this diary is dedicated to all who suffer because of war
we love and support our troops, just as we love and support the Iraqi people - without exception, or precondition, or judgment
we have no sympathy for the devil.
we acknowledge the power to act that is in us
image and poem below the fold
(RubDMC's daily intro)
Ali Haider/European Pressphoto Agency
Smoke rose from Haifa Street in Baghdad Tuesday as American and Iraqi troops fought Iraqi insurgents.
U.S. and Iraqis Hit Insurgents in All-Day Fight
(a few excerpts...perfectly illustrating the futility of this occupation)
BAGHDAD, Jan. 9 — More than 1,000 American and Iraqi troops, backed by Apache attack helicopters and fighter jets, battled insurgents all day Tuesday and late into the night in downtown Baghdad, in one of the most dramatic operations in the capital since the invasion nearly four years ago.
The fighting raged less than 1,000 yards from the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses both the American command and the Iraqi government. It was the latest episode for the troubled neighborhood around Haifa Street, where major campaigns have repeatedly been initiated to rid the area of insurgents, only to have them re-infiltrate.
Iraqi officials said that at least 50 militants were killed Tuesday, but the Americans said they could not provide a count.
[snip]
An American military officer familiar with the operation said that it was part of an effort to stabilize Baghdad, but was not directly linked to the president’s new security plan.
However, the location of the fight has particular significance.
Nearly two years ago, after much bloodshed and toil, the American military wrested control of the area from insurgents.
Haifa Street, the neighborhood’s main thoroughfare, used to be called Purple Heart Boulevard by American soldiers. More than 160 soldiers from the First Battalion of the Ninth Cavalry were wounded trying to secure the area. By the spring of 2005, they had largely done so, and it was trumpeted as a signal success.
A boy inside a mosque in Haifa Street in Baghdad, January 10, 2007 looks at the body of a victim who was killed in Tuesday's clashes. The Iraqi government said Iraqi and U.S. forces killed 50 people in central Baghdad on Tuesday as American jets and helicopters prowled overhead, although details of the battle around Haifa Street remained sketchy. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ)
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Stephen Morton/Associated Press
Armored vehicles were loaded on rail cars in Fort Stewart, Ga., to travel to Iraq with a brigade of the Third Infantry Division later this month.
photo attached to following article:
Bush’s Troop-Increase Plan Is Expected to Draw Six Guard Brigades to Iraq
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People visit a site showing crosses honoring US soldiers killed in Iraq in Santa Monica, California. US President George W. Bush is to unveil a new plan calling for a US troop increase in Iraq, a move that opposition Democrats in Congress are gearing up to oppose.(AFP/Getty Images/File/Jamie Rector)
Us and Them -Roger Waters and Richard Wright
Us, and Them
And after all we're only ordinary men
Me, and You
God only knows it's not what we would choose to do
Forward he cried from the rear
and the front rank died
And the General sat, and the lines on the map
moved from side to side
Black and Blue
And who knows which is which and who is who
Up and Down
And in the end it's only round and round and round
Haven't you heard it's a battle of words
the poster bearer cried
Listen son, said the man with the gun
There's room for you inside
Down and Out
It can't be helped but there's a lot of it about
With, Without
And who'll deny it's what the fighting's all about
Out of the way, it's a busy day
I've got things on my mind
For want of the price of tea and a slice
The old man died
Note: roses and I are alternating posting this series while RubDMC is away. roses diary from yesterday is
here, and look for one from roses tomorrow.