going on to be shocked and alarmed that people are now openly butchered to get the real Butcher of Baghdad back into office.

[Inland]

14. Who is this "we", since he means US soldiers, US blood, US money, US blame

for the civilian deaths in order to prop up our puppet government?

[yellowcanine]

16. Oh well alrighty then! Mission Accomplished! All hail the war president!

First Allawi plagerizing Bush speeches and now this nitwit doing a Bagdad Bob impression. You can't make this shit up.

[sushi]

17. I do think

some of the Iraqi forces, trained and armed by the invaders, will side with the 'insurgents' and fight the occupiers when the shooting starts to retake the currently no-go cities.

[The_Casual_Observer]

18. One gets the impression that they are dead serious about this

Guys like cheney aren't used to getting kicked in the ass and denied by a bunch of Arab peasants. They will simply go in to those towns and level them house by house. In the end, the only thing they care about is securing the oil fields. If they need to kill a million of them they will do it. This is big business on the march, nobody is going to stop them now.