NEWS: US Advising Najaf Residents To Evacuate Immediately, page 1

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 09:47 AM

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The situation in Najaf is escalating at an alarming rate. The US Armed Forces are now advising the residents to evacuate the area immediately.
US Forces have also been given permission to enter the shrine of Imam Ali, in order to attack the Mahdi Army.

www.iht.com

Iraq American forces urged civilians to evacuate the combat zone in Najaf on Tuesday, the sixth day of clashes with Shiite militias that have restricted output from southern Iraqi oil fields and sent world oil prices soaring.
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U.S. troops in Humvees drove through the center of the Shiite city, using loudspeakers to call on civilians to evacuate the zone immediately.
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Residents said it was the first time U.S. troops had called for a mass evacuation, adding that they feared a massive attack on the Mahdi Army of the radical cleric Moktada al-Sadr in the city's cemetery, and on the shrine of Imam Ali, one of Shiite Islam's holiest sites.
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Artillery and tank shells earlier pounded positions in the vast cemetery. A thick column of smoke rose from near the Imam Ali shrine, and Iraqi police in trucks were seen heading for the area while U.S. helicopters flew overhead.
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A senior U.S. military official said Monday that marines had been given permission to enter the Ali shrine to attack the militants, and that any action taken would be "on the order and direction of the governor."
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On Monday, Sadr vowed to "defend Najaf until my last drop of blood" and rejected calls by interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi for his men to lay down their arms and leave the city."
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Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

By advising immediate evacuation it would appear that the US are planning an all out attack on the militants in the very near future.

[edit on 8-10-2004 by Valhall]

[edit on 8-11-2004 by Valhall]

[edit on 12-8-2004 by John bull 1]

phreak_of_nature

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 12:50 PM

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This will either go very very good, or very very bad. If they can take out Al Sadr & his Mahdi army with out damaging the Mosque, that would be good. If any damage is done to the Mosque, we will be reviled throught the muslim world.

Janus

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 01:05 PM

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Wow, the decisison to alow US forces into the Mosque complex will not go down very well with Arabs in the region. Lets hope they can get it done with minimum casualtis Both US and Iraqie. But they need to be very careful indeed.

crmanager

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 01:14 PM

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dingdingding...

The contenders Finally come out of their corners to fight.

No more hiding under Allahs skirt. Fight like you mean it.

kegs

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 01:16 PM

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They've launched air strikes on the cemetery:

news.bbc.co.uk...

Bout Time

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 01:18 PM

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I can't think of a single positive outcome; Al Sadhr & the Madhi are an effect to a cause not a standing unit developed for the big picture, as a normal militia.

This will be linke throwing a Gremlin in a pool.....watch them multiply

AceOfBase

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 01:18 PM
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Discussed here earlier by MattMariot:
NATO prepares to bomb the holiest shiite city (the true story)

Hopefully they will be careful.
The number of insurgents has already been growing rapidly from 5,000 in the period of August 2003 - April 2004 up to 20,000 in July 2004 following the crackdown in Fallujah and other areas.

[edit on 10-8-2004 by AceOfBase]

Mainer

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 01:19 PM
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Hide in a Mosque...die in a Mosque, it is they who are choosing the graveyard, not the American forces.

AceOfBase

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 01:22 PM
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Originally posted by Bout Time
I can't think of a single positive outcome; Al Sadhr & the Madhi are an effect to a cause not a standing unit developed for the big picture, as a normal militia.

This will be linke throwing a Gremlin in a pool.....watch them multiply

That's what seems to be happening so far.
Take a look at the thread by lockheed:
Update on Iraq

The insurgents are growing.
It seems like the more you kill, the more you create.

[edit on 10-8-2004 by AceOfBase]

Xeven

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 01:32 PM
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I think we should just drop a bomb on the mosque and get over it. I dont care what they think frankly.

Blow up a few mosques with terrorist in them and then the people will prevent terrorists from entering them because they dont want their mosque bombed.

Dang man I am so tired of it. If Bush wants a freaking war then back the he ll up and let the troops win the d am thing. War is death and destruction of inocents and enemies untill you submit them to your will and they give up in fear and discrace. There is no good or nice freakin war.

Bomb the daang building.

Why oh why would we send American troops that will die in effort to save a freakin building instead of just blowing it the H e ll up?

Why? Another reason right here that Bush does not need to lead our Army's.

Mark my words, if American troops enter that place to protect the building, more Americans will die in the combat. Why not bomb it? It is just bricks and mortor.

It can be rebuilt. The Americans that die trying to preserve a building cannot be brought back. Our troops are dieing to political bull. Fight the fight or get our guys out.

A MOSQUE OR CHURCH IS NOT WORTH ONE AMERICAN LIFE!

Vote Bush out.

