And Three Troops Missing
Tuesday, 15. May 2007, 06:52:23
AFP - 05/14/07
US says three missing soldiers kidnapped by Al-Qaeda
BAGHDAD - The US military confirmed on Monday that it believes three American soldiers missing in Iraq have been kidnapped by Al-Qaeda, as the Islamist militant group threatened to harm its captives.
"At this time, we believe they were abducted by terrorists belonging to Al-Qaeda or an affiliated group and this assessment is based on highly credible intelligence information," said spokesman Major General William Caldwell.
[ The so-called ] "insurgents" ambushed a US patrol on Saturday in a pre-dawn assault near the town of Mahmudiyah. Reinforcements sent to the scene found four soldiers and an Iraqi translator were dead and three troops missing.
The so-called "Islamic State in Iraq" -- an Al-Qaeda-dominated alliance of Sunni rebel groups -- claimed responsibility for the attack and warned US forces not to search for the men or risk seeing them harmed.
"Your soldiers are in our hands. If you want them safe, do not search for them," the group said in an statement on a Jihadist Internet website, while offering no proof that it indeed held the missing GIs. It is unknown whether or not any proof was demanded of the alleged captors by U.S. military officials.
Caldwell in a statement promised that a massive manhunt that already involves 4,000 US troops backed by jets, helicopters, sniffer dogs and spy satellites would continue until the three are found.
The three soldiers are not lost, sir -- they are being held captive. For their sake, I pray they are being held as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention and not as "detainees". I, for one, would prefer that you focus your efforts not on finding them, but on having them returned by their captors alive and unharmed.
"I cannot promise you that these efforts will produce the results we all are praying for," he said.
"But what I can promise you the American people, and particularly the families of these missing men, is that we are doing everything we can to find [ dead or alive ] these brave and courageous soldiers.
"Everyone who wears this uniform in combat understands and lives by 'The Soldier's Creed' and one of its key tenets is 'I will never leave a fallen comrade.' We live by that creed," he said.
And do they not also understand 'The Creed of Common Sense'? -- One of its key tenets is 'persue a solution commensurate with and directly related to the specific nature of the problem.' Again, sir, the soldiers are not lost -- they are being held captive.
As he spoke, thousands of US troops swept through villages and orchards south of Baghdad, while unmanned drones searched from the sky and Iraqi and US soldiers asked local people for information.
"Tips are coming in, and they are leading to operations against targets of interest," said Caldwell.
Tips? Leading to operations against targets of interest? Please, Major General, your military mumbo jumbo is inappropriate and unappreciated at this time. I respectfully recommend you replace it with an expression of genuine concern by an officer for his men, if possible.
Local officials in Mahmudiyah said the manhunt was focused on smaller outlying villages considered fiercely loyal to Al-Qaeda.
"Search operations in Yusifiyah and the villages of Al-Qaraghuli, Al-Zuwaid and Al-Janabat west of Mahmudiyah are still ongoing," said Mayor Moad al-Amiri.
"US and Iraqi forces are cordoning off the farmsteads and orchards in all these areas," Amiri said. On Sunday, he said US forces had made at least 40 arrests, but the military could not confirm this.
In June 2006, Al-Qaeda captured two American soldiers outside Yusufiyah, a town near where Saturday's ambush took place, a belt of insurgent activity often referred to as the "Triangle of Death."
The bodies of the two soldiers were later found outside a power station south of Baghdad, mutilated and bearing signs of torture.
Separately, the US military on Monday announced the deaths of four more US soldiers killed in attacks around Baghdad, bringing the the total number of American casualties in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion to 3,395.
Meanwhile, Shiite militants attacked an
armoured vehicle carrying Danish soldiers north of the southern city of Basra, killing one soldier and wounding five others, a military spokesman said.
Local Iraqis gathered round the blazing vehicle to cheer and dance, one waving a soot-blackened military helmet in the air. Residents said the convoy was hit by a roadside bomb and automatic fire.
As the hunt widened for the missing American soldiers at least 11 more people, including several Iraqi police officers and soldiers, were killed in attacks in and around Baghdad.
