*IRAQ: latest news and developments

[DJ Squelch]

Did Gaby Rado commit suicide? Kurdish Media
US troops kill 7 women & children at checkpoint ABC 7
Truck smashs into UK embassy in Tehran, Iran. Accident or terrorist attack? BBC

and
from BBC reporters diaries--London :: Frank Gardner :: 1951GMT
According to Western intelligence, Iraq has failed to find its own volunteers for suicide missions against coalition troops.
Whitehall security sources have told the BBC they have reliable information from inside Iraq that a trawl for volunteers amongst the ruling Baath Party failed to find any takers. According to the sources, a decision was taken to use remotely-detonated bombs in vehicles without the drivers' knowledge. They say the man who blew himself up in Najaf on Saturday killing four US Marines almost certainly did not know he was going to die.

 

[Balbi]

Colin Powell warns Iran and Syria about the consequences of any interference concerning Iraq.

He might of well have said, you're next.

 

[Loki]

Thanks john x you said it for me but far more concisely.

Blunkett (UK Home secretary) was wriggling away on Newsnight just now. The conversation went something like: Interviewer: "There's been no evidence of WMDs so far has there?" / Blunkett: "Well um no, but they are most probably storing them in their palaces" / Interviewer: "But hang on, you're bombing them aren't you?" / Blunkett: (pause as it dawns on him that most palaces are in / near civilian areas): "Er, well they would be stored in protective covering".

Right...

 

[Jingo Daigoji]

It’s official BBC business news just now ran a spot on the Iraqi oil reserves, which evidently are exceeding the estimated 112000 million barrels, and could be even higher than 186000 million barrels, extracted at the envisaged rate of 6 million barrels a day the probable oil glut would make nonsense out of OPEC, in addition with uncle Sam sitting in the OPEC, and oil tap in hand he could go onto dictate terms for the global growth rate index, which is really what every sovereign country has always strived for!

 

[Lock&Light]

Originally posted by Loki
Thanks john x you said it for me but far more concisely.

Blunkett (UK Home secretary) was wriggling away on Newsnight just now. The conversation went something like: Interviewer: "There's been no evidence of WMDs so far has there?" / Blunkett: "Well um no, but they are most probably storing them in their palaces" / Interviewer: "But hang on, you're bombing them aren't you?" / Blunkett: (pause as it dawns on him that most palaces are in / near civilian areas): "Er, well they would be stored in protective covering".

Right...

Anyone complaining about me coming out with too many comments, should ask themselves whether the above posting is a news report or a work of fiction.

 

[vimto]

Piss off troll

 

[Lock&Light]

Originally posted by vimto
Piss off troll

You haven't got the faintest justification for using that term about me, and all those posters on these boards, whose opinions are worthy of note, will want to know how you are going to try to justify your accusation.

"hee hee" won't do, vimto.

 

[vimto]

troll

 

[grasshopper]

unfortunately L&L, after long consideration, and offered chances to explain yourself and your opinions, and actually join a debate , it is apparent that you either are reluctant to do so, or don't have the abilitity to do so.

In either case, it's obvious you have nothing to contribute.

I concur with Vimto's opinion.

 

[Loki]

um, trying to get this back on topic, this is quite a good analysis of the dilemma of the US media, caught between reporting the war and toeing the patriotic line.

 

[grasshopper]

Unfortunate info as regards that the sphere of warfare may be spreading. Certainly looks like an independant homeland for the Kurds is not on the agenda

ANKARA, Turkey, March 31 — U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad assured Turkish officials Monday that Iraqi Kurds would not unilaterally wrest the strategic oil city of Kirkuk from Saddam Hussein's control.

http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap03-31-141703.asp?reg=EUROPE

Worrying IMO!

 

[the scouser]

Blunkett drops himself in it on BBC2 Newsnight by telling a news reader that WMD's were

"not hidden in the desert but in the Palaces"

The intervieiwer replied

"but were bombing the palaces"

Blunketts comments will be repeated in the media tommorow.

 

[whiterose]

Loki - more on control of the media in this article

An Army of Propaganda
By Kari Lydersen,
March 31, 2003
A few high-profile journalists with anti-war or anti-administration sentiments have suffered actual retribution for their views. Talk show host Phil Donahue had his show pulled by MSNBC because, according to inside memos leaked to the press, his anti-war and left-leaning views were contrary to the current patriotic fever. Meanwhile MSNBC recently awarded a show to right-wing shock jock Michael Savage, who among many other things has referred to young urban gunfire victims as "ghetto slime."
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=15507

 

[wizard61]

Originally posted by whiterose
Talk show host Phil Donahue had his show pulled by MSNBC because, according to inside memos leaked to the press, his anti-war and left-leaning views were contrary to the current patriotic fever.

There are ways to know when someone is selling instead of reporting. The Drudge Report listed PD's ratings along with his competitors every day... PD had the very worst ratings. No one watched the show, and it was cancelled. Clearly another conspiracy!

 

[Loki]

Originally posted by whiterose
Loki - more on control of the media in this article
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=15507

Thanks whiterose good article. I can't believe they're shutting down websites now simply for showing pics of American POWs and dead Iraqis.

