BAGHDAD Three suicide bombers driving trucks rigged with tanks of toxic chlorine gas struck targets in heavily Sunni Anbar province Friday, including the office of a Sunni tribal leader opposed to Al Qaeda.
The attacks killed at least two people and sickened 350 Iraqi civilians and six U.S. troops, the U.S. military said Saturday.
There is a mounting power struggle between insurgents and the growing number of Sunnis who oppose them in Anbar, the center of the Sunni insurgency, which stretches from Baghdad to the borders with Syria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
The Anbar assaults came three days after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, traveled there to reach out to Sunni clan chiefs in a bid to undermine tribal support for the insurgency.
The violence started about 4:11 p.m. Friday when a driver detonated explosives in a pickup truck carrying chlorine at a checkpoint northeast of the provincial capital of Ramadi, wounding one U.S. service member and one Iraqi civilian, the military said in a statement.
Two hours later a dump truck exploded in Amiriyah, south of Fallujah, killing two policemen and leaving as many as 100 residents with symptoms of chlorine exposure, ranging from minor skin and lung irritations to vomiting, the military said.
Iraqi authorities said at least six people were killed and dozens wounded when the truck blew up in a line of cars waiting at a checkpoint. The U.S. did not confirm the Iraqi report.
Ahmed Kuhdier, a 32-year-old taxi driver, said the blast sent up a plume of white smoke that turned black and blue.
"Minutes later, we started to smell nasty smells. I saw people coming form the explosion site and they were coughing and having trouble breathing," he said.
Another suicide bomber detonated a dump truck containing a 200-gallon chlorine tank rigged with explosives at 7:13 p.m. three miles south of Fallujah in the Albu Issa tribal region, the military said.
U.S. forces found about 250 local civilians, including seven children, suffering from symptoms related to chlorine exposure, according to the statement. Police said the bomb was targeting the reception center of a tribal sheik who has denounced Al Qaeda.
Four other bombings have released chlorine gas since Jan. 28, when a homicide bomber driving a dump truck filled with explosives and a chlorine tank struck a quick-reaction force and Iraqi police in Ramadi, killing 16 people.
The U.S. military has warned that insurgents are adopting new tactics in a campaign to spread panic.
The most recent such attack occurred Feb. 21 in Baghdad, killing five people and sending more than 55 to hospitals, a day after a bomb planted on a chlorine tanker left more than 150 villagers stricken near Taji, 12 miles north of the capital.
A previously unannounced homicide car bombing in Ramadi involving chlorine killed two Iraqi security officers and wounded 16 other people, including 13 civilians, on Feb. 19, the military said Saturday.
The military said last month that U.S. troops found a car bomb factory near Fallujah with about 65 propane tanks and ordinary chemicals it believed the insurgents were going to try to mix with explosives.
Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, the chief U.S. military spokesman, called it a "crude attempt to raise the terror level."
Chlorine, which irritates the respiratory system, eyes and skin at low exposure and can cause death in heavier concentrations, is easily accessible. It is used for water purification plants, bleaches and disinfectants.
The primary effect of the chlorine attacks has been to spread panic. Although chlorine gas can be fatal, the heat from the explosions can render the gas nontoxic. Victims in the recent chlorine blasts died from the explosions, not the effects of the gas.
Friday's strikes underscore the increasingly violent struggle for control of Anbar, a center for anti-U.S. guerrillas since the uprising in Fallujah in 2004 that galvanized the insurgency.
In the past year, some major Sunni tribes have broken with the Al Qaeda-linked insurgents, a move that has led to a new sense of optimism among U.S. officials in Anbar.
Al-Maliki on Tuesday made his first trip to Anbar province, meeting with influential clan chiefs whom the U.S. and the Iraqi government are cultivating. He expressed optimism the violence could be stopped and promised the area would not be forgotten as U.S. and Iraqi forces focus on a security sweep to stop the sectarian violence in Baghdad.
