Operation Iron Hammer: "What is the message?"

posted by ewing2001 on Friday November 14, @05:22PM

Air Raid Sends Iraqis Message, but What Is It?

Update: Helicopters Crashed or Shot Down in Iraq (11/15)
Update: U.S. Soldier Becomes 400th Killed in Iraq (11/15)
U.S. casualties from Iraq war top 9,000 (UPI 11/14)
US-Brit war killed 55,000 Iraqi civilians (Al-Jazeera 11/12)

NY Times -November 14, 2003

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 13 — After the start of a well-publicized offensive against Iraqi insurgents, American commanders said Thursday that they were intent on sending the rebels "a message."

But here at the site of one of the operation's primary targets, local Iraqis said they were uncertain what that message was supposed to be.

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On the southern edge of the capital, a large building that American commanders said was a "meeting, planning, storage and rendezvous point" for the insurgents still stood, despite the military's claim that it had been destroyed in an airstrike the night before.

American soldiers came to the neighborhood several hours before the attack, local residents said, warning of the impending strike and making sure that everyone in the area was evacuated. Then an American AC-130 gunship strafed the building, knocking holes in the walls and wrecking much of the textile machinery arrayed inside.

After the strike, the Americans came back but detained no suspects, not even the owner of the building, and found no weapons.

Operation Iron Hammer Continues

WHOI/ABC -November 14, 2003

For the second night in a row US troops pounded suspected enemy targets in Iraq and on Friday a helicopter strike near Sadaam’s home town of Tikrit killed seven people.

It's all part of operation "Iron Hammer,” but some people are questioning President Bush's new "get-tough" approach. President Bush says the enemies in Iraq have changed their strategy, so our military has no choice but to change its response. But many are concerned that the new strategy is putting our military men and women in harms way.

U.S. Soldier Becomes 400th Killed in Iraq

AP -Sat, Nov 15, 2003

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A U.S. soldier was killed Saturday when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb, the 400th U.S. serviceman to die in Iraq since hostilities began March 20.

Two other soldiers were wounded when the device exploded next to a two-vehicle patrol, a military spokesman said.

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