8.11.03
US army attacks town after helicopter shootdown
Here is the aftermath of the Blackhawk shootdown yesterday - a retaliatory raid in the town of Tikrit:
Looks like the US military took a few pointers from from their Israeli colleagues.
The difference, of course, is that the Israeli army is attempting to crush and punish the Palestinian people. The US, on the other hand, is supposedly working to win "hearts and minds". Let me suggest that the Israeli example might not be the best way to go about doing things.
Here is the aftermath of the Blackhawk shootdown yesterday - a retaliatory raid in the town of Tikrit:
The U.S. military responded to Friday's attack with a show of force in Tikrit, a city about 90 miles northwest of Baghdad where Hussein's clan has its roots. Before midnight, two Air Force F-15s dropped 500-pound bombs on the spot where the attack may have been launched, and artillery fired several rounds near the site.Billmon quotes a commander from the 4th Infantry on the rationale behind this action:
U.S. forces, backed by tanks and armored personnel carriers, destroyed vacant houses said to have been used by attackers in the past, and the military reimposed an 11 p.m. curfew on a nearby neighborhood. Under cover of darkness, soldiers from the 4th Infantry staged raids and arrested at least eight people.
"We've lost six of our comrades today. We're going to make it unequivocally clear what power we have at our disposal," said Col. James Hickey, commander of the division's 1st Brigade.
In retaliation, American troops backed by Bradley fighting vehicles swept through Iraqi neighborhoods before dawn Saturday, blasting houses suspected of being insurgent hideouts with machine guns and heavy weapons fire.So... now the US is attacking civilian structures in Iraqi towns and carrying out retaliatory raids.
"This is to remind the town that we have teeth and claws and we will use them," said Lt. Col. Steven Russell, commander of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment...
Looks like the US military took a few pointers from from their Israeli colleagues.
The difference, of course, is that the Israeli army is attempting to crush and punish the Palestinian people. The US, on the other hand, is supposedly working to win "hearts and minds". Let me suggest that the Israeli example might not be the best way to go about doing things.