Bombings and shootings targeted police patrols elsewhere in Iraq Saturday, killing five policemen, including two who died after a homicide car bomber struck the checkpoint they were manning near a Sunni mosque in western Baghdad.
At least 34 other Iraqis were killed or found dead in attacks throughout the country, including five civilians shot to death in separate attacks in Diyala province northeast of the capital.
Officials also said the director of the Sunni Endowment for mosques in Diyala, Fouad Mahmoud Attaya, was abducted earlier this week by gunmen in Baqouba and an investigation was under way.
A U.S. soldier was shot to death in fighting in the provincial capital of Baqouba, the military said, raising to 85 the number of American troops who have died since the Baghdad security plan was launched on Feb. 14. Twenty-three of those were in Anbar.
Gunmen abducted a radio newscaster and his driver in a predominantly Sunni neighborhood in western Baghdad, the station's director said.
Karim Manhal, a newscaster with Radio Dijla, and his driver were seized by four masked men in the Jami'a neighborhood near the station's headquarters, director Karim Yousif said. A female staffer who was with them in the car was released, he said.
Radio Dijla, named after the Arabic name for the Tigris River, was created in 2004 as Iraq's first independent talk radio station.
Protesters angry about U.S. policy in Iraq marched by the thousands in Washington and in smaller numbers in other U.S. cities and overseas ahead of Tuesday's four-year anniversary of the Iraq invasion.
"Too many people have died and it doesn't solve anything," said Ann O'Grady, who drove to Washington through snow with her family from Ohio. "I feel bad carrying out my daily activities while people are suffering, Americans and Iraqis."
Australian Prime Minister John Howard, meanwhile, declined to commit to a timeline for withdrawing the country's 1,400 troops from Iraq.
"Great progress has been achieved, but there is still work to be done," Howard said during a news conference with al-Maliki. "As you know, I don't set speculative dates. There is nothing to be achieved by that."
Howard, a staunch U.S. ally, arrived in Baghdad after his plane was forced to make an emergency landing in southeastern Iraq because it filled with smoke, according to the Australian Associated Press. No one was injured.
Now, I understand that anything posted on FoxNews.com, regardless if it's a Fox article, so I took the liberty of finding two CNN articles related: (1) (2) and even a See BS News link. So no whining about how straight the Associated Press, er, Fox News is. It's more important that chemical weapons are being used on our troops.
And as something I'd like to add: Chlorine gas was used to deadly effect in World War 1 (By both sides), and has not played any major role in combat until insurgents took to using it in Iraq (This isn't time #1, though this is the first time I've ever heard of it).
This is sick. Despicable.
And as for something more politically polarized (and thus, represents an OPINION and may or may not be totally factual and/or agreed to by everyone.): Gas attacks on Iraqi civilians? Dosn't that sound kinda familiar?
This crap is the reason people need to fight, in my opinion. We can't, in good conscience, just leave Iraq like this. This isn't going to somehow magically stop if we just cut and run; no, these people would just win.
Again. This is sick. This isn't gonna stop, either; it must be stopped.
This isn't going to somehow magically stop if we just cut and run
Nobody's saying it will. Why do you keep doing that? Who are you arguing with, exactly?
I dunno, the way a lot of people insist we leave Iraq now almost makes me think that they seriously believe leaving now will end the conflict.
Honestly, I don't support the war in Iraq, but I don't think leaving at this point is a good move. We created this mess, we'd damn well better clean it up. The only question is how, exactly.
Cyc, people say that all the time. A lot of Democrats believe we should leave Iraq right now. o_o
And yeah, SH, none of this is gonna be easy.
Then again, life isn't easy.
Cyc, people say that all the time.
Give me one single example of this.
A lot of Democrats believe we should leave Iraq right now.
A few might, but none of them are saying it would be pretty. You have repeatedly claimed this without ever citing sources or naming names. Please provide me with a single example of a Democrat who thinks pulling out of Iraq would solve everything. If I'm not mistaken, the only thing the Democrats are demanding is a timeline for getting this over with so as to stop the colossal waste of American money and lives.