( More )
US says three missing soldiers kidnapped by Al-Qaeda
BAGHDAD - The US military confirmed on Monday that it believes three American soldiers missing in Iraq have been kidnapped by Al-Qaeda, as the Islamist militant group threatened to harm its captives.
"At this time, we believe they were abducted by terrorists belonging to Al-Qaeda or an affiliated group and this assessment is based on highly credible intelligence information," said spokesman Major General William Caldwell.[ The so-called ] "insurgents" ambushed a US patrol on Saturday in a pre-dawn assault near the town of Mahmudiyah. Reinforcements sent to the scene found four soldiers and an Iraqi translator were dead and three troops missing.
The so-called "Islamic State in Iraq" -- an Al-Qaeda-dominated alliance of Sunni rebel groups -- claimed responsibility for the attack and warned US forces not to search for the men or risk seeing them harmed.
"Your soldiers are in our hands. If you want them safe, do not search for them," the group said in an statement on a Jihadist Internet website, while offering no proof that it indeed held the missing GIs. It is unknown whether or not any proof was demanded of the alleged captors by U.S. military officials.
Caldwell in a statement promised that a massive manhunt that already involves 4,000 US troops backed by jets, helicopters, sniffer dogs and spy satellites would continue until the three are found.
The three soldiers are not lost, sir -- they are being held captive. For their sake, I pray they are being held as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention and not as "detainees". I, for one, would prefer that you focus your efforts not on finding them, but on having them returned by their captors alive and unharmed."I cannot promise you that these efforts will produce the results we all are praying for," he said.
"But what I can promise you the American people, and particularly the families of these missing men, is that we are doing everything we can to find [ dead or alive ] these brave and courageous soldiers.
"Everyone who wears this uniform in combat understands and lives by 'The Soldier's Creed' and one of its key tenets is 'I will never leave a fallen comrade.' We live by that creed," he said.
And do they not also understand 'The Creed of Common Sense'? -- One of its key tenets is 'persue a solution commensurate with and directly related to the specific nature of the problem.' Again, sir, the soldiers are not lost -- they are being held captive.As he spoke, thousands of US troops swept through villages and orchards south of Baghdad, while unmanned drones searched from the sky and Iraqi and US soldiers asked local people for information.
"Tips are coming in, and they are leading to operations against targets of interest," said Caldwell.
Tips? Leading to operations against targets of interest? Please, Major General, your military mumbo jumbo is inappropriate and unappreciated at this time. I respectfully recommend you replace it with an expression of genuine concern by an officer for his men, if possible.Local officials in Mahmudiyah said the manhunt was focused on smaller outlying villages considered fiercely loyal to Al-Qaeda.
"Search operations in Yusifiyah and the villages of Al-Qaraghuli, Al-Zuwaid and Al-Janabat west of Mahmudiyah are still ongoing," said Mayor Moad al-Amiri.
"US and Iraqi forces are cordoning off the farmsteads and orchards in all these areas," Amiri said. On Sunday, he said US forces had made at least 40 arrests, but the military could not confirm this.
In June 2006, Al-Qaeda captured two American soldiers outside Yusufiyah, a town near where Saturday's ambush took place, a belt of insurgent activity often referred to as the "Triangle of Death."The bodies of the two soldiers were later found outside a power station south of Baghdad, mutilated and bearing signs of torture.
Separately, the US military on Monday announced the deaths of four more US soldiers killed in attacks around Baghdad, bringing the the total number of American casualties in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion to 3,395.
Meanwhile, Shiite militants attacked an
armoured vehicle carrying Danish soldiers north of the southern city of Basra, killing one soldier and wounding five others, a military spokesman said.Local Iraqis gathered round the blazing vehicle to cheer and dance, one waving a soot-blackened military helmet in the air. Residents said the convoy was hit by a roadside bomb and automatic fire.
As the hunt widened for the missing American soldiers at least 11 more people, including several Iraqi police officers and soldiers, were killed in attacks in and around Baghdad.
( More )
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