French MP: US bombed French journalists' convoy!

A French MP has accused the US of scuttling his unofficial bid to secure the release of two French journalists held in Iraq.










French MP: US bombed journalists' convoy
Aljazeera.net
Didier Julia, an MP for French President Jacques Chirac's ruling party, said his efforts to release reporters Georges Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot failed after US troops opened fire on the convoy attempting to bring them out of Iraq en route to Syria.

Six of the French journalists' Iraqi "escorts" were killed in the US bombing barrage.

Julia's assistant, Philippe Brett, had persuaded the kidnappers to release the Frenchmen and they all left in two separate convoys from their place of detention, both of which had come under US fire, the MP said.

"They set up 20 roadblocks and ... six members of the team protecting the journalists were killed," said Julia, whose mission enjoys no backing from the French foreign ministry.

The French Foreign Ministry said it had no comment on the release effort or Julia's report of the US attack.

Mission failure
The MP said Brett learned of the mission's failure as soon as he arrived separately at the Syrian border and headed straight back to the journalists' captors.

"The three Frenchmen are still in Iraq in the hands of the resistance," he said.

"The Americans increased their bombardment and deployed two divisions to fire upon all terrorists who pass."

Julia, 70, is vice president of the Iraqi-French Friendship Group. The two journalists have been held hostage by the Islamic Army of Iraq since August 20.

US rejects accusation
The US military Friday rejected Julia's accusations that US troops had fired on a mercy mission to extricate the two kidnapped French newsmen, killing six escorts.

"I'd say that none of that is true ... I have not seen any reports that would indicate any of these stories showing up are accurate or true," said senior spokesman Rear Admiral Greg Slavonic.








Updated: Other Sources:

• reuters.com
  DAMASCUS (Reuters) - A self-appointed mediator said the release of two French journalists held in Iraq since August fell through on Friday when a group of Iraqis transporting them was bombarded by U.S. forces.
  
  
• guardian.co.uk
  Meanwhile, French Lawmaker Didier Julia told reporters in Damascus, Syria, that that a convoy bringing them to Syria came under U.S. fire, scuttling their release. Julie, who's involved in the hostage negotiations, said the journalists were unharmed. U.S. forces in Iraq said they had no reports to indicate there was any truth to the allegation.
  
  
• ttc.org
  DAMASCUS, Oct 1 (AFP) - A French lawmaker said here Friday that US forces had torpedoed his mission to secure the release of two French journalists held in Iraq, leaving six Iraqi security guards dead in one incident.
  
  
• abcnews.go.com
  DAMASCUS (Reuters) - A self-appointed mediator said the release of two French journalists held in Iraq since August fell through Friday when a group of Iraqis transporting them was bombarded by U.S. forces.
  
  
• news.yahoo.com
  DAMASCUS (Reuters) - A self-appointed mediator said the release of two French journalists held in Iraq since August fell through Friday when a group of Iraqis transporting them was bombarded by U.S. forces.
  
  
• abcnews.go.com
  Oct. 1, 2004 � DAMASCUS (Reuters) - The release of two French journalists held in Iraq since August was delayed Friday when a group of Iraqis transporting them was bombarded by U.S. forces, an aide to a French MP aiming to help free them said.
  
  
• newsday.com
  Meanwhile, French Lawmaker Didier Julia told reporters in Damascus, Syria, that that a convoy bringing them to Syria came under U.S. fire, scuttling their release. Julie, who's involved in the hostage negotiations, said the journalists were unharmed. U.S. forces in Iraq said they had no reports to indicate there was any truth to the allegation
  

[edit on 2-10-2004 by fanoose]

They didn't want to go to Iraq. Now they want to go to Iraq. They should've stuck with their first intentions and stayed out. I didn't invite them there. Did you?

[edit on 2/10/04 by Intelearthling]

I am french and i understand now why so many people here hate americans.
Your are so stupid man!!!
U can t be enough clever to understand.
We didn t want that war such as many of your citizens!!
We want the freedom of our journalist that s why we go there to free them
And u don t have too much work to fight peple who kill your soldiers that u kill people who don t harass u!!
It s behaviors like yours that can trigger increase of violence
i am just happy to know that u are not AMERICA but only one stupid american people
AMERICA is better than your attitude it make all of us dream but your attitude make all of us vomit

Originally posted by Intelearthling
They didn't want to go to Iraq. Now they want to go to Iraq. They should've stuck with their first intentions and stayed out. I didn't invite them their. Did you?


They are trying to save their journalists! ... lots of countries who didn't go to Iraq have reporters there. Like that arab reporter who was killed by US fire, now they are targeting these journalists, not just that but also their two separate convoys. No wonder of course, when they didn't even save their own kidnapped people.





Julia's assistant, Philippe Brett, had persuaded the kidnappers to release the Frenchmen and they all left in two separate convoys from their place of detention, both of which had come under US fire, the MP said.

Originally posted by SILVERTHORN
I am french and i understand now why so many people here hate americans.
Your are so stupid man!!!