Look, I'm all in favour of trying to fix things. But let's be frank: no matter what the US does, the likelihood of a happy ending to this particular chapter in history is dismally low. The probability of any favourable outcome falls with each passing day of "stay the course". Can we not agree on that?
John Kerry
Nipsey Russell
I always knew SX was really one of Castor's alts. :3
~Tobe
Eru?
Sorry, I just thought the thread had devolved into naming random celebrities that had nothing to do with the topic at hand.
And, to stay on-new-topic: Brad Pitt
No, no, no. This is Marble Garden, where you name a random celebrity and excuse them of being a Liberal Pig or a Conservative Nazi and back it up with falsified claims from a biased dot com or news source. You're looking for the OTHER pointless forum, SPA. 😉
~Tobe
Damn it all, I always get them confused.
....
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Burt Reynolds?
Joe Rogan.
Please provide me with a single example of a Democrat who thinks pulling out of Iraq would solve everything.
I don't have any real reason to post tis again, I just thought it was amusing. Still amusing.
PROTIP: Making an attempt at wit to avoid a question always works and never makes you look stupid!
Uhh, I mean... Jack Black.
Who's avoiding what question? Surely you couldn't mean that question, seeing as how the very next post answered it.
Back on topic, I think we'd all like to see a direct, recent quote from John Kerry endorsing the idea that an immediate pullout will solve all the world's problems.
Dude, are you capable of doing any sort of research for yourself? He's John Freaking Kerry. All he believes in is PULL OUT OF IRAQ ONLY UNEDUCATED PEOPLE GET STUCK THERE.
"It's the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time." - New York Times
"We're here to talk about education. But I want to say something before that....You know, education, if you make the most of it and you study hard and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." - Speech to California students, 31 Octrober 2006
"What we need now is not just a regime change in Saddam Hussein and Iraq, but we need a regime change in the United States." - Boston Globe, 03 April 2003
"I will be a commander in chief who will never mislead us into war." - unsourced
John Kerry wants us to pull out. He makes no attempt to hide that. If you're so damn desperate for SOME sort of source, why can't you use Google or Wiki yourself? Seriously, it takes a few minutes to find a few quotes (I'm not spending more time to find more perfect quotes because the demand to show where John Kerry said he opposes staying in Iraq is one of the most ridiculous things someone's ever demanded I do.)
Anyway, this is fun, let's continue: Nancy Pelosi
Dude, are you capable of doing any sort of research for yourself?
I have searched and have yet to find any quote or situation in which John Kerry has even so much as implied that the violence in Iraq "is going to somehow magically stop if we just cut and run". Besides, I'm not the one lying making a positive statement here. The onus is on you to back up your accusation. This is like asking a defense attorney to find evidence of his own client's alleged crime.
"It's the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time." - New York Times
This is not an endorsement of a pullout, merely a completely acceptable criticism of the war.
"We're here to talk about education. But I want to say something before that....You know, education, if you make the most of it and you study hard and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." - Speech to California students, 31 Octrober 2006
This is not an endorsement of a pullout, and has almost nothing whatsoever to do with the discussion except for the one comment about how people with insufficient education have a tendency to join the army.
"What we need now is not just a regime change in Saddam Hussein and Iraq, but we need a regime change in the United States." - Boston Globe, 03 April 2003
This is not an endorsement of a pullout, merely a call for people to vote for him.
"I will be a commander in chief who will never mislead us into war." - unsourced
This is not an endorsement of a pullout, merely a campaign promise. Probably a true one, too.
John Kerry wants us to pull out. He makes no attempt to hide that.
So? A lot of people want the US to pull out. It would certainly solve a lot of America's problems, albeit at the expense of the Iraqis. However, none of them think that the violence will "magically stop if we just cut and run", which is an opinion that you have repeatedly accused John Kerry and other Democrats of having. All you have done to prove this accusation so far is wave your arms and say "but it's John Kerry!" and supply a bunch of famous quotes, many of which have literally nothing to with the topic we are discussing, and none of which serve in any way to prove your wild claims.