Originally posted by the scouser
Blunkett drops himself in it on BBC2 Newsnight by telling a news reader that WMD's were

"not hidden in the desert but in the Palaces"

The intervieiwer replied

"but were bombing the palaces"

Blunketts comments will be repeated in the media tommorow.

Cheers scouser, I posted up pretty much the same thing an hour ago and got accused of making it up. Lock&Light are you reading this? Two sources for this story now </smug>

Meanwhile bombs continue to pound Baghdad while Dubya reassures the Iraqi people thusly: "there will be no pause in the assault ... we are coming and we will not stop, we will not relent until your country is free". Sure that cheered them up. link

 

[bigfish]

quote:
Originally posted by Loki
Thanks john x you said it for me but far more concisely.

Blunkett (UK Home secretary) was wriggling away on Newsnight just now. The conversation went something like: Interviewer: "There's been no evidence of WMDs so far has there?" / Blunkett: "Well um no, but they are most probably storing them in their palaces" / Interviewer: "But hang on, you're bombing them aren't you?" / Blunkett: (pause as it dawns on him that most palaces are in / near civilian areas): "Er, well they would be stored in protective covering".

Right...



Anyone complaining about me coming out with too many comments, should ask themselves whether the above posting is a news report or a work of fiction.

Well I asked myself that question and having seen the Snoozenight interview with my own eyes and heard Blunkets words with my own ears I am forced to the inevitable conclusion that Lock&Load is a MORAN!

 

[Loki]

ta Bigfish! That's three sources so far then, Lock&Light </extra smug>

Just clocked this online debate hosted by the BBC on Mon: What's interesting is the diversity of the nationalities:

Readers back anti-war motion

Opponents of the war have won a BBC News Online debate, with a big majority backing the motion that war with Iraq is wrong.

...

More than 8,000 took part, with the result that 78% agreed with the motion and 22% disagreed.

Full article

 

[john x]

The number of people .........

in favour of the war has come down from 59% to 54%.

By next week, less than half the population will support this nonsense. What will Bliar do then? And as important, what will we do?

john x

 

[bigfish]

Your welcome Loki.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to these media inspired polls if I was you John x. When you see how they are constructed you begin to see how they get their results! See phuckthewars thread for a classic example.

http://urban75.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38023

 

[pk]

Just to add to the consensus of opinion - Lock&Light is a troll.

And a moran.

 

[Lock&Light]

Originally posted by pk
Just to add to the consensus of opinion - Lock&Light is a troll.

And a moran.

I'm a troll, I'm a troll and I live in a hole.

(But what the fuck is a "moran"?)

 

[foo]

7 women and children killed by coalition forces who apparently didn't fire a warning shot first as a vehicle sped towards them.

A nice American general was heard to say that this kind of thing happens in 'the fog of war'

oh well, that's alright then...

 

[Zacc]

Civilians shot dead by US troops
The United States is investigating an incident in which its soldiers shot dead at least seven Iraqi civilians whose vehicle failed to stop at a checkpoint.
A senior US military officer has defended the shooting as "absolutely... the right thing", but a top UK official has already admitted that coalition forces are being seen as "villains".

 

[Barking_Mad]

Washington Post is reporting that the soldiers did not fire a warning shot to get the vehicle to stop (despite being asked to at the time) and instead opened fire killing some of the people inside. The officer afterwards was quoted by a journalist who overheard the conversation as saying, "Thats what happens when you dont fire a warning shot". (I paraphrase slightly - this was reported on BBC Radio 5 this am)

 

[Kaka Tim]

I'd wouldn't take the claim that the 'vehicle failed to stop at a checkpoint' at face value either.
Whenever incidents like this happen (i.e in N.Ireland, Palastine etc) the troopers involved will always sort their story out to cover their backs.
There could have been no checkpoint, it could easily been triigger happy, streseed out marines opening up on a fast moving vehicle and asking questions after.
Lets see what the Iraqi survivors say first.

Just remembered - about a year ago Brit paratroopers killed a car full of civilians in Kabul that was taking a pregnant women to hospital. They spun a yarn about that one as well.

 

[joe dick]

link to washington post story

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61229-2003Mar31.html

 

[Barking_Mad]

US/UK dead.......

Interesting to read that www.iraqwar.ru reports in its latest update that according to a BBS journo the number of dead US/UK soldiers is higher than is being reported. Maybe not a surprise i know. A UK army doctor in Kuwait said (to BBC journo) that the number of dead soldiers is only counted from those who have been returned to the Kuwaiti base and not those who are MIA and are lying dead in military field hospitals. They think that up to 150 UK/US dead soldiers may be nearer the actual figure.

 

[Balbi]

Hup two.

US Soldiers find some abaonded AL-Samoud missiles.

Sky/BBC/Fox

 

[Termite]

BBC reporting that JStraw is saying it's most likely that the big marketplace explosion the other day was probably caused by Iraqi troops. WTF? Did no one at the BBC read Fisk's article?

 

[Termite]

BBC reporting that JStraw is saying it's most likely that the big marketplace explosion the other day was probably caused by Iraqi troops. WTF? Did no one at the BBC read Fisk's article?