You do realize that if it where not for us Americans occasionally poking our nose into the injustices of this world, you would still be living in German Occupied France, Right?

Originally posted by defcon5
You do realize that if it where not for us Americans occasionally poking our nose into the injustices of this world, you would still be living in German Occupied France, Right?

Wrong, the tide was already turned with the Red Army joining in so German would have lost anyway without the help of US. BUT this is NOT the subject of this thread so please, everytime somebody mentions France or French people, DO NOT use WW2 as excuse to bash that person and the subject of his thread.

[edit on 2-10-2004 by Samiralfey]

we will always say thank u to american for WW2 but i doesn t mean that we are now slaves of america
we have our own opinion
our own way of seing things
Bush said that if he win the election he will take revenge of france cause we don t agree with his attitude
sure world has to fight terrorism
but u d better think about hundreds of your soldiers dead in irak The vietnam was not a lesson??
Terrorism is all over the world Would u do war all around the world?

Originally posted by SILVERTHORN
I am french and i understand now why so many people here hate americans.
Your are so stupid man!!!

OOOOooohhh!! You really hurt my little feelings! NOT!

It s behaviors like yours that can trigger increase of violence
i am just happy to know that u are not AMERICA but only one stupid american people

I hope you don't think I care what you think about me, because frankly, I DON'T!

Excuse me. It is OK when they needed to be freed of oppression that the US comes and runs to the aid. We are not supposed to aid anyone else though?

Yes, we should have done it when we where there the first time, but either way eventually it would have had to be done.

True, the Russian front was a big part of the winning of WWII, but it would have gone on much longer, if they had not been forced to split their divisions between two fronts.

The French where just sore because they got nailed selling stuff to Iraq that they where not supposed to be.

i sense bs, really, first shooting then bombing? i bet it was a set up by the iraqis and not US road blocks, i mean it so has the mark of a guerrilla/terror type influence attack, pretend to free hostages then wipe them out with gunfire, rpg's and roadside bombs on the way to a safe spot and make it look like someone else, if it was the US i guarantee nothing wouldve been left at all.

Originally posted by defcon5
The French where just sore because they got nailed selling stuff to Iraq that they where not supposed to be.

Uh....what about US deals with Saddam? Rumsfield shaking hands with Saddam as best buddies. Have you forgot about that?

Have any of you bothered to read the updates? The French Foreign ministry has not commented on nor verified any of this.

French Hostages

coming from fanoose im sure its 100% bs... a convoy being escorted by terrorists,,, yah your right our soldiers prolly should let that drive by... and your calling us stupid wow

[edit on 2-10-2004 by bobobb]

Originally posted by namehere
i sense bs, really, first shooting then bombing? i bet it was a set up by the iraqis and not US road blocks, i mean it so has the mark of a guerrilla/terror type influence attack, pretend to free hostages then wipe them out with gunfire, rpg's and roadside bombs on the way to a safe spot and make it look like someone else, if it was the US i guarantee nothing wouldve been left at all.



I don't think so because from the same article there are six of the French journalists' Iraqi escorts that were killed in the bombing, in the same time the french journalists got out save from it. If it were an attack made by a guerrilla they would target the journalists instead and killing them. This way they blame the US for killing them and also achieving their death. Don't forget that this's a french MP account of whom opend fire on them.




Originally posted by FredT
Have any of you bothered to read the updates? The French Foreign ministry has not commented on nor verified any of this.



They menation that also in the same article above. Notice from the same article that this mission of rescuing the journalists enjoys no backing from the French foreign ministry.




Originally posted by bobobb
coming from fanoose im sure its 100% bs... a convoy being escorted by terrorists,,, yah your right our soldiers prolly should let that drive by... and your calling us stupid wow



actully what you've said is 100% BS, because its coming from me it should be BS!, which of course was reported by many news media. And the news above wasn't edit by me nor added any kind of comments that is irrelevant to the news. The same news matches the news by Reuters, that means if its gonna be BS so is Aljazeera and Reuters!

You didn't have anything to say nor contribute to this thread, so you resorted to personal inflaming instead. Nice try but didn't work out, you may try again, call a friend or get refund!

[edit on 2-10-2004 by fanoose]

Silverthorn, when we need someone to wave a white flag, we'll pull your chain, ok? Until then, go find someone else to insult. You want to stop by and flame, you'll get your butt kicked out. But, you're are used to that; I think you know more about Vietnam kicking butt than we do.

[edit on 2-10-2004 by Thomas Crowne]

Originally posted by SILVERTHORN

but u d better think about hundreds of your soldiers dead in irak The vietnam was not a lesson??

Yeah, uh silverthron, you do realize that the Frech got the crap kicked out of them in Vietnam before the US even got there, right?

The French where just sore because they got nailed selling stuff to Iraq that they where not supposed to be.

Ouch! Hehe...

Thing is, the only source I'm seeing for this is the highly unbiased....*cough* (ok, even I can't say it with a straight face) Al Jazeera *cough* news network....