Also, your attempts to change your accusation mid-discussion aren't going to work. Now can we please close this moronic line of discussion and move on?
John Kerry wants us to pull out. He makes no attempt to hide that.
So? A lot of people want the US to pull out.
...isn't that kinda like, admitting that he thinks we should pull out of Iraq? Dude, seriously. Wasn't that one of this top things in the 2004 campaign?
The way I'm reading this: You: Noone's ever said pulling out will work!
You: A lot of people want the US to pull out. It would certainly solve a lot of America's problems.
...isn't that kinda like, admitting that he thinks we should pull out of Iraq?
That is not what we are discussing. That is not what you had originally accused him of thinking. You are simply modifying the terms of your accusation as we go along.
Actually, I'm just leaving the obvious implied; if someone thinks we should pull out of Iraq, obviously he thinks it'd HELP. Either that or they just want America to fail.
America 'fails' by stopping a war that is going nowhere and wasting TRILLIONS of dollars and thousands of lives?
It's pretty obvious by this point that even if the US stays there the region isn't going to be anywhere near stable any time soon.
So it won't happen instantly. A lot of instant things suck anyway. Like coffee.
Christ, that sounds so whiny and impatient. "I WANT A SOLUTION NOW! IT WON'T HAPPEN FAST SO THERE'S NO POINT! ><"
Anyway, with a less political slant and more on topic: I meant, if someone believes pulling out of Iraq would be bad, but they want us to do it anyway, then they'd want America to fail.
Note that by 'any time soon' I mean 'in the next century or so'.
I think that's a little extreme to say we'll be fighting insurgents for the next century.
Theoretically it could be fight that never ends - there will always be people who disagree with the policies of their government or others, and all it takes is someone with enough charisma and determination to turn them to extremism. Killing these people may lead to a sense of martyrdom, and therefore lend more enthusiasm to their cause. Unfortunately, there is no obviously efficient means of combating such ideaoligies.
Of course, things could be entirely different - things could calm down over there within 5 years for all we know. All comes down to negotiations, efficiency and the extent of extremism.
I think that's a little extreme to say we'll be fighting insurgents for the next century.
Just how long exactly was the Middle East a hotspot of violence before America went there, exactly? Because it's a whole lot more than one century.
Just how long exactly was the Middle East a hotspot of violence before America went there, exactly?
HOW DARE YOU. AMERICA CAN DO NO WRONG. EVERYTHING THEY TOUCH TURNS INTO GOLD.
We shouldn't try because we aren't guaranteed quick success.
CHUCK NORRIS.
Sorry. <_
~Nytloc Penumbral Lightkeeper
Quote:
We shouldn't try because we aren't guaranteed quick success.
I agree. Trying to stabilize the Middle East is like trying to drain a constantly-refilling swimming pool filled with hydrochloric acid by drinking it. It'll take forever, it'll eff you up something fierce, and when it's all over you'll have accomplished nothing because the goddamned thing's full again.
But you'll be either paralyzed for life or a stronger man because of it! *shot*
Trying to stabilize the Middle East is like trying to get SX to show a democrat who says that the Middle East will magically stabilize if the U.S. pulls out. I'm not even going to deny that such a democrat exists, but the previous argument was just silly.
Jack Black
I already said that it's just common logic that says that if someone thinks we should pull out, they think that's for the best. Or they're just crazy.
I already said that it's just common logic that says that if someone thinks we should pull out, they think that's for the best.
Currently, it is in America's best (albeit totally selfish) interests to cease all combat operations in Iraq. It is by far the easiest and most cost-effective way out of what has become a no-win scenario.
TheCycle
what do i win
Acknowledging that Iraq is a no-win scenario != thinking that a pullout would solve every problem.
I don't think there exists a clean, solution, that will make EVERYONE happy.
Is there ever?
We should strive to what we believe is the lesser of all evils, so to speak.
