Attack On Marines Near Mosque
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| Wed, 04-07-2004 - 6:22pm |
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND
7115 South Boundary Boulevard
MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101
Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894
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April 7, 2004
Release Number: 04-04-07
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATTACK ON MARINES NEAR MOSQUE
FALLUJAH, Iraq - U.S. Marines observed anti-Coalition Forces today firing from the Haj Musheen Abdul Aziz Az-Kubaysi mosque complex in Fallujah. In order to gain access to the compound housing the mosque, Marines used air support to breach a wall located several hundred yards away from the actual mosque structure. One anti-Coalition force member was killed in the attack. There is no report of civilian casualties.
Marines on the ground observed no damage to the mosque. The anti-coalition forces firing from the mosque wrongfully violated the law of war by conducting offensive military operations from a protected structure. As a result, the mosque lost its protected status and therefore became a lawful military target. Nevertheless, the Marines only targeted the wall surrounding the compound in order to prevent damage to the mosque.
Initial reports indicate a platoon-size force was firing RPGs and small arms from fortified battle positions inside of and on top of the mosque. Following the strike, Marines also recovered a fully functional mortar from inside the compound.
This mosque was repeatedly used as a base to target Iraqi and Coalition forces throughout the day. The breach of the wall was a graduated response to the threat.
I Marine Expeditionary Force will continue to employ precision weaponry in order to protect lives of non-combatants, private property, medical facilities, and religious structures in accordance with the law of war.
For more information please contact MAJ JOHNSON at johnsontv@imefdm.usmc.mil or neil.harper.82@d82.army.mil
http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/news_release.asp?NewsRelease=20040407.txt

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My son committed himself to go into the Army at the end of August 2001 (think about that for a minute) and entered the Army on October 1 of 2001. He didn't make the decision to go into Iraq--that was made by the neocons and Bush. But because he is an honorable young man, he has followed his orders. And it's the same case for many of the troops now in Iraq--there are many there now who have doubts but have no honorable choice but to follow orders. Are you aware (as many civilians are not) that a soldier HAS to serve her/his allotted time and sometimes more if there's a "stop loss" order in effect? This is regardless of their feelings about the orders they're given. A soldier who chooses to disobey or leave one of the armed forces (desertion) can be severely punished. That's why it's imperative that a decision to send troops into harm's way should never be ceded to one man without a vigorous debate. Congress fell down flat on that one in October of 2002.
I am no fonder of partisan rhetoric than you are though I see this administration as having been the primary instigators of the Iraq war. I am well aware that the whole sorry business of both 9/11 and Iraq has been used by those who seek to further their goals/their party's goals. I just happen to believe that there are two sides (at least!) to every story and I don't swallow the administration's and its supporters' bait--hook, line, and sTinker. Changing metaphors from fishing to gardening, please be aware that the seeds of conflict that were planted when we went into Iraq may take years to germinate and put forth a poisonous plant. Your sons may be called to duty and war by events that flow from Bush's decision. I hope it is not so but there are too many instances of our involvement in the Middle East and other areas where that has happened. Unfortunately, many people do not realize that most of our conflicts are based on decisions made and actions taken many years previously; frequently by a succession of people of different ideologies.
I won't bore you with a recitation of our history in the Middle East. But I assure you that it spans many years and many administrations. Blaming our current woes on the left/Democrats is simplistic and erroneous. I encourage you to read/listen/view beyond partisan lines (definitely beyond Ann Coulter!) and come to some conclusions based on a variety of views and histories.
Edited 4/13/2004 12:58 pm ET ET by gettingahandle
Gettingahandle
Ignorance is Nature's most abundant fuel for decision making.
I will only address the last two paragraphs. I want you to think about something. You say, "Changing metaphors from fishing to gardening, please be aware that the seeds of conflict that were planted when we went into Iraq may take years to germinate and put forth a poisonous plant. Your sons may be called to duty and war by events that flow from Bush's decision. I hope it is not so but there are too many instances of our involvement in the Middle East and other areas where that has happened. Unfortunately, many people do not realize that most of our conflicts are based on decisions made and actions taken many years previously; frequently by a succession of people of different ideologies.
I believe that the terror attacks on our soil which killed 3000 of our innocents were part of a 'poisonous plant' that began to germinate many years ago when we started a pattern of running away from Terrorism. It wasn't just Jimmy Carter, but Ronald Reagan (a republican) and Bill Clinton all did it. This convinced our enemies that we were weak and would not stand up to these heineous acts. 9-11 opened our eyes to what was possible. If we had continued the pattern of running away from these murderers, we would see worse and worse attacks here (as evidenced on 9-11).
More than anything in the world I do not want to see my sons in harms way. This is *why* I so firmly support what this president is doing. If they are called to duty someday it will be very difficult for me to deal with, but I would rather have them in a situation where they are trained to defend themselves than to be, for instance, a spectator at some world series game that gets blown up, with no warning or any chance to defend themselves. You see, when we look weak willed to our enemies we invite more attacks.
I will pray that your son is not called back to Iraq.
The 'squeaky wheel' as the saying goes...sigh...
BTW, I like how you can differentiate the colors in your post.
That's because I have one of the 'pay packages' here at iVillage.
How did you do?
No, they are actively trying to make it happen. The main thing that distresses the left is being out of power. It distresses them to the point that they actively try to bring down their own country at a time of war. If large numbers of Americans die, this is good for the left wing, so they not only hope, but aid in making that happen. It is extremely shocking and repulsive.
The only thing shocking and repulsive is that you actually believe this.
James
janderson_ny@yahoo.com
CL Ask A Guy
With regards to Washington, I was hopeful that when Bush was running for office back in 2000 that perhaps the end of the right wing / left wing battle was finally going to come about, and that there was a President who was going to try to work with both parties for the good of the country.
It appears as though we are still quite a ways from that day, as there are still many in Congress that are so bent on their ideology being the only correct way, that there will not be total cooperation in Washington until those dinosaurs are gone.
I am hopeful of the new breed of politicians who seem to try to work more across party lines, and look beyond the ideological differences to come up with compromises where everybody has a better chance of benefit. The extreme left are wrong and the extreme right are wrong as well. The correct thing is somewhere in the middle.
The extreme left are wrong and the extreme right are wrong as well. The correct thing is somewhere in the middle.
While I completely agree with that, do you see Bush as being one of the "new breed"?
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