Julia's assistant, Philippe Brett, had persuaded the kidnappers to release the Frenchmen and they all left in two separate convoys from their place of detention, both of which had come under US fire, the MP said.

this reeks of so much BS, it's wholly unbelievable... They just persuaded them to release them after all this time? Yeah, ok....by the way, I've got a lovely bridge to sell, U2U me for details ....

The US military Friday rejected Julia's accusations that US troops had fired on a mercy mission to extricate the two kidnapped French newsmen, killing six escorts.

"I'd say that none of that is true ... I have not seen any reports that would indicate any of these stories showing up are accurate or true," said senior spokesman Rear Admiral Greg Slavonic.

Guess the jury is still out then....

Originally posted by Thomas Crowne
Silverthorn, when we need someone to wave a white flag, we'll pull your chain, ok? Until then, go find someone else to insult. You want to stop by and flame, you'll get your butt kicked out. But, you're are used to that; I think you know more about Vietnam kicking butt than we do.

More than just the Vietnam War
(posted on 9/8/04 at 09:55 Post Number: 716470 (post id: 737164))
Credit to ShadowXIX

Gallic Wars
- Lost. In a war whose ending foreshadows the next 2000 years of French history, France is conquered by of all things, an Italian.

- Hundred Years War
- Mostly lost, saved at last by female schizophrenic who inadvertently creates The First Rule of French Warfare; "France's armies are victorious only when not led by a Frenchman." Sainted.

- Italian Wars
- Lost. France becomes the first and only country to ever lose two wars when fighting Italians.

- Wars of Religion
- France goes 0-5-4 against the Huguenots

- Thirty Years War
- France is technically not a participant, but manages to get invaded anyway. Claims a tie on the basis that eventually the other participants started ignoring her.

- War of Revolution
- Tied. Frenchmen take to wearing red flowerpots as chapeaux.

- The Dutch War
- Tied

- War of the Augsburg League/King William's War/French and Indian War
- Lost, but claimed as a tie. Three ties in a row induces deluded Frogophiles the world over to label the period as the height of French military power.

- War of the Spanish Succession
- Lost. The War also gave the French their first taste of a Marlborough, which they have loved every since.

- American Revolution
- In a move that will become quite familiar to future Americans, France claims a win even though the English colonists saw far more action. This is later known as "de Gaulle Syndrome", and leads to the Second Rule of French Warfare; "France only wins when America does most of the fighting."

- French Revolution
- Won, primarily due the fact that the opponent was also French.

- The Napoleonic Wars
- Lost. Temporary victories (remember the First Rule!) due to leadership of a Corsican, who ended up being no match for a British footwear designer.

- The Franco-Prussian War
- Lost. Germany first plays the role of drunk Frat boy to France's ugly girl home alone on a Saturday night.

- World War I
- Tied and on the way to losing, France is saved by the United States. Thousands of French women find out what it's like to not only sleep with a winner, but one who doesn't call her "Fraulein." Sadly, widespread use of condoms by American forces forestalls any improvement in the French bloodline.

- World War II
- Lost. Conquered French liberated by the United States and Britain just as they finish learning the Horst Wessel Song.

- War in Indochina
- Lost. French forces plead sickness; take to bed with the Dien Bien Flu

- Algerian Rebellion
- Lost. Loss marks the first defeat of a western army by a Non-Turkic Muslim force since the Crusades, and produces the First Rule of Muslim Warfare; "We can always beat the French." This rule is identical to the First Rules of the Italians, Russians, Germans, English, Dutch, Spanish, Vietnamese and Esquimaux.

Thanks, Fred. I know have spewed coffee to clean up.
This is the one that almost choked me:

"- French Revolution
- Won, primarily due the fact that the opponent was also French."

That was darned funny!

Originally posted by FredT

- The Franco-Prussian War
- Lost. Germany first plays the role of drunk Frat boy to France's ugly girl home alone on a Saturday night.

- World War I
- Tied and on the way to losing, France is saved by the United States. Thousands of French women find out what it's like to not only sleep with a winner, but one who doesn't call her "Fraulein." Sadly, widespread use of condoms by American forces forestalls any improvement in the French bloodline.

- World War II
- Lost. Conquered French liberated by the United States and Britain just as they finish learning the Horst Wessel Song.

Man it�s going to take a month to clean the Coke I just spit all over the place out of my laptop's keyboard�

Originally posted by Gazrok

The French where just sore because they got nailed selling stuff to Iraq that they where not supposed to be.

Ouch! Hehe...

Thing is, the only source I'm seeing for this is the highly unbiased....*cough* (ok, even I can't say it with a straight face) Al Jazeera *cough* news network....

I did not hear this form that source, since I don�t visit/read it. It does seem to me that when the war first broke out and we where freezing funds, that it was reported in the ACTUAL news that there where transactions between Iraq and the two countries putting up the biggest fight against the war (Russia and France), for the sale of outlawed items such as night vision gear.