AceOfBase

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 01:38 PM
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Originally posted by Xeven
Blow up a few mosques with terrorist in them and then the people will prevent terrorists from entering them because they dont want their mosque bombed.

Blow up a Mosque and you'll have more terrorists and more opponents to the occupation than you've ever had before.

A MOSQUE OR CHURCH IS NOT WORTH ONE AMERICAN LIFE!

Vote Bush out.

Even if that Mosque or Church might be hundreds of years old?

How would you feel about a country bombing the Vatican?

sublime4372

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 01:42 PM
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How would you feel about a country bombing the Vatican?

there is only one vatican. how many mosques are there? these people use that holy crap all the time. Im sick of it. Bomb em....bomb em good.

Xeven

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 01:44 PM
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Originally posted by AceOfBase

Originally posted by Xeven
Blow up a few mosques with terrorist in them and then the people will prevent terrorists from entering them because they dont want their mosque bombed.

Blow up a Mosque and you'll have more terrorists and more opponents to the occupation than you've ever had before.

A MOSQUE OR CHURCH IS NOT WORTH ONE AMERICAN LIFE!

Vote Bush out.

Even if that Mosque or Church might be hundreds of years old?

How would you feel about a country bombing the Vatican?

The U.S should blow the Vatican to pieces if it was harboring terrorists before sending in troops lives to preserve a building. Your telling me some old building is more valuable than a liveing human being? Especially one of our own troops? What kind of people am I sharing this world with?

[edit on 10-8-2004 by Xeven]

Bout Time

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 01:45 PM
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Al Sadr's ranks grow because of a vast pool of able bodied men being displaced by the disbanding of the Iraqi Army & several other outlets. meeting at the nadir of policy that incites. Look at your own inner city or look to the LA Riots for comparison: you take otherwise complacent men, who do have under lying issues, and add a catalyst ( in this case, religion desecration by foreigners), the results are unified rage against the "man".
Al Sadr's cause would have lost steam on it's own, given some employment options for his rank & file. Now, even should a job to go to pop up, they're in for the long haul.

Janus

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 01:53 PM
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I think they will clear out Najaf but the problem will spring up elsewhere and it will bring every gun toting Fundamentalist within 1000 miles together. I dont see anything good coming from this but then i dont see what else the US can do.

kegs

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 01:57 PM
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Some people really don't get it. If you start bombing mosques in Iraq, it won't just be pockets of 'insurgents' you're fighting, it'll be the whole damn country. It's this type of ignorance that led to this situation in the first place.

Xeven

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 02:08 PM
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Originally posted by kegs
Some people really don't get it. If you start bombing mosques in Iraq, it won't just be pockets of 'insurgents' you're fighting, it'll be the whole damn country. It's this type of ignorance that led to this situation in the first place.

You are wrong and human history proves it over and over. Being nice never won a war. Droping two nukes on Japan won their hearts and minds. Japan is one of our most loyal allies in this world. I dont think we should have ever invaded Iraq. We did. Now we must win this war. If people come to the terrorist cause because we blow up a building then those people are our enemies allready. Let them come let the war become what it must, and let our enemies die fighting for their cause.

Was a bad idea to invade yet we are in it arent we.. Remember the term lets roll? Well lets let them roll without having one hand tied behind their backs.

kegs

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 02:22 PM
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It's not about being 'nice' it's about tactics, strategy using commonsense and using your brain. Not a gung-ho 'AHHHH lets just kill them allllllll' attitude. It's about weighing up consequences, and if you look at the history of Middle East occupations and 'liberations', particularly the last British invasion of Iraq, you'll see a very different story being proved over and over.

[edit on 10-8-2004 by kegs]

Xeven

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 02:40 PM
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Originally posted by kegs
It's not about being 'nice' it's about tactics, strategy using commonsense and using your brain. Not a gung-ho 'AHHHH lets just kill them allllllll' attitude. It's about weighing up consequences, and if you look at the history of Middle East occupations and 'liberations', particularly the last British invasion of Iraq, you'll see a very different story being proved over and over.

[edit on 10-8-2004 by kegs]

I prefer the "Gung Ho" more of them die, than us die, stratagy over the flip floping deadly to our forces political stratagy. We will never agree on this obviously. Its ok though I respect your opinion I just dont want to be lead in war by people like you.

When your one of those marines on the front line and your wife, kids and family are at home waiting for your return, then and only then, can you chose a political combat stratagy over a bomb it and win/live stratagy. You have no right to put thier lives on the line for political gain. Thier lives should only be put on the line in defence of our Nation.

X

[edit on 10-8-2004 by Xeven]

SpittinCobra

posted on Aug, 10 2004 @ 02:46 PM
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This can only mean one thing, All out raid. Door to door raid? I cant see them telling people to leave unless they where going to do